Travels with haRVy

We were pleasantly surprised to wake up to perfectly clear blue skies this morning, despite last night’s forecasts for more storms. After an early morning jacuzzi as the sun rose and a simple breakfast I headed out to the garage to break open our boxes of stuff and start making haRVy into our new home on wheels. All my chores went smoothly as I got all the kitchen supplies and food stored away (with plenty of space to spare). I made up the bed, stored the maps and guides, and figured out where to properly store all the electronic gadgets, chargers, and remote controls (haRVy has TWO!).

Al tempted Murphy (of the infamous Murphy’s Law) by boasting about how well he had engineered the exterior spare tire holder on our bicycle rack that he shipped down for this purpose. Well…the bolts he fabricated for the job weren’t quite long enough so we had to find replacements, which required several stops at auto parts stores, muffler shops, and finally a very well equipped hardware store. We think we now have exactly what is needed and hope to get the tire safely secured tomorrow. Luckily all the necessary stores and a nice health food store were within a few miles of our home base.

It was a magnificent day with temps in the mid to high 70’s with no humidity and gentle breezes. It was just about as perfect as weather can be so it was nice to be out and about, even though it did feel like a lot of running around in traffic from shopping center to strip mall. This area (Sarasota) is busy!

We both continue to be amazed at how well engineered every inch of this vehicle seems to be. It is all so logical and efficient, they seem to have thought of everything. For instance, every window has a retracting bug screen and privacy shade. The cupboards have roll-top desk style openings so there are no cupboard doors to open and get in the way. The large skylight automatically closes if it starts to rain. We can’t wait to take advantage of all these niceties as we travel.

Nice alfresco barbecue dinner tonight with some of our favorite relatives. Tomorrow we hope to enjoy some of the more natural nearby attractions.