As I’ve alluded to previously on this blog, we had a Class C Winnebago Minnie Winnie with which we used to touch off a book tour of the Great Northwest in 2013. Unfortunately, the book tour ended all too quickly after a call from my sister that my mother (then 92 years of age) was in critical condition again and back in the hospital.
In the meantime, it taught me that the proper venue made a huge difference in the kind of reception my grandfather’s books regarding his sailing adventures back in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s were received and sold. I felt if I could have continued with the trip on down the Washington/Oregon/California coast, the trip would actually have been quite successful.
Having sold our home in 2013 and living in our recreational vehicle full time, we found ourselves in the Foothills of Yuma, Arizona where it was discovered there was a schedule of craft fairs at the RV parks for all the beloved “winter visitors”. The craft fairs were gleefully attended by appreciative crowds looking for unique crafts that couldn’t be found anywhere else and added a festive occasion to their winter stay. Quickly getting into the whole craft fair circuit, a happy new venue for book sales was found to be somewhat rewarding.
Fast forward to 2014 and once again hitting the road with a slightly larger RV, Class A, again loaded with books, we headed for the east coast of the United States…except that we were under the gun with our schedule to leave Yuma and return to California for my mother (and another health crisis), forcing an unwise buy decision on a Class A, Forest River Windsong. Thinking we had most of the major issues resolved prior to our exit from Yuma, we chugged along in the heat pulling our “toad”, an old Geo Tracker.
It wasn’t long, however, before it was discovered most of the major issues were not resolved after all, the band-aid fixes lasting long enough to get us to California. By the time we made Twin Falls, we were baking inside that sardine can. Marooned in Twin for just over a week while the Windsong languished at Tony’s 2T, we finally gave up their ever getting the blower-a/c fixed when he pronounced we’d be spending another weekend while he waited for yet another part.
Worrying about the toad being set properly to tow without burning up the transmission, I asked another Class A owner towing the same vehicle how it was set. Following his advice, we set the Geo Tracker as instructed only to have it totally blow the motor within 2 miles. 
We limped into our son’s house in Indiana in an RV in excess of 90o, hot, tired, and disgusted. The RV lazed another week at Bill Gardiner RV in Lafayette, IN waiting on parts and getting them, failing to notify us. We’ve now been languishing in the summer heat, rain and humidity of Indiana for a month, no greater progress either with the Windsong or the Tracker. The Windsong has loose wires going everywhere and the Tracker now has a new rebuilt engine, working on the tranny and transfer case. The books are aging in the Windsong basement storage compartments and visions of selling down the east coast a distant memory.
We got lucky in that we could stay with our son while the Captain is wrenching both the RV and toad himself, but tools and parts have spent the gas money. We’re looking at September and this is Indiana. I’m getting nervous.
Rosepoint Publishing 
So sorry you are experiencing so many mechanical challenges this calendar year! I hope you get all fixed up and enjoy “clear sailing” once again – SOON!!! So sorry we missed you while you were in Twin Falls.
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it’s been a tough one, sandra! love my son, but indiana–not! (state bird is the mosquito) sorry we didn’t connect in twin as well–trying to get the windsong fixed, stayed with my cousin who’d recently lost his wife. we’ll be leaving here (please, with any luck at all) tuesday (our 52nd anniversary). we’ll filter southwest into colorado and down to pahrump again, then on south to the yuma foothills. will you be going back to quartzsite? using your 5th wheel?
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OMG Indiana…my cousin has languished in Ft. Wayne for lo these many years, account of his children and grandchildren, which is understandable, so of… At least Arizona can have heat and torrential monsoonal weather, and also fairly nice winters, and BEAUTIFUL country, which would be my choice, if I had my druthers, which I am lacking right now. So sorry of your issues with your vehicles, wrenching is not my forte, not sure really what it is, as this stage of life.
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always love hearing from you Gary. things have definitely not gone as expected this summer and now summer is over–time to be heading southwest again. will do yuma foothills until end of march of so of 2015. i will be putting together an anthology of some of the remaining short stories, poems, and a few of grandpa’a paintings the end of this year. think that will be the last of it. it’s been enlightening. would sure have loved seeing the painting you had. perhaps i can come meet you next year?
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Good hearing from you as well. I am headed up to the Boise Basin in the morning, I bought the latest gold detector from Minelab, and Australian detector manufacturer, the best in it’s field. I hope to find a few bits of gold, to help offset the expense of the new machine. I know your grandfather would be so fascinated with the mining technology now, so sophisticated and productive, if you hit the right locations. I would love to see images of your grandfather’s paintings, I would hope I would perhaps recognize one of the ships he sailed on, as well as read his poems, as the one on the back my painting was done, I believe, on an early typewriter, so many years ago. My recollection tells me, and perhaps I have already mentioned to you, where “my” painting came from. It came from a large old Spanish style home, in the hills above Vista, California. The owner of the estate was the inventor of SOS soap pads, I hope I am telling it correctly. His family name was Smith. Apparently he was quite well to do, as I had the opportunity to see part of this huge home, a great hall, or formal dining room, was filled with beautiful Persian carpets and huge oriental glazed pottery, as well as all manner of metal sculptures. The Smith’s very well may have come across your grandfather in their world travels, I am not sure how that small painting was acquired…
Gary
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oh wow, no you hadn’t mentioned that bit of history before and that’s fascinating. i’d like to think they may have found and bought it on one of their mutual travels as well. i know grandpa loved SoCal and for some time had a sister living there. we do not know her name or whether she married and/or had any children. he loved the ocean and never strayed far, living for many years in Long Beach. i would like to ask your permission to use this part of his history in the forthcoming anthology, using your name and giving you credit for the insight. would that be okay? we expect to be back in the Treasure Valley next april or so. he would, indeed, be fascinated with the current mining technology. my hubby has a mineral detector as well and we carry it on our travels (we are currently in Lake of the Ozarks, MO. pretty here but oh, so hot and humid. i much prefer that DRY heat of our valley and that of yuma. good luck with your prospecting!!
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I would be most pleased and honored for you to use any portion of my story. I think about that lost painting often, and wonder if I shall see it again. It was such a treasure to me, I could just imagine that tall masted ship plying the heavy ocean seas, and the fact it had such a excitingly descripted poem on the back of the painting, made it much more valuable and fascinating to me. This combination of painting and poem, added another important real life chapter, to my small but growing collection of first hand adventurer’s stories, located in many and varied exotic locations of the world. I will let you know if I find anything significant in my prospecting! Best wishes for safe travels, and lots of book sales. Gary A. Long ~Boise, Idaho~
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thank you so much–hope to meet you next year!
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