The saga of the MCD shades

Perhaps some of you recall that I had MCD shades installed on the inside of the rig across the windshield and the two driver/passenger side windows a little over a year ago.  They were well worth the investment for me so I wouldn’t kill myself trying to attach outside sun shades perched on top of a tall ladder.  Besides the sunshades, they also included night shades.  Not those pleated awful day/night shades that are on several other windows in the rig.

While I was at Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR this winter, the MCD shade on the passenger’s window wouldn’t retract.  I called MCD, and they sent me the needed spring part to replace so the shades would retract.  My friend John did most of the work in helping me get that repaired.  Then on the drive to Tennessee the entire structure of that shade crashed down giving me near heart failure as I drove along.

I was able to get a mobile RV tech out to the rig today to reinstall it.  I was concerned because the last time I called a mobile tech it cost me close to $300 for a five minute fix.  In less than 45 minutes, John Foxworthy not only reinstalled the shade (and improved the attachment so it won’t happen again), but also installed the new mechanism for my TV antenna that had broken and fallen out in pieces in my hands about a month ago.  Total bill was only a little over $130.  A lot of you guys probably could have done these things yourself, but I couldn’t.  Besides not having the proper array of tools that were used, with my left wrist presently giving me problems, I couldn’t lift the shades back in to place anyway.  I was happy as a clam, and would recommend John Foxworthy for repairs if you are in the Knoxville area.

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been trying to tape towels over that window as the afternoon sun just streams in and really heats up the rig.  The side wall around the window would get so hot that it would melt the gorilla tape sticky stuff and the towels would fall down.  What a relief it is to have the sunshade back in operation.

By the time he was done, it was too late to do a day trip today.  Then in the afternoon, these ominous clouds began to roll in.  The wind began to pick up, and I rolled in my awning.  There was more of a threat of rain than actual moisture, but at least it lowered the temps a few degrees.

With the cloud cover, Emma and I were able to spend the early evening sitting outside for a change.  It’s been quite a few days that we’ve been cooped up inside because of the 100*+ temperatures.

I was able to figure out a way to display the flag, that Robyn gave me, in honor of tomorrow’s holiday.  My last flag got eaten to shreds by mice at Anahuac NWR.    There is a street light right outside my rig, so I hope that counts for leaving the flag out over night.  I’m proud and thankful to be a citizen of this country.

I have a trip in mind to visit Cade’s Cove in Smoky Mountain Nat’l Park tomorrow, and my plan is to find a way to get there while avoiding the Pigeon Forge driving nightmare.  I might even set my alarm to leave by the crack of dawn.  We’ll see if I carry through on that idea. 

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy