Beep, Beep, Beep

Jay & Stella picked me up at 9 o'clock Wednesday morning and it was about 70 degrees. I had on a top with 3/4 length sleeves, capris and sandals. A half hour later when we arrived at the Chicken Opry and the cold front moved through it dropped to 50 degrees and the building is not heated, but it is insulated. I figured I was going to freeze over the next 5 hours. A couple and a man came and sat next to us in our row. I told him I was glad he arrived because I was counting on him and Stella to provide body heat to keep me warm. At the break he went to his truck and brought me in an extra jacket he had. What a guy! I don't think I would have enjoyed the show as much if I had not gotten warm.

We saw four families, two from Missouri and two from Alaska, perform. I really liked the Alaska String Band. They wore native costumes in shades of red, pink and black. The lady explained what they were called by the Eskimos, what their purpose was and that she had made them herself. They also told Alaska folk tales and then sang the songs written about them sort of like Gordon Lightfoot's The Edmond Fitzgerald.

We had seen the Link Family last year and voted them best entertainers in the valley that season. The Redhead Express was a family of 9 (7 kids plus a dog) that moved from Alaska to Nashville to break into music. They are doing very well for themselves and are extremely talented. The fourth family from Missouri also did a fine job but seemed to lack the stage presence of the other groups. But their music was enjoyable.

While we were at the show Ted took the newspaper people to lunch. It was so cold and windy that his shooting was canceled. I had started a smoked sausage, apple and onion dish in the crockpot and that's what we had for dinner. Our rally hall is not heated so the activities over there are curtailed somewhat until the temperature improves.

Thursday we joined Jay & Stella who were serving as ambassadors at a Heartland luncheon held at Ron Hoover RV. We went as SOBs (some other brand) and had lunch with about 200 people. We weren't the only SOBs in the group however. We met some others. We ate lunch with a nice couple from Iowa who just started RVing again and this was their first trip to the valley. There were great door prizes - a TV, printer, etc. The two numbers in front of ours and the one behind all won prizes, but not us!

The weather finally turned nice on Friday and the sunshine was a welcome sight. All of the blooming plants in the park have turned brown and it will probably be fall before they come back into bloom. Nick came to wash the trailer so we were hanging around. When I shut the refrigerator door while getting lunch stuff out, the alarm went off flashing dr meaning the door isn't closed tight. I opened, closed, shoved, pushed, etc. and it would not stop. I checked the book and it said "Close the door." Been there, done that.

Ted called HitchHiker and Norcold and neither of them offered any solution that worked so we called a repairman. He tried some stuff, got Norcold on the phone and they determined the sensor switches are bad and need to be replaced. Hopefully they can get them down here early in the week so he can change them out before we leave. The bad news - the alarm is still beeping, beeping, beeping! It has been going on for a whole day and will continue unless we turn the refrigerator off or the switches get replaced. I wore earplugs to bed last night. During the day you get to the point where you don't pay any attention to it but at night I'd never sleep with all that beeping. It didn't bother Ted though.

This morning we met Jay & Stella at Furr's for the breakfast buffet and then went to the flea market. I was in pursuit of card shufflers for our new Canasta group. I gave them one I had at home and they need at least three more for the other tables. I found three of them but Irene wanted six total if I could get them. They said they would have more by Wednesday when the market opens again. We'll try to get back over there and get the rest. I bought some spices and some greeting cards and that was it. We'll buy our produce on Wednesday before we leave. We'll get oranges, grapefruit, pineapple and onions to take home with us. We'll get bags of each and share some with Chris to give to his mother. I know Gloria will like that.

Ted has gone shooting now and I'm listening to the beep, beep, beep! Just one little bump in the road of RVing!