Stateroom Decoration

We got tired of the boring mirrors on the closet doors, so Kathy decided it's time for a tropical bedroom decor.

Step one in the remodel was changing the closet doors, so she ordered shower curtain fabric from Amazon.  Now to measure and cut the fabric to fit.

The material and some watered down Elmer's Glue gave us this result. Assuming the glue holds, this turned out very nice.

                               Next she wants a bedspread that will match a little better.

Front End Restoration

Most Class A coaches have a protective film on the front end usually by 3M or Diamond Shield. After some time, this film gets damaged by yellowing, cracking, or mold under the film. Our coach was no exception so it was time to start the task of removing it. I started with the passenger front bottom corner and worked about two hours a day removing the film and the adhesive. If you're lucky the bigger the piece you can peel off at a time, the less adhesive residue is left. After two days I got this piece looking from this:

                                                                        To this:

I've experimented so far with plastic razor blades to start the peeling of the film, and then I used some old "Scratch Doctor" polish I had to help remove the adhesive. The polish actually is doing a good job, but I got some "Goof Off" adhesive remover to see if it will make the job a little easier.  It does okay so I will use it up and then try a different product next.
I then bought some expensive "GraphXOff" and it really screwed up some of my paint. As instructed, I tried some on an inconspicuous place and I saw no problems. I then put some on by the headlight and it ruined the paint job. I contacted the company, Auto Trim Design, and it was basically "tough luck, your problem" so they really suck. I did not want to use any more since I have no idea where it may eat the paint next.

I then went to the over the counter "Goo Gone" and it made the removal of the adhesive so much easier. I peel the decal off as much as I can to minimize the remaining adhesive and the Goo Gone takes it off with very little effort. I wish I would have kept track of my hours, but total is roughly 20 hours of work. Look at the left side of the body compared to the right, this is with Goo Gone.

Overall, I enjoyed it as I save about $750 and I worked at my pace with my stereo on. I finally finished the project and she looks good. The paint under the 3M decal was still very nice.

                                                                      From this

                                                                          To this!

 During this process I noticed the headlight lenses had fogged terribly. Using the Turtle Wax Polishing Compound the fog was instantly cleared off. What an awesome find!

                                                      The lenses turned out very nice.

Confederate Railroad Concert.

On June 14th we went to Weirsdale, FL to watch Confederate Railroad at the Orange Blossom Opry. But first it was dinner at Eaton's Beach Sandbar and Grill. A little pricey for me but food was good, service was good, and a nice touch when the owner stoped by our table to chat and thank us for coming in.

                                                        Big dish of shrimp and grits!

Then it was off to the Orange Blossom Opry, a small modest venue that holds roughly 400 people. The Orange Blossom Opry band got things warmed up and were actually very entertaining.

Then came Confederate Railroad with their typical humorous redneck country style of music. They interacted with the crowd and played many of their popular songs like "Daddy Cut The Big One" and "Trashy Women". Sadly despite people yelling and requesting "I Hate Rap", for some reason they acted like they didn't hear us and did not sing that song. But it was a fun filled evening non the less with reasonable ticket prices.

                                                     The Confederate Railroad tour bus.

The Villages

A short distance away is The Villages, a wonderful retirement area here in central Florida. This nice area is full of restaurants, shops, and daily entertainment. Since it was our 42nd wedding anniversary weekend we decided to spend the day there. They have three "town square" area spread across the area with their own themes. We visited two of them and really enjoyed watching these seniors having such a great time. The area is famous for golf carts, the primary transportation for many here.

                                                           Golf carts are everywhere!

                                             Dinner at R.J. Gators with lake side dining

                Then it was watching the people sing and dance with the outdoor entertainment.

Florida Grande Motorcoach Resort Summer of 2018

We've been here for four days and it's time to enjoy the amenities. We've gone grocery shopping, visited the Webster Flea Market, and now it's relax time in the swimming pool.

 The resort also has a nice fitness center which makes it so convenient to try to live a healthier lifestyle.

Headed To Webster, FL.

We discovered the Florida Grande Motorcoach Resort in Webster, FL and decided it might be a nice place to visit. We planned on taking some time off from working and just pay rent, but when a workamping opportunity arrived we jumped on it. At first we wanted to arrive in the fall and even explore the idea of purchasing a RV site. For around 15 hours per week helping to keep the swimming pool clean we can live in this Class A resort and not pay rent. Sounds good to me! Our journey started 3 days later than what we planned due to tropical storm Alberto dumping wind and rain in Florida and the Gulf Coast. We had great weather until we arrived in the "sunshine state" as we encountered our first gully washer, which we seem to encounter on every trip to Florida. On the bright side, it rained so hard it cleaned most of the bugs off of the windshield.

                                                   All hooked up and ready to roll!

We spent day 1 in Tyler, TX, day 2 in Livingston, La, and day 3 in Cottondale, FL. Coming down 1-10 in the Florida panhandle the clouds opened up.

                                               Site 78 at Lakeside RV Park in Livingston, La.

                                                 

                                                Going to cool off in the park swimming pool.

                                          Site 23 at the Hitching Post RV park in Cottondale, Fl.

                                     This place was too close to the interstate and was very noisy.

                                                 

                                                    Heavy rain just west of Tallahassee, Fl.

On day 4 we arrived at the beautiful Florida Grande Motorcoach Resort and after meeting the resort manager, Cathy we got the opportunity to choose our site. Cathy was kind enough to give us a tour on her golf cart and we chose site 42. Just as we pulled into our site, yes it rained again. We had to wait about 20 minutes but finally started getting our home in the new neighborhood all set up. Then it was time for an adult beverage on our beautiful patio. Kathy enjoying a glass of wine.

                                                   

                                                 Getting our site fixed up for our stay.

                                         We have a very nice site here at Florida Grande!

Time For A New car.

After towing our Honda CR-V around for nearly five years, we decided...well Kathy decided,...she needs a new car. The Honda was a great little car that was easily towed behind the motorcoach.

While we were still in Montgomery, TX working at the Lake Conroe KOA we went out for dinner and happened to park next to a Cadillac SRX. Kathy takes one look at it and says, "wow, that's a pretty car". So after some research, we started our search. She was determined the color had to be "misty gold"since it would better match the paint on the coach and it would not show dust and dirt so much. It took a few weeks but she found her misty gold Cadillac in Dallas at Sewell Infinity. It's not new, it's a 2012 model and since it is a Cadillac it has all the bells and whistles. Of course it is towable all 4 wheels down.

Next, we get to outfit the car with the appropriate baseplate to attach our Falcon 2 tow bar to and wire the car so the lighting all works while in tow.  We purchased the baseplate and wiring from RV General Store in Newcastle, Ok and they had it installed by their contract employee. It appears they did a good job, but we'll see when we hook up at the end of May. We are headed to Florida to stay at the Florida Grande Motorcoach Resort.

                                           

                                                         Hooked up and ready to roll.