Day 6 as a Fulltimer

Well here we are on day 6 in Fairview, PA. Starting to enjoy ourselves, finally after a rough beginning. We've had some kinks to work out; issues with motorhome, tow dolly and the car. We've fixed a few and still have stuff to repair, but taking it in stride finally.

Today we went to Presque Isle on Lake Erie, about an 8 mile drive from CG. Drove the loop around and explored a couple of spots. Perry Monument was a pretty area. It pays tribute to Oliver Hazard Perry. He was a bit quirky. He was afraid of cows so he avoided them at all costs. Weird. Misery Bay is named as such because it was miserable in the winter months there. I guess when the area was frozen over they would cross it to the mainland to get supplies.

We drove over to beach #9. Awesome. Dog friendly too. Belle jumped right into the water. Pippi got close, and left it at that. Belle attacked those silly waves with gusto. A few brave folks were actually sunning themselves. Temps are in 70s. We saw a couple of guys putting fancy flags and kites out. One looked like a real sea gull flying right above the pole close by.. hah. It was a kite. We felt kind of silly thinking that it was a real gull.

We found a picnic table, pulled out our packed lunch and enjoyed the view. Meanwhile Belle decided it would be cool to dry off in the sand, by flopping and rubbing her wet fur in the sand. Nice. The sand is different than what we New Englanders are use too. It's very gritty and speckled with black grains of sand. Not the white fine sand you see in New England. Pippi stayed close to my side, "can we go now, mom?" Treats and hugs gave us more time to just sit. Belle was ready go again. Wet dog stink.

We finished the drive around the park. Its huge. Big enough for people to bike, rent segways or ride adult size big wheels.

Where's Spring?

Hi Everyone. It's been some time since our last post. Boy, it sure has been a LONG winter, and it still hasn't truly loosened its grip quite yet. We didn't really want to bore you all with our whines and sighs of waiting for warmer weather. I'm sure we weren't alone sighing every time a new storm came along.  We've just been waiting around for winter to be done and over with. At least we're closer to SPRING.

We've purchased items we needed for the coach over the months, and as soon as it warms up some, we will be installing the new items. "Oxygenics" shower head, glass tiles for backsplash, and resurfacing kit for countertops. Solar package is all picked out and ready to be ordered, too. We decided on 400 watt boondocker kit from BHA SOLAR. It is a complete kit and should handle our solar needs. Installation will be done by Al. We're currently researching tires(RV) and trailers (for the Escape).

On The House Front

Our "FOR SALE BY OWNER" sign is up on the front lawn. We have had a few small nibbles.....I've posted stuff for sale on that great "South Shore Yard Sale" group. If your not part of that group, you're missing out. It has some great buys and everyday there's new stuff being posted.

SO do you know someone who is looking to buy a house? Please feel free to mention ours. Your referral could be worth $1,000 if they buy the house. Buyer agents will be compensated with a 2% commission. House is being shown by appointments. 508-584-5670.

Pictures, Missing Pictures, NO Pictures.

If you've scrolled through our blog, you may have noticed pictures are missing..... we think they were misplaced when the template of the blog changed. A back up might of saved the pictures... we're totally guessing. It's part of the learning curve... that's my story anyway. Until the next time they show up missing. lol. We have pictures of the house but not posted here. If your 're interested, feel free to send me a PM on face book and I can get them to you.   

HAPPY MARCH!!

Playing "Ketchup"

Do you like my play on words? :D Anyway, after 2 very frustrating days of trying to figure out why I can't send pics to my blog, I gave it a break. I found a forum talking about Picasa and apparently I wasn't the only one having the problem. The program was down for a week and then up again for a day or two, before it went down again. Ugh. I pulled my hair out for those 2 days for nothing. Needless to say, I'm kindof gun shy to check it. I will eventually. -_-

Last weekend Al and I attended the RV show in Boston. We went on  Saturday, and so did everyone else.. We got bags of campground brochures, and travel brochures. Makes for some good winter reading, in place of seed catalogs. There are some truly beautiful 5th wheels available. With that said, they aren't for us. After seeing them, and as gorgeous as they are, I can honestly say, the coach is a better  choice for us. The coach provides the comfort and space while traveling with the pets and us. We are self contained and can stop for a nature call or make a meal without difficulty. There are advantages and disadvantages of each, so it's a personal choice you have to make on your own.

After reading other RV blogs and further research, it looks like our choice of making residency in SD is out. The awesome affordable health care act has put a crimp in our plan with their requirements of proof of 6-9 months of residency. Bah. Its not just our plans, but many other Rvers, too. I bet anything this was just a small piece of the plan..Darn health care providers are crooks to begin with. This makes everything SO much more difficult. Now Al and I are having to rethink our strategy and lose the SD part of our trip in July. That part is easy... We may hang in Chicago a bit longer and on our return trip I was thinking of traveling to Columbus, Ohio to check out Jack Hanna's zoo. :)) I always loved that show and him. Lol.

Just a reminder : there's 1000 bucks up for grabs to the person who refers a buyer for our home.. The referral actually has to be the buyer" . :))

That's it for "ketchup".

Picture Fail

Well, I have no clue what the heck has happened to my phone... It won't send pictures to the blog. I've tied and tried.. SO for those interested in seeing pictures of the house that will be officially for sale come March 1st, I will have them posted on a FB post.  It's a great neighborhood for kids. The schools are close, too. You have Downey, or Baker. Downey is a small older elementary school where as Baker is 2 years old, quite large and has grades K-8.  Baker is within walking distance while Downey students take busses. Middle schools are Ashfield or East. Both are within walking distance.

And I have decided to up the ante... If  YOU send us a referral whom buys the house, we will give YOU $1,000 as a Thank You!  Who can't use extra money? :))

This offer is only good until March 1st, 2014.  This is our way of trying to avoid using a RE company. If  you think you know someone who may be interested, ask them to bring a pre-approval letter. This will act as their ticket to being a serious looker, and we avoid wasting time. We would love to be able to save time and money selling ourselves, So by all means send us your serious potential buyers. If we can keep from paying a commission we may be able to make a couple of bucks. However, if we have to market with an agent, their commission will eat up 6 percent off the top.... :-/. 

I'll have the FB post done by 8 PM this evening.  Appointments can be made by calling. All information will be on the post. House isn't spotless yet... But who's is?  :D

Preparing To Sell House

Well, Happy New Year! With the cold and snowy weather, we've been concentrating on organizing and cleaning up the clutter that has accumulated in the house. It is something that should be done to stage a home for selling. Clean. Clean. Clean.

I was a real estate agent at one time, so I know what needs to be done to get the house in "selling" mode. Uncluttered counters, neat closets, dust free, stink free and basically tidy and neat.

I've started with the kitchen... I have quite a few small appliances I store on the counter. I moved some of those to the basement. Washed down the cabinets. They sparkle! Dusted the crown molding, dusted ceiling, and cleaned off the fan. Boy was that dusty. Yuck. Washed the kickboards under the cabinets. Tomorrow I'll get the area where the dogs crates are....dusty and cluttered on the crates. I use the top of the crates as a catch all.:( The dogs don't get crated anymore but do go in them daily for one reason or another. I haven't decided if I'll break them down completely when the house goes on market.

March 1, 2014 is my tentative marketing date, at the latest. Anyone interested? I'll post pics next blog...We have a 6 room 2 story colonial type house with 2 and 1/2 baths. Laundry on first floor. 3 bedrooms. Master bathroom. Full basement. Above ground round pool, only 2 years old.  A great Man cave and a small shed. Garden area in the back yard. Glass top stove, french door refrigerator, wall microwave.Total sq. footage is just under 1600. House is 10 years old. Very well insulated. Use less than 400 gallons of oil per heating season. House in Brockton,  on Abington line. Awesome neighborhood. Very kid oriented. Quiet street. 284,900.00

Pass this info around... As an incentive, we will give 500.00 to the person who brings us the buyer. If you want more info or a private showing, contact me through my email and put house in the subject. ddflanagan@ comcast.net

I should have pics by next post.

Third Time is A Charm

So we didn't find the hidden treasure on our second try.. Darn it. Even after Al thought for sure he knew where it was by looking at pictures online. Fail. That did it. I suggested we go buy a handheld GPS used for geocaching. Checking prices out, we finally picked one. We chose a GARMIN eTrex20 to help us out with our new hobby. Al preloaded the coordinates into the Garmin which allowed him time to get familiar with it. 

SO off we go, back to the park to find this darn thing.

Walking......

Searching the woods. After nearly 30 minutes of figuring 

out how to actually read the GPS., we THINK we're on the right course finally. 

Sweet success.!

We signed into the log and left our treasure. This cache was a pen swap. We left a "Cake

Connections" logo pen  and took a "Boars Head" pen. Thrilled with the find, we chilled out for a few minutes before heading back .... this was labeled an 

EASY one.

Uh oh... We have a problem.... In our rush to find the cache, neither one of us remembered to put in our starting points...:( Ugh. We get back on the trail... But soon are in a quandary to which direction to go. Nuts. Well, with the grace of God, while we were standing around trying to figure out what to do, a couple walking their dog come through, :)) We shared our adventure with them and they told us to follow the stone wall to find our way out! Thank goodness the weather was warm. it took nearly an hour to find the geocache and another 30 minutes to find our way out of  the local park. :)  I have to pee.. 

 

Celebrating our adventure, we went to the local pub,  went to the bathroom, ordered a beer, and some 

nachos.

What a great day!!