Here we are again... in more ways than one - or - The good, the bad, and the ugly.

First, a big WELCOME to our newest Follower, sierrasusieq!  She doesn't show a blog, but she is from Truckee, CA, which is a place I love.  You live in a great area, for sure, sierrasusieq!  Thanks for following along with me and Katie, we are happy to have you aboard!

First the good:

We are back in our old site, the original Quartzsite one that I loved so much.  Unfortunately, Hazel and Carrie left on Thursday.  When I was in San Diego for medical stuff, Carrie went to Australia, and she moved her rig into my vacated site next to Hazel so it would be looked after.  When they left yesterday, I moved back into it.  I was happy where I was, but this site has more birds and critters and just has better views out of every window.  So I'm really happy to be here again, and I wish Hazel and Carrie happy travels!  :)

 Goodbye photo of Hazel, Fleur and Val.  We miss you!

Here are a few photos from the new/old site:

 Here we are again - I love this site!

 My old friend

And we seem to have two other kinds of squirrels this time around:

 Lots of birds

 And rabbits!

According to Carol, there have also been rattle snakes and sidewinder sightings.  I don't know what a sidewinder is, but Katie and I are watching where we walk, and staying away from bushes. 

It's been beautiful here in Quartzsite the last few days, with a little intermittent wind today:

Windy enough for you?

 

We're expecting high winds tomorrow, so rather than have my camp chairs blowing down, and maybe away, I folded them up this afternoon and put them near The Palms.

Second, the bad:

I've sent the RV service shop in Utah two e-mails requesting a response by today, and haven't received a reply.   I just sent another one off to him, letting him know the steps I'm going to take if I don't hear from him by noon tomorrow.  

I am going to order my own converter tomorrow and have it installed.  One of the guys here wanted to look at the converter.  It was already unplugged, so he took off the wires, or whatever you do to get them out.  He wanted to test the plug it was plugged into, which was fine, and then he wanted try it in his rig to make sure it was bad.  When he lifted it up, it rattled.  Not a good sign.  He took it with him, but he said he'd never plug it in with the rattling noise.  This is what he e-mailed me: "This converter is definitely bad.  That noise inside is an electrolytic capacitor that is broken loose from the circuit board.  When did you purchase it?  It really doesn't look like a new unit to me.  I suspect that you were sold a defective unit."  

Funny thing is, the Utah shop didn't have the 60 Amp converter my rig needs, so he went to another rig, a Class A, that was in his lot for repairs and since they weren't going to be back for a while, he said he had one in that unit he could take out and put in mine.  It was an 80 Amp.  I assumed it was a NEW converter that he was planning to install in the Class A.  Now I'm thinking he took the converter that was sitting there, cut the hard wiring and re-wired a plug onto it, and installed it in The Palms.  That's one of the things I asked him in my second e-mail. :(   I don't want to slander him, just asking...

But now I KNOW this converter is definitely what has been making my life miserable all this time, and once I have a new one installed, everything should be fine and my electrical/generator/converter issues should be over. Please cross your fingers for me.   

Third, the ugly:

Well, folks, if I don't get satisfaction from the Utah shop, it is definitely going to get ugly.  I am compiling lists of addresses and e-mail addresses of every entity I can think of so that I can 1) report this guy, 2) ask for their help to collect damages from him and 3) warn other RVers about his business practices. 

If I can take him to Small Claims Court, I will.  If I have to park in the street in front of his business with signs in my window, I will.  I will do everything that is legally in my power to do to collect damages from him.  I've spent over $1,300 on parts that failed and the labor to replace them because of his shoddy practices, and I want my money back!  And that doesn't even take into account all the worry and inconvenience this has caused me, and the discomfort I've experienced and the fear I had every time I turned something on.  I was so sure it was faulty wiring, then the generator, then again the generator... if only we had removed the new converter, when it rattled we would have known.   

I'll let you know what happens. 

Let's end this post with a good thought and a beautiful photo:

A man is rich in the proportion of the number of things he can do without.  Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.  --Henry David Thoreau

 Quartzsite sunset

From me and Katie, good night, everyone!  :)