From Then Until Now Chapter 3 of 3

Chapter 3 and then on to weekly posts.  Finally made it back to Mobile Alabama to have Christmas with our friends and get our slide that is leaking fixed.  Arrived on the 10th of December.  Weather not bad, well unless you consider a lot of rain as not bad.  As I said, we had a slide that was leaking when it rained so RAIN is not good until we get that fixed.  The RV repair place did not have the rubbers in to fix the slide so they had to order them.  Guess what, they did not come in by the 21st of December.  Have you ever noticed that repairmen are never in any hurry?  Especially when you have a real problem. 
We had a nice visit and early Christmas with our friends.  One day we drove down to Gulf Shores to see the beach and have lunch at LULU'S. . It RAINED and was misty all day.  One day we drove to Daulphin Island to have lunch at this cute little seaside hole in the wall  Barnaby Bills.  The food is very good and worth the drive if you are in the area. Yes indeedy, we drove for an hour and it was closed till the first of the year.  It was vacation time on the Island.  We drove around and finally found another place that had been recommended as the best on the Island--NOT--,possibly next to the worst.  AHH the ups and downs of our life on the road. 

Now during all this time we were in Mobile Howard knew we were next going back to Oklahoma.  At least once, more like 20 times, a day he let me know how much he hated Oklahoma in the winter time and it is cold and has blizzards and is horrible.  Every day at least once I reminded him there was a very special reason we would be spending Christmas in Oklahoma--my sisters 60th Wedding Anniversary.  I also reminded him that I had spent 10 years in a row in Oklahoma for Christmas and never one time did even one snowflake drop to the ground much less a blizzard.

Now you will learn why what you put out to the universe is what you get.  We left for Oklahoma on the 21st of December.  All along the way friends and family would call us and tell us to be careful and ask when we would be there.  Reason--there was supposed to be a big snow storm on Christmas but we didn't know that.  Yes we got there safely on the 23rd of December with no problem and then we heard--"A bad snowstorm on it's way" and yes it came--on December 24th, 2009 for the 1st time since 1914 it snowed in Stillwater Oklahoma on Christmas.  No it didn't---YES it did and to top that off for the first time in 30, count them 30 years it came a BLIZZARD.  This blizzard closed down Interstate Hwy's. across the state and the airports in OK. City and Tulsa.  Oh my, do you know what that meant?  Howard was a very, very unhappy camper as they say.  I wasn't delighted but here we were and I was going to make the best of it.  On Christmas eve my sister tried to get us to spend the night at her house but NO we needed to get back to the coach to make sure it didn't freeze up.  We slowly made it through the treacherous streets to our campground, Whew we made it.  Howard turned into the park and into an invisible snow drift.  We were, he says 500 ft. from the Coach, well when you are carrying a dog, walking into the north wind that is blowing snow into your face at 55 miles per hour it was an eternity.  I was walking into drifts up to my knees and then I walked out of my shoes, dropped the dog, fell down, found my shoes but could not get the weenie dog.  There he was in snow way over his head looking so pitiful at me but I had to tell him Howard would come back and get him.  I truly didn't  think I could go much further but I did.  When I finally got to the Coach Howard was trying to get his breath so he could go back and get the other dog.  He almost didn't make it back the 2nd time but the Lord was with us both and we made it safely.  Can't say he was happy about any of it.  We got up the next morning Picture of the car far away from the Coach in the snow will be posted if I can figure it out lol.  And yes the water was frozen, no potty water, no water to wash the face or brush the teeth, YUK.  We now keep 2 gallons of water in the coach.  The campground owner had a bob cat and said he would get our car out.  Well he grated off the road and all around our Coach but left the car in a big drift.  Howard got the car out and took me over to my sisters to clean up and get ready for Christams, bless her heart she had everything cooked by the time I made it over there.  I got a nice hot shower and was ready in no time,  Howard got the water thawed out, cleaned up and made it back YEAH!

We made it through Christmas day and the Anniversay party on the 26th which was absolutely wonderful and my brother-in-laws birthday on the 27th. On the 28th We left for Texas.  Yeah out of the cold, out of the snow, We are on our way to Texas.  On The Road Again, well almost.  We made it to just north of Oklahoma city when we were flagged down because smoke was blowing out of the tow dolly wheel.  Fortunately we were just at the Flying J Truck Stop and we could get off.  We had blown a wheel gasket.  The parking lot was covered in ice, snow and slush but at least the sun was shinning and the wind wasn't blowing.  I paid a young man to help Howard get the wheel off and found a place near by on the internet for Howard to talk to and yes they could fix it that afternoon.  Off he went to get it fixed and when he got back he noticed that the other wheel didn't look good.  Yep it had to be replaced also but the repair shop was closed so we decided to stay all night at the truck stop.  We asked the manager if it was okay for us to stay where we were and he said yes.  My goodness, in an hour we were surrounded and closed in.  We couldn't have left if we wanted to.  I mean we could spit on all the other RV's from out our window.  I was really claustrophobic at this point and the fumes from all the rigs were about to choke us.  Oh well next morning we found out the only place open before 2 pm-it was the holidays-was clear across town but they said sure come on over they could fix it.  Now this was a big Motorhome sales and service place and Howard told them the part # that would be needed and they said no problem.  We drove over 30 minutes to get there and had to fight the ice in their parking lot.  They didn't have the part but they would call the parts house up the street and have it sent right over.  4 hours later they got the part and fixed the wheel--it is now snowing and we are stuck in Oklahoma City at least for the night.  Fortunately there was an RV park just up the street.  It wasn't easy to get into because they had snow and ice everywhere but we made it.  Yep we made it and it only lightly snowed.  The next morning  we were up and out of there and yes we made it back to Texas.  We were going to stay till the 15th of January but they were having threats of snow so we took off on the 5th and headed back to Mobile where we thought it would be pretty and warm. We had to go back to get the Slide out fixed since the warranty had already approved it and they had the rubbers in.   Again we-I-did not check that out.  It was in the 30's and 40's and RAINED almost every day.  Well guess what the average rain fall for Mobile AL. is? 5 ft.  That's right 5' and I think they got most of it while we were there.  The last week-end it did not rain.  We left on Monday March 15th so I will end this post and catch up in a few days.  It does get better I promise and I have learned to use my camera so I will have Pictures to.  Have a blessed day.  Howard and Diana