Monday, April 21 to Friday, April 25 (Days 10-14)
It was a family visit for Susan this week and back to school for Andy! Susan stayed with her sister Mary Pat in Allen, Texas and visited daily with the Roncal family.
I was really looking forward to spending time with family along the journey and get a break from the camper for a few days as I was still getting used to this type of living. My days in Allen Texas were filled with family fun!!! On Easter Sunday the Roncal kiddos opened Easter baskets and had a fun egg hunt in their front yard. I was so lucky to help with their sweet 3-month-old baby during the visit. Other fun times with the Roncals during the week included toddler music class, going out for ice cream, bedtime routines, lots of book-reading and play-acting with their special stuffed animals.
My sister, Mary Pat returned from a trip on Monday night so our fun together began on Tuesday. We both had various errands to do and had a good time running those and catching up. Our first outing was a hike at a nature preserve near Plano and we were thankful for the shade. On Wednesday we toured the George W. Bush Presidential Library on the campus of SMU. We were so lucky to be able to visit on one of the few “free to the public” days they have each year! It was very well done and highlighted the 911 attacks and aftermath. On the way to meet up with Andy in Athens, we stopped off at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. The gardens were beautiful. I couldn’t believe how many areas they have set up for the different types of flowers and trees. We had a nice picnic lunch and fun time seeing all statues and scenery. Thanks to Putt and TT for such a wonderful week in Allen!
For Andy, Fundamentals of RVs taught by the National RV Training Academy (NRVTA) in Athens started at 6:30 am Monday. Yikes! That’s even earlier than I used to start work. There were approximately 75 students in the class. Most had many years of RV experience already and were there to start a five-week course to become certified RV technicians. Roughly 15% were owners tired of paying high costs to mobile technicians to come repair their rigs. The remaining few of us were new owners preparing ourselves for what we’re getting into.
The instructors do a great job of teaching to many learning styles by combining humorous stories to apply theory to application. The first two days were focused on the DC 12V battery and 120V AC electrical systems and the use of a multi-meter. Frankly, I’ve always been terrified of sticking metal probes in electrical outlets! I get it now! Day 3 was propane systems and water systems. I can see water. I can’t see those electrons that will zap you! Day 4 was water heaters and refrigerators. Day 5 was air conditioners and furnaces followed by a comprehension test. Each day was about 5 hours of classroom learning and 3 hours of “labs” which were hands on to the extent possible with12 students circling around one device.
While I don’t think I could now do 80% of my own repairs, I have a better understanding of how to diagnose problems and raised the threshold of my capabilities from 5% to 40%. I passed the test with flying colors and received my second diploma of the trip. Please queue Pomp and Circumstance.
Friday evening, my brother Ted joined us from Sugar Land (Houston area) and Mary Pat brought Susan back. I’m not sure how much kicking and screaming Mary Pat had to contend with.
Although Mary Pat had to head home, we enjoyed a dinner out with Ted. Ted played guinea pig as our first overnight guest. The pull-out couch with 3-inch memory foam supplement (courtesy of the Luchsingers) warranted a five-star review. (Of course, reviews by family tend to be biased, but hey, our composite rating currently stands at 5-star!) Please contact us if you’d like the opportunity to add a review.
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