This and That

 

Wesley Chapel, Florida (high

 

There is a lot to do in the Tampa Bay area.  The beautiful blackwater Hillsborough River is nearby. There are several crystal clear spring fed rivers, and of course Busch Gardens, Disney World, the beaches, and much, much more. 

So what have we been doing?  Cleaning closets, our basement storage bins, and those other little “life” tasks that we always tend to procrastinate when we’re “on vacation.”   We define being on vacation when we’re anywhere but the Tampa area.

  

Al got the motor home roof cleaned and waxed a week or two ago.  We have a fiberglass roof and apparently it was chalky and dirty because we kept getting gray marks running down the sides of the motor home.  He got up on the roof with a mop and cleaned it, then on put a coat of Meguiar’s Cleaner . Our neighbor Pat, loaned him her orbital polisher and it did a great job and made short work of the job.

We are hoping this will  last a year, but I’m guessing it will need to be done again in 6 months or so, since we spend so much time in sunny locations.  I’ll let you know.  This was the first time we used this Meguiars product. We heard good things about it and it’s for marine use so it should hold up pretty well.   I’ll let you know.

Once he got that done, we started cleaning the streaks from the sides of the coach.

Since it’s hard to wash a rv in most campgrounds, we use a product called  The Solution.  Rick recommended it a few years back. It’s a waterless product that you spray on, and wipe off with microfiber towels.  Once we tried it, we’ve never used anything else.  In fact, I don’t believe we have ever actually washed this  motorhome in the three years we have had it. 

What I like about The Solution,  is that you don’t get swirl marks.  I’ve watched the professional RV cleaners come into the park cleaning other rigs.  They use brushes and I always see swirls in the paint when they leave.

This product seems to lift the dirt off and doesn’t cause any swirls in the paint.

This is what they say on the website:

How it Works
The Solution packs hi-tech cleaning chemicals and protectants into one super-convenient product; completely eliminating water, soap, hoses, Chamois, buckets and waxes. Just spray on the entire car including windows, chrome and mirrors, and wipe it off with MicroFiber or a cotton terrycloth.

 

We use it for the entire coach, including the windows and rims.  It works very well for removing the infamous Florida Love Bugs too.  It’s real easy to just do touch ups on the dirty areas.  You don’t have to reserve an entire day to do the whole coach.  We find the two of us can easily do the entire coach in an hour or so.

No, I do not work for the company and no, we don’t get compensated.  I just like the product and like to pass on good products.  What I like best about it, is that it’s quick and easy, just spray on, and wipe off.  I use a LOT of microfiber towels though because I don’t want a dirty towel scratching the finish of the coach.

If you’re interested in the product, HERE is where I order it.  It’s shipped from Oregon, I believe.

Another project I intend to do very soon is back up my computer.

Rick, the computer guru of blogland,  posted some very good information on backing up your computer through the Windows 8.1 operating system.   Apparently, it’s very easy with this operating system.   I think I’m going to buy a new/clean external hard drive first (just in case I screw it up, I won’t lose my photos I have stored).   :)

Go HERE to read about it on Rick’s blog.  If you have Windows 7, he did an earlier post on Win 7.

 

Recently, I’ve joined a few Rv groups on Facebook.  One is of these sites is for full timers.  Mostly what I see are people in the early planning states or becoming fulltimers.  Wow, is it an eye-opener!

It seems that there are a lot of young people, many with children who are planning on becoming “fulltimers.”   Many of them seem to have some romantic notion that living in a rv will solve all of their problems.  Many appear to have NO money, no jobs,  and no clue.  

I suppose much of this is because of the bad economy, and they have nowhere else to go.  It’s sad, but sometimes funny.

Here is an example of one post I read.

“ok.....we have finally bought a travel trailer....we will be parking it on a lot with no hook ups.....I think we have the water thing worked out.....planning on buying a generator for elect.....I know nothing about generators....do they run constantly? or only as they are needed? is it better to run the frig/freezer on gas or elect? we need all the help and advice we can get....as our trailer will be here next few days...help!!”

Yikes….boon-docking permanently.  I’m not sure they have considered sewer issues.   There are a lot like that, but the ones I worry about  most are the ones who have young children.  Some plan to set up in a Rv park and stay, but many are planning on traveling and looking for jobs as they go.   I believe many don’t have a spare dime for any emergencies.  

As we all know, living in an Rv is not all fun and games.  I wish them well.