Not much new to report

July 13, 2008
Broad Brook, CT

Sorry for the lack of postings, but there hasn't been much new to report here. The lousy weather pattern (stationary front right across southern New England) has broken, and I've gotten almost all of the coach maintenance work done, with Al's help for several of the trickier tasks. We headed to Melisa and Paul's at the lake on the 5th, and had a good time even though the weather was poor (pictures here). We've continued to eat well, with Ahi tuna salad, smoked pork loin roast, and Mexican steaks on the menu during the week. The culinary highlight was "Pinot Night" on Friday, with Mike Bower contributing three great bottles from Oregon (a Ken Wright, a Lemelson, and one I didn't write down) and us throwing in a bottle from Sea Smoke. Al made grilled lamb chops and Geri and Pat made a great roasted potato/zucchini/parmesean dish (they're way long on the zucchini in the garden this year).

During the week, I finished up the chassis lubrication on the coach, then got out the power washer and washed the roof. Yesterday, Al was around to help with some of the tasks that required two people or extra analysis before tackling. We ended up changing the fluid in the rear differential (had to go to 3 places to get the 15 quarts of synthetic gear oil it takes!) and replacing the air dryer cartridge (lots of extra things on these big beasts that you don't have to worry about in a car). I'm feeling pretty good, as we've been able to tackle almost all of the scheduled preventative maintenance items due this summer. Several (like the differential) are on a multi-year schedule (e.g., 3 years or 100,000 miles), so there were some extra tasks this time around.

Over the next two weeks, I'll finish up the remaining tasks and we'll give the coach a good cleaning inside and out. We'll be ready to hit the road on the 31st, heading west.