alanasue123

Donna and Sharon you are so right....this is a small world. Donna you and your daughter are right................it was us trucking on I-24 then I-65 South today through Nashville. I was the one driving through Nashville...yikes! We spent about a week with family and friends in Evansville, Indiana after the East Coast Rally. After waiting a day for the weather to clear up, we decided today would be our travel day. We left Evansville 6:15 a.m. and arrived at the Escapee's Park, Summerdale, Alabama at 6:23 p.m. Long day, but we had our snacks, drinks and cookies and chips on board..we were set for a long day. What are the chances of your daughter seeing us on the Interstate in Nashville. I'm glad she called you and told you about us passing through. You'll have to tell her the bed of our truck is the same bed builder you have do your truck.... you are right.............small world. Sue Guthrie

Hello Ladies: The rally is in full swing. We have full days of "truck bed building", Tires and Weight and Safety, Amateur Radio and Its Uses On the Road Including Internet Usage, and my favorite "RDBE - Rigs Driven By Estrogen". It is 67 degrees right now, with a high of 72 and a low of 55. Wind and clouds, but not to fear, the seminars are going on and GREAT attendance and a lot of WONDERFUL ideas. Bring everyone's knowledge together, and there is a wealth of information. Last evening we had a "Potluck". Oh my gosh you ladies can really put on a feast. This evening we are planning on going to Stonehaus Winery for wine tasting and a tour. We could not make last years ECR so we have been looking forward to this rally for well over a year. Kept hearing what a wonderful time everyone had last year at this rally................I'd say.............this rally is shaping up to be another successful rally. Sue

Wed. April 3 arrived at Deer Run RV Resort, Crossville around 2:30 p.m. We were greeted by Steve and Gail and the couple that is going to do the weighing here at the rally. All of us went out to the restaurant here in town, Cat Fish Cabin for dinner. The Park has put in cable and upgraded their internet connection. As you can see from my post....it is lightening fast. (ha ha). They are also putting in load after load of gravel, upgrading sites, and the main road back to the campground looks GREAT. Truck after truck loaded with gravel has been coming in and it is really nice. It rained all day today, Thursday, but suppose to get up to 76 degrees tomorrow. Two more couples pulled in today. Total 5 heavy duty trucks 3 Smart Cars 4 Dogs and 1 Cat For those coming to the rally, if you bring the sunshine, it would sure be appreciated. Sue

Hello ladies. Sounds like a lot of us are getting either new trucks, new RVs, or new paint jobs. Oh, what fun! We will be attending the ECR in Crossville, Tennessee this year. Tried to attend last year, but didn't have the 1st built truck ready in time. So, we have been looking forward to this rally for well over a year. In fact, we are on our way as we speak. Spending tonight at the Alabama Welcome Center on I-20. Had smoked ribs with Jack and Danielle and Rocky and his bride last evening outside of Tyler, Texas. So...........good.............yep, Bob is wanting to get a smoker "just like Jack has". Left the campground and we are on our way to Crossville. Believe we have another six or so hours of driving tomorrow to reach Crossville. It will be good to see everyone.... Sue Guthrie

No, no Sharon...............we are still in Unionville, Tennessee When finished here is when we'll be going to Escapees Headquarters, Lot #3, Livington, Texas.

Bob and Sue Guthrie - Jan. 6, 2013 - Unionville, Tennessee Hither N'Yon ????? - Escapees Headquarters, lease lot #3 Livingston, Texas

Off2YNP: Marriage - YES --we got married one week before the Hutchinson Rally, 2011....In fact....we were introduced at the Hutch Rally as "The Newly Weds". Again, YES, it was us who had the ... new to us... HDT and the smart car loader with issues - but the good news - each issue is being addressed...one by one...and soon we will be "On the Road Again". We started this whole HDT process 15 months ago........a long ordeal! But, we are getting everything fixed..........and looking GOOD. Alana Sue

Happy New Year everyone Susan, you are right about being around family and friends during the holidays....this has been the Best Holiday Season ever. We are just 150 miles from my home town of Evansville, Indiana and was able to spend the holidays with my sister, brother and their family. We laughed and cackled until our sides hurt....it was a GREAT TIME....just what the doctor ordered. Susan looks like you are about to become one year wiser on Jan. 15. Hope you do something special on your Birthday...Happy Birthday! Talk about birthdays, I see where Alana Jennings is going to celebrate her birthday on Jan. 16.....never meet another Alana in my life, me being Alana Sue, and then I meet Alana Jennings....and the funny part is, her birthday is on Jan. 16, mine is November 16... Alot of people with the name Sue, but never Alana. NEAT! Happy Birthday Alana. Sharon, glad Richard is doing better. Please let him know we are thinking about him and wish him a speedy recovery...after all....you guys have fish to catch. I predict..sunshine is in your near future. Raquel and Trish, congratulations on your beautiful new ride. Another prediction....I'm sure you will have many many good times in your future..safe travels....East Coast Rally is in a new months Off2YNP - Off 2 Yellowstone National Park...think we should tell Sharon and Richard to make sure they have their camera fully charged before they go to YNP? Breathtaking! Susan: This rebuild is coming along nicely. Actually nicely is an understatement. Susan, your recommendation was RIGHT ON. Lights are being installed as we speak...one might say "we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel". Yeah! Thanks everyone for your support on this re-do. We have reserved our spot at the East Coast rally...can't wait to see everyone. Safe Travels......&.....Happy New Year. Alana Sue

Happy Birthday Danielle...................and many more! :) Just think Danielle ----- your one year wiser - have a great day. Sue Guthrie

Hope and pray everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving........... ... When you flee tempatation, be sure you don't leave a forwarding address ..... ... Before you give someone a piece of your mind, make sure you have enough to spare ... Safe Travels.............

Happy Birthday Davena..........................and many more! Alana Sue

Sharon, you are such an interesting person. I had no idea you were such an artist. Getting a different vehicle to support your hobby is wonderful.....very committed to your passion. Would love to see your rock collection sometime. We are coming along with the re-build. Pictures are starting to surface of the new re-do. I had a chance to make a suggestion on how to secure the smart car ramps, the designer liked my idea and incorporated it in his design.....Jack called it "innovative". I went and looked up the word, it means "groundbreaking". Wow Jack really, really think so? Think we are on to something here? Those darn smart car ramps have been a pain, maybe just maybe we have a solution. We'll see how they live in their own compartment.....just makes sense to design it this way...but time will tell. At least we are having a say this time in the design of the drom boxes and smart car loader. Yeah! Glad to hear you had a good "Birthday". Like Davena said "one year wiser"....I like that one better than "one year older". Tomorrow is the start of my next "wiser year". ha ha

Sharon - your getting 'er' done! Say you have all the hydraulics, lifts and springs and squeaks all taken care of now, that is GREAT. Hey, Sharon, what is this about your rocks......is there a story you would like to share with the rest of us? Rachel, doing jellies and jams, boy you guys are ambitious. Are you making these jellies and jams for Christmas presents? Hum............... Susan, guess you guys are getting all settled in for the winter months/and your employment. We are still at J.W.'s shop. The "redo" is coming along, however, they keep finding things that needs to be fixed. this time it is the shocks. Had to replace the back shocks because one of them was leaking. Now ordered shocks for the front while the whole unit is "open". Seems like these guys take one step forward and two steps back. They are fixing frayed wiring, stripped out bolts from the previous "do". This is why Sharon we do not have any pictures yet...we are still discovering problems - having to fix what was done the first go around, seems like it will never end. Davena, we have not installed the jackalopee yet....not there yet. Saw where Henry put on the HDT forum a description of "how to install a harness for some lights." Hum......we are looking at his application for our "redo". believe you are having a "birthday" pretty soon.....One year wiser, right? Have a good one ...and many more. Sue

Feedback on the MCD shades.............love them! We have them in the kitchen/dining/living room area only. This is our first coach with these shades and just the push of a button and swwwwwish they go up, hit the down button and swwwwwwwosh well, you get the idea. We have 8 windows in this area and would have to go around to each one and..............again you get the idea. Have NOT had an issue with our MCD shades..... My feedback is - They are GREAT Sue

Susan, now aren't you glad you have a big enough truck to stop! Have to drive that Houston traffic once a year, usually at Thanksgiving time to see brother-in-law, but we are usually in that town and out just as fast. Also NOT our favorite town. Be safe, okay? Rachel, what you are doing right now probably feels overwhelming, but once you "hit the road" your life will become "so freeing". Just wait, you'll see. Susan was hoping you would stop by J.W.'s shop for a short visit. Like you, I want to know what makes this truck tick. Ordering shocks for the truck as we found them leaking. Might as well get them changed out while it is wide open in that area. Sharon, you asked if I had rode off in the sunset with Betsy. Hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... Betsy is pregnant, do not know how to handle that one when the time comes. I thought I heard around January. Have not tried the hand sanitizer formula yet, but sounds interesting. Do you have any other nifty money saving tips? Sue

Hello everyone Good to see more and more RDBE gals on the forum. I've taken a few days off to get re-organized and spending time at the malls........getting a head start on Christmas. I know, I know, have not had Thanksgiving yet, but want to finish by Thanksgiving.........that way, I will be one less in the lines at the stores and on the highways. Horse sitting again with Betsy but just for a day or two. She recognizes her name "Betsy" especially when I come with a handful of hay....but the grain is what she likes the best........and Bob is in charge of the grain. Okay, I'll admit, Betsy likes him the best. No pictures on the re-do just yet. Down to where we were around April, 2012...stripped. Believe we have most of the pieces and parts ordered and delivered, just waiting for one more major item....then............. Had a delivery the other night. That poor driver never been here before and his truck was an 18 wheeler. Oh, I'm sure he will be talking about that delivery for quite sometime. His GPS was giving him false directions. We were all standing out front with flashlights guiding him in. I'm sure J.W.'s neighbors were thinking, "what in the world are those crazy people doing"? We were hilarious..Bob was on the cell phone talking him to our location............take a right, then a left, so straight......We could hear him coming over the hill....finally! I felt better when I saw his license plate was from Indiana........I'm from Indiana...he had a delivery to make, dark or not, he was going to "get'r'delivered". Yeah! One less item we are waiting for. Hope everyone is doing well, and good hearing from the RDBE gals. Sue

Thanks Sharon for sharing your recipe for hand sanitizer...............I also have one........... Home made ice packs: What you will need: Rubbing alcohol Water Two freezer bags Mix 2 parts water and one part rubbing alcohol in one of the freezer bags. Seal tightly. Use the second freezer bag to double bag your mixture. And how do I know this works you ask.........my ankles swell a lot so I use these ice packs around my ankles to keep the swelling down. They do not freeze hard, they stay slushy, makes them easy to wraps around what aches. Talk about recipes, I would be interested in seeing how others handle cooking, etc. for someone who is a diabetic. My #1 squeeze is a diabetic and controlled by diet.....pot lucks are a major concern..........any suggestions would be appreciated. Sue

Aggie, and everything stays put when you travel - the coffee theme? Sounds like someone needs coffee first thing in the a.m....hum....... Boy we need coffee or hot chocolate where we are. Tomorrow night they are predicting 34 degrees, burrrrrr. Told Bob that is pretty close to the 32 degree freezing line. Have not heard from our RDBE fearless #1 leader lately. Guess they are in transit. Also anxious to hear how Vicki's son is doing. We will be here south of Nashville, Tennessee for about another month. Steel came yesterday, and he only ordered it a few days ago. Didn't have to wait for that slow boat from China this time. Hopefully this is U.S. steel. "Made in America" is good! ;) Believe Sharon would like to see a west coast rally....ditto Sharon.... We were at the Escapees park in Livingston right before we headed out to Hutchinson when the Escapees C-BoF heavy haulers group came through after Sedalia. We joined their group and found out they plan on being out west from Jan. 23 thru Jan. 26, 2013. Undestand our RDBE #1's main squeeze Henry writes articles for their newsletter.............one more excellent reason to join that group, right? Sue

Heide, see why we were looking for you on the RDBE forum? Your precious little one, cute, cute, cute. That picture is priceless. Now for your question. I think you are getting good ideas on the length of time also wonder what gals leave setting out....like coffee pot? I have found our refrigerator doors have come open while traveling, even the freezer door. Really careful with things that roll around, like one time left an orange sitting on the counter........not there when we got to our destination. It got caught behind the slide. We also have a check list, like a cheat sheet at the control panel. It is so easy to get distracted. Easily distracterd.............Okay, okay, be nice now. Sue

Sharon, found the number of posts and they were right where you said they would be. You are SO smart. Bob is trying to find a folder in which he can put the pictures of the truck in real time. This prep time is what takes so long, but once the steel arrives, I'm sure big things will be happening. We are using the catalog that Truckers Lighthouse gave us to cut and paste. Have to plan these things, right? Think we should go with the flashing lights? Red or amber? We are still horse sitting as the owners will be back tomorrow. Bob is really getting to be a pro at pitching the hay in the stall, and Betsy (that is the horse's name) is loving the one who feeds her.......that be Bob. Okay, okay, I sneaked a handful of hay to Betsy just to win her affection, guess it will take more handfuls of hay. She is loving Bob the best....not fair. But I believe I won the heart of their dog, Lizzy....yep, dog treats, yep she loves me the best! Glad to hear from Davena and that they arrived safe and sound. Glad to hear they are heading to NH as they still have to finish our order...never a dull moment in the life of #1. Believe Ketchup will like Florida's weather this winter much better than NH's weather, you agree? Haven't heard from Heide either, might have to put out a shout to her.....Where is Heide? Glad to hear Fur ball express is joining the group, Yeah! Sue

Aggie, you are right about the time and the cost of the first build. Never in our wildest did we think it would take so long and the cost is still unbelievable....and for what? We had rallies planned and had to cancel due to the length of time they were taking to do???? The Good Sam's Rally was scheduled and the SubVets rally and the one that really hurt to cancel was the East Coast Rally in CrossvilleTennesseeee. But we made the Hutch rally and boy did we have a good time. Gail and Steve were excellent "hosts" and made the week flow nicely and smoothly. Believe this rally was the largest group. Everyone sure gave us a lot of feed back from "nice paint job" to "why in the world did they do it that way". Never been to Hauchuca City, Arizona, say it is nice. Sounds like the weather is Perfect. Sharon is teasing me about the number of posts, believe it is like #11. Since Sharon is traveling, guess we could always put "where is Sharon"? Wondering how Kurt is doing? Sure hope Vickie keeps us updated on his continued progress. Sue

The truck lighting store was over-whelming. They had lights that would flash, small round ones, larger round ones, some that blinked, it just went on and on. It was brain over-load. But you know what, I didn't think about the smart car loader and the drom boxes. Sometimes over-whelming is good. :) You are right Sharon about all the chatter at the rally. Let's see now, some of the topics were???? Guess Sharon you have to get the topic started. You mentioned posting pictures to keep everyone updated on the progress of the new re-do. Never posted pictures on this forum, heck up to last week, never posted on this forum. And what is this, post #10? Sue

okay Sharon, here is post #10. ha ha You are right, "if mama is not happy, no one is happy"...or something like that...but you are right. Since we have the smart car bed loader OFF and the drom boxes OFF, we can see what we need. The mud flaps were mounted to the back storage boxes, not sealed so we had water inside the storage box. These are also OFF. Today spent the a.m. going to the truck lighthouse here in Nashville. They have lights and more lights, flashing lights, you name it, they have it. They service police cars and fire trucks with lights, and now we are telling them about our project, the smart car loader and Volvo truck. Here we pulled up in the smart car and we found out they were commenting if elfs were going to get out....no just us normal size people. Told them we were looking for lights and they just looked at each other and looked at the smart car...........you could read their minds. Pulled out one of our business card and they finally got what we were after. Heck they immediately offered us one of their catalogs. They realized we are not trying to put lights on the smart car but on our other ride, the Volvo. Now we have their attention! Bob replaced a lot of the lights in our RV with LED lights so this is nothing new for him. He researches and researches everything. It is like, measure twice and cut once. That way you should only have to do it once! Right? Sue

Sharon: Modifications are coming along nicely..... First order of business, dismantle the stack of drom boxes. Thanks to those who told us the drom boxes were rocking back and forth when we went over to take pictures of the trucks for the photo op. Upon dismantling we found they were all stacked one on top of the other and all were fastened to the bottom box with bolts. When we took off the top one, noticed the bolts were loose, as we took off the next layer had the same problem with loose bolts. Got down to the bottom box and there was water inbetween the boxes and rust around the bolts which again were loose. The bolts were the only thing holding that mass of boxes together. Asked for bracing but was told we didn't need to brace them. Really, obviously we did. Took the loader off the truck yesterday. The beams that were added to lengthen the bed are all rusted. This is a 2008 truck and the framing on the truck is not rusted like these beams. Already pulled the Trailer Saver hitch off. Have to do more modifications before the ET hitch is installed. We have received the ET hitch from Henry but need a few more conections. At least when we are at that point, it should be ready to install. We are a long way from that point as the first order of business will be to put bracing under the bed loader and bracing where the drom boxes sat leaving ample room for filling of the diesel tanks. The drom boxes, working on their replacement, you can bet using bolts will be at a minimum. We are taking pictures and documenting this re-do. Bob is in the process of putting on the form what is for sale, already had the delivery guy asking questions. Received the new smart car ramps, lifting them should be much easier than lifting 75.5# which is what each of the old ramps weighed. See Sharon, we are progressing nicely. Sue

Vickie and Jay, thanks for the update on Kurt. The very best to Kurt and you guys will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. Sue and Bob