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volume 2 December 11, 1999 number 17 IN THIS NEWSLETTER: WE'VE MOVED INTO A CONDO....TEMPORARILY.
WE'VE MOVED INTO A CONDO....TEMPORARILY. It was just too tough to be homeless every day for more than 8 hours. Oh, how I wanted to take a nap one day; instead we drove here and there---just wandering. We felt like lost children. We called the insurance company and told them that we needed to find
a motel now instead of just while they are painting our home. We were told
to find a motel that we liked and try to get a weekly rate. One nearby
was just a typical motel room but they could add a microwave and coffee
pot. They wanted $389.00 per week. That wasn't appealing to either of us
so we drove to New Braunfels (14 miles away). We were looking for a suite
so we could cook some meals. Comfort Inns and Best Western had suites which
were just glorified motel rooms and the best either could do in the way
of kitchen was microwave, coffee pot and small refrigerator. The price
was still nearly $400 per week. We decided to go for lunch and think about
it, but on the way to lunch I was looking at one of those "what to do in
town magazines" which had an ad for New Braunfels Resort Accommodations.
We called and had a choice of several (this is the off season) and were
delighted at the complete furnishings. This two bedroom unit had a complete
We miss our home terribly and we miss being on the road, but in the interim this will do. Moving was tough because we had to bring so much and we could only bring a car full at a time. We needed clothing and toiletries of course, but we also needed spices and some grocery items. We were asked to completely empty our refrigerator and freezer so the repair facility wouldn't have to keep our home plugged in. They turned off the propane too. We are comfortable and blessed that we weren't hurt in the accident and the insurance company has been very good, but every once in a while I find myself crying. We are missing so much that we planned on doing. We have found a church here and that is important. And we are catching up on a lot of reading. Since I couldn't bring my PC we are having to take turns doing our writing on the notebook computer. We can't thank you enough. Our hearts were warmed a little with each
supportive email from so many of you. It is always amazing to us that people
we have never met feel like close family members. That's the RV community
isn't it?
PROGRESS ON THE MOTORHOME AND TOYOTA The Toyota was saved and Seguin Motors did a remarkable job. We picked
it up Wednesday and it looks like new from the front and driver's side.
The rest didn't look bad anyway. They are making great progress on the
motorhome. Over two pages of parts had to be ordered and some needed to
be manufactured. The body shop at Pro-tech (in Seguin) is doing a remarkable
job and they are trying their best to get us out of here and back on the
road by the end of December. But we all know that unexpected things can
happen to delay such a project as this so we have assured Lazy Days that
we will be there in time for our seminars even if we have to fly and stay
in a motel for the month. Please don't cancel your plans; we will be there
and want to meet all of you.
PRO-TECH---A GREAT PLACE FOR SERVICE For the full story please click here. We are very impressed with Pro-tech RV Service (on 123 by-pass in Seguin) where we took the motorhome for the repairs and we discovered a very interesting story. The buildings and the property previously belonged to two separate RV dealerships. Both went under due to poor management (the last owner disappeared owing tons of money to lots of people). While full-timers Larry and Debbie Asbury were having warranty work done at this same location (it was known as Interstate RV) in December of 1998 the police and bank closed the facility leaving Larry and Debbie with their motorhome unfinished (it had to be pushed out). Parts had been ordered, but they were stuck. Because of Larry & Debbie's background in managing properties and because they understood the importance of a good RV service center, they purchased the business thereby keeping the techs that they thought were so valuable. Larry feels especially good that 23 employees were given back their jobs with only a short interruption. Pro-tech is now just a service center. They do not sell RV's; their only business is service. We have had service in lots of places and are really impressed with Pro-tech. The facilities are big and clean and the technicians are well trained. The do warranty work for just about any RV or RV component and are specialists in big engines too. Come here for whatever your needs are from body work to oil changes. They have plenty of room for you to stay on the premises and a very nice lounge. And these super friendly people will do all they can to get you back on the road. I have added a link to their web
page on our links page.
LOOKING FOR AMERICAN COACHES If you know of anyone who has a 1996-1999 American Coach (Tradition,
Dream or Eagle) who hasn't had the recall work done on their front tires,
please have them call the American Coach factory service center in Decatur,
Indiana. Fleetwood has been trying to notify everyone of the recall, but
some have moved and have not been able to be notified. If they are in this
area of Texas, they can drive to Pro-tech and they will take care of them.
We just got our premier edition of RV Companion magazine. All of you
who are new to RVing or wannabes will really benefit from this information
packed publication. Check out the contents of this issue on their web
site. Then call 1-800-382- 0860 to take advantage of their introductory
offer of 6 issues for only $10.00.
POTPOURRI First of all, this is the second time that I've had to write this column. Barb lost the first one. So have patience if I'm not quite as creative this second time. Yes, the Toyota still lives. I know that some of you thought that this would be a good time to upgrade, but we really love the little tow car and look forward to the day when I can buy historic plates for this very functional vehicle. As a matter of fact the Toyota has had five major bump jobs done on it (only one was my fault). Now if I can only get the front panel hit on the passenger side, we will have an entirely new car. It really looks like new in spite of 175,000 miles. Can any one explain to me why the University of Michigan football team is ranked ninth in the nation while Michigan State is ranked tenth with an identical won/lost record? Especially when Michigan State beat the pants off of U of M. It must be politics. Barb has described our current temporary quarters and we are thankful
to have them, but I must tell you why the motorhome is far superior. The
motorhome has two computers, two televisions, two furnaces and two air
conditioners while the condo only has one of each. The motorhome also has
a special mattress and a ten CD player as well as a 150 station satellite
system. Besides that, we miss our home.
LETTERS Re: Slight error in last Campground Report Dear Ron & Barb, Just received your latest Movin' On Newsletter. Thank God you two were not injured. But oh how terrible about your "Dream" and that wonderful ole dependable Toyota truck. Making lemonade is a wonderful philosophy and if any two people can make lemonade out of lemons you can. I'm sure you will find yourselves right "at home" in the wonderful hill country of Texas. That area, too, is one of our favorite places. We enjoyed everything in the newsletter, as usual. But we would like to point out one thing. The SKP Saguaro Park in Benson does NOT take reservations. There are about 22 long-term sites that can be reserved for the winter and paid for in advance, but right now there is a long waiting list for those sites. Otherwise, it is on a first come basis. Your reports on the campgrounds in Texas will really come in handy for us, as we plan to travel the same route in the Spring. We'll be waiting to hear from you again and hope that all goes well with the repair of your motorhome and the purchase of a new toad. Guess maybe this will be time to get a 4-seater vehicle. We, too, have had the same "two-people" problem with our Toyota truck. But what a way to be pressed into a change. :-( Take care, stay safe and God speed. Skip & Georgia Harding
We just celebrated our third anniversary of full-timing on 10/31. For all that time I had accepted your statement that a full-timers home is on wheels. I have just now discovered that there is more to the story. For the last 5 1/2 months we have not been living our normal style. We spent 3 months on our property in CO enjoying the mountains and our friends. Then we discovered Bobbie's breast cancer and spent another 2 months getting that taken care of. When we left NY we thought we were going back on the road. However, when we got to Bobbie's sister's place near Baltimore, we found that she was in the midst of trying to close out her mother-in-law's estate all by herself. We decided to pitch in and help and spent another 2 weeks there. We finally left on Sunday and got as far as the NC/SC border where we boondocked at a Flying J. Yesterday we checked into The Oaks at Yemassee, SC for a week. After setting up and restocking the fridge, we relaxed and did some maintenance. That night there was a chili supper followed by a two piece country/gospel band. As I sat there I suddenly realized that we were home. Being an analytical type I immediately asked why. We had never been to The Oaks before and there were no old friends here. Then it hit me. We had come home to the sense of freedom and adventure and the opportunity to explore and discover new people, places and things. Full-timing is much more than just having a home on wheels. It is also about a state of mind and a life style completely unrelated to any geographical place. We thank and praise the Lord for bringing us back home - back on the road. Rich & Bobbie Broockmann
Hi Barb & Ron,
Dear Mary and Harry, You don't need to attend the rally to hear our seminar. If you go to our What's New page you will see a link to "seminars." And you don't need to reserve your spot. Just show up a little before our seminar time. Half are in the morning and half are in the afternoon. You can even make it a one day thing, but staying at the motel might be better. I am not aware of hotels there. You might call Lazy Days and ask them. The last time we were there was when we bought the Dream, three years ago. Hope to see you soon. We will be there if we have to fly and stay at a motel. Barb
THIS 'N THAT Be an Angel and put our book under someone's Christmas tree. Our book makes a wonderful Christmas present. In case family members are still confused about the full-timing lifestyle, why not get them a copy of Movin' On. Or if you have friends who are thinking of full-timing, we know they would like Movin' On too. Ron said that I lost Potpourri. I did not. HE didn't save it. He writes it and walks away without saving it then the computer does its thing and causes an illegal operation or some such thing and the files we were working on are gone and I get the blame for it. I wish he would learn some of this computer stuff like saving his work. If you detect the beginnings of a minor skirmish you are correct. We thoroughly enjoyed our one day visit to the historic town of Gonzales and we have posted pictures and a short story about that town. It has been a long time (nearly 11 years) since I lived in anything except one of our motorhomes.
Please accept our sincerest wishes for a blessed Christmas. We know
many of you will be
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I noticed some big differences
immediately.