This post has been updated on June 25th. I added the word Update before the parts I added.
On June 17th, I received a picture from Sue Arnold of a baby girl camel born to Lulu at Arnold’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Okeechobee, Florida. Last I heard the baby has not been named yet. I also received a picture when she was 4 days old. The mother Lulu is a brown camel and she was bred to a Pinto/Paint camel that was brown and white. The baby was born with the brown and white markings like her dad. Until now, I didn’t realize that there was any other camel colors or types other than brown. The picture in the top center is the day she was born and a few hours old. The photo on the top left is when she was 4 days old, the other pictures are her mom Lulu. The top right is when she was expecting the baby. She’s very cute. I have never seen a camel this young. After learning about this species of camel, I did a search on the Internet and found a website that has info and pictures of various types of camels. There are several photo albums and stories on my website about my visits to Arnold’s Wildlife over the past several years. There is a date on each photo album, then you can go to the archives for that date to read the story about a particular album, or you can do a search for a story by subject.
Update June 25: The baby camel has been named Annie. Here is a picture of Annie when she is a week old. It looks like her mom Lulu is a great mom.
As for my camper, I finally got it back from the RV dealer that did the repairs. I would NOT recommend using Wait’s RV in West Palm Beach/Riviera Beach, Florida. When I first contacted them I was hopeful that they would be a great repair place because I was told by the then service manager to bring my camper up that day, he said he knows what the problem most likely is and when I arrived he diagnosed it quickly. Well, after a long drawn out process and leaving it there for over a month, then again 10 more days, not to count the month in between when I was told they would fix it… I brought it back for what was to be 3 to 5 days, which turned into 10 days. The only option I was told is that they had to completely seal the windows closed, and that I would not be able to open them. I had hoped to avoid this solution. But since my camper is older, there is no option to order new windows unless I have them specially made which will take time and a substantial amount of money.
So, the next best thing is that I have a good 12 volt fan that I can run on my auxiliary batteries when I am not plugged into electricity or if I don’t want the noise of the rooftop air conditioner. I bought a 4′ x 25′ roll of Reflectix which is the silver material that is used for sunshades in vehicles. Only being on a roll it is a smooth surface, not folded accordian style like the sunshades. I cut a piece for every window in the camper, hoping that it would keep the camper cooler inside, it works to some degree, but it also makes it very dark inside. So, I went online and found several battery operated LED lights that I can hang in various places in my camper for light. My camper does have lights that operate on 12 volt but the bulbs put off a lot of heat and also run down the auxiliary batteries rather quickly, especially if I am reading for several hours at a time.
I have seen sunshade material on large motor homes, it’s a UV sunscreen that blocks out UV rays and heat from the campers. I had not ever considered it for my van because I don’t keep a ladder with me to reach the top of the front windows. I did some more exploring on the Internet and found out that even though it might not be quite as effective, it can be placed on the inside of the windows. It provides privacy during the daytime where I could see out, but it would be difficult for anyone to see in. It comes in a few colors but it seems that black provides the best visibility and would look the best. I also found a similar material at Home Depot and Lowe’s. The quality might be a step down from the types sold at RV dealers but I won’t have to pay the shipping cost of the screening material, only for the suction cups which I can’t find locally. I even found one of the manufacturers of this material called Textilene in Dothan, Alabama, a town which I drove through several times on trips. They want about twice the cost per yard from a company in Arizona I found that sells their fabric by the yard. However, the shipping cost is about the same cost as the material.
I decided to buy some of this material from the local home improvement store and I can hang it on the inside of the front windshield, and on the driver and passenger windows, and other van windows I can hang it either on the inside or outside since I can reach those windows easily. The upper top windows that I can no longer open I will place the material on the inside of the glass. I had to do a lot of research on both the types of UV materials, and also methods of how to hang it. I decided suction cups with snap rivets will work the best. I got this idea from one of the RV sunshade companies I found online. After more research, I found a company online to order a large quantity of these suction cups and snap rivets.
I drew out several sketches of the best layouts to maximize the use of the yards of material so that I don’t have much waste. It has taken me many hours for this project, but it’s okay, especially if it helps to keep my camper cooler inside. There are pro’s and con’s to whether to hang this sunscreen material on the inside or outside of the windows, so I will play it by ear and try both ways to see which works best. It will also depend if I am staying in one place for quite a while like in Albuquerque for 6 weeks. I cannot drive with this on the windows, so I have to take it off when I am driving. Unless I have a nice neighbor at a campground that has a ladder, I won’t be able to hang the screening on the outside of the front windshield, it will have to go on the inside, which in some way might be best because it won’t get dirty or wet like it would hanging outside.
The end of last week I received some sad news, one of my close friends told me that her daughter’s husband was found dead on the floor of their house. It seems he died unexpectedly of a heart attack, he was 47 years old. It’s very sad, he left a wife and two young teenage boys. We never know when our time is up… as I have written many times, live life now!!! Don’t wait, don’t put things off… you might not get the chance for a later time.
I have an inflatable kayak that I would like to sell if you know anyone that is interested, please let me know. It’s in excellent condition, and it weighs about 32 pounds and is in a carrying case.
Update June 25th Sunshade for Camper: After doing more research, I decided not to use the sunshade material I bought at Home Depot. I wanted a better quality product that hopefully will last for a long time. I found out that Textilene 90, made in Dothan, Alabama, is one of the best sunshade materials and it blocks 90% of the UV rays. I called the manufacturer of what I felt was the best quality sunshade. They told me that Innovative Industrial Solutions, Inc. in Boynton Beach which is about a half hour from where I live that carries their product, I called them and spoke with Rodger, he said they have the sunshade I want in stock. However, their fabric is 72 inches wide. So I spent several more hours planning a layout, my other layouts were based on 48 inch fabric, and finally after many attempts and many calculations, I was able to get a layout where there was no waste, no unused fabric for 72 inch fabric. I really was a couple of inches short of what I needed but I would be able to be okay with the few inches short.
I called Innovative Industrial Solutions, Inc. and spoke with a man named Rodger. I told him that I want to buy 9 yards of 72 inch fabric, and asked if he could add an extra couple of inches. I wasn’t sure if he could or not. I drove up to get the fabric and brought it back and went to the local library. Buying locally saved me shipping, and also supported a local privately owned company. If you live in Florida check out their website to see the products and services they provide. If you need awnings or other items give Rodger at IIS a call. He was very nice, and courteous, and he worked with me so that I could get what would work best for me.
I don’t have anywhere at home to lay out a 6 foot by 9 foot piece of material so that I could mark it and cut it. I called the city library and they let me use a conference room where I could put three tables together. It worked out perfect. The width of the tables is the width of the fabric and the length was almost the same as the fabric. Rodger gave me a yellow wax pencil so that I could mark the fabric. I brought yardsticks, tape measures, scissors, etc. and began to mark the fabric. When I got to the last section of two pieces, I realized that they gave me a few extra inches of fabric. So, I went back to the beginning and added an inch to other pieces so they would be a little bigger than the glass measurement.
I ordered suction cups and tacks that I will use to attach the sunshade to the camper windows when I am parked for a few days. I am hoping that it will do what it’s advertised and keep my camper cooler inside and still let me see out.
After I got it all marked and triple checked my markings to make sure it was correct, I cut the pieces and rolled them up to take them home. This material can’t be folded, it has to be rolled. When the suction cups and tacks arrive I will put them into the sunshade fabric. The cost of the sunshade material and suction cups with tacks came to about $120. I know that seems like quite a bit of money, I also spent $40 on the Reflectix to put in the windows. If both of these window treatments work to keep the camper cooler it will be well worth the money.
I spent many days researching various companies, materials, and suction cups online and decided to do the sunshade fabric myself rather than having it made by one of the companies that does this. Most of them wouldn’t make the sunshades to fit my camper van. They primarily make them for the large motorhomes. One place wanted $240 plus shipping just to make a sunshade for my front windshield. My camper has the windshield and 8 windows. I also found the company that sells the suction cups to those companies so I ordered the same ones since they seem to be made of a better quality material and design.
I saved a lot of money by doing this project myself, and it gave me something to do. I’m glad I attempted to do this myself. I think it turned out well. Since I don’t have a ladder, most of the time the sunshade for the front windshield will be hung on the inside of the van. Maybe when I am camped somewhere for several days and I know I won’t be moving someone in a nearby campsite might help me hang it on the outside. The downside to that is if I want to drive somewhere and no one is nearby to help get the sunshade off the window that will cause a problem, so maybe I will only hang it on the inside. It will still help with reducing the inside temperature.
Update June 25 Health Update and music from Hamilton: On June 17th I had an abdominal/pelvic area CT Scan to see what changes there are in my tumors since May 2015. I still have a few very small tumors and a few other minor things going on. The GREAT NEWS is that my large tumor significantly improved according to the report. It went from 6.0 x 4.9 cm to 5.9 x 3.2 cm. That’s about a half inch smaller. I have not done any treatments, or anything else. I pretty much try to ignore it and I tell the tumor that it’s not wanted in my body. I think of it as an alien thing, not anything that is a part of me. Thank you to all of you that are keeping me in your thoughts and prayers, it’s working. This is the first time since September 2012 when I first found the tumor that instead of growing from a small size to this larger one that it has actually become smaller. I still have several of the symptoms of the tumor’s effect on my insides, like my left leg still gets numbness and pain, my lungs are still compressed, as is my stomach and other organs. The main thing is that I am doing pretty good most days. I have some tough days, but so does a lot of people and compared to what some others have to deal with, I don’t complain. I am so very blessed.
I am starting to get my things together for my trip. Target date is July 6th to be on the road. First stop is the National Hot Air Balloon Championship Competition in Shreveport, Louisiana. I pray that the weather cooperates as I travel. All of the flooding from the heavy rains, and the high winds that many states are experiencing is not something I want to be near or in.
As part of my trip preparation is keeping the inside of my camper van cooler, and also to know I will have periods of time where I will be dry camping without electric. The lights in the camper operate off of my auxiliary batteries and they also burn hot. I went online and bought several LED battery operated lights. They seem to be pretty bright and they don’t put off much heat, if any. I will stick them up in various places throughout the camper. Also, I figured out a way to have some clothes on hangers and not take up much space. I bought some chain and I can hang the hangers into the sections of chain so that instead of having the hangers go horizontal, they will hang vertical. I can move the chain up to be horizontal if I need to. Sometimes we have to be creative to get things accomplished, and also to save money.
I have seen parts of the broadway play Hamilton on various TV shows and I love the music, so I bought the CD set on Amazon when I bought the LED lights. I was surprised that in addition to getting the actual CD, I was given a link to a digital version. So instead of having to wait a week for my CDs I downloaded the music so I can listen to it on my tablet or computer. I am listening to it now as I am updating this post. I can see where this music and the story it tells is addictive. I have a feeling I will put it on my MP3 player and listen to it when I am on my trip. Lin-Manual Miranda is extremely talented to come up with the story and lyrics to Hamilton and everyone else involved is also exceptionally talented. If you get a chance, listen to the music. You Tube seems to have the tracks of this play that you can listen to. Maybe one day they will come out of a DVD of the performance.
