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[Ron]

Week 21: Ending April 6, 2003

Monday:
Work progresses on the motorhome. Phillip arrives at 7 am each morning. We learn that the 40 lb. TV encased over Ron’s driver’s seat is only held in place with a few screws. That determines for us to change that quickly. We drive to Tupelo first in search of computer software and/or a lighter weight flat screen TV. No luck. Back to Red Bay for an update from Phillip. We decide to drive east to Huntsville after learning that there is a Best Buy and CompUSA in that city.
Long story short: we buy a flat screen computer monitor and a TV tuner to replace the 19” TV in the front of the motorhome. Decatur and Huntsville, AL, are not easy cities for visitors to navigate. We return to Red Bay much later than we expected.

Tuesday:
Work continues. Mark treats us to smoked ribs and smoked chicken from EB’s, Rte 25, Belmont, MS. (It is just down the street from Spark’s.) We had always thought that southern barbeque was slathered in sauce before it was cooked. In Alabama, at least, that is not case. The wood-smoked meats and poultry taste great without any sauce.

Wednesday, Thursday:
Work continues. One of the few good things about staying in the service bays is that we are not alone. Exercising and playing with Buster Brown keeps Joan busy while Ron and Mark deal with their respective and numerous repair technicians.
Thursday night Mark treats us again, this time to Back Street BBQ, just a few blocks from the factory. We do takeout, although it looks like a nice place to dine-in. There is even a nice display of gift items and baskets for sale. We didn’t think it possible, but Back Street’s ribs and chicken are even better than those of EB’s. We will definitely come back here again. (Hopefully, it will be in a while, because we do not want to stay in Red Bay much longer.)

Friday:
We decide that whatever remains to be done by the end of the day will have to wait to be fixed another time. Phillip has done a wonderful job, as has Tim, who wired our new TV/monitor and home theater system. We want to get home. We drive both vehicles over to the campground to check out. Joan didn’t get a chance to give Buster a proper goodbye, so we return to the factory to bid farewell.
We ask Mark to join us for dinner for the last time in Red Bay. We dine at Sunrise Café, where a sassy waitress entertains us with her quick retorts. (Yet another restaurant which does not offer blue cheese dressing. Our waitress explains they had offered it previously, but no one ordered it.)
There is a new retail store in town, Fred’s Discount. So, the three of us saunter over to check it out. We found some interesting buys in DVDs and videos. We had a joking good time. It was tough to say good bye but fatigue forces us all to retire to bed finally. Of course, Mother Nature sends a riproaring thunderstorm our way throughout the night.

Saturday, Sunday:
Bright and early, we hit the road again, for real this time. We travel north through Tennessee and hook up onto I-81 in Virginia. We decide to stop at the KOA in Wytheville, VA. It is small but scenic.
Sunday we check out downtown Wytheville. It reminds us of downtown Southborough: everything is closed up on Sunday. Only two storefronts are open: an independent pharmacy and an old-fashioned movie theatre. We make note of the movie times to return that evening. Anxious to get on the road early the following morning, however, we decide against the movies and get to sleep early.