Always Something To Fix

It seems like there is something always breaking and needs to be fixed on the RV.  Nothing major, but items that just break under normal wear and tear.

One common item that falls into this category is the Cabinet Drawer Catch with Keeper or drawer latch which is used to latch the drawer and keep them closed during travel.  

It is made out of plastic or something that looks like plastic and the hook portion always breaks after a while.  Last time we had it in the shop, four of them were replaced and now it seems one breaks every month or so.

Original drawer latch installed on the RV.

Hook latch on drawer that came with the RV.

Drawer latch hook catch that is attached to cabinet face.

I guess that the drawer latch hook is the weakest part of the entire system because that is always what breaks.  Sometimes it may be due to shutting the drawer with some type of obstruction in the latch that breaks it, but also just plain old wear and tear weakens it to the point of breaking.

Broken drawer latch hook.

Last time we had the RV in for service they gave me a couple extra drawer latches to replace any more that may break, but I used them up in just a couple of months.

So after looking for a while, I found some at Lowe's that were a good replacement and for only $0.99 each rather than the $5.57 each for the original plastic ones I could order from the manufacture.

Slightly different from the hook type latch, this Double Roller Catch holds just as well as the original latches and hopefully last much longer since the hook or catch on the drawer is made out of metal and not plastic.

Replacement drawer latch I found at Lowe's.

After taking the drawer out of the cabinet and off of its slide arms, I had to remove the screws to get the busted latch hook off the drawer. 

Latch hook removed from drawer.

Then I had to do the same for the latch hook catch attached to the face of the cabinet.  The old screw holes made nice alignment guides for the new latch hardware. I could not use the existing screw holes, so had to drill or punch new ones, but the old holes helped me line up the replacement drawer latch.

Removed latch hook catch from cabinet frame.

I then attached the new latch so that the catch rollers were flush with the front of the cabinet face.  This is the trickiest part since the drawer catch and rollers need to meet perfectly to get a good grip.

Latch rollers installed flush with cabinet face.

Below is how the latch roller should look after being installed flush and centered on the drawer.  This is where the original latch screw holes helped me align everything on the face of the cabinet and drawer.

New latch rollers installed centered and flush by using original screw holes as a guide.

I then centered the roller catch between the old screw holes from the original latch hook and made sure it was the same height as the rollers.

Drawer catch installed to align with rollers.

So that is how I'm replacing any of the original drawer latches that have broken or will break in the future.  It is a lot cheaper than buying original parts and I'm sure they will last longer.  They do just as good of a job holding the drawers shut while driving down the road also.

Another item that seems to break easily from normal wear and tear is our sleeper sofa.  It has a coil spring mattress with an air bladder and pillow top,  The air mattress had a built in fan that made inflating and deflating very quick.  We have been through two of the air bladders within the past two years.  They always seem to develop a hole right in a seam, where it can not be patched.

The first time it busted, we happened to be at the sofa manufacture in Elkhart, IN and they gave us a new bladder for free.  The second time, was while we were here in Durham, NC and so rather than messing with the sofa manufacture about buying a replacement, I bought a Coleman air mattress to replace it for $40.00.  So far it is working fine and is just as easy to inflate and deflate with the battery powered pump that came with it.

 Our sleeper sofa with blow up mattress.

Luckily, the Coleman replacement mattress' air nozzle is at the bottom middle of the mattress where the mattress cover zips up, so is in a convenient location to use the air pump to blow it up.

 Coleman air mattress nozzle at the foot of the bed.

Another issue we had with the sleeper sofa is that one of the screws that holds the expanding frame together broke off.  This caused the left side of the  bed to not fold up properly and also let that side of the couch sit lower than the right side, which was starting to wear out the cushion.

 Busted side of sleeper sofa.

So I drilled two holes through the frame and put 1/4 inch bolts there to hold it in place.  I had to have my nine year old daughter, Courtney, to feed the bolts through from the left because my hands were way too big.  I probably did not have to use two bolts, but did anyway.  There is more than enough frame to support the two holes without weakening it.

The screw sticking out on the left between the two bolt heads is the one that broke off in the first place.  There were already holes in the inner frame, so I just had to drill through the outer frame to insert the bolts into.  I'm sure I will be doing this again to the right side of the sofa someday too.

Repair job with two bolts through the sleeper sofa fold out frame.

 It seems there is always something to be done to the RV to maintain or fix.  I'm just happy that I can fix the simple things without having to always take it to the shop.

The next major maintenance item for the RV is having the transmission serviced, which I will leave to the professionals.  I was told it will be around $1200.00 to have done, but is a requirement to ensure that we have no major issues with the transmission later on.

I'm also happy that God has given me the knowledge to be mechanical and handy around the RV.  It is a mental battle at times, but usually once I put my mind to it and do some research, I can fix it myself and save a bunch of money.

There are plenty of times I would have loved to pay someone else to do the work and have at times taken that route, but usually I will do the research and then attempt it by myself or seek the help of an expert, who can help guide me.

So next time a drawer latch breaks on you, or you need to fix your sofa sleeper, you may be able to do what I have done and save yourself some money.  I will not vouch for saving your sanity though.

Until next time, God bless you and your loved ones!

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Thanks!

Don, Misty, and Kids...

Tour of the Bennett Place

Last week we drove out to the Bennett Place State Historic Site in Durham, North Carolina and took the tour of where the largest surrender of the American Civil War took place. 

When we first arrived in Durham, NC, we knew this was one of the places we would visit, for sure.  We love any history about the Civil War and so always try to visit anyplace about it.  We are not Civil War history buffs or anything like that, but love to visit the places where any of it took place.

During our visits we hope the kids pick up some knowledge on the evolving of America by experiencing some of the events which helped shape it.  The Civil War is just such an event and anytime we can expose the kids to it, in person or as a living history, we do.

The house that belonged to James and Nancy Bennett just happened to be at the right place at the right time on April 17, 1865.  

Since it was located close to a central point between the Confederate army under General Joseph Eggleston Johnston and the Union army under Major General William Tecumseh Sherman, it was perfect for negotiating the terms of surrender for the Confederate army, which ended the war for the southern armies that were in the Carolinas, Florida, and Georgia.

We were actually told, by our tour guide, that there was a farm which was even closer to center point, but the owners did not want any Yankees on their land, so the next closest one was the Bennett Place.

The original roadbed for the Old Hillsborough Road that connected Raleigh from the east and Hillsborough from the west ran right through the Bennett farm which has been preserved still today. 

Original Hillsborough Road facing west towards Hillsborough.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could stand in the middle of the road, or maybe on its edge would be better, and be transported back in time when General Sherman and General Johnston met here in 1865?

To stand here and see who all has been up and down this old road and what it looked like back in 1865 would be amazing.  For now though, we will just have to use our imagination.

Original Hillsborough Road facing east towards Durham and Raleigh.

Unfortunately with the loss of both James Bennett's sons and son-in-law due to the war, he could not keep up with the daily work on the farm which he completely quit farming in 1875 and then died in 1878.  The original house, which was already in despair, burned down during a fire in 1921.  

The one that is on the property today is actually the Proctor family's house built in the 1840's about four miles away from the Bennett's farm and was moved on site in 1960.  All that remains of the original Bennett house is the stone chimney that the Proctor house is attached to.  The Proctor house was very similar in construction to the Bennett house and so, is a good replacement.

Replica of the Bennett's house.  The original one was destroyed by fire 1921. 

View of the original chimney.

The interior of the Bennett house where the Generals talked.

The replicated table and chairs the Generals discussed the terms of surrender at.

One of the two bedrooms in the house.

Some of the items the family might of had that helped make life a little easier.

The smoke house was another building that was built out of material from the Proctor farm on the original location.  Since there were no refrigerators during this time, meats needed to be smoked so that they could be kept from spoiling and stored for later use.

It was also used to store vegetables and any other food supplies that were needed.  It also served as a outbuilding for storing tools and any other item that needed to be kept out of the elements.

The very important smokehouse.

The fire that would be built to smolder and smoke the meat hanging in the smoke house.

Tools would have also been stored in the smoke house to keep them out of the elements.

Meat would have been hung from the rafters to be smoked to keep it from spoiling while stored for winter.

As with most farms during this time frame, the kitchen was not attached to the living quarters, but was a separate building.  The biggest reason for this was to keep the heat from the kitchen out of the living quarters, but it also prevented the house from catching on fire, since a fire was more likely to start in the kitchen than anywhere else.

The kitchen is also reconstructed out of time related material from the Proctor farm.

Tia looking out one of the windows from the kitchen house.

A weaving loom that would have been used to weave fabric for clothes and other materials.

Everything needed to cook with would have been kept in the kitchen house.

Most of the meals would have been eaten in the kitchen house so naturally the dinnerware was kept there.

What the dinner table may have looked like in the kitchen house.

As with most of the farms of this age it was very common to have a kitchen garden next to the kitchen house so that fresh vegetables and herbs could be grown and used with every meal.

In 1865 you did not run to the local grocery store or corner market for your produce.  You had to grow and harvest it yourself.

The kitchen garden next to the kitchen house.

In 1923 The Unity Monument was placed on the site to show the dedication to peace and the reunification of the Unites States even though it was objected to by The United Daughters of the Confederacy who thought it represented a dedication to defeat.

Unity Monument.

If you would like more history on this historic place, you can click on any of the links I have put on this blog to include the NC Historic Sites - Bennett Place web page for more info.

We are very happy that we finally made it out to the Bennett Place and got to step back in time for a little bit.  It is hard to imagine exactly how life was back in the late 1800's, but easy to see how many more conveniences we have today and take for granted.

We are all so blessed to be Americans living in such a great country that survived a civil war and continues to let us live with the freedoms that we have.  God has been good to us and our nation.

Even though there are some who may try to limit our freedoms, we have the freedom to oppose them without the fear of retaliation and punishment.

God bless America and the men and women who have fought and fight for our freedom everyday!

Ian, Chloe, Courtney, Misty, Avery's right arm, and Tia's right arm and leg at The Unity Memorial.

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Thanks!

Don, Misty, and Kids...

Bowling Near Duke

Sometimes, to let off a little steam or just have some fun, we take the kids bowling.  It is something that all of us can participate in and we all love to do it.

Now, we are not professional bowlers, and with me probably being the best bowler, with an average score around 200, we will not be winning any bowling competitions anytime soon.

But it is a lot of fun and does not cost too much.  Misty and I have contemplated about getting our own bowling balls and shoes, but do not know whether it would be worth it since we are hit and miss with going bowling.

Once Misty gets warmed up, she is capable of getting a strike, as demonstrated below.

Looking good for a strike.

Strike! X 

A very proud Misty after her strike.

Here's proof of her strike.

Of course I could not let her show me up, so had to try for a strike too! But just like I tell the kids, you don't always get what you want.

Don mentally preparing to recover from his missed strike.

Looking good!

Well, not a strike, but at least a spare.

We also think that maybe the lanes were not maintained as well as they could be due to being robbed many times of our strikes.

The proof is in the pictures below.  Anyone can tell that Misty just threw a perfect ball and that a strike should be the result.

Looks like a strike to me.

But then, for no apparent reason, she was robbed!

Robbed!

She was so stunned by the vicious crime that was perpetrated against her, that it completely threw her confidence off and shook her for the rest of her frames, as is evident below in the next couple of pictures.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Misty doing the walk of shame after being so shook up by being robbed earlier.

Now that I had a chance to win the game, I reached down deep, pulled out my best moves, and let the ball fly.  I could just tell that I executed the perfect throw and the ball and I were one.

Yea, I know that the picture may not show it as being perfect, but the end results were.  You know the light was awful dim and I had the flash turned off on my phone when taking these pictures too.

Don and the ball as one.

Perfection!

For the kids we have the bumpers put up so that they do not have a bunch of gutter balls, but Courtney and Tia are pretty good at keeping the ball down the middle without touching the bumpers.

If the kids get a strike or spare after bouncing off of a bumper, then I tell them that in reality, it was a gutter ball.  Some may think I'm just busting their bubble, but they need to learn to bowl the right way and keep the balls out of the gutter.

Ian checking out his results.

Avery really liked his bowling shoes and wanted to keep them. Luckily, we talked him out of it and he did not make too big of a scene when leaving.

Avery excited about something.

Avery picking his ball while Courtney and Chloe pose for the camera.

Avery bouncing it off the bumper.

Chloe even gets into the game with a little help from her brothers and sisters.  Here Courtney is helping her throw her ball.

Courtney helping Chloe bowl.

Chloe happy with her latest throw.

As you can tell, Chloe was having quite the fun time while bowling with her family.

Chloe having fun.

All in all we had a fun time and the kids got to burn off some of their stored up energy, which is always good.

Ethan surveying his latest throw.

Courtney trying to pick up a spare.

Courtney showing how happy she is or that she really, really has to pee.

Tia throwing her best.

We do not go bowling a lot, but plan on picking it back up since we all can play and the kids have so much fun doing it.

The last time we went with our friends from church, the Gloade family and had a really good time.  They have three lovely girls, who our children love to play with and so anytime we get together, it is fun.

Their dad, Christian, said that he had not bowled since he was a teenager, but I had my suspicions when he started bowling strikes early into the game.

I bowled one of my best games to include a turkey (three strikes in a row) and won the first game, but then was beat in the next game by Christian.  I really do believe he had not bowled since he was a teenager, but he could have fooled us!

We are so lucky that we make good friends everywhere we go and have so much fun with them.  Unfortunately, we do not always show you everything we do on our blog for all sorts of reasons, but try to show the things that we think are the most interesting.  One day, when I can get a blog out every week, you will see more of what we do.

Also, the weather here has been rain on top of rain!  As a result, we've had to cancel a lot of our planned outdoor activities.  One reason I'm doing this blog so close to the last one is because our plans were rained out for the day and I ended up with some spare time.

If you like to follow our blog, please register with Google+ and become a follower so we can see how many of you there are.  Also we would love for you to like our LivelyRV Facebook page and check in with us from time to time.  We would also love to hear from you, so do not be shy and give us some comments.  

Until next time, may God bless you and keep you safe.

Thanks!

Don, Misty, and Kids...