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Day 158: Sunday, September 8 Packing up the trailer we bid farewell to our very scenic campsite at Camp Lakewoodin Effingham, Illinois. As mentioned previously in Issue #11, our site was at the end of a lane that was almost apeninsula. We had such a beautiful view at this almost private location. Driving into downtown Effingham we attendedadult bible study at St. Johns Lutheran Church, which was followed by Sunday worship. This later service utilizedcontemporary songs that were led by a young woman with a verybeautiful voice. She never missed a note and had a

wide octave range. It was a joy to listen to her sing and lead us in worshipful songs of praise.Following church we ate lunch at a local family restaurant, Niemergs Family Steakhouse, one of the best weve evervisited. From there we drove several hours south to visit our friends Terry & Wendi Pruden, former members of ourchurch in Ocala, FL. Arriving in early evening we spent our time yakking and catching up on the adventures of friends &family. 1= St. John Lutherans pastor delivers Sunday worship sermon. Both he & entire congregation were friendly.

Day 159: Monday, September 9 Terry & Wendi shared with us their desire to renovate Terrys bathroom with a newvanity cabinet, sink & faucet. Wendi went to work and, after some discussion, Terry, Sally & I decided to drive to the localLowes to check out cabinetry and such. From there we drove about 40 miles to the next big town, Cape Girardeau, MO,to Menards and Home Depot to see what they had to offer. Then, back in Sikeston, while we contemplated what wasavailable and what, if any, theyd choose to buy, Terry & I worked on fixing the wooden gate in their privacy fence. Heand I have worked on the fence and gate almost every time weve visited the past 3 times over a 10-year period. Thistime we reworked a LOT of the lumber & hardware so weve got a bet going as to how long this repair will last. 2= Chris& Terry work as a great team on several projects including the repair of the privacy fence gate.

Terrys brother, Bob, from Ocala, and their niece, Victoria, stayed the night while on their way to visit family in Minnesota.We all had a good time sharing family memories, stories, etc. It was good to see Bob again, and to meet Victoria for thefirst time. While Victoria relaxed the rest of us drove back to the local Lowes in Sikeston, MO and bought the itemsneeded for the bathroom renovation.

Day 160: Tuesday, September 10 Terry and I hit the floor running this morning. The installation of the cabinet, sink & plumbing was a tricky job inthat we had to relocate an electrical outlet above the sink to a higher location (cutting drywall, removing the outlet box and relocating it higher, &rewiring the outlet), plus make holes in the back of the new cabinet through which the existing plumbing would enter, and re-engineer a drawer inthe new cabinet to allow for a water shut off valve to be positioned where the drawer would slide. By noon we had most of it done, including thedrywall being partially patched. We then drove back to Lowes to get hoses to connect the new faucet. As we were connecting the new hoses Wendicalled. Her car wouldnt kept stalling. As we drove to her work she phoned us to say she got it going so when we saw her approaching the oppositedirection I rode with her so I could hear anything to give us an clue of the problem. In the end we Googled the concern and YouTube told us theprobable culprit a dirty idle air valve (Id

worked on a Ford with the same problem).The solution was a new valve ($230 partplus labor) or flush the old valve with spraycleaner. We chose the latter at a cost of$2.50. On our way out to Lamberts forsupper we stopped at AutoZone and boughta can of spray carburetor cleaner.

The meal at Lamberts was fantastic, asalways, and we really appreciated this treat3= New bathroom cabinet set for installation. 4= We had several plumbing challenges: location of holes in cabinet back, will back of cabinet drawer hit shut-offvalve? We couldnt believe how everything fell into place. Had most of it done by noon! 5= Chris shows Terry how to flush the IAR: idle air valve with carburetorcleaner to get engine to idle properly and not stall. We found the solution on a YouTube.com video. I recommend going to YouTube prior to hiring anyone for any job!Try it yourself first before starting a job or calling for a repair professional. (Our daughter repaired her dishwasher with video directions from YouTube. Give it a try!

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A Travel Newsletter Devils Tower was our nations first National Monument Issue #12: Sept 8 - 22, 2013

Tsg , g . O gs YOU s& s .

S a l l y & C h r i s 2 0 1 3 S u m m e r T r i p

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provided by Terry & Wendi. Once back at their home, Terry & I disassembled the air ducting to the fuel injection throttle body and sprayed car cleaneinto a port on one air tunnel. I sprayed until any dusty dirt seemed all gone. Well see tomorrow morning if the fixperformed really solved Wendis car problem. Fingers are crossed!

Day 161: Wednesday, September 11 We were so full from eating atLamberts restaurant last evening that we couldnt put anything in ourmouths this morning exempt some coffee. Before Wendi left for work wefired up her car to see if the problem that has been plaguing them wascorrected. Its started and didnt stall, so we think we got it fixed as perYouTube. After saying goodbye to Wendi we packed up, bid Terry a biggoodbye, and drove toward Nashville to visit other friends. We drove

about 45 minutes and upon approaching the bridge near the MississippiRiver we saw a digital highway sign announcing no trucks over 7 ft. wideor 19 ft. long would be allowed on the bridge. Approaching the entranceto the bridge a state highway patrolman motioned us to go past the bridge; we were not allowed access, only cars & small trucks. About 100 ft. downthe road we pulled over to find an alternate route. The same patrol car pulled up a few minutes later and the officer asked our destination. He thensaid we should just drive straight up to I-57 and head through Paducah, KY toward Nashville. Well that was going to add almost TWO HOURS toour 4-hour trip! I measured the width of our trailer and it was exactly 7 ft. wide, so I thought we should drive back and attempt to drive over thebridge. That thought quickly left when I realized we were 37 ft. long way beyond the 19 ft. limit. We drove a few more miles and our GPSdiscovered an alternate route that dropped the extra travel time from 2 hours to about a half-hour. The Lord must have heard our prayers. 1= SallyWendi, Terry & Buddy pose. 2= Terry smiles at newly installed bathroom sink & cabinet that still awaits a few finishing touches by Terry & Wendi.

During this days drive we hit some unusually heavy, strong, saturating rain. We know the farmers sure needed it! We arrived at Jim & Ruth Whitehouse around 4:30PM and Chris immediately helped Jim, and his son Jonathan, work on a leaking toilet. After finishing about half the job we joinedJim & Ruth at a church dinner. We recognized several of the congregations members as we visited had Jim & Ruth last year about this same timeEveryone at the church was very friendly & hospitable. We had a great evening!

Day 162: Thursday, September 12 Jim & Ruth spent the morningpreparing for a trip to visit their other son in North Carolina. We were verylucky to have one day to visit with them, and we appreciated theirwillingness to spend time with us so close to their departure date. Afterinvestigating what needed to be done to finish the toilet-leak repair it asdecided that a new tank-to-bowl gasket and shut-off valve would be ofbenefit as the current ones leaked. (Its common for toilet and sink shut-offvalves to leak around the stem if not exactly in the full-open or full-shutpositions. I recommend replacing old valves with the newer quarter-turnvalves that contain a ball-valve mechanism. Much less leaking now & inthe future.) Jim and I took a run to Home Depot for the parts. When wereturned I finished handling the leaks in the toilet while the Whites werepacking for their trip.

With chores completed the Whites treated us to admission to the Nashvilleart museum that was featuring a display of art deco automobiles. This hasbeen one of the most successful exhibits having drawn thousands ofspectators. Our visit confirmed why. These cars were simply gorgeous! Wespent over an hour drooling over these classic cars that were in pristinecondition, each vehicle worth at least a half-million dollars and many wellover that figure. We were surprised to have the museums no-photo policyrelaxed for this special exhibit.

Following our tour we treated Ruth and Jim to supper at Famous Daves BBQ restaurant with Sally getting her meal at half-price in honor of herecent birthday. A stop at a local thrift store rounded out our day with delicious pina colada cake made by Ruth when we returned to their home. Jimshared with us some photos of their travels, plus a hilarious test of two compact SUVs that are used in Britain to pull travel trailers. If you want to seea wild test of camping trailer and pull vehicle, search the internet for the Top GearTV show featuring caravan (trailer) testing with the CX-5 Mazda

Dining experiences worth repeatingA dining location rates well with us if we say wed go there again. Here are someplaces that fit that criteria:Niemergs Family Steakhouse,1410 W. Fayette Avenue, Effingham, IL. Located near the Interstatehighway. Varied menu, very good prices, huge helpings. Example: 1/2-pound burger, on grilled rye, lettuce,tomato, grilled onions,cheese, fries, $5.19. So big Sally couldnt finish her mushroom-swiss burger.Lamberts: Home of the Throwed Rolls, off Interstate-55 at US60-62, Sikeston, MO. If youve read ourprevious newsletters you know that Lamberts is one of our very favorite restaurants. Similar in appearanceto a Cracker Barrel Old Fashion restaurant, Lamberts bets em all if you like country cookin. In addition to you ordered items they serve all-you-can-eat sides and they (literally) throw the fresh-baked HOT rolls at ya. Better catch em so they dont wallop someone else sittin near ya! (Thereare 3 Lamberts in the USA: Sikeston, MO; Foley, AL on the Gulf Coast; Ozark, MO.

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3= Two classic 1937 Delahaye 135MS roadsters in Art Deco autoexhibit in Nashville. 4= Art created from garbage at dump in Rio deJaneiro by artist who pays poor people to collect & arrange items whilehe directs from high scaffolding, then he photos their creation. Arrow

points to scrap auto tires, along with thousands of other trash items.

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and VW Tiguan. This TV segment provides an interesting view of some peoples perception of camping folk, their habits, and how trailers & cars holdup to testing. This is truly hilarious!

Day 163: Friday, September 13 We enjoyed breakfast with Jim & Ruth and then said our goodbyes as we headed southeast toward Marietta, GAto visit our daughter and her family. On the way we stopped at a thrift store and a very interesting chain: Essex. This company operates a small chainof about 15 retail outlets in the South with their corporate headquarters and several stores in the Nashville area. What makes Essex, also known asBargain Hunt, somewhat unique is that they sell items returned from online stores, most likely

Amazon and alike. Prices are often half off or more. Items range from clothing & shoes, to sportinggoods & electronics, and lots of stuff in between. You never know whatll be in stock, and items arenot tested so theres no way of knowing why the item was returned, but for some items its easy to tell

it either works or it doesnt, and you can often get some really good deals. If youre in the areaanyway, it may be worth your time to stop in at a location and snoop around.

We took lunch at Famous Daves BBQ (again) and enjoyed a free dessert for having completed anonline questionnaire. The drive to Marietta was average until we hit traffic in Chattanooga during rushhour when construction and a league of drivers brought progress to a very slow rate. Folks not payingattention contributed to the four accidents we saw on our side of the highway. We arrived at theWilliams residence in late evening to the clamorous reception. (Isnt it nice to be loved!) Wedistributed some gifts to everyone and saw our granddaughters off to bed, followed by ourselves.Well be up early tomorrow to watch sports team practice, etc. We cant wait! 1= Symphony teaches us the Bad Badger pose, a character shedeveloped. She owns the Bad Badger website and is investigating skills she can use if she decides to market her mascot.

Day 164: Saturday, September 14 It was great having breakfast with our daughter and her family. Following that, Cindi, Sally, and ourgranddaughters Symphony & Journey went garage sale-ing while Kip and I stayed home and updated eachother. Then the guys drove to a local schools athletic field to watch Symphonys lacrosse team practiceSymphony scored a goal during a scrimmage game. Following practice we all drove to a Mexican restauranwhere we treated everyone to a very nice luncheon. During our travels we discovered a major suspensionproblem with Kips VW and determined it needed to be fixed before being driven further. Later in the day wedid some diagnosis and determined the car needed both front lower control arms to be replaced. I had donethat same exact repair to my VW just before we left home. This is not the easiest job but itll be madesimpler by my previous experiences. 2= Symphony at lacrosse practice with her team mates.

Day 165: Sunday, September 15 We attended worship at Kip & Cindis church and then attended thechurchs annual picnic on the grounds of an olderchurch camp. The setting was very nice and theweather was perfect not too hot with a nice breeze.

The food was plentiful and there were a lot of activities for folks of all ages. Cindi brought aladder-ball game and we had several shifts of kids and young adults involved in the games.3= Granddaughter Journey (left) demonstrates technique used in ladder ball to her friends fromchurch at their annual church picnic.

After the picnic we drove home and watched a British video we had viewed at Jim & Ruth Whiteshouse regarding the testing of two compact SUVs as vehicles to tow trailers. This was actually aspoof on RV folks and Cindi and her family couldnt believe the actors would bang up the carsand trailers so badly.

Day 166: Monday, September 16 Todays project was a self-imposed one that I added to my Daddy-Do list: replacing the lower control arms onKips 2000 (Mk4) VW Golf. Im going to elaborate a bit in hopes some of our readers will consider that theycan do more of their own repairs. Fospecific read the details in the blue box on the next page.

This evening was family night when Cindis family plays Christian games. Tonights game focused on the skill ofpatience by learning to listen toothers. We each rolled 9 special dice with images on them. We each rearranged the images to make a story. We then made teams and each team o3 people got the dice, 3 per person, and we did a chain story where one person started the story, then the nextteam member added the middle part, followed by the last team member who finished the story. It was a lot of fun!

Day 167: Tuesday, September 17 Todays job was fixin-the-mower. Such tools must really crave human attention,kinda like a dog that continually wants to always play, except in the case of mowers (and chain saws andweedwackers and such) they want to be repaired and maintained every time their grandpa comes for a visit. Ohwell. After an hour of preliminary inspection I determined the spark plug seemed a bit weak, so I cleaned andadjusted it. Further inspection found a broken bolt holding the carburetor tight to the manifold. I drilled out the oldbolt, fashioned a tap out of another bolt and threaded the hole. Then I discovered theplasticmanifold was broken intwo. I cleaned all the surfaces and applied JB-Weld epoxy, but thatll have to cure overnight. The tube is recesseddeep within the engine, so if this repair attempt doesnt work the mower goes to the happy-mowing-grounds to meetits millions of ancestors.

Now with the morning and a portion of the afternoon out of the way I convinced Sally we should go to the dollar

movie about four miles away to see The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp (see photo #4). We had tried to see it earlier

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in the summer but couldnt find a location that meshed with our time schedule or wallet. As promised, the admission on Tuesdays is just $1 eachregardless of age. And the popcorn is reasonable and good. The movie was full of humor and tons of action. Even Sally said she enjoyed it and shesnot a western movie enthusiast.

Day 168: Wednesday, September 18 I went back to work on the mower today by reinstalling the carburetor onto the re-glued plastic intakemanifold. The second bolt hole (previously broken bolt) wouldnt align with the carburetor bracket, so the single bolt had to carry the weight. Themower started and ran for about 3 minutes then the glue joint cracked from the engines vibration and quit. Oh well, I was at least pleased that I hadproperly diagnosed the problem. It was now apparent that the mower was too far gone for repair. (Another manifold would fix it but the smokes anddoesnt run fast enough, so its scrap.) In retrospect, this old mower was given to me by a friend almost 15 years ago, and it was a well-used mowethen!

My next project was removing an outdoor light fixture for renovation: clean, sand, clean, repaint. That process took about an hour but the light lookedfantastic. Once the spray paint is dry itll go back up.

I spent about an hour on the internet looking up mowers, both used (CraigsList) and new. As with mostbig-ticket purchases, I checked the Internet for reviews and ratings of products. Its our presumptionthat dissatisfied customers will more often send in remarks than satisfied customers but still youll learnthe faults & pitfalls of products if you listen to those who have had issues with a particular brand ormodel. Armed with this information, Sally and I spent part of the afternoon going to a local, family-ownedmower store and then on to Home Depot to investigate a Honda mower as Cindi & Kips combinedChristmas & birthday gifts. In the end what surprised us was that the same mower was $30 more atHome Depot! We had purchased a chain saw last year from this same mom & pop dealer so we knewthey were good on service. We decided to buy the mower from them. We treated everyone to pizzatonight at a local SteveBs pizza buffet on Hwy 92. (This is a favorite of Kip & the girls.)1= Honda mower

Day 169: Thursday, September 19 We asked Cindi if we could borrow her Jeep to pick up a large part for my car and drove back to J&J Mowersin Marietta. J&J had the mower serviced and ready for pick up. The owner went through the entire start-up & operation procedure and explained theservice process, loaded it in the SUV and off we drove. We hid the mower in a neighbors garage for later surprise gifting. With the Jeep returnedCindi then left for a conference with one of her clients.

Meanwhile, Sally & I went out for lunch on our own. During the meal we devised a treasure hunt game so Cindis family could discover the moweat their neighbors house. When young, our children used to love reading the clues on slips of paper that took them from one clue to the next insearch of a treasure. After we arrived home I hid some of the notes but had to hold others back as they would be discovered too early due to theilocation. I then started working on the refurbishment of two large outdoor light fixtures near the garage same process: remove from wall, removeglass panels, clean metal housing, sand, clean off dust & dirt, repaint with spray paint (oiled bronze metallic by Rustoleum). Meanwhile, Sally wasbusy cleaning the twelve intricately shaped glass pieces from the two light fixtures. About 80% done, I ran out of spray paint and decided to finish theprocess tomorrow after buying more paint.

Kip called and said he had an extremely important deadline and had to work very late tonight so we postponed the treasure hunt. Cindi & I spenabout an hour retraining me in the process of loading documents onto our new website, which will be launched in a few weeks. (More on that in the

next issue of this newsletter!)

D.I.Y. Is MJBg CWhen I look at these somewhat complex repairs like Kips VW suspension, I use a system to evaluate whether I want to try therepair or leave it to a professional garage. I put professional in quotes because in some instances shops may not do as exactinga repair as I would; they are in a race to do my job and then shoot to the next customers repair. More jobs done, more money.That doesnt mean they wouldnt do a job that works safely, its just that they might not torque a bolt to specifications, or theydleave a minor bolt out and youd feel it in the handling and have to go back and have them finish the job more time out ofyour busy schedule. (I had that happen to me at a VW dealer and I was without a car for a second day!)

Some considerations I use in deciding if I should do the job myself include: 1) Do I have the time? 2) Do I know how to do therepair? Have I done something similar to this before? 3) Do I have the tools & equipment required? Can I borrow what I need? 4)

Will I save enough money by doing my own repair to make it worth my time?

Answers: 1) Time: Kip can use my car for several days. I have the time, too. 2) Knowledge: I did this repair on my car a few daysbefore this trip started, plus I saw the same repair on YouTube.com and it showed me a valuable step I didnt know. I was ready totry that step! 3) Tools & equipment: I carry tools with me when I travel, plus major parts stores will loan you tools (you mustleave a refundable deposit for total cost of the tools). We borrowed jack stands from a neighbor. Heres the biggie 4) Savemoney? Auto dealer shops charge $100-$160 per hour for labor (someone pays for those Keurig coffee cups in the customerlounge!). A dealer price for each control arm is $140. I bought one at a major US parts chain for $80. (You can order via the webfor $30-$110plus shipping, but the parts quality is unknown.) I did the job in 3 hours start-to-finish. I figure I saved about $500-$600 by doing the job myself (parts & labor) plus I got a lifetime warranty on the parts. That works out to about $167-$200 perhour. Add to that the personal satisfaction of having done a good job, and the job was priceless.

Thats why D.I.Y.: Do It Yourself is more than just saving money Its also about actually feeling your ability and future potential!

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Day 170: Friday, September 20 Cindi launched her day with a phone conference with one of her clients in Florida. While she was busy on thephone Sally & I worked on other projects. Cindi mentioned last night that shed found another car that shed like to see at a car dealer. (Her 200,000mile, 18-year-old Jeep is in almost desperate need of replacement!) I scanned the internet for a checklist to use in evaluating a used car. By the timeshe was done with her phone conference we were all ready for our fun time at the Cadillac dealer investigating a used Mazda SUV. Cindi hadalready looked at umpteen examples at various dealerships and had yet to find the perfect one. This particular car was priced lower than expectedprobably due to slightly higher miles on the odometer. What we found was exactlywhat she was looking for, even down to the color scheme. Thevehicle was pristine, the salesman extremely honest and easy to get along with, even allowing us to do several test drives, go over the car for anhour in the sales lot, then put it up on their service shop hydraulic lift and allow me to pull n yank everything underneath. We spent about a half-houtalking price and left with a great deal. They would get it cleaned and adjust two things we expected and wed pick it up either Saturday or Monday

Wow! Cindi was almost on a high from the excitement.On the way back home we bought another can of spray paint so I finished the light fixture upon our return. Cindi & Sally worked on finishingdecorations for granddaughter Symphonys birthday party to be conducted tomorrow after her lacrosse game. While they were cleaning & decoratingI hid the remainder of the clues for the treasure hunt. After supper we started the treasure search by giving the first clue to Kip. From there eachindividual got the next paper note, which through puzzle-like clues took them to the next note hidden somewhere in the house or yard. They weresurprised when a clue led them to their neighbors home a few houses down the street. Inside the garage was a tarp topped with a Christmas bowand a note announcing their joint Christmas & Birthday gift. Wow, the look on Cindis & Kips faces was worth the price of admission! We quicklypushed the new mower up the block, got it started and Cindi was out mowing the yard almost in the dark! Kip put the girls to bed, and I finishedassembling the light fixtures to go up tomorrow when it was daylight. Sally finished a chore on her end. Wow! Today was full of action for us!

Day 171: Saturday, September 21 Upon arising we heard the tinkle of rain on our trailers roof.Wed have to wait to see if the lacrosse game would be cancelled or played. While Cindi wasmaking breakfast for everyone I re-installed the two outdoor lights with Kips assistance.Following breakfast Symphony & I designed and decorated her Bad Badger birthday cake(photo #1). It was great to do an activity like this together. After some discussion we decided thatId take Symphony to her lacrosse game while Cindi & Kip went to the credit union to finalize thepaperwork on their new used car. They left for the financial meeting and we left for the athleticfield. Along the way the rain increased, then we got a text from Cindi game cancelled.Symphony was glad she wouldnt have to swim the field; I was glad we now had more time toprepare for her party. With the details finalized, I worked on installing special gadget drawers infour sink areas: kitchen, hall bath & two in the master bath. Thats one more task off the daddy-do list! Cindi & Kip had an extended time at the credit union and dealer but came back an hourbefore the party with their new, used Mazda CX-9 SUV. Everyone even hoped in for a ride downthe block and back then we cranked up the party atmosphere and simultaneously the guests arrived. Its been over 20 years since Sally & I hadthat many giggling, screaming and dancing girls at our home. We learned to live with it again. The party was great. Journey, Symphony and I eachdid magic tricks for our audience with Journey & Symphony doing their tricks with surprising results. There were continual games, food, snacks andbeverages and tons of F-U-N ! ! Four girls slept over with Symphony &Journey, so we were happy to retire to our little trailer. What a fantastic day!

2=Party is in full swing with girls everywhere! 3=Cutting-the-cake is always a big event. 4=Teams of girls designed their own dance routine. Fun!

Day 172: Sunday, September 22 Cindi was celebrating having the four guest girls at Symphonys slumber party by providing a pancake breakfasfor Symphonys friends. Several of them would not be picked up until early afternoon so she was unable toattend worship at her church. Sally & I decided to attend an alternate church and drove to Timothy Lutheran for

Adult Sunday School (study of a contemporary issue) and then worship immediately following. TimothyLutheran is unusual in that the sanctuary is a semi-circle. We met many cordial people at Timothy Lutheran.

Back at Cindi & Kips home we enjoyed some pizza leftovers from the party. (Chris especially likes reheatedpizza when heated in an oven or a frypan.) Following lunch I worked with Kip in trying to diagnose the vibrationin the front suspension of their old Jeep. We jacked up the Jeep, inspected the front end (nothing wrong),rotated the tires on the left side of the SUV, and took it out for a test drive. Still vibrating. Our auto-gurunephew, Adam, was consulted and he offered more ideas to check out. But time arrived for us to attend adultSunday evening Bible study at Cindi & Kips church while they teach the children. After church we treatedeveryone to ice cream at Bruesters!

RV there yet? Nope ! Weve got just about 3 weeks left in our summer vacation, so sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

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