RELIVING OUR BALLOON RIDE AT REDROCK, N.M.

Jim has repeating blogs from our 892 day circumnavigation of the U.S.  Don’t know if that number is correct or just close. But we were visiting New Mexico in May of 2012 and like many of our adventures, we happened upon a balloon launch and ended up, as Fergie would say, “getting high”. 800 feet high. Of course, he also says, “I’m drinkin and drinkin’ and thinkin’ of drinkin.” He invited us into their small circle and made us members. I finally got to see the two balloon blogs today and remember the fun of that time. So, go look if you are inclined.

With Google taking over WordPress, they’ve tweaked our blog and I can blog but I can’t see what Jim is blogging even though we share the same page. They’ve quit supporting our editing program. I dislike google’s intrusive business model and I avoid anything Google if I can. But, they bought WordPress and they own my other Blog, Blogspot.

My handy helpers worked all day yesterday and tore apart my guest outbuilding because it had gotten some black mold that came through when the siding got damp and soil accumulated against the wood. Then I got the news, that not only mold, but termites had invaded. They had to cut into the sheet rock and use Terminex which is stinky stuff. Hopefully the smell will be gone soon when they return to finish the job on Saturday.

One good thing, I was forced to face some of my infamous collections. Being a collectiholic is incurable, but space is now more crowded than ever and I am tossing things I’ve saved for years. I ran across my rejection slips from when I was freelancing in the 1980s. I figured I’d have to wallpaper the bathroom with them, but luckily that didn’t happen.

I ran across a Lefthander magazine, that I put in the rack because my daughter Kristanne is a south-paw.

I found, in Virginia’s neat handwriting, a luscious recipe for gingerbread using fresh ginger. I have tons of stuff to find a home for, but it is fun to look. I’m hoping to find space to take my artwork seriously because, I never made it to the outbuilding to create. I just stored stuff for “some day.”

Here are pictures of the treated building.

The Terminex kills the termites. The bleach solution kills the mold, which had to be scraped in some places off the cement floor.

Drawers under the bed in the guest room had to have the bottom removed. Termites like to eat the easy stuff. Sunlight and lack of moisture should put an end to them.

The breeze-way between the buildings is full of shelving. It is NOT going back in because it is time to downsize collections. I took magazines to the library today, old magazines and they were glad to get them. People love them I was told, just like I did.

I guess I’m looking at my past and my future at the same time. That is a direct quote.

An RV Roof Leads A Hard Life…

Most RV roofs today are made from Ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) which is a thin but tough covering that generally comes with a ten-year warranty.

Our motorhome is a 2006 model which means it is about 5.5 years old which also means it is about 2,000 days old. Here’s a photo of it I took recently in a California Redwoods State Park.

So…for these about 2,000 days…the roof has been subjected to exposure from harsh sun, moisture from rain, morning dew, fog and airborne contaminates such as dust, sand, trees, smog and proximity to freeway traffic and airports that emit large amounts of pollutants. Which means the roof gets very dirty and it is recommended that they get a good cleaning twice a year. So yesterday…up I went to do my duty.

In the below photo Mary caught me rinsing the roof. she did not catch me on my hands and knees scrubbing for two hours directly in the sun with temperatures in the high 70’s.

All  the moisture the roof receives creates mold which the sun does do get hot enough to kill. A rubber roof is not flat but has small indentations which makes the roof rough to the touch and where the mold collects. All this makes it very hard to get the roof really clean. So today…back up on to the roof I will go to give it a second scrub down.

All this kind of translates from what your mother used to tell you. That is…you only have to brush the teeth you want to keep. The same thing can be said for RV rubber roofs. Roughly translated it becomes you only have to scrub and clean the RV roof you want to last. As you might imagine…RV rubber roofs are quite expensive to replace…just like your teeth. ‘Nuf said!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
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