We had our breakfast out by the edge of the woods. Your first few nights in any camper are an adjustment. A new bed. A new floor plan. It’s like going to a hotel and waking up wondering where in the heck you are. Mr. FixIt slept pretty well judging by the acoustics. Me? Not so much. I was listening to said acoustics. However, I had a conversation with God and asked Him to help me turn the aggravation aspect into gratitude for the warm presence by my side.

After a little time sipping our tea and conversing, Mr. FixIt headed out for a walk and I set to cleaning up a little and organizing some more. This camper is much smaller and has very little cabinet space so camping accoutrements must be kept to the absolute essentials. I’ve tucked a couple of extra blankets in one of the dinette benches and the tote bags of personal items in the other. There is a long cabinet over the bed with two doors. It runs the width of the camper and is pretty deep. 

I’m going to buy some of those cloth baskets that will fit up there. We’ll each have three or four to tuck all of our personal belongings in then we don’t have to have the totes or a suitcase with us. At the end of a trip, you bring the totes in, wash the clothes and repack them, replenish any toiletries you may need, then stow them back in the camper. That way you’re ready to go at a moment’s notice. At the end of camping season, you just bring the baskets inside and put them in a closet for the winter and you’re ready to go come spring.

I decided to turn on the water heater and take a shower. When I was ready, I turned on the water and it wasn’t hot. After trouble shooting at some length, I was still stumped. Mr. FixIt came back from his walk and I gathered up the bag of booklets that came with the camper, a mug of tea, and headed out to the chairs by the woods. I unzipped the green cloth bag and started going through the booklets one by one. As I reached in to get the last two, they felt like thick books.

I pulled them out and set them on my lap and smiled. The instruction manuals were there. One for the camper…and one for me! I don’t know who tucked the Bible in with the paperwork. Was it the previous owner, knowing we needed the Good Book wherever we went? Was it the RV Dealer? Who knows? All I know is, I was grateful for the thoughtful gesture and tucked it right back in with the paperwork so I will know where to find it.

Unfortunately, I didn’t really find the information I was looking for in the brochure for the water heater, but I asked God to help me figure it out. I closed my eyes and went over the water system in my mind and suddenly…I knew what was wrong. I asked Mr. FixIt to bring the Philips head screw driver and meet me in the bathroom. There is a panel under the bathroom sink where the water heater resides.

I removed the panel and switched the bypass off and asked Mr. FixIt to turn the hot water on. We were immediately met with the stench of rotten eggs. Unfortunately, this is what happens when water is left dormant in the hot water heater for any length of time. It’s a chemical reaction. It can be fixed but it takes a little doing and involves draining the system and putting vinegar water in, heating it up, then draining and repeating the process several times and before you know it, you’ll have fresh smelling water again. Needless to say…I didn’t take my shower!

We went for a drive and checked out the cleanup from the devastating storm they had the night before we camped here the last time. We also drove down to the dam where they are doing some restoration work. Afterward, we decided to go to the little town nearby and get some lunch. We had things to make burgers, but we didn’t have anything but a skillet and I didn’t want to fry burgers in the camper. You don’t want grease all over everything and when you cook smelly foods, the odor lingers for a long time and can settle in the upholstery. When we got back, I sat and knitted for a couple of hours.

We were entertained last night by barred owls and a whippoorwill. Mr. FixIt watched a movie while I wrote this post. (The smartest thing I ever bought him was a DVD player with headphones!!!) 

And, today we head home. Now I need to plan our next adventure!

?

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”

James 1:5 NLT