An Eventful Summer

A few days after we got back we headed up to Swan River to visit with Lori’s mom while a few last minute things were getting finished in our house.  I promptly came down with the flu so spent the better part of the week in bed while Lori and her mom caught up on events.   We returned to Oakbank in time for our April 18 possession date for our new house.  We had spent 8 1/2 months in our trailer and if anything it confirmed to us that the life of a full timer was not for us.  

Our new place is a 1400 sq ft duplex with a full basement and double attached garage.  Slightly smaller than our previous house but still plenty big enough for the two of us especially after spending 8 1//2 months in a 350 sq ft trailer.  The way the house is  laid out, and with only 2 bedrooms, the living area actually seems quite spacious.  The biggest difference is that rather than 5 acres, a well and septic system we have a 50 x 109’ lot on town water and sewer with the real kicker being that it is part of a condo development so the grass is cut and the snow is cleared for us.  Big checkmark given that we are away for 1/2 the year.  

We found that for the most part we are quite happy with the finishings that we picked, the Luxury Vinyl Flooring being the one glaring exception.  Guess we will get used to it.  We also discovered that the people that designed the kitchen messed up resulting in one drawer and one cupboard not opening fully due to running into the stove.  Some modifications have been made although both are not fully functional.   The driveway was finally paved in June and shortly afterward sod was laid down. Our sunroom addition was done in July and we spent most of the rest of the summer in it as opposed to the living room.  Our patio was finally done in Oct so it will be ready for backyard barbeques’ next year.  

Building a house has been frustrating and expensive, both of which I expected however dealing with the builder and trades has been the worst.  It seems that no one knows how to return phone calls or emails or provide followup on outstanding items.   We still have a few items outstanding and will be following up in the spring when we return.  Oh Joy!

We had hoped to get out to do some golfing this year, although we have been saying that every spring for a few years now.  Turns out my sporadic knee problems flared up this year and I spent the summer and fall doing rehab.  I am probably a candidate for knee replacement down the road but until then its strengthening exercises, ice, Advil and a very unfashionable brace.  

Our plans to depart this fall took a bit of a tumble, or rather, Lori took the tumble, which resulted in a broken arm and a delay in our departure.  We were heading out for a walk at Birds Hill park and she had turned around to call Charli.  As she was walking backward she tripped and fell breaking the top of her Humerus in 3 places.  Good news, no surgery, bad news, its going to take some time and patience before she has full range of motion again.  

So between my gimpy knee and Lori’s arm we will be limiting the hiking, pickelball, golfing and yoga at least for the first few months.  Leaves lots of time for shopping, sitting in the sun and sipping wine.

In my last post I alluded to some repair issues with our 5er.  Actually the repairs required are pretty standard however it seems our RV Dealer likes to complicate even the most simple repairs.  We returned on April 4 and when I dropped the trailer off at the dealer I provided them with a list of items that needed to be fixed and told them we didn’t need it back till end of July for our annual 2 week trip to Clear Lake.  A week before we were set to leave for Clear Lake I phoned and guess what, they hadn’t had it in the shop yet.  When we picked it up a week later a few items had been done but most were going to have to wait until we returned at the end of Aug.  Again I told them we needed it done for end of October but true to form it wasn’t ready until about Nov 15.   Now that we have it out on the road a few things we asked them to fix are still a problem and the new battery that they installed doesn’t stay charged even though we are plugged in to 50 Amp service.  Once we stay in one place for a few days I will investigate but either my power converter is toast or they initially installed the battery backwards and blew the fuses on the converter.  In any event I am not impressed.  Got to find a new place to get service work done next year.  

Thats it for now.  Next post I will bring you up to speed on the start of this years trip and hopefully stay a little more current after that.  

What passes for lawn ornaments when living in a construction zone.
 4 new units were being build across the street so we were surrounded by
construction noise and dirt all summer.  Hopefully one more year and most
of the lots on our street will be filled in. 

Driveway is paved.  Now waiting on some sod. 

A white coat of paint really brightened up the garage and just in time
for me to build some shelving to organize some of our stuff. 

The patio is just being finished.  In our old house we had a sun room and large deck.
We spent most of our time out there and I'm sure that will be the same here. 

Lori's arm is a rainbow of colour.  Most of the bruising is gone now
but the swelling and stiffness remains.