“Mama said there’d be days like this…”

“There’d be days like this, my Mama said…”  Remember that tune from the 60’s?  Well, my Mama never said there would be 10 days like this in a row!  The saga continues…The sealer kits for the levers actually arrived this morning, and the rig was taken off to have the back levelers removed.  The tech told me he’d bring the rig back as soon as he could so I wouldn’t have to sit in the car with Emma while it rained outside.  He could work on installing the new seals without the rig.  I appreciated that.  It’s a lot easier to while away the time in inclement weather inside the rig as opposed to being cooped up in the car.

I spent my time mapping my next stop on my way to Anahuac NWR in Texas.  Along about 2:30, Sean, my contact in the service department, came knocking on my door.  I hopped up to answer fully expecting that he would want to take the rig back to have the levers reinstalled.  It was not to be.  It turns out that the levelers wouldn’t hold a seal because of grooves on the legs.  Okay, so what does that mean?  It means I have to have both levelers replaced.  They don’t make these things ahead of time.  They only manufacture them on an as needed basis, and it takes 7 days to make them at Power Gear in Wisconsin.  OMG, tell me it isn’t so!  So, dear friends, to make a much longer story short, I will continue to reside in the Camping World parking lot for about the next ten days.  To put it bluntly, this sucks big-time! 

However, I have to tell you that these delays have not been the fault of Camping World.  They wanted to order new levelers from the beginning, but the extended warranty folks said no; try the seal kit.  Power Gear was also remiss in not sending out the kits on the day they were ordered, but waited four days!  The folks here at Camping World have been quite accommodating, and not only took the rig to dump the tanks (after being here 8 days), but filled the fresh water tank, and provided me with directions to the nearest laundromat.   I’m sure they would like to see me gone as much as I’d like to be gone.  So, I’ll be looking for more touristy things to do for the next week or so.  At least I’ve got 50 amps and the DISH set up.  :)

There were a couple of comments left on last night’s post that helped to lift my spirits.  JB made me chuckle with his comment about holding the record for being the longest RV visitor to Boise since Idaho became a state.  Well, JB, looks like I might just get there!  MARGIE also gave me the advice to just go out and take some photos to calm down…so, late this afternoon, I did.
I had replied to Margie that there wasn’t anything left to take photos of in this parking lot, but after the further happenings today I thought I’d give it a try anyway.  Hence, the collage of license plates from the parking lot.  :)
I also went back to check on the milkweed pods after two days of rain.  They’re looking a little different now.
Dandelions do seem to carry on through three of the four seasons!  :)
The view of I-84 and beyond from the top of the small rise behind the rig.  There are traffic sounds 24/7, but I don’t hear them much with all the windows closed.
I even found a small marshy area near the road with these maturing cattails.  Thanks, Margie, I’m a little calmer now.  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Best weather day yet

Since I've been at Balcones NWR, the weather has often been cold, rainy,cold, and overcast.  Not today!  It was a gorgeous day.  The sun was shining and temps made it up into the low 70's.  I headed out to do some birding.  First, I checked the upper pond near headquarters, but there was nothing on the pond.  Then, I headed out to Doeskin Ranch.  I will be leading a bird tour in about a week, and I wanted to decide on what trails I will take the group on for the best possibilities of bird sightings.  The spring migration really hasn't started yet, so leading a successful tour will be a challenge.

While I didn't see much bird life other than cardinals and sparrows, I did enjoy the scenery and abundance of water.                                  

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

This rock is about two feet wide, and was located along the creek bank.

These look like embedded fossils to me in that rock.

I received an email today with a complaint that I did not post a reader's comment.  I hope this was an isolated occurrence.  The only comments that I don't post are those from obvious spammers.  That's why all comments are put on hold for my approval.  Early on, I received a comment from some spammer selling shoes, so that's why I have to approve the comments first.  I hope that reader will comment again.  If anyone else has had this problem on my blog, I'd sure like to know about it.  You can email me at altsclmarm at gmail dot com.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy