New Furniture

  Since we bought this RV three years ago we have had issues with the recliners in the living room.  We don't like the fabric, for one thing, and they really aren't all that comfy.  They need to be pulled out into the living room space to function as recliner/rockers and that leaves lots of wasted space behind them.  Every night we have to slide one back into that space so the heater register isn't covered.  We have tried a variety of tables and lamps to go between them, and again, unless the chairs are pulled way out, tables don't fit and we are always knocking them over.  We have researched new smaller chairs and sofas but size and cost issues have to be surmounted - mostly cost.  You can see in this picture taken earlier in the season, how far out in front of the desk area my chair has to come and how much space is behind it.  That box has my yarn and it's convenient there, but it's still pretty much wasted space behind the chairs.  

  While Maggie and I were out for a quick spin around the top half of the park this morning (Saturday is our day off from our long walks), we spotted a sofa with a "for sale" sign sitting outside a high-end motor home.  It's leather and a good color  and was very reasonable in price.  I went home and got Roger to get out his trusty measuring tool and we went back to check it out.  We knew it would fit length-wise, but the depth is an issue as the sliders have to come in front of it when on the road.  Rog measured 33 and 3/8 inches of available space.  The sofa he measured at 33 inches.  Oooh, so close.  We talked with the woman who was selling it and it's a good brand, good leather, etc.  They are taking it out to put in a desk and chair so they can run their business from the RV and go full-time.  Anyway, we said we would be back after re-measuring our space.  

  We took a lunch break, discussed it, and our only real drawback was what to do with the recliners - could we get them out  the small doorway?  How would we lift them as they are heavy, and how the heck would we get the sofa moved to our site (the bed of the truck has the hitch in it) and in the RV?  We decided that the pros (more space, another seat, and another sleeping area for grandkids) won out over the work involved to make it happen, so we pooled our cash on hand, came up with the asking price,  and headed back over to talk some more with the sellers.  

  First, though, we had to get the chairs out.  They are much too heavy even for the two of us to lift.  Roger had this brilliant idea - we turned them on their sides, slid them to the door, angled them out, and let gravity do it's thing with Rog guiding them down the stairs!  They are now residing temporarily under the canopy on our patio.  Now, the real challenge - getting the sofa to our site and then getting it in the door.  Well, did we luck out.  The thing came apart into three parts, the guy selling it helped Roger load the main frame on the back of the truck and then helped him carry it inside.  Yay!  



  Then Rog got to put it together again with a little help from his friend who kept kissing his ear!   

The place looks larger now - we have an extra two feet of space in the living area, I can pull out the desk chair without hitting a chair, and, when you only have 342 square feet of living space, every inch counts!

We tried pulling in the slider with the sofa where it is.  There was not the 3/8 of an inch to spare as we anticipated.  At first the sofa stopped the slider. I panicked. What now?  We can't take it back and how will be get those chairs back in and sell the sofa?   Rog calmed me down and we pushed it harder up against the wall, removed the cushions, slid the sofa all the way to the right side and then the slider came in.  It rubs against it, but it comes in.  Whew!  So, when we move the RV there will still be a little bit of reconfiguring, but it won't be nearly as much effort as in the past.  We just squeaked by on that one - our lucky day.   

  As always when we decide to change something, get a bargain, etc., it is never the end of it. There's always more and it always costs money!  Now we will be on the hunt for a couple of small footstools (which we will have to find somewhere to put when we close up for travel), but we think this just might be a better configuration that what we had.  Right now I'm feeling it isn't quite so cozy, but I'll get used to it.  Roger is going to build a couple of VERY small (8-10 inch wide) tables to go on the sides when we get home that will hold our drinks and what have you.  It's a bit of a change for us and that's always a challenge as we are so set in our ways!  

  The couple we bought the sofa from is from Michigan so, of course, we struck up a conversation based on that.  They are here visiting their daughter who is married to a Marine helicopter pilot.  Somehow the conversation got on to genealogy and it turns out she is a member of the DAR and has volunteered to help me figure out what I need to get for documentation.  One of Roger's ancestors is a Revolutionary War patriot (as they call them) and I think there are two on my side of the family - one from each parent's line.  So, next week she's going to sit down with me and my laptop and look at what I've got and what I need.  It's kind of exciting and will get me focused again on the work I keep putting off doing. 

I have been working on a rug for the bathroom.  The floor area in there is a weird shape.  We have looked for rugs in the store and because of the shape and size we haven't found anything that fits.  We have two small rugs that I crocheted for the last RV and that are falling apart.  I got some cotton yarn of a variegated color that I hope won't show the dirt like the old white ones, and now am on my 5th attempt at a rug.  Wrong size, wrong shape, couldn't follow the patterns I found, all this leading to frustration, but I have decided I'm going to win this battle. It's hexagonal and I'll let you know when it's done :-)    

After our Tuesday trip to San Diego for lunch we haven't done a whole lot this week.  We've been out for ice cream once, to the library, done laundry, and been to the base for a haircut for me and some groceries.  Not a whole lot of activity but it keeps us occupied.  Our brother-in-law had back surgery late last week and is recovering this week in a medical rehab place so we've been on the phone a lot keeping up with him. He's hoping to go home on Monday. There's good news on the loved one in Reno - no chemo!!  Rog's back is behaving for the most part and Maggie and I are doing great!  Weather forecast for the next ten days is outstanding, so we are looking forward to some nice warm days after a cool and rainy week. 

So, why do they call these guys Ring Necked Ducks?
The ring is around the bill.  So confusing.
They are beautiful and we probably have a hundred here
this year.  In the past we've only seen one or two.