Fun With Friends & Future Plans

Indianapolis, IN (unusually warm weather)

Jeff, our friend and realtor, told us at dinner "you can't lose a friend you never had".  This quote from an Allman Brothers song is so true.  Being back in Indiana reminded us of how many wonderful friends we continue to keep in touch with even as we travel full time on the road. 

Over the past two weeks we have been out with friends, co-workers, camping club members, and family catching up on each other lives.  We have had wonderful home cooked meals and ate  at some at our favorite restaurants.  Let's just say we've been well fed.  We didn't capture photographs of everyone but here are a few.  It was great to reconnect.

We even saw Gay and Danny our fellow workampers at Indy KOA. 

Gay and Danny

While our motorcoach was being renovated, we stayed at our friends Debbie house.  She lives out in the country and it is such a peaceful place to stay.  I've always loved driving around the farmlands and homes in Indiana.  Farmers are very busy right now tilling and planting their crops.  Debbie lives on land that was once her grand parents farm. 

Dinner with Debbie

Hunter

We especially liked spending time with her family.  Debbie is a great cook and her grandson Hunter kept us very entertained.  He is adorable and such a happy little boy.  He has a heart defect and has had two surgeries to rebuild his heart this year and has one more in the future.  His recovery has been astonishing.  Be sure to follow Debbie's blog (A Miracle Named Hunter).

Thanks everyone for taking the time to visit with us.  It was great to be back home in Indiana. 



We now heading east to celebrate a special birthday for Martha (John's sister).  She is teaching in Bennington Vermont for another two months.  We are especially looking forward to spending time with her.  The weather has been challenging with a spring snow storm forecasted.  We hung out in Toledo Ohio for a few days waiting for it to pass. 

Starting May 1st we will be workamping at Watkin Glen KOA in New York.  We will be working part time while Martha is in the area and then full time until the fall.  It is a beautiful campground and was rated the #1 KOA in the country in 2010.  There is a large indoor pool and a wide range of activities led by a college program called Summershiners.  If you are in the area, be sure to stop by and see us.  We'll be posting lots of pictures in the future and tell you more about our experience. 

A New Top Knot (Roof) For Our Motorcoach & Other Renovations

(Elkart, Indiana)

Our motorcoach has been "under the knife" the past two weeks having some renovations done at Master Tech in Elkhart Indiana. Unfortunately we discovered a few months ago that our roof had some soft spots in the front and back. We had Master Tech take a look at our roof while we were attending the FMCA rally in Indio California. This is the same company that removed our carpeting and replaced it with tile a couple of years ago. They told us that we had caught the roof problems  early but it would need to be replaced. We have been very pleased with their work and expertise in the past so an appointment was made at their shop in Elkhart for April 1st. John has carefully caulked the roof over the past few months and spending the winter in dry Arizona prevented in further damage.

We checked in with Jack and Kevin their service managers as planned and they carefully went over our "honey do" list. We had also wanted to have a fan put in the bedroom and had ordered a new sofa to be installed. In addition, In addition, our front door was not opening very smoothly and we had a few dings and dents that needed attention. This company can really do just about anything for your motorhome. They have great rating on the RV Service Review website. If you every need service, be sure to check out this website. The reviews are given by folks who have actually had service with a company. MasterTech has over 70 excellent reviews.

That afternoon they went to work and removed the old roof. It took several days to complete. All the "stuff" on top had to be removed such as the satellite dish, and the dome over the shower and fans. MasterTech sent us these photos as the work progressed.

Roof and "stuff"being removed

We asked that they let us know what happened to our roof. We certainly don't want to repeat it and  had been very careful about caulking it every month or so. Later on they told us that a previous owner must have had some roof damage. It had been repaired and sealed over. However, under the roof it had rotted over time and eventually failed. This damage had not been noted by us or a previous person who had caulked our roof when we first purchased the motorcoach.

Roof removal

Roof has been removed, this is the insulation under the roof

After a few days the roof had been removed and the new roof is being hoisted over and laid on the surface. 

New roof being lowered in place

New roof in place

Taped off for sealing

Here is the finished roof. It looks so nice!

We also had a fan installed in the bedroom.  Several RV shops had told us that it could not be done.  However, Master Tech said "no problem".  Our ceiling are not as high as newer models so an area was cut out to put the motor inside.  It looks really nice and works at several speeds.  

We also ordered a new Flex Steel sofa.  Our old sofa was cracking and the pull out bed was very uncomfortable. You had to sleep at an angle.  This one has a larger bed with an air filled mattress.   The neatest feature are the foot rests.  

Jimmy loves it! 

We are very pleased with everything.  Master Tech kept us informed and did a great job.  It was expensive to fix the roof but their price was much lower than other quotes we received.  If you are in the area, be sure to check them out.