Home Repairs

My RV is my house. When things go wrong with any part of it I need to get it fixed just like any “Sticks & Bricks” homeowner does. The frustrating part is trying to find someone to fix it.

On this trip, my macerator hose developed a pinpoint hole leak. What is a macerator hose? It is what drains my black and gray water tanks. It is my sewage line to the outside world. Thanks to a good friend, Campskunk, I repaired it, knowing that I would need to replace the hose at some point. The repair was a temporary fix.

I plan to visit with family in Columbus, Ohio so I thought I would get it fixed there. I called three different service centers and asked if they could replace the hose. All three gave me roundabout answers that meant no. No, we don’t deal with macerator hoses. No, we don’t work on Roadtreks or vans. A Macerator hose, what is that? No, I don’t know any service centers in the Columbus area that will work on this problem. Frustration!!!

My friend Cori texted me to remind me of Beaver Motors RV in Beaver Springs, Pennsylvania. They work on Roadtreks. I reached Nick, at Beaver Motors RV and asked him if they could replace the macerator hose he said, “Yes”. When I asked him if he could look at my one window that has an annoying water leak he said, “Yes”. When I asked him if he could check one more thing his answer was “Yes”.

By now, you probably know who I am going to go to for some home repairs. He even offered to let me camp in their lot. On Friday I will be waiting at eight in the morning to get my rig in.

Tomorrow my New Jersey sister, Ginny will be meeting me for the weekend in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, one of the towns on the Susquehanna River. While my rig gets worked on we will hotel it, visit, and explore the surrounding area. It will be my last visit with her for some time. We are making the most of being closer in proximity. I am looking forward to one more visit.

I crossed over the Canadian/US border on Monday, September twenty-fifth. It was hard to say goodbye to the north country. It was a grand journey into Canada this summer and fall.

Visiting with good friends in Vermont for a few days made it easier to acclimate back into my own country. I visited Diane and Tom going north, what seems like ages ago, but was really just this past July. I got to do a repeat performance. On a lovely Tuesday, the three of us kayaked on one of the local reservoirs. It was a perfect morning and afternoon.

Fall has arrived on the northeast coast. It is Indan Summer with cool nights and warm days. It is kind of a last hurrah before winter arrives. The leaves are changing colors. No one is sure if it is going to be a good fall, with brilliant leaf colors or just a so-so one. There are all these theories that the locals use to predict whether it will be a good “Leaf Peeping” fall or not. The trees know but they let people do their local predictions before they decide to show their color. The verdict is still out for this fall. Foliage usually peaks around the second week in October.

Friday presents me with another kind of adventure. Home repairs. I am so glad to be driving towards someone who will take care of EmmyLou for me. It feels good to be putting her into good hands.

Today and I am sure over the next few days I will continue to be thankful for Beaver Motors RV service department.

How I am Spending My Summer

Traveling is fun, traveling is hard, traveling is everything. The good, The bad, and everything in between.

I have been “on the road” since the second week in July. Shortly after my sister’s birthday I packed up EmmyLou, left New Jersey, and began to travel to my next destination. After a visit with a long-time friend, Diane in Vermont I started moving north through Maine. Destination Nova Scotia.

I love traveling through the backroads and discovering the unusual, unique, and different. I never know what is going to show up and catch my interest. Lubec, Maine is a small town that boasts it is the furthermost east town in the United States. It sits on the water at the end of the road. There were unique sculptures, lobster rolls, and picturesque buildings.

I have been to Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick, Canada. They are the famous Sea Stacks in the Bay of Fundy. The best time to go is at low tide because one can walk on the ocean floor for miles as long as you don’t mind the gooey mud.

Last evening I reached Halifax. I was planning to go out and explore today but here I am instead writing this. Why? I needed a day off. I like traveling. I love exploring. Some days I just need a day off. So today is my day off. The laundry is done. I have had a shower and the rig is getting cleaned up. And I am taking some time to rest and read. It also gives Halifax another day to clean up from the torrential rains that poured into this community over the weekend.

Is this age-related? Maybe. Is this road weariness? Maybe. I have to remind myself that if I had a “Sticks & Bricks” house I would have days like this, days where I would relax in the house or yard. Days where I would catch up on chores. I have a site right on a river about a half hour outside of Halifax. It is quiet and shaded. The young mallards come to visit. Last night I was able to launch my kayak and see a couple beavers on the river. Nice. I am enjoying a summer day off.

I will be in Nova Scotia until early August. This coming weekend is a Roadtrek Rally or gathering. We will talk shop. Others will catch up on their lives and I hope to make a few new friends who I can meet “on the road”.

Immature Atlantic Puff

My logistical plan for the summer in Canada is changing. I love photography. I love learning about my craft. I have the opportunity to go to a three-night/four-day photography workshop on the north shore of the St Lawrence Seaway. Instead of traveling to New Foundland, I am going to continue to travel through New Brunswick and Labrador, traveling by ferry to the north shore of the Seaway, and will move east along the river to the Mingan Archipelago. I am spending three nights on one of the islands and taking photos of Puffins, Razorbacks, and whoever else shows up with Christopher Dodd, photographer and seven other photographers. Puffins!!!

I am looking forward to learning more about my camera and lenses. With knowledge comes creativity and a distinctive view of how I see and take photos.

Am I going to New Foundland? Yes, just a few weeks later. I am told it is good to travel there until the end of September. The plan can change again. I like the freedom to choose change. It is important to be flexible and grab the opportunity when it arrives whispering or screaming at my doorstep.

Please join me on my summer journey. And if you are anywhere close come on by and have a seat. Take a day off. Enjoy life.

Remember to click on the photos to enlarge them. If you click on the bold and different color print, it will take you to websites so you can learn more about my destinations or the professionals that I am involved with.