As is usually the case on a travel day, we were awake early this morning. Mother Nature greeted us with the gentle pitter patter of rain in the pre-dawn hours, which made it easy to sleep in. When the rain stopped at about 7:00, we gave thanks for a dry travel day. About an hour before our planned departure, I was up and out of bed. I raised one of our lovely MCD shades and surprised at what I saw out our window.
Snow!
The rain we thought had stopped had turned to snow, and was still falling. This weather event was completely unexpected. Nobody forecasted it!
We tuned in the local TV news and were not at all surprised to see what happens in the metroplex when an inch of snow falls just before morning rush hour.
It's not pretty.
With the temperature hovering a few degrees below freezing, bridges and overpasses (and there are lots of those around here) were slick. Hundreds of accidents were reported. Traffic was at a standstill. Viewers were urged to avoid driving if possible.
The forecast called for the mercury to climb above freezing by mid-morning. But, just as the weather predictors missed the call on the morning storm, they got the temperatures wrong, too. By 10:00, it was obvious that things weren't warming up any time soon, so we made the call.
Well, actually it was a couple of calls. We dialed the park owner here and the good folks at today's planned destination in Kerrville. Everyone was willing to accommodate our weather-related change of plans. With the logistics addressed, we declared our own snow day!
Our change of plans made way for a great lunch out a tasty burger spot, an afternoon meet-up with a very friendly knitting group, a much-needed haircut and some serious chillaxin. What a treat!
We'll be back on the road early tomorrow. Weather permitting, of course.
MCD Shades
At the risk of writing yet another boring post in a sea of universally boring blogs, I've found myself at a loss for words lately. (Such pressure!)
Our month in the DFW metroplex has been far from boring. The time has flown so quickly. We've had a wonderful time visiting with friends and family. We are already looking forward to returning as soon as we can. Before we head south for Kerrville tomorrow, I thought I'd report on our latest moose modification -- our MCD shades.
We've been living with our new shades for a month. We love 'em!
When we pulled in to MCD Innovations in McKinney, TX, last month, we were planning to replace the silly pleated shades on our five biggest windows. But, after meeting with Peggy on our first morning, we decided to go ahead and replace the shades on all nine "house windows", as MCD refers to them. And, we're glad we did. The moose would look a little mismatched had we gone with our original plan. But, now Bullwinkle is stylin'!
The entire process took about three days. We arrived on Sunday afternoon with a full fresh water tank and parked in our assigned spot with 50 amp electric. Measurements and estimates were done on Monday morning. We toured the factory on Monday afternoon. Our shades were manufactured on Tuesday and installed on Wednesday. We checked out on Thursday, which was a day or two earlier than we had planned. We were fortunate to have scheduled our appointment a couple of weeks before Christmas, which is rare slow week for installations.
We purchased the "American Duo" shades, which provide two shades for each window. The "day" shade is made of a vinyl mesh that reduces solar gain, increases privacy and provides a glare-free view of the outside world. The "night" shade is a textured vinyl that blocks out all the light, providing total privacy. Both shades roll easily, and raise with a gentle tug. Unlike the original shades they replaced, the new shades are easy to clean and free of those annoying strings.
On the factory tour, we were pleased to learn that 98% of the materials MCD uses are made in America. Their goal is to make that 100%! The MCD story is one of true American entrepreneurship: Two fulltime RVers identified a need in the market (Nobody likes those stupid pleated shades!), filled it and have seen significant growth and success as a result. (Yep. They built that!)
It was a real no-brainer to have MCD do the installation. These folks know their stuff. Our installation went smoothly. Our large dining area windows provided a bit of a challenge. The space between the valance and wall met the absolute minimum requirement, which made for a snug fit for our two longest shades. One of those shades doesn't retract as smoothly as it should. So, we may have to see what we can do to improve that. The one little detail that we wished would have been addressed was the holes that were left when the plastic string holders were removed from the bottom of each window. Filling those holes will be a "to-do" for us in Kerrville. But, it would have been nice to have that finishing touch addressed by MCD.
We opted not to have shades installed in the "cockpit". MCD makes a powered windshield shade that looks great, especially on the outside. But, we're not sure how things would look inside after our drapery track and two powered visors were removed. (Remember, those small holes bug us!) Plus, that installation requires some pretty extensive modifications to the windshield framing. Another concern is we're sure that two big shades might attract the attention of our two resident dashboard dwellers (with claws). Besides, we already have a big sunscreen for the windshield and driver's window. And, we actually like our existing windshield drapes. They add a welcome softness in an area that is dominated by hard surfaces, and let in enough light to keep our moose from becoming a dark cave when the shades are drawn. We may change our minds someday. But, for now we'll save ourselves that major purchase.
One drawback of this home improvement is how easy it has made it to sleep in. With our three bedroom shades drawn, we are no longer awakened by the rising sun. As a result, at least one of us has been sleeping much later than usual.
(That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!)
Our month in the DFW metroplex has been far from boring. The time has flown so quickly. We've had a wonderful time visiting with friends and family. We are already looking forward to returning as soon as we can. Before we head south for Kerrville tomorrow, I thought I'd report on our latest moose modification -- our MCD shades.
We've been living with our new shades for a month. We love 'em!
When we pulled in to MCD Innovations in McKinney, TX, last month, we were planning to replace the silly pleated shades on our five biggest windows. But, after meeting with Peggy on our first morning, we decided to go ahead and replace the shades on all nine "house windows", as MCD refers to them. And, we're glad we did. The moose would look a little mismatched had we gone with our original plan. But, now Bullwinkle is stylin'!
The entire process took about three days. We arrived on Sunday afternoon with a full fresh water tank and parked in our assigned spot with 50 amp electric. Measurements and estimates were done on Monday morning. We toured the factory on Monday afternoon. Our shades were manufactured on Tuesday and installed on Wednesday. We checked out on Thursday, which was a day or two earlier than we had planned. We were fortunate to have scheduled our appointment a couple of weeks before Christmas, which is rare slow week for installations.
We purchased the "American Duo" shades, which provide two shades for each window. The "day" shade is made of a vinyl mesh that reduces solar gain, increases privacy and provides a glare-free view of the outside world. The "night" shade is a textured vinyl that blocks out all the light, providing total privacy. Both shades roll easily, and raise with a gentle tug. Unlike the original shades they replaced, the new shades are easy to clean and free of those annoying strings.
On the factory tour, we were pleased to learn that 98% of the materials MCD uses are made in America. Their goal is to make that 100%! The MCD story is one of true American entrepreneurship: Two fulltime RVers identified a need in the market (Nobody likes those stupid pleated shades!), filled it and have seen significant growth and success as a result. (Yep. They built that!)
It was a real no-brainer to have MCD do the installation. These folks know their stuff. Our installation went smoothly. Our large dining area windows provided a bit of a challenge. The space between the valance and wall met the absolute minimum requirement, which made for a snug fit for our two longest shades. One of those shades doesn't retract as smoothly as it should. So, we may have to see what we can do to improve that. The one little detail that we wished would have been addressed was the holes that were left when the plastic string holders were removed from the bottom of each window. Filling those holes will be a "to-do" for us in Kerrville. But, it would have been nice to have that finishing touch addressed by MCD.
We opted not to have shades installed in the "cockpit". MCD makes a powered windshield shade that looks great, especially on the outside. But, we're not sure how things would look inside after our drapery track and two powered visors were removed. (Remember, those small holes bug us!) Plus, that installation requires some pretty extensive modifications to the windshield framing. Another concern is we're sure that two big shades might attract the attention of our two resident dashboard dwellers (with claws). Besides, we already have a big sunscreen for the windshield and driver's window. And, we actually like our existing windshield drapes. They add a welcome softness in an area that is dominated by hard surfaces, and let in enough light to keep our moose from becoming a dark cave when the shades are drawn. We may change our minds someday. But, for now we'll save ourselves that major purchase.
One drawback of this home improvement is how easy it has made it to sleep in. With our three bedroom shades drawn, we are no longer awakened by the rising sun. As a result, at least one of us has been sleeping much later than usual.
(That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!)
Universally Boring Blogs
"I gotta tell ya', those doing what we're doing (living in a giant RV, going north in the summer, escaping south in the winter, staying at RV parks for long periods of time, etc) have universally boring blogs."
First things first. We didn't - I repeat, did NOT - write those words. I read them in a blog this evening. Said blog used to live on our blogroll, once upon a time. But, it doesn't anymore. Haven't met the author. Now, I'm not so sure I'd want to. And, based on that declaration, chances are he doesn't want to meet me. He's entitled to his own opinion. That's fine. We're all good. Really.
Universally boring blogs. Really?
Agree or Disagree?
First things first. We didn't - I repeat, did NOT - write those words. I read them in a blog this evening. Said blog used to live on our blogroll, once upon a time. But, it doesn't anymore. Haven't met the author. Now, I'm not so sure I'd want to. And, based on that declaration, chances are he doesn't want to meet me. He's entitled to his own opinion. That's fine. We're all good. Really.
Universally boring blogs. Really?
Agree or Disagree?
Travel Plans
Happy New Year!
Can I tell you how much I've enjoyed not having to take a picture today? (Truth be told, I've missed it just a little!) Paul launched his 2013 Daily Snap project today. I already love cheering him on.
I've made a commitment to write every day this year. To that end, I've launched a new blog to serve as my virtual journal. (Because two blogs just aren't enough!) But, for now, I'm keeping it quiet. If you have a burning desire to read my daily journal that has nothing to do with RVing, drop me a line. If I decide to open it up to a real audience, you'll be the first to know. Meanwhile, I'm going to do my best to make more frequent contributions to this here blog. (And, someday soon I'll update Bullwinkle's Travels!)
We've had a very laid back first day of the year. After ringing in 2013, we were up well into the wee hours. So, we slept until the late hours of the morning. As much as we really loved our special dinner and company last night (And, believe me, it was fantastic!), we've come to the realization that we've reached that age where we prefer to retire early on New Year's Eve and enjoy a special brunch complete with Bloody Marys the next day. (I'm flashing back to my first daily snap of 2012!) We need to remember that!
We still have a couple of weeks to enjoy here in the DFW metroplex. So, we're making a list of sights to see and family and friends to visit before we go. For not living here, we feel quite at home in North Texas. That might make it just a wee bit tough to leave! But, leave we must. We're looking forward our next stop, a month in one of our favorite parks, in Kerrville, TX. It's been more than two years since we spent any time in Hill Country. We can't wait!
Where are we going after that? Well, for the first time in a long time, we're not sure! In mid-February there are just a couple of directions for us to go. With no plans to head north (too cold) or south (too old), our choice is simple. Do we head east or west?
We don't know!
As the resident travel planner, I've spent some time sketching out routes that go both ways. We have a special event that will require us to be in Kansas in July. (Can you say "heat and humidity"?) So, we've had to curtail our original plans (such as they were) to span one coast or the other just a bit.
Will we head east and return to the Gulf Coast we fell in love with last winter, before we head north to Pennsylvania to visit the only sibling we've yet to see on our travels? Or, shall we set the cruise control for the long trek across west Texas and catch up with friends in Arizona and Southern California before we return to some of favorite spots in southern Utah and central Colorado?
The jury is definitely out. Care to weigh in?
Can I tell you how much I've enjoyed not having to take a picture today? (Truth be told, I've missed it just a little!) Paul launched his 2013 Daily Snap project today. I already love cheering him on.
I've made a commitment to write every day this year. To that end, I've launched a new blog to serve as my virtual journal. (Because two blogs just aren't enough!) But, for now, I'm keeping it quiet. If you have a burning desire to read my daily journal that has nothing to do with RVing, drop me a line. If I decide to open it up to a real audience, you'll be the first to know. Meanwhile, I'm going to do my best to make more frequent contributions to this here blog. (And, someday soon I'll update Bullwinkle's Travels!)
We've had a very laid back first day of the year. After ringing in 2013, we were up well into the wee hours. So, we slept until the late hours of the morning. As much as we really loved our special dinner and company last night (And, believe me, it was fantastic!), we've come to the realization that we've reached that age where we prefer to retire early on New Year's Eve and enjoy a special brunch complete with Bloody Marys the next day. (I'm flashing back to my first daily snap of 2012!) We need to remember that!
We still have a couple of weeks to enjoy here in the DFW metroplex. So, we're making a list of sights to see and family and friends to visit before we go. For not living here, we feel quite at home in North Texas. That might make it just a wee bit tough to leave! But, leave we must. We're looking forward our next stop, a month in one of our favorite parks, in Kerrville, TX. It's been more than two years since we spent any time in Hill Country. We can't wait!
Where are we going after that? Well, for the first time in a long time, we're not sure! In mid-February there are just a couple of directions for us to go. With no plans to head north (too cold) or south (too old), our choice is simple. Do we head east or west?
We don't know!
As the resident travel planner, I've spent some time sketching out routes that go both ways. We have a special event that will require us to be in Kansas in July. (Can you say "heat and humidity"?) So, we've had to curtail our original plans (such as they were) to span one coast or the other just a bit.
Will we head east and return to the Gulf Coast we fell in love with last winter, before we head north to Pennsylvania to visit the only sibling we've yet to see on our travels? Or, shall we set the cruise control for the long trek across west Texas and catch up with friends in Arizona and Southern California before we return to some of favorite spots in southern Utah and central Colorado?
The jury is definitely out. Care to weigh in?
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