TGIF and other good things....

It's been a week of work alternated with family and friends. Stu had two major projects to get done. The first was replacing the leaky valves in our holding tanks. Only the black was leaking but since the seal wears out, he knew it was just a matter of time before the gray started as well.

The valves are inside the insulated underbelly of the rig, wonderful for helping prevent freezing, not so wonderful for access. Once he removed the belly pan, he saw that the insulation needed replacing as well.

Several trips to Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace Hardware and he finally had all the pieces needed for his repair and modifications. The first was to add grease zerts to the valves to allow him to lubricate them and hopefully have them last longer. That done, he replaced the valves.

Next came the underbelly pan. To help out the next time he needs to access the valves, he cut an access hole in the bottom of the pan. Using a heavy rubber doormat, he built a cover for the access hole. New insulation added and all he had to do was mount it all back into place. Finally done!

Next came putting the trailer hitch we bought in Sturgis last summer on to the back of the trike. Last month he had attempted to take out the original bolts to no avail...this time he got a portable propane torch and heated them. Several hours of labor and the old bolts finally came loose. Installing the hitch was a breeze after that...looks good and yes, the trunk door still opens (my first question). LOL!

We had dinner with my youngest brother and his wife at Beef O'Brady's on Tuesday night...they had several packages to deliver to us. The most important being our replaced/repaired inverter. Stu says that project will wait until we head back to Bee's RV Resort in Clermont for two weeks.

Wednesday two fellow RVers dropped by to meet us. We follow each other's blogs and it turns out they have known my youngest brother and his wife for years. Barry and Linda are "anytimers", currently owning a house and property here in Vero Beach. What started out as a short chat turned into a whole afternoon. Not sure where the time went but we really enjoyed it. Just hope we can meet up on the road...these folks are full of laughs!

Thursday we met up with more friends...these were ones that I've known for several years. Bev I saw Saturday at the Fiasco Bros Clubhouse. Her daughter, Tessa, I hadn't seen in probably 9-10 years. I'd never met her boys, Chase (8) - Dillon (4) - Wyatt (2). Wyatt was diagnosed with Leukemia last fall and was in critical condition. Other than hair loss, you'd never know it now. Full of energy and enjoying his family....all three were well behaved. We really enjoyed seeing them.

Finally it's Friday...and for some reason I woke up aching all over. Fibromyalgia can kick in anytime and I've learned to take it easy when it does. So today has been a sofa and movie day for me while Stu finished detailing Big Red. I still need to wash and wax my custom paint on Gypsy...not gonna be today! Tonight we're headed to V B Sports Grille with family and friends. Won't be a late night, tomorrow we ride the bikes down to Ft. Lauderdale to visit with our stepdaughter, Kim, and her family.

We'll ride back on Sunday, taking our time and enjoying the ride...yes, Sadie will be with us. So no blogs until Sunday night or Monday sometime...enjoy your weekend!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu