Just about ready to roll

November 14, 2007
Peoria, AZ

We’ve had a productive few days, and we’re pretty much ready to leave on Sunday. I’ve caught up on a few projects around the house and Geri’s got a lot of stuff packed.

Monday, we made a “shopping run”. With fuel prices on the rise again (we paid $3.099 for premium at Costco this week), we definitely make sure that we pack as much as possible into each trip. We went to the Napa Auto Parts, Costco (gas plus shopping), Sportsman’s Wine, and AJ’s grocery. While we were out, I got a call from the local Freightliner shop that some axle seal parts I’d ordered were in, so we added that to the list of stops. I needed a couple of super-heavy-duty clamps to fix the coach’s turbo loop, and Freightliner had them as well (Napa didn’t).

Yesterday, we made our last pre-trip journey out to the coach. I changed the turbo clamps, and installed a storage frame that I fabricated to hold a couple of hoses in front of the generator. It’s always fun to find ways to maximize the storage space available, and I’ve had my eye on this space for a while. Weight distribution is also important, and this will allow me to move some weight forward, which is a plus for our situation. I also cut and installed a series of Plexiglas panels in the forward cabinets. Each of the cabinets over the couches and the dining room table has a boxed in area about 3” square in the rear, probably for running wires. The problem is that anything stored there tends to fall off. “Please use caution when opening the overhead storage compartments as items may have shifted during flight”; I used to hear this several times a week when I was traveling for work. By putting 4.5” Plexiglas in place vertically, I hope to reduce this problem.

Today, I started tackling a job I’ve been putting off. I mean really putting off. Ever since we bought the house, I’ve avoided cleaning the outside of the windows. Last year, I power washed the outside of the house, and then pretended that was good enough. Not so much, especially since the screens were filthy. I bought a good window cleaning kit (solution, cleaning head, squeegee), but then convinced myself that it was too late in the season (“we won’t be here and it’ll only be dirty again when we get back”). So, I knew I really needed to get this done early in our winter stay. I hooked up the power washer today, and got about 60% completed, which is good progress. I’m washing the house first (the stucco really holds the dirt) and that helps knock a lot of grime out of the window tracks at the same time. Then I remove the screens and fix any places where they’ve started to unravel. Then I wash the screens on both sides with the car washing brush and power wash to rinse. I can then use the window cleaning kit to get the glass, and by the time I’m done with that, the screens are dry enough to put back up (it helps to have less than 20% relative humidity). I power washed the sidewalk while I was at it and then did the driveway for good measure. I’ll finish up the rear of the house tomorrow, washing the patio and grill while I have the equipment out.

Monday, we made a new recipe that’s a “keeper”. Poached red snapper (we had to substitute red rock fish) with fennel, vermouth and orange vinaigrette, plus rice with peas and toasted pine nuts. A mouthful! And the food was great as well. We’ll be trying this one again, and it went well with a 1999 Savigny-les-Beaune Les Lavières (red burgundy) from Domaine Chandon de Brialles from the wine box.

Last night, Geri made a light meal: gourmet soup-and-sandwich. She made a wonderful French onion soup with cibatta croutons and brie. Since we made a run to Chili’s for lunch while we were at the coach, it was plenty.

Tonight, Geri made another excellent meal: creamy spaghetti with pancetta, carrots, and white beans. This is another “keeper”, and we’ll have enough left for dinner on Friday (no cooking before we head out). We had another excellent wine from the wine box, this one a 1999 (is it 1999 week?) Dolcetto di Dogliani from San Fereolo. We love Italian food and, of course, the wines. This one was exceptionally good. It was one we picked up in NYC, at a store called “Italian Wine Merchants” (clever, eh?) near Union Square that’s actually owned by Mario Batali. Excellent…