It's all just nuts and bolts

It seems every winter we come to Orlando someone tells us about the Webster flea market. It’s not too far away, only about 30 miles, so we drove over to see it. Every time I’ve been told about the market they say  to go early as there is much to see. We got there around noon and some vendors were closing already. The market opens at 5 am and apparently most shoppers come and go early. By 3pm it’s all over till next Monday. It is a large operation with vendors selling all sorts of new products, plus the normal used flea market stuff. Next time we go I will heed the advice to go early, but for me that will be 9-ish, there’s no way I’m going to be there at 5 am. We did by buy some nice produce and a palm tree appliqué for the window in door of the motorhome.

My project for this week was to replace the dump valves on the holding tanks of the motorhome. They have never sealed properly since we’ve had the bus, not really a problem leak just a nuisance if that makes any sense. I’ve been procrastinating fixing it not only because it is would be an odorifious experience, they are hard to get to. The valves are located in the back of a small access bay with cables operating the valves from handles located on a remote panel. 

I have a friend, Mike Sobieski who is a master mechanic. A long time ago when I was questioning my ability to repair my boat, Mike gave me this sage advice, “It’s all just nuts and bolts, go for it.” On Tuesday I started the project by removing all the fittings and controls from the outer panel. I then removing the panel itself so I could see the drain pipes and valves. Deciding it was something that could be done by me Millie and I then drove to the RV parts store for replacement valves. We also stopped at Lowes for standard plumbing supplies we would need. From this point on I would have the water and drains out of service until the job was done so I decided to wait and proceed first thing in the morning.

The next morning Millie went shopping and I shut down the plumbing systems. Originally I intended to somehow articulate my old creaky self into the access bay.  Once there my upper body would miraculously become flexible and I would be able unbolt the flanges and replace the valves. After much articulating and bending body parts into positions they hadn’t seen in quite a while I was able to get my fat head in the dark little space. It was then that I noticed the drain piping was not contiguous to the tanks but was instead connected to each tank with a large rubber connector. By loosening two large hose clamps I was able to remove the whole section of piping that contained the valves. I was able to maneuver the assembly out of the access bay, where I could lay the whole mess on the ground and do the repair. It turned out to be a fairly easy job, like Mike says; it’s all just nuts and bolts!

On Thursday we treated ourselves to a day off from our daily grind of.....well......of being Florida snowbirds. We drove uptown to Clermont and went to the movies, seeing the new George Clooney movie “The Monuments Men”. It is a based on truth story of art scholars who in the waning hours of World War II recovered tens of thousands of pieces of art the Germans had collected. Besides the churches and museums the Nazis pillaged, they stole thousands of paintings and sculptures during the genocide of the Jewish people.

While not an epic adventure film, it is a good story with an excellent cast of actors. More importantly it is a story that should be told and retold so the world never forgets the horrors that man is capable of.

It somehow sounds insensitive of me to jump from the holocaust to eating pizza, but this isn’t any sort of literary narrative but merely our blog. Friends from New York had just arrived in town so we met them for dinner at the local pizza shop. As you may remember Clay and Rebecca have a farm along the Hudson River that we visited last summer, it was good to see them again and hear about all the goings on around the farm.

Thats all for now, stay warm.