Ft Worth Texas, Dog shows & Friendship

Welcome Greytlady11 -- glad to have you along! Does your name suggest you have greyhounds?

I've not really had much time to blog the past several days. Have been very busy with friends, this is the first time I've been able to boot up my computer since I left Southeast Texas! 

Now I'm in North Texas, but I plan on returning back to the Southeast Texas area tomorrow. 

I'm at my friend Pam's. 

She has a wonderful place in Euless, Tx on 5 acres of land. It's great here! 

Pam also has & exhibits Saluki dogs, so we have a lot in common. It was years ago when she got her first show dog, a beautiful black & tan colored female Afghan Hound was when we met.

We've been friends since. I'm parked in her driveway while we did errands (including the last post on laundry!). We did 3 days of dog shows, it was a nice time.

My sick friend, Linda that I came to visit with has had it pretty rough. I had a really nice visit with her on Thursday, we took her in for her radiation treatments. While she was getting her treatments, Pam & I had lunch in the hospital cafeteria. I had no idea that they could actually have good food there! Had roasted salmon, mac&cheese & green beans. It was good. 

One of the valet parkers is an artist. He did this amazing painting on the whiteboard. He changes it out each month with a new painting. Seems a shame that it gets erased monthly! 

Linda also has Salukis & also shows them. She hasn't been able to show herself the past few years, but others have been able to show her dogs for her. She used to have a lovely girl from one of my breedings of the past. She's a great home & gave her a wonderful life into Micah's old age.
Linda has cancer, but we're all hoping & praying she can beat this! This is her 4th bout of this dreaded disease. Her's in in her neck. It just doesn't seem fair does it?

She was released from the hospital last Tuesday. I got here on Wednesday & was able to visit with her on Thursday & she came out to the dog show on Friday. Her puppy, Manitou was being exhibited by a handler, he's such a cutie! The puppy that is ;-) 

 This is Manitou, he's in the 9-12 puppy male class. 

Below are typical grooming areas at indoor shows. You can see the show rings on the bottom picture, where the white fencing is. We show the dogs on non-slip mats in the rings. 

 The shows were held in Fort Worth, Texas. What a fascinating city Ft Worth is, but I didn't have my camera in hand when we drove around the city looking for certain places. But I did manage a cell phone pic of the court house as we were driving up the road that actually passes by it. But it looks like you are going to drive directly in it when approaching! 

 Isn't it cool how the camera caught the sky colors?

Birdie was exhibited two of the days. She won her class, which was bred by exhibitor both days, but didn't get the ultimate win for the points! Oh well, at least she won Best Bred By at the specialty! 

Unfortunately, a damper was place upon us on Saturday & Sunday as Linda was admitted back into the hospital. We were really scared, as she was placed in ICU. Fortunately, she is improving & may go home tomorrow! So we plan on visiting her tonight & if she is improving, then I need to head back to Houston. I'm so very glad I made this trip. It's always good to reconnect with good friends. Treasure those you love,  you never know. 

And I got to make a new friend, so that's always good too! 

~As always, be kind to your pets, clean up after them on your travels & respect your neighbor~
 

Vacation- Ft Worth, TX

Hey ya'll....I've take a small trip to Ft Worth, TX.

To visit with a sick friend.

And to attend a dog show.

Want to see how much fun I'm having???

Okey Dokey -- Here's a picture!

Ohhhhh, my friend Pam is having even more fun!

Exhaust Leak Repairs 3-13-13

So last Monday, 3-11-13, I took Ellie to PPL & had my generator fixed. Again, yipeeee! It's been blogged about already, but I'm still very happy about it!

On the way back, I stopped at a mechanics in Rosenberg, TX to see what could be done with an exhaust leak. They recommended a muffler shop. So I took the RV there. He said he was booked, but asked me to call him to see if we could work it in on the following Monday, which would have been today. I called him the next day & he said he didn't think he could work on it. He thought maybe my rig was too low to the ground & would not fit his lift. So Tuesday morning, I struck out, looking for another place. Went to one muffler shop, his lift was rated for 12k pounds. Ellie dry weighs 11k, with no gas, water, nothing in her. So we knew she'd be overweight for his lift. Went to another shop. He had a lift that could hold her...but...she was too tall for his garage. Sooo I went back to the first guy I was recommended to & he came out to see Ellie. He looked under her & said he could get under her. He asked me to wait, then after an hour or so, he pulled her into his lot & went to work! Oh joy! I don't have to wait a week or so! Plus I need to make that trip to Dallas, so this is good. 

He finds not one, not two, but 3 leaks! He rolls over his welding tanks & goes to work under Ellie, welding pipes. We get the dog house off  (console) he finds one of the 3 leaks in an exhaust pipe there. He even has me listen to it, yep, there's definitely air coming out of it. But of course, that pipe has to be ordered. It's a $90 pipe! But I need it, so I tell him, yes order it. He says he can probably get it the next day & sure enough, he has it the next morning. So I go over & he puts it on. Alrighty then, we are fixed! Oh, not so fast cowgirl...we still have yet, another leak somewhere. Bummer!! He inspects the manifold. Oh crap, one of the rings that holds a bolt on is rusted! It falls right off into his hand! Dang. So not repairable. Will eventually have to get a new manifold, but at least she's still drivable & the work he did definitely improved Ellie's performance. He can't do the fix, so one day, I'll have to find a used manifold in a salvage yard & find someone that can put it in for me. This guy was a very nice guy. Works alone, but there's also a mechanic that shares the same building beside him, so they help each other on things. It's a good deal for them both. I like giving the small guy my business when they are capable of handling it. I don't like giving the big guys my business when I know their poor mechanics are only making $10 an hour & they are the ones doing all the hard work! Again, this guy was great, One Stop Muffler & Brakes in Rosenberg, TX. If it weren't for him, it would have co$t me a whole lot more at the bigger $hop! So I'm quite grateful for him. Please keep his wife in your prayers. She has cancer. She was cleared & 30 days later, it's back. I hate that for them. I do hope she can kick this horrible disease. 

 This pipe had a hole in it & was just spewing out air. This is the pipe that had to be ordered for ::gulp:: $90.00

                                                 My brand spanking new $90.00 pipe!

 Another good thing he noticed was this hose. It was sooo brittle that it was falling into pieces! So he cut more hose & made a new one for me! I don't know what it is for, but I'd prefer not to find out the hard way. 

The other hose thing  -  note little teeth marks on it! Dang, rodents! Good thing they didn't get through it! 
 

                             Thanks Mom for keeping Ellie safe for us ~ Houston

~As always, be kind to your pets, clean up after them on your travels & respect your neighbor~

Dog Show - Birdie Scores!

Welcome Nan & John! I know you have a blog, but it's not showing up on the members page. If you want to share it, I'll be happy to link to it! Thanks for joining up with me :-) 

After getting necessary things done on Ellie, it was time to test her. So we went to a local dog show. Sure, I could have driven back & forth with just Birdie, but instead, I bathed all the dogs, loaded them  into the RV & off we went last Friday to spend the weekend at the dog show. 

What did I have done to Ellie? Got the generator fixed, which I blogged about already & had some exhaust leaks fixed, which I've not blogged about yet. The generator worked like a dream! Soooo nice to be able to use it again! And this time, to be able to shut it on & off with the inside switch! It's never worked right & now that switch does - so Yipeee! 

Saturday, Birdie won 3rd of 3 in her class. Well bad naughty Birdie has a tendency to get carried away with herself because she's too happy. Sunday, Birdie was not in a good mood, so no playing, so we won! 
I lay a nice blanket on the dirt floor for her to lay on, a young Afghan Hound puppy TOUCHED her sacred blanket! How DARE HE! She was NOT happy about it, and she took that into the ring. (the unhappiness that is, not her blanket) But in this case, there was no extra happiness, so she showed pretty good! I was the only one that knew she was not happy. Ha! I'll need him at our next show too! So she won Winners & got a 3rd major! All she needs now is one more point to finish her championship! We're off to Ft Worth on Wednesday. Actually the show isn't till Friday, but I need to visit with a sick friend in Dallas & am anxious to see her. 

Here is a pic of Birdie taken about a month ago. I always forget to take the camera inside to take pics! 

Now for our camping set up. This show was total boondocking. I try to park in the back 40 so I can pretty much not be sandwiched in between rigs. We have to use our generators when it starts to heat up to keep the dogs comfy & safe. I don't have a Gen-Turi, but one is on it's way! Yay! Thanks to Gypsy Jane!

She has one that she never uses because she rarely uses her generator, so she has already mailed her Gen-Turi off to me for a way decent price! I'm so grateful & excited! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! 

And it clears up space for her new ground mat, so it works out great for us both! Except I'll have to find a space for it now ;-) 

My little space in the big parking lot. 

My set up. I use 3 expens for my guys. I hook two together to make one long run, then I hook another to the side of it to still make a decent size run. This way, they can come out, play & stretch their legs. I also cover them with shade cloth. The crate sitting there is a grooming crate, I can put a dog on top of it & groom them there. Note the purple mat. I dumpster dived & saved it! A friend of mine threw it away because her dogs soiled it & she didn't want to carry it home, so I salvaged it when I noticed it in the dumpster, bleached & washed it. It's perfect! The blanket on that is Birdie's sacred blanket. Don't touch. Well, people can, but other dogs can't! 

 Some of the dogs in the pens. One run is  8', the other is 12' long. Wrinkles & Carlos in one. Houston & Zeus in the other. I did have to buy the checker board mat. I had an older one, but the weather pretty much killed it. These 4x7 mats are soooo much cheaper at dog shows. Only $20 compared to the expensive ones you find elsewhere. I didn't want my guys sitting on the stinky concrete parking lot. This place is an equine center & it smelled of cattle. 

Now for some of the other rigs around me:

Ellie looks crooked? Not sure why? She was level. I also need to get a new spare tire cover. Threw the old one away last week. It was too weathered. The big rig to the right of me moved in on Sat morn. Note the bbq grill. He bbq'd Saturday night. It smelled wonderful, he invited me to dinner, but I declined. I had already eaten & just wanted to be with my guys. It was really nice of him to ask though. 

                                                            Rig in front of me.

 View of the rig beside me & if you notice, you'll see a line up of some more rigs going down to the building. The sun was in my face at the time of the photo.

                                                 Another view of the rig beside me.

Rig behind me. I especially liked this set up! Lots of handlers carry a lot of dogs, to keep them more comfortable, they use the big box trucks. This box truck has it's own generator so they can run a/c for their dogs. Then he tows a TT & is able to hook the TT up to his box truck. Pretty clever set up! They kept their spot really nice & neat all weekend too.

~As always, be kind to your pets, clean up after them on your travels & respect your neighbor~

Some people are lucky idiots

I truly have a guardian angel...

 

I was hungry, saw this parking spot and whipped right in

This was after sitting at a muffler shop for 3.5 hours..

Like I said, someone is a lucky idiot..

Generator fixed!

Yay, my generator is now fixed & working!! 

Yipeeeeee!!!

It was just a faulty ground wire. 

Go figure, all that worrying & that's all it was. 

So the previous guy replaced the starter, the selaniod, a few other things & it was JUST a ground wire! 

Oh well, at least it's working now. 

Thanks to PPL who worked me in & got it done right away!

While there, I bought a new clearance light replacement cap (& bought the wrong one, AFTER telling a friend yesterday which one to buy for her motorhome! duh). I saw ORANGE & didn't pay attention to the part number! Goofy me.

Bought new gaskets for my roof vents. 

Bought a new fan blade for the bathroom exhaust fan. The old one is really weathered & is crumbling.

Bought more RV wax. So I can torture myself some more in the future. 

And picked up their new free parts catalog. 

Anyone in the states can get one, just go here to order one. They come in handy for reference as well.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-parts-catalog.php

~As always, be kind to your pets, clean up after them on your travels & respect your neighbor~

The Coachmen Dalmatian

Has anyone here wondered why Coachmen uses a Dalmatian as their logo?

I wondered this often - probably because I have such a strong interest in dogs anyhow. 

My RV is a Coachmen & it has a running Dalmatian on it. Actually a couple of them. 

Which caused me to wonder. 

Was this Dalmatian a former pet of the founder?

What was the founder's interest in the breed?

Why a Dalmatian? 

So since Google is our friend (& you must believe everything you see on the internet), I came up with the answer!

PETE! Yes, Pete. Pete was the company dog who could tell the difference between a salesman & an RV dealer. Plus since the Dalmatian is known as "the coach dog", hence the logo stuck. 

I was watching a video on youtube of an older coachmen rig & that one had a standing Dal rather than the running one on my rig. 

Anyhow, just a bit of trivia or info for ya'll. 

I need a life ;-)  

I did change my generator oil this morning!

Ok, yes, I need a life.....

******
Taken from an article:
By the way, the dalmatian featured in Coachmen’s distinctive logo was Pete, a company watchdog, who, legend has it, could tell the difference between RV dealers and salesmen, greeting dealers happily while growling at salesmen.
With Dalmations also known as “coach dogs,” a drawing of Pete leaping over the Coachmen name became a company hallmark logo.

See the rest of the article here:
http://www.woodallscm.com/2005/04/coachmen-rv-aims-for-consumers-sweet-spot/

So there you have it -- Arf Arf! 

~As always, be kind to your pets, clean up after them on your travels & respect your neighbor~

Detailing the Motorhome

I've been a busy girl. 

Real busy. 

Real, real busy.

Time for a break! 

This job, I did last Sunday. I detailed the truck part of the Motorhome, which was tough work. I'm sure glad it's done though. Then on Tuesday, I replaced some bulbs on the clearance lights, with the intention of caulking around the covers, but could not get it done. It started to get too late & I was hurting too much. 

I tried again yesterday to do the lights, but could not make it up any ladder. Still hurt too much, leg kept getting cramps & my foot hurt like someone had twisted it backwards. I need to listen to my body. 

BUT I don't have anyone to do these things for me. I don't have an expense account to pay someone to take care of these things for me. 

AND I'm a perfectionist. Which makes myself my own worst enemy, yet, it gets the job done right. Very few service centers pay attention to the stinky little details like I do...so I do it all myself. I probably saved myself a few hundred dollars of work this week anyhow.

So onto the truck part that I did last Sunday. It looks marvelous -- even if I say so myownself!

We'll go step by step & I'll add a video at the end of all that went into detailing the truck. 

Here are my supplies:
See photo below - 
Rubbing Compound because the hood was so covered in caulk, sap, debris, glue (grrrr), & needed to be deoxidized. 
Turtle Wax for the truck part only. The last step in the process. 
A car wash brush on an extended pole. I also have a window squeegie on an extended pole. Both are a MUST!
A rag for the rubbing compound. 
The yellow chamois is to keep moistened to wipe rubbing compound away as I go. 
The blue chamois is to wipe any dust off the places I'm working on before hand. 
I washed the rig the day before, so it was still pretty clean.

Photos below are what I was dealing with. 
Notice all the stuff on the hood. It's caulk, it's sap, it's gray oxidation & two spots were glue :-(  
 From now on, IF I ever have to have the overhead cab worked on again, I will supply a canvas TARP for them to cover the truck with! I swear, it was a real mess. 
Some of it was because it really needed a good deep cleaning, but there's no excuse for the caulk & glue. One spot of glue would not come off, so I had to leave it....

 The rust scrape below is probably from their scaffold. Fortunately, the rubbing compound did a marvelous job of removing it! Whew! Their scaffold is rust colored.

Below, rubbing compound. One thing I was told I did right was that I got Turtle Wax brand. The person that told me shows cars, so he was glad to tell me it was the proper product as it's not as abrasive as some of the other brands. Use it carefully on painted surfaces though. It can scratch & if you go to intensive, you can do some damage to your paint.
I dipped my moistened rag into the compound & worked small areas at a time. 
Then wiped each area as I went along with the damp yellow chamois to keep it from drying on the surface. 
It states not to let it dry onto the painted surface.

Oh & I used the typical kitchen yellow gloves that I bought at the 99 cent store to save my hands & nails.

Then I moved onto the other parts of the painted metal surfaces. I lightly compounded the entire truck part because I soon discovered that cleaning up small spots with the rubbing compound left white spots against the area that needed to be deoxidized anyhow. Be careful when doing this, but you won't be sorry of the end result if you do it right! 
So I compounded it all, wiping it off with my wet chamois as I went along.

OK, now time to wash the truck part again. Need to be sure to get all this comfounded compound off...sorry, I simply could not resist saying that ;-) 

I use the Gel-Gloss heavy duty RV wash & wax soap. I use that on the entire rig, it does a pretty good job. 

Note how much better this hood looks! Smashing! Wait, I'm a little afraid to use that phrase...strike that...outstanding! Wait, that's a little scary too. Well, you get my point. It just looks damn good! 

Note how the water is puddling & not beading though. 

So now to protect the surface, I waxed the truck part! I'll spare you photos of that process. 
Why? 
Because I forgot to take pictures - heehee. But I did capture it on video! 
Why wax since it all looks so shiny & clean? To protect the paint from all that work I just did!

OK, now ElFinished! YAY!!! Collective cheers world wide! Do you hear it? I do. Even if it's in my own head. C'mon. Try. YES, YOU CAN HEAR IT!!!!

Just look at that beautiful hood! YAY!!! 

Just look at that beautiful shiny motorhome! Yay!!!

Ellie enjoyed her day at the spa. So much so, that she requested that I put her bonnet on her to keep her windows clean. She needed to close her eyes for a much needed rest. We girls really do feel better after our spa treatments & must get our rest!

And if you've not been driven to suicidal boredom, there's even a video! But don't blame me if you need mental help after wards. Really. I did warn you....












 

~As always, be kind to your pets, clean up after them on your travels & respect your neighbor~

Please Enter

My current entry step. 

Although my step in area is fixed now & I do actually have steps, I still prefer to use something other than the metal pull out step. I don't like the way it "gives" when you step on it & it's just not the right position to step onto. 

I think many folks don't like their entry steps & choose alternatives. 

OK, so maybe I should have cleaned it up for the photo. ;-}
I also have another area mat to use, but am not using it here as the sun & elements just eat them up! I'll buy a new welcome mat too. This one has seen better days...

This stool, I actually use for my portable a/c. It fits perfectly between my front seats. I place a piece of plywood on top of it & a small carpet rug on top of that. Then the a/c gets sat on top of all that. 

The step is rated for around 400 pounds if I'm not mistaken. So in that case, I won't have to worry when company comes to visit if they weigh more than the 200 pound mark that my last step would only hold. 
And I broke that last one anyhow. Dang, too bad I broke it because I liked the way it folded up. I'll have to find another one for traveling as this one would be too clumbersome to travel with & move around. 

When I travel, I'll probably put this one back between my front seats & find a foldable one to use otherwise at that time. 

But I might go back to Home Depot & buy another one of these this summer as it is the perfect a/c stool & it makes a good entry step as well! So at that time, I'll need two of these things. 

Unless I'd happen to move where I could actually get the correct power to use the roof air...one can dream, right? 

Anyhow, I hope all is well with everyone. 

I'm still working on another post of all the work I did last Sunday! 
So maybe tomorrow, I'll get that one done. I'm still recovering....  

OH, good news! I have an appointment with PPL on Monday to get my generator fixed!!! Yay!! Hope it'll be an easy fix at this point! 

~As always, be kind to your pets, clean up after them on your travels & respect your neighbor~

Small Spaces, Tiny Houses

 I'm taking a break from working on my RV. I'll do a blog about it when I get the photos uploaded & edited. 

In the meantime:

I came across this video - actually, it's a documentary of life in small spaces.

It's very intriguing.

I'm absorbed in how they can create so much in such small spaces.

RV's have always intrigued me with what all goes into them.

These homes are rather cool!

I'll warn you, the documentary is around 1 hour, 22 mins long, so if you have time, enjoy it!

OverHead Cab Better

OK, so I finally felt better & was able to get back to the Motorhomes Over Head Cab area today. 

Whew. 

Was very glad I got this job done. 

Actually, I was really planning on cleaning up the hood to the truck part of the MH, but it occurred to me that I probably should do the overhead cab area first.

Good thinking on my part because it would have been silly to do the truck, THEN the overhead cab - thus messing the truck back up again! 

But before we get started, I thought I'd share last night's gorgeous sunset! 

Our sunsets happen rather quickly here. When I spot a really pretty sky, I have just enough time to grab the camera & walk to the back pasture to capture it's beauty. So this is in each stage of bright to dark. 

Just stunning! 

OK, back to the overhead cab:

As ya'll know, I washed the RV on the 24th of Feb, then ran out of steam & strength to do anything more. 

It took me a few days to recover from that. 

Actually what really wiped me out was having to remove all the tape residue from the overhead cab area, but I got it done that day! And what a job that was as noted on my post of Feb 24th. 

In the time between the 24th & today, I bought some rubbing compound. Actually, I bought that to clean up the hood on the truck. But thought, OK, I still have a few spots on the overhead area that need attention. 

So to work I went with that this morning. I was able to rub, rub, rub, rub. rub....& rub more to get off the caulk & black streaks from the fiberglass. What a job that was too! But I finally got all the residue off & it was so much better. However, the fiberglass was dull & with using the compound, it was important to wax that area. 

So after using the compound, which you have to wipe off as you go along because you don't want it to dry on the surface. So I kept a wet chamois with me & kept wiping it down. That worked well. Once done, I washed the overhead cab & the truck area again. 

I use one of those brushes on an extended pole that are made for washing cars & I use an RV wash soap product that's made for fiberglass. It works pretty well. 

Fortunately, I also had just enough RV fiberglass wax left from last year too! 

Whew! 

So here are the stages of the cab area:

 Note the dull finish. Note the stain over the N on the word Coachmen. That cleaned up some, but I could not totally get it off. One thing I got from my Dad was the problem of being a perfectionist. It can be my enemy sometimes, but in the long run, it's actually my friend! Today, I had to do as good as I could though & decided to address the stain more later. It doesn't really show up really bad in the photos, but it's worse in person. It kind of looks like a coffee stain. The hazards of covering the cab with two sheets of plastic...

Sure makes me wonder what covering your RV in the winter under a cover can do to the finishes? 

Also, the area had several long streaks in it that really don't show up well in the photos. Some were of glue & caulk when the glazing bead came off. Some were the typical black streaks that come from the roof. 

Black streaks come from a dirty roof when it rains, it all just streaks down the sides of the fiberglass. I try to keep the roof clean too, but in reality, I don't go up on it as often to clean it as I probably should. Plus with the leak that was going on, it was not a good idea to get up on the roof to wash it till that leak got fixed.  

If you look hard enough, you can see the streaks & stain. Note the caulk sealant where the crack was too. 

Again, dull finish & streaks. The window looks way better in the pics too! It really bothers me that they didn't do this right & put the glazing bead back on. That caulk is a big dust/dirt trap too! I'm afraid the only real way to fix it now is to take the window out, lay it down somewhere & totally strip off the caulk. Reseal & put fresh glazing bead back on. That will have to be done in the future. Far into the future I'm guessing!
I am not going back there again if I can help it. 

OK, now for improvements! 

 Done!! All washed, buffed, waxed & shined! It looks 
sooooo good, I just want to go outside & stare at it!

Also, note the sidewall on the drivers side. Now that's much better than the previous photos that I sent with the tape over it, holding it down till it could be repaired too! 

Much, much better!

  And a photo of the sealed caulk line from the cracked fiberglass. It looks better once it all was cleaned up. Not as noticable. But I'm still thinking that perhaps a fiberglass repair kit would make it look better. I'll consider that in the future if this doesn't hold up.

Thanks for taking the time to look at my blog today! I really do think it's important to take care of our rigs to the best of our abilities! 

~As always, be kind to your pets, clean up after them on your travels & respect your neighbor~