WE COMPLETELY EMPTIED THE WINNIE WAGON TODAY

Had ourselves a rain soaked gloomy morning but it worked out Ok for us as we were able to concentrate our work efforts inside getting things organized & put away from our return home last Saturday.  We needed to get organized because we knew we had to completely empty the Winnie Wagon of totally everything.  Want to get Winnie cleaned up quickly as possible & get her on the market.

A FLASH OF BLUE IN THE CEDAR TREES AS THIS BLUE JAY HEADS FOR THE FEEDER STATION

Soon as the rain let up we were outside working at the task at hand. Had to move things around & make space in our carport as well to temporarily accommodate all the stuff . Shop Vac out & vacuumed up more Arizona dust out of Winnies empty bins. Sirius satellite antennae off the roof etc. Saturday is supposed to be sunny & warm so out will come the buckets of soapy water & cleaning supplies as we give Winnie the Bago a last good scrubbing. Will probably turn the outside water on & maybe fire up the pressure washer. Got to get as much out of these energy spikes as we can.

WE MANAGED TO COMPLETELY EMPTY THE WINNEBAGO TODAY

A commenter wondered what the Triple E owner's reason for selling was. Don retires in 6 months, has already bought a 45' Entegra diesel pusher & he & his wife plan to hit the road full time. Their first trip with their new rig will be to the South-West next winter.  Another reader wondered if we had any concerns about getting the coach serviced in the States & the answer is, no we do not.  And ‘no’ we will not be painting the interior of this one but you might see a few South-West Lizards on the wall.  And when will we pick up & bring the Commander home??  Well, in Ontario any sold vehicle has to have a safety inspection done & that is always the responsibility of the seller so Don will have to make arrangements to have the rig inspected & a safety certificate issued.  It will all depend on when he can get the coach into a garage.  Could be this coming week or possibly the week after.  Of course you know we have our fingers crossed for this coming week:))

Some may wonder why we would go from a 2003 Class A to a 2012 Class C, then to a 2011 Class C & finally back to a 2003 Class A. Well that’s a perfectly logical question. Aside from the obvious size thing it has to do more with the quality of the rig than the year of the rig. And also price was a big factor. Buying a newer high end rig was out of our price range & the only way to move ourselves into a quality built coach was to go older with the hopes of finding ourselves a well cared for & well maintained Gem. And that is exactly what we did & exactly what we found.  There is also another huge benefit for us.  Our Winnie Wagon will sell for substantially more money than we paid for the Triple E & in the short run that is a big plus for us.  If we can get a good 3 to 5 trouble free years out of this coach then it will have been worth it in the long run as well.  With the added bonus of the complete solar system & the price we paid for the rig we think we landed ourselves a very sweet deal.

On March 26th of this year I wrote a post which included a few paragraphs dealing with, SOME CLASS A MOTORHOME THOUGHTS. Forgot to mention in those thoughts was another reason for changing back from a Class C to a Class A & it has to do with light & dark. Class A’s by virtue of their design are much brighter coaches inside than Class C’s.  This was something we had failed to take into consideration when we downsized to a C class. Noticed after awhile we just couldn’t see out nearly as well plus we missed the open airy feeling the big windshield & bigger windows of a Class A gave us. It’s nice to sit by a window watching all the goings on of Nature outside & in our C there was no place we could do that.  Of course another nice plus is to have the option of all that basement storage space again.  Not that we fill it all up like our first few years on the road but it’s just nice knowing one has the space if one needs to carry any additional stuff.

 

COLT’S FOOT ARE SOME OF THE EARLIEST SPRING FLOWERS EVERY YEAR

The couch in the Triple E is a power couch that makes out into a bed & it’s quite an arrangement.  This will be where Pheebs & I sleep.  No more crawling up & down to & from a an overhead cab bunk.  And this is going to be soooooooo much better for Pheebs because now she can easily jump right up on the bed for our morning & evening tussles & snuggles plus she can sleep right on the bed with me if she wants.  And we have lotsa room to play toys again now too.   Of course we haven’t told her all this new exciting stuff yet but we already know she will be very excited & very happy.   

Talked to Aunt Jean on the phone a couple night’s ago & she’s doing pretty good.  Had a windy day on the gulf course this past Tuesday & with some piles of dirt from a nearby construction site blowing around there was a lot of dust in the air.  Not one of her better golfing days as she tried to keep herself anchored to the ground in the swirling dust.  Said it made her golf balls go backwards.

NEVER TAKES THE GRACKLES LONG TO SPOT THE BIRDSEED

GROANER’S CORNER:)) The owner of a priceless antiques collection allowed a museum to exhibit his treasures. The movers packed the vases while the collector hovered over them. "Do be careful," he cautioned one burly mover. "That vase is nearly two thousand years old." "Don't worry," the guy replied. "I'll treat it like it was brand new."
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The teacher was giving her class of seven-year-olds a natural-history lesson. "Worker ants," she told them, "can carry pieces of food five times their own weight. What do you conclude from that?" One child was ready with the answer: "They don't have a Union."

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I went to the Doctor to see why I had fluid on my knee……He said, “your not aiming straight.”

WELL, WE UP & BOUGHT OURSELVES A LITTLE SOMETHING THIS MORNING:))

Had ourselves a ripping cold East wind on our walk despite temperatures being above freezing. We also had sunshine & sunshine always works well for a drive on a cold windy day. And it was a drive we decided to do this morning after reaching a decision to go have ourselves a look at something about 2 hours south-east of Bayfield.

 
LEFT PHOTO BEDROOM SLIDE OUT…RIGHT PHOTO LIVING & DINING ROOM SLIDE IN & DRIVERS DOOR HAS A POWER WINDOW
A few days ago while Kelly was going through a bunch of 'RV's For Sale' something of interest caught her attention & when I looked at the ad it caught my interest too. Until a short while ago we had both basically known very little about a Canadian RV manufacturer called TRIPLE E.  Simon & Sandy, Triple E Class A owner's, while staying for a bit at North Ranch in Congress this past winter clued us in to the quality built Triple E's made in Winkler Manitoba.  Readers may remember Simon & Sandy from our 2 Jeep trips with Bev & Jim along with JANNA & MIKE.  When they went shopping for an RV awhile ago they specifically went looking for a Triple E coach & nothing else.  Simon & Sandy had done their homework.  Simon sent us this A Class A TRIPLE E PDF FILE.  I should note here that Triple E has not built any new Class A’s since around 2008 but they still fully service them at their Winkler plant in Manitoba.  And that has to be a plus for we Canadians.  They have concentrated their quality efforts into the smaller Class B+ units.  I never did get to see Simon & Sandy's coach but Kelly & I both got on the internet this past while digging up all the info on Triple E's we could find. Talked to & emailed other Triple E owners, received comments, & never had a single negative bad thing about them. The word 'Quality' built coach kept coming back & owners loved them. Built & insulated well with Canadian Winters & Desert Summers in mind. Right up our alley.
 
 

SOLID OAK CABINETRY
We didn't head to Cambridge this morning with any high expectations of finding this 2003, 36' Triple E Commander 3611FB W-22 in the same shape the ad described it. We have all seen the ads about marvellous, one of a kind, one owner, excellent condition, perfect everything, blah, blah, blah, only to find something somewhat & substantially disappointingly less. We did not find what we expected to find. This coach was everything the ad said it was plus a whole lot more.


 
WITH SLIDE IN & THERE IS A COMPUTER STATION FOR THE PASSENGER AS WELL

NICELY LAID OUT DRIVERS AREA
Here's how the ad read:: Excellent condition, 36' motorhome on a Workhorse W-22 chassis with an Allison transmission, and Vortec 8.1 engine. Full maintenance records. Comes with 2 slides, 2 A/C's, 2 furnaces, 50 amp service, and almost every available factory option. In addition this motorhome has the following upgrades, 4 solar panels, 4-6volt golf cart batteries (new 2012), 2000w inverter, new fridge (still under warranty), screen room, porcelain toilet, flat screen LED TV up front with home theater, 50amp surge protector, full width rear mud flap, new Michelin tires fall 2011, CB radio, plus much more. Must be seen to be appreciated.

WOULD YOU BELIEVE THERE IS EVEN A DASH RADIO VOLUME CONTROL UNDER THE VALANCE WITH STEREO SPEAKERS OVERHEAD & BEHIND THAT LARGE MIRROR AT THE END IS A LARGE STORAGE CLOSET FOR HANGING CLOTHES ETC.
 

AND A QUALITY MATTRESS WITH TONS OF STORAGE UNDER THE BED AS WELL
We met owner Don at the rig & could tell right off the bat he was a straight up honest fellow.  No slick Willy sales staff here.  We were overwhelmed as soon as we stepped inside & it was my first time in a Triple E Class A. Love at first sight:))  This Triple E Commander with 31,000 miles on it looked like it had just rolled off the assembly line both inside & out. And it was soon obvious why. Coach has never been winter driven & Don & his wife used it during the summers for trips down into the Smoky Mountains & out West to Alberta & British Columbia. They ordered this coach custom made right from the factory in Winkler Manitoba back in 2003. Picked it up in Edmonton. Has pretty well all the factory options. It's a Chevy Workhorse Chassis which I prefer because of it's 8.1 Chevy Vortec engine. Same as we had in our Damon Class A. Coach has had all it's recalls done & the plus's don't stop there. Don has personally customized the coach further over the years doing a bunch of upgrades & modifications etc but here's the big one for us. He completely installed his own Solar system & as readers know that is a huge plus for us. Said he installed it himself to make sure it was done right.  On the roof are 2-75 watt panels & 2-80 watt panels.  And they do not have to be tilted.  He also had stabilizing bars installed front & rear & with the bigger 22.5" tires it makes for a much smoother ride. And would you believe he even took the chrome hubcaps off & stored them at home for the winter.  Don is one of those clever handy craftsmen type people & it's obvious inside as we saw all the fine improvements he has made to this already finely designed coach. I've often said to Kelly over the years the best used type of RV to buy is one previously owned by a meticulous handy craftsman type owner who absolutely loves his/her coach. And this morning that is exactly what we found. And how nice to meet the actual real owner of the coach for a change.
  
AT LAST A BIG CORNER SHOWER, PORCELAIN TOILET, & A DECENT SIZED BATHROOM SINK FINALLY……YAY TEAM:))
There are so many extras with this coach we can't remember them all. Something about hot water heating in the coach while driving & new fridge not having to run on propane while driving either. Plumbed for washer/dryer but a washer/dryer is something we wouldn't be interested in having anyway. Central vac, outside stereo system, & the add-a-room is custom made. No bugs or animals can get in & no holes drilled into the coach to attach it. Owner Don designed it himself. We think we have ourselves a winner here:))))))

So long story short..............we bought this beautiful Triple E Commander:)))))))))

CONTROL PANEL ABOVE ENTRY DOOR INCLUDING SOLAR
 
DON FIRES UP THE ONAN 5500 GENERATOR & SHOWS US THE BANK OF 4 SPOTLESS PULL OUT SOLAR BATTERIES
 
THE WATER BAY & LARGE PROPANE TANK

And now.........we have a 26' 2011 Winnebago Access Premier in great condition to sell. Ford V-10 with less than 20,000 miles on it & complete with a new solar system.  Haven’t decided on a selling price yet & will wait until we touch base & here back from our good RV knowledgeable friend Ron at FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE.  Ron & Jan are currently on the road making their way back from the Scottsdale area in Arizona.

KELLY GOES THROUGH A CHECKLIST OF QUESTIONS WITH DON…NOTICE THE SKYLIGHT & HOW BRIGHT & CHEERY IT IS INSIDE THE COACH
GROANER'S CORNER:(( "Mary," asked Dawn thoughtfully one day, "what would you do if you caught your husband with another woman?" "Another woman with MY husband?" Mary thought it over. "Let's see. I'd break her cane, shoot her guide dog, and call a cab to take her back to the institution she escaped from."

IT WAS A GOOD DAY TO BE OUTSIDE GETTING RID OF A COLD

JEEPERS WAS NOT LOOKING TOO HAPPY THIS MORNING WITH ALL THE ICE & SNOW COVERING HIM

Another good night’s sleep & that is always a big plus for this guy.  A cold night but we had us some warming sunshine streaming in the windows this morning.  I didn’t do the walk with Kelly & Pheebs but I did get outside first thing & get a couple birdfeeders up.  Also set a piece of wood from the broken feeder station back on the pole & added a cement patio stone to hold it down.  Upon this I sprinkled a generous helping of birdseed.  A temporary fix but good enough for our fine little feathered friends for now.  First 2 birds on the temporary feeder station were a pair of Cardinals about half an hour after I set things up. 

WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THIS GOLDFINCH AT THE FEEDER SO EARLY IN THE SEASON

TEMPORARY BIRD FEEDING STATION…THIS PIECE OF WOOD WAS ORIGINALLY THE ROOF ON THE OTHER FEEDER

 

  

I’m not out of the woods on this congested chest & cold thing yet but did see some improvement today.  Energy levels were more intact & I was able to get a few additional things done outside.  It is a nearly an impossible thing for me to just sit in the house doing nothing for 2 days in a row.  One whole day is bad enough.  This mornings Sun was like a magnate drawing me outside & I believe had I sat inside all day again I would not have felt as good at the end of today as I do right now.  In my opinion fresh air, sunshine, & extra oxygen in the blood from some physical work goes a long way to healing whatever is ailing a fella.  Well that’s what I figure anyway………………….  

IS IT POSSIBLE ALL OF THE ABOVE 4 BIRDS ARE COWBIRDS??

I am still using my Kindle to read every night.  Keep it under my pillow & when I go to bed I read a few more chapters of my UFO book.  So easy to hold & so easy for me to see.  Could never do this with a conventional printed book page.  The Kindle has lots of features I’m sure but right now I’m just content with knowing how to turn the pages. Don’t want to snow myself under with too much Kindle technology all at once you know:))

HERE’S LITTLE MOLLY POPPINS MAKING HER WAY THROUGH THE WOODS A  COUPLE MORNINGS AGO

DUCKS ON THE PARK POND BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT KIND

Loaded me up 2 full utility trailer loads of yard waste & hauled them down to our recycling area.  Wanted to get that out of the way first thing while the ground was still frozen from Tuesday night’s freeze.  Knew it would be pretty soupy there once the probing sun got around to thawing out the frozen mud.  Didn’t mind working in the cooler/colder air knowing our temps were on the way up & this bit of cold weather snow is very likely the last we will see.  Spent most of my day outside relaxingly, raking up Pine needles & picking up broken branches.  Never pushed myself & came in for 2 snoozy restful recliner & munchy breaks:))

DROPPING OFF MY 2ND UTILITY TRAILER LOAD OF YARD WASTE THIS MORNING

Always amazes me how when transitioning between 2 homes the one being left behind fades so quickly from memory.  When in the Southwest for the winter it is sometimes hard to remember our Bayfield place & we rarely think of it.  Same thing with our Congress Az digs.  By the second day on the road a week ago both Kelly & I remarked how quickly our winter Congress memories were fading.  Rarely a thought about Congress all the way home & yet only days before we left I was walking around the property feeling so sad about having to leave.  It seems one’s mind is like an automatic transmission.  It just quietly shifts itself smoothly into the next gear ahead & rarely finds itself in reverse.  I think it also the mind’s way of protecting itself & remaining healthy by dealing with the things at hand & not dwelling itself in the past.  Except for all the good memories of course.  We Bloggers & especially we daily Bloggers have a huge advantage over many folks in that basically with some of us everything is written down & photographed.  So even if our aging minds are not as readily accessible as they once were we do have us a permanent record of where we where & what we were doing on any one given day for the last whole bunch of years.  And sometimes that precise record keeping comes in mighty handy as Kelly found out a couple days ago.

 

PHEEBS JUST ENJOYED HANGING OUT IN THE SNOW TODAY WHILE I WORKED AWAY ON THE YARD

Kelly, an American, has duel citizenship & carries a ‘landed immigrant’ status card.  That card has to be re-newed every 5 years.  In the mail when we returned a few days ago was her renewal form & they wanted more information this time.  One of the things they required was the number of days Kelly has spent in the U.S. during the past 5 years.  Since 9/11 many things have tightened up considerably in the States & one has to be as accurate as possible with information now.  Guessing at required info can bring things to a crashing halt right quick.  Well, in Kelly’s case it was my Blog to the rescue for the exact number of days in the States.  All’s she had to do was have a quick look in our Archives for the days we left Canada & the days we returned to Canada in the past 5 years.  All the correct information she needed was stored right here in our Blog Files.  So you see folks there is some method to all this Blogger madness after all…………:))   

EVEN GARFIELD WHO RIDES ON THE BACK OF THE JEEP DID NOT LOOK LIKE A HAPPY CAMPER THIS MORNING

GROANER’S CORNER:((  The man looked a little worried when the doctor came in to administer his annual physical, so the first thing the doctor did was to ask whether anything was troubling him.  "Well, to tell the truth, Doc, yes," answered the patient. "You see, I seem to be getting forgetful. No, it's actually worse than that. I can never remember where I park my car, where I'm going, or what it is I'm going to do once I get there -- if I get there. So, I really need your help. What can I do?"
The doctor mused for a moment, then answered in his kindest tones, "Pay me in advance."