2 Kids,2 Dogs,1200 Miles: 2 More Weeks in FL 2 - Finished with a Blast! P40

[FreezinRafiki]

That might be the smartest thing you've ever done.

I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid.

Or is it "I may be stupid, but I'm not dumb"? Whatever. I'm not both of them!

Barry + tools = bad news

Dymanite is a tool, right?

Sounds like you know exactly what I'm talking about.

That would most definitely be bad news. But at least you weren't working in close proximity to those rocket fuel lines.

Nah, those are easy to fix. They're mostly old garden hoses held together with duct tape. I can whip a new set of those in under 10 minutes. And that includes 5 minutes rummaging through the garage for the old hose.

You're never going to find a rocket van in Florida though. And just think of all the work you'd have to do stripping your after market upgrades and transferring them.

That's exactly why I didn't want to buy a new one!

A little indecisive, are we?

Well, to be fair, it was only the first 4 weeks spent deciding. The last 2 were trying to find the best price.

Serious question here... did you make sure your rubber hose isn't rubbing on anything anywhere??? Don't want to be doing this again in 6 months.

Yes. I used plenty of zip ties to keep them up tight to fender. I did take it my mechanic after we got back for an inspection and he said it looked good. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes!

I'm glad I wasn't a passenger in that death trap... I mean van.

Hey, the worst thing that could happen would be blowing a coolant line and overheating the engine. You then coast to the side of the road and call a tow truck. I'd put the chances of death at less than 15%. Ok, maybe 20%, but still, that's not too bad!

Hey, you're a better man than me when it comes to fixing cars. One of the worst car stories I have is having to hold the driver door shut for about 6 miles until I could get it to a repair shop (the latch to keep it shut broke off one day when I visited my mum). As for DIY stuff, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say I qualify for CDIY (Can't Do It Yourself)

That definitely calls for a "Pictures or It Didn't Happen!".

Do you remember the summer of '88? It was miserably hot, drought conditions. Our farm truck died, so my dad had no choice to but to pull chopper box wagons filled with straw with our '77 Pontiac Catalina. Since it was so hot, he took the hood off to help keep the engine cool and took the driver's door off to keep him cool.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

I'm excited to see if the van made it through its next journey. I have faith that it did.

I'm glad someone has faith in my repair jobs. I know I sure don't!

We had a conversion van that would overheat constantly and the side effect of this would be that we constantly had to have the air conditioning off, because air conditioning = overheat. This would not be extremely pleasant on the road trips we took it on to California and to Florida. I feel the pain of not having AC, I truly do.....

Ouch! And since it was a conversion van, I'm guessing the only windows that rolled down where the two in the front, right? I can just imagine the kids with their faces pressed up against the vented windows in back, trying to breathe in as much outside air as possible!

I like to think of myself as "mechanically differently-abled".

I have a friend that says the only things in his tool box are the yellow pages and a Visa card!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

No, I am not. This was not even an option. I would have taken my parents car gone to the nearest dealer and bought a van without test driving (except the AC of course).

Can't say I'd blame you on that one.

As much as I hate to admit it and it will likely ruin my reputation of being hard on Barry...he really is very handy to have around. He gets frustrated and slightly irritating and when I say it's time to buy a new car or call a plumber he keeps working at it and always comes through.

Awww...thanks honey!

Barry - you have a good one! Bambi- you are my hero! Way to go girl. You know when to fold 'em butknow when to stand by your man. ( And to think I don't really like country music)

She's clearly way out of my league.

 

[KatMark]

Sorry I missed the last update. We were out of town and now I am sick with whatever my son had and I haven't felt like keeping up on the DIS.

Glad to hear that you were able to repair the van and didn't have to waste any of your vacation time "car shopping."

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

We stepped out into the hot, muggy Florida air, took a deep breath, and ... headed for my in-law's air conditioned house.

Good choice. There are days down here where the air is better suited to gills then lungs.

We unloaded most of our stuff, grabbed Grandpa (Grandma was still at work) and headed over the a local (air conditioned) Bob Evan's for lunch.

I’m spotting a trend

The food was fine. I don't think I could tell the difference between food from Bob Evan's vs. Denny's vs. Perkins.

The phrase we use to describe these three places is:
“Ehhhh… it’ll make a turd.”

As we sat there and ate, we watched an afternoon rainstorm make it's way through the area. Which was good, because the conditions just weren't sauna-like enough.

Folks pay high dollars to sit in saunas. In the South… it’s free of charge (just another service we offer).

Well, the steel lines run up and over the right rear tire and are held in place by some steel brackets.

There’s some fine engineering.

Guess what, folks? Steel rusts.

Like I said…

I had replaced a chunk of rusting steel with some rubber heater hose. Because of the condition of these lines, I always like to keep a jug of coolant tucked away in the van for long trips.

Are you sure you’re not a Southerner? Between the mechanical improve and a backup supply of all the major fluids, you could be describing nearly ninety percent of the “vehicles” on the road around where I live.

Just about every gas stop after that, I was adding a quart or two of coolant.

That’ll make for a stressful drive.

This was the "before" picture that I sent to my mechanically inclined brother back in Wisconsin. The response I got: "Good Luck, Buddy!"

Was thinking the same thing.

I ran to Autozone…

…So I ran to NAPA…

Not surprising. It’s rare that you get (or are even able to find) every part you need on the first trip and/or at the first place you go to. What is surprising is that you only had to go to two different places.

Nor would I be able to fix the lump on the side of my head where Bambi would wallop me with a frying pan for destroying the Air Conditioning in Florida in July.

A man's got to know his limitations

She had her "I'm going to be serious here" look on.

I see Tamara’s version of that look on a regular bases.
Usually when I’m in the midst of trying to fix something
(hummmm… that sound oddly familiar)

I was was astounded that she would suggest that! I was appalled in her lack of faith in my mechanical abilities.

I ain’t buying it

I was .... giving it serious consideration.

Now I’ll buy in. At this point I’d have been tempted as well… but then that whole monthly payment thing would have reared it’s ugly head and…

By this time, it's getting late. All of the auto supply shops had closed except for Pep Boys. I went there…

Trip number three (I should’a read ahead).
Now we’re well into serious shade-tree mechanic land

After roughly 5 hours, less than $100 in parts, countless skinned up knuckles - but most importantly - not having to buy a new car - our van was fixed*

I now dub you an honorary Southerner. You can pick up you’re trucker’s cap and snuffbox at the reception desk (just leave your shirt on the counter… you won’t be needin’ it).

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Sorry I missed the last update. We were out of town and now I am sick with whatever my son had and I haven't felt like keeping up on the DIS.

Sorry to hear that you're under the weather. Get yourself a nice hot bowl of chicken noodle soup

Glad to hear that you were able to repair the van and didn't have to waste any of your vacation time "car shopping."

It's not the car shopping that would have bothered me. It's the "car buying" and "car payment making" that didn't sound like fun.

Good choice. There are days down here where the air is better suited to gills then lungs.

People say we're crazy for living up north in the cold. Well, when the weather gets cold, I add layers. When it get's hot, I remove layers. But there's only so many layers that can come off before you're removing skin to get cool...

I’m spotting a trend

If you consider "go where you will not pass out from heat exhaustion" a trend, then yes, yes you did.

The phrase we use to describe these three places is:
“Ehhhh… it’ll make a turd.”

I just added a new phrase to my repertoire!

Folks pay high dollars to sit in saunas. In the South… it’s free of charge (just another service we offer).

People that pay high dollar for the sauna can get up and leave when they're done.

There’s some fine engineering.

Like I said…

True, but can you imagine how that conversation would have gone at the car lot 4 years ago?
Me: [peeling the plastic guard away from above the rear tire] Bambi, we can't get this one. These coolant lines are steel. They're going to rust at some point.
Bambi: [Whacks me with a frying pan]

Are you sure you’re not a Southerner? Between the mechanical improve and a backup supply of all the major fluids, you could be describing nearly ninety percent of the “vehicles” on the road around where I live.

Nope, Wisconsinite born and raised. However, there might be traces of "hick" in my family tree. Bambi has seen the research and can attest to that.

That’ll make for a stressful drive.

Yup. Every time I'd glance down at the speedometer, my eyes would always wander over to the temp gauge...

Not surprising. It’s rare that you get (or are even able to find) every part you need on the first trip and/or at the first place you go to. What is surprising is that you only had to go to two different places.

There was also a wild goose chase to Home Depot, Ace Hardware and eventually Lowes looking for an elbow that never worked out the way I had planned.

I see Tamara’s version of that look on a regular bases.
Usually when I’m in the midst of trying to fix something
(hummmm… that sound oddly familiar)

Over the years I've earned some leeway in my repair jobs. It takes a while before the look has to come out. I try to never let it get that far.

Now I’ll buy in. At this point I’d have been tempted as well… but then that whole monthly payment thing would have reared it’s ugly head and…

And by this time it was late on Saturday, after the dealers would be closed. And I don't know about Florida, but by law in Wisconsin, car dealers can't be open on Sunday. So it could be Monday before we even get to a lot and find something, decided, arrange for financing....ugh. Those thoughts were seriously cutting into my Disney Time!

I now dub you an honorary Southerner. You can pick up you’re trucker’s cap and snuffbox at the reception desk (just leave your shirt on the counter… you won’t be needin’ it).

Whoo Hoo! Should I get one of those fancy tuxedo looking shirts for formal occasions?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

How much fluid did you have to dump into your catalytic converter?

3 quarts. But then all of a sudden I was standing in a puddle.

I don't know if I'd be more scared or impressed that you figured out how to send and receive picture messages on your phone.

It's still a work in progress. We'd have better luck with 2 cans and some string.

The phrase we use to describe these three places is:
“Ehhhh… it’ll make a turd.”

I just added a new phrase to my repertoire!

Definitely a keeper!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

People say we're crazy for living up north in the cold. Well, when the weather gets cold, I add layers. When it get's hot, I remove layers. But there's only so many layers that can come off before you're removing skin to get cool...

Ehhhh… you pick your poison. But I still say you’re crazy (it just doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the weather), and being as I-r-crazy, I-r-also a pretty good judge of it.

Actually you’re not too far off the mark. If it weren’t for the advent of cheep air-conditioning, the largest cities in this country would still be located in the northern climes (and this would likely be a very different nation indeed).

People that pay high dollar for the sauna can get up and leave when they're done.

Point taken.

True, but can you imagine how that conversation would have gone at the car lot 4 years ago?
Me: [peeling the plastic guard away from above the rear tire] Bambi, we can't get this one. These coolant lines are steel. They're going to rust at some point.
Bambi: [Whacks me with a frying pan]

I was really wondering out loud why they didn’t route ‘em through the body where they’d be spared form direct contact with road-salts and weather in general, but I do see your point (or maybe “feel” is a better word in this case).

Nope, Wisconsinite born and raised. However, there might be traces of "hick" in my family tree. Bambi has seen the research and can attest to that.

There are times (like it or not) where a bit of “hick” can be a useful commodity.

There was also a wild goose chase to Home Depot, Ace Hardware and eventually Lowes looking for an elbow that never worked out the way I had planned.

Now this makes even more sense. It sounds a lot like the expeditions I’ve been on whilst conducting (or being an accomplice in) a number automotive and/or household repairs.

Whoo Hoo! Should I get one of those fancy tuxedo looking shirts for formal occasions?

Naaaaa… you already turned your shirt in remember?
But do keep one thing in mind: It’s ok to bring the beer into the chapel during either a funeral or wedding service (yah I know… same thing), but just don’t be openin’ up a new bottle while the preaching is goin’ on.

I just added a new phrase to my repertoire!

Definitely a keeper!

Colorful phrases… Just another service we offer up for free down this way.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

There are times (like it or not) where a bit of “hick” can be a useful commodity.

Oh, I've got a bit. Bambi has recently broken me of the habit of keeping a toothpick behind my ear, just in case I need it later. (And by "broken" I mean I don't get caught doing it)

 

[grahamfam3]

Don't worry, there's plenty of opportunity for redneck in Wisconsin. Terms like "deer camp", "layaway at the ShopKo", "no PBR so I got Leinenkugel's" and "lets go school clothes shopping at Farm and Fleet" jump to mind (done all of those myself at one point or another, btw).

 

[that's nice]

caught up! i'm typing with one hand while holding a sleeping baby in the other or i'd multi quote your last 2 updates. glad you made it to florida and wtg macgyvering up the van!

 

[E3yore]

People say we're crazy for living up north in the cold. Well, when the weather gets cold, I add layers. When it get's hot, I remove layers. But there's only so many layers that can come off before you're removing skin to get cool...

We are crazy for living here. It is freezing 8 months of the year. Nice 2 days of the year and tolerable the other 3 months and 28 days. At least in FL when it is hot you can jump in a pool. In WI we put on an extra sweatshirt and blanket when it is cold.

True, but can you imagine how that conversation would have gone at the car lot 4 years ago?
Me: [peeling the plastic guard away from above the rear tire] Bambi, we can't get this one. These coolant lines are steel. They're going to rust at some point.
Bambi: [Whacks me with a frying pan]

I just said something nice about you and this is what I get? Note to self: no more being nice to Barry.

Why would I have a frying pan at the dealership anyways? Do you think I carry one with me?

Nope, Wisconsinite born and raised. However, there might be traces of "hick" in my family tree. Bambi has seen the research and can attest to that.

Traces? There are very dark lines between you and your hick family lines. I have had to check to make sure your neck is not actually red.

 

[Mrs. Knowitall]

I'm here! I'm here! Didya miss me?

GREAT family picture! Who was your photographer? We weren't even there!

Bambi (DW). Official Wife of the Trip Report Narrator Extraordinaire. Don't bother thinking of any stereotypes here. She's just plain awesome in every way.

She is! hi Bambi!

Dude, how did I get this far down the list? I must be slipping in my old age.

Dude. You're showing your 37 years!

Our philosophy was this - we'd rather sit in rush hour traffic with the possibility of getting lucky than sit around home for 3 hours, then go.

I'm with you! Full speed ahead!

Really? Why are we doing this again? Do I get a Dole Whip this time?

"Good Luck, Buddy!"

Ah, but how was your catalytic converter?

I spent 6 weeks researching which camera to buy - how do you think I'd handle buying a car on the spur of the moment?

Seriously! This would be a nightmare for the Oblivious/Knowitall Family!

After roughly 5 hours, less than $100 in parts, countless skinned up knuckles - but most importantly - not having to buy a new car - our van was fixed* and we could get on with vacation.

*Was it really fixed? I know the guy that fixed it - he really doesn't know what he's doing - so I spent the next 2 weeks being paranoid.

Woo-hoo! You are so smart! You are so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean....S-M-A-R-T!!!!

 

[E3yore]

She is! hi Bambi!

Hi Julie

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Don't worry, there's plenty of opportunity for redneck in Wisconsin. Terms like "deer camp", "layaway at the ShopKo", "no PBR so I got Leinenkugel's" and "lets go school clothes shopping at Farm and Fleet" jump to mind (done all of those myself at one point or another, btw).

Have you been following me around?

Plus, we used to find old couches on the side of the road that people were throwing away, hook the to the back of a pickup truck with a logging chain, and couch surf down the back roads. YeeeHawwwww!

caught up! i'm typing with one hand while holding a sleeping baby in the other or i'd multi quote your last 2 updates. glad you made it to florida and wtg macgyvering up the van!

Awwwwww....blow a raspberry on his tummy for me!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

We are crazy for living here. It is freezing 8 months of the year. Nice 2 days of the year and tolerable the other 3 months and 28 days. At least in FL when it is hot you can jump in a pool. In WI we put on an extra sweatshirt and blanket when it is cold.

Don't forget about the week in the summer when it's oppressively hot!

I just said something nice about you and this is what I get? Note to self: no more being nice to Barry.

Ummm...I love you.

Why would I have a frying pan at the dealership anyways? Do you think I carry one with me?

You're like a boyscout - always prepared.

Traces? There are very dark lines between you and your hick family lines. I have had to check to make sure your neck is not actually red.

Maybe someday I'll tell them all about the time my brother and I made a pool in the back of his truck. Is that redneckish?

I'm here! I'm here! Didya miss me?

Yes! Mark's been running rampant all over the TR without proper adult supervision! Thank goodness you're here!

GREAT family picture! Who was your photographer? We weren't even there!

Thanks! That picture was taken by Bambi's dad. Although it would make a better story if I said Pepper took it, so let's got with that.

She is! hi Bambi!

Dude. You're showing your 37 years!

I thought he was 36. Let's go back and check his TR to find out for sure...

Really? Why are we doing this again? Do I get a Dole Whip this time?

He's over 3, so we would have to buy him a ticket. I suppose I could try and bring him one, but I doubt it would make it down Main Street, USA.

Ah, but how was your catalytic converter?

Just fine! I got a good deal on one not too long ago. I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy that has some way to get them really cheap on the east coast!

Seriously! This would be a nightmare for the Oblivious/Knowitall Family!

I'd have to spend all night at the computer doing research. <- and I don't even drink coffee.

Woo-hoo! You are so smart! You are so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean....S-M-A-R-T!!!!

Thank you?

 

[KatMark]

I finally figured it out. Listening to you and Bambi go back and forth is like watching reruns of The Honeymooners.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

I finally figured it out. Listening to you and Bambi go back and forth is like watching reruns of The Honeymooners.

I'm pretty sure I've never threatened to send Bambi straight to the moon, but I can't say for sure.

 

[E3yore]

I'm pretty sure I've never threatened to send Bambi straight to the moon, but I can't say for sure.

Maybe you should just write the TR and stop being a smart _____.

 

[KatMark]

Maybe you should just write the TR and stop being a smart _____.