Tucson Trials Continue

So it continues.

After taking Nessie to Freedom RV in Tucson for service on Thursday, the 11th of February, we decided to take a day for fun. Friday we went with Ted and Phyllis to a BBQ lunch at a local RV dealer. The purpose, of course, was to get us to look at new rv's, but we just enjoyed the lunch and called it a day. The lunch was also a BBQ cook off, so we had the chance to sample a dozen or so different approaches to BBQ. Some did chicken, some beef, and of course, the sausage and pork were excellent as well.

Saturday we went to the Festival de Tubac. Tubac is a small artist's village some 20 odd miles south of Tucson, and they host an annual festival showcasing the work of artists from around the world. Paintings, metal work, wood carvings and floral handiwork were on display.

We found several things that intrigued us, but the prices were a bit high, so we decided to wait until our "ship comes in". Tubac is an old Spanish settlement, and has maintained a close connection to the past. It's a wonderful place to wander and shop.

The next few days were spent shopping and continuing with maintenance on Nessie. However, Wednesday, we were fortunate to enjoy an afternoon at the Gaslight Theater in north Tucson. The production this time was "The Cisco Kid", and was a hilarious spoof of old western movies. The characters included the expected evil wealthy landowner, Rosita, the young heiress, the corrupt governor, and a variety of ne'er-do-wells loosely grouped as banditos. With a great deal of overacting ("Oh, Pancho!…….Oh, Cisco!), and a wondrous re-wording of many '60s songs ("Viva, Banditos", to the tune of Viva, Las Vegas), we had an uproariously good time.

To the right of the stage, the theater band resides, playing the appropriate songs just as in the days of the silent pictures…Great fun! The piano player, Linda Ackerman, is the theater music director, and is one of the most talented pianists and singers we've had the pleasure of seeing. Her virtuosity on the ivories is amazing!

Thursday, the 18th, we had the dubious pleasure of spending the day at the local WW Williams truck repair facility. Unusual tire wear prompted us to have the chassis air ride system checked and the front end aligned. Good people, reasonable prices, and good service, but all day in the lounge gets a bit difficult. Then Friday we had another appointment at Freedom RV to have the ordered furnace part installed. The part had been delivered several days prior, but had gotten lost in the parts department somehow, but we got on the list to have it installed asap. During that process, it was noticed that the fluid that is the heart of the hydronic heating system had become discolored due to causes unknown and needed to be flushed and the system refilled. Oh well, we didn't need that $500 anyway…..Pronounced ready to go, we drove home and crashed into bed with only a cold dinner for company. Early this morning, we got up expecting to take a hot shower and be off for the day….but no hot water. A bit of detective work established that the tech had not purged all the air from the closed loop system, and the air bubble prevented the system from working properly. After a little fiddling, the system appears to be working fine, but the fluid level is now below the minimum level, so we're off to get more fluid tomorrow, and then back to the service department on Monday to share our thoughts with the service manager. If it's not one thing, it's thirty…

Midday today we needed a break from the fussin' and went to the Tanque Verde Swap Meet. This is the areas largest flea market, and was advertised to have hundreds of vendors and many eating establishments. Not so much. It was mostly empty, but we walked for an hour or so checking out the "stuff". Only one vendor caught our eye….

We chose not to venture into the black hole of McGarys….

So we continue our Tucson saga, hoping that we can escape with our skins at the end of next week. Hopefully next week will be a "funner" week as the local news anchors are fond of saying….