Lost my water pump In Greenville, FL. Anybody know of a mechanic near there? One who loves old Dodges?

Im late to the party, but finally found the way. Im familiar with some here from CRVL, I saw a reference to here and looked around, looks comfy.

 Im a former nomad from way back in the 1900s, planning to be seasonally nomadic again to escape winter in the Rockies, back to my old haunts in N Arizona and surrounding areas, possibly full time S&B again in Az one day.

 No real rig yet, I want to build a cargo trailer camper so i can take my bike and sidecar adventuring again and relive some of the glories of my misspent youth. I used to love exploring two lane highways and FS dirt roads on my old H-D and in my trucks.

I was going back looking for some more of my recent posts and according to the forum  I haven't posted since sometime in 2019?????

SO WHERE HAVE I BEEN ALL THIS TIME?    DID I LIKE IT THERE?

MY CELL PHONE WAS RECENTLY WORKED ON OVER THE PHONE WITH A MOTOROLA TECH.  THE GOAL OF THAT WAS TO GET MY SPEECH TO TEXT FEATURE WORKING CORRECTLY.   I KNOW SHE CLEARED A LOT OF STUFF AND RESET SOME THINGS ON MY PHONE.

SINCE THEN I'VE BEEN UNABLE UNTIL TODAY TO GET ON THE FORUMS TO POST BECAUSE I COULDN'T REMEMBER MY PASSWORD.   SINCE I ONLY LOG ON AND I NEVER LOG OFF I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO COME RIGHT BACK TO THE FORUM AND PICK UP WHERE I LEFT OFF.  IT DIDN'T WORK SO WELL THIS TIME.

SO THANK YOU PAPA<<<<<<I SAID POPEYE (IF ANYBODY SEZ....... WHO'S YOUR DADDY I'M A GONNA BUY ME A NEW BB GUN) FOR GIVING ME THE PERFECT PASSWORD I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO CHANGE IT.  QUEENIE SEZ SHE'S A GONNA SLOBBER ALL OVER YOU IF SHE EVER GETS A CHANCE.  RATT DAWGS RESPONSE WAS KIND OF X-RATED

SO FOR SOME QUICK UPDATES IN MY WORLD.   DUE TO WATER LINES BREAKING SEVERAL TIMES DURING THIS LAST SUMMER AND THE EYELINER PRETTY MUCH SITTING IN THE LOWEST SPOT ON THE LOT TO START OUT WITH THE REAR STABILIZER JACKS ARE DEEP IN THE MUD I CAN'T CLOSE THE TWO BIG WINDOWS ON THE SIDES OF IT BECAUSE IT'S NOT LEVEL.   THE NEW AIR CONDITIONER IS STILL SITTING IN THE FLOOR WITHIN A FEW FEET OF THE DOOR AS A MATTER OF FACT.

SAFARI STILL HAS NO FUNCTIONING AIR CONDITIONING OR HEAT THIS IS GOING INTO MY THIRD SUMMER WITH NO AC DOWN HERE.  THE BACK DOORS STILL WILL NOT OPEN.  THE WINDOW ON QUEENIE'S PASSENGER DOOR STILL DOESN'T GO UP AND DOWN.

I STILL HAVE TOO MUCH CRAP IN A STORAGE UNIT.

I HATE TO DO IT BUT I THINK I MAY BE FORCED TO ABANDON SHIP HERE AT MY FRIEND'S PLACE.

I'M "ON CALL" 24/7.    HE ACTUALLY HAS A PAID HOME HEALTH AIDE WHO IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS DID PUT CLEAN SHEETS ON HIS HOSPITAL BED ONE TIME.  SHE'S THE WIFE OF ONE OF HIS CHILDHOOD FRIENDS AND SHE'S MANAGED TO CONVINCE HIM THAT SHE BETTER SERVES HIM BY HANDLING ALL HIS DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS AND MAKE SURE HIS MEDICATION AND TRANSPORTATION IS ORDERED IN A TIMELY MANNER.   WHICH IS A DAMN LIE.

QUEENIE COULD DO IT BETTER IF SHE COULD ONLY FIGURE OUT HOW TO TALK AND HOLD A CELL PHONE AT THE SAME TIME.

HIS VIOLENT 30-YEAR-OLD SON CONVINCED HIM THAT HE HAS CHANGED AND IF HE AND HIS FRIEND COULD JUST STAY HERE FOR A MONTH HE'D HELP OUT WITH ANYTHING THAT I NEEDED OR ANYTHING THAT HIS DAD NEEDED. THEY JUST NEEDED TO GET A CHANCE TO GET ON THEIR FEET.  BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM THEIR INCOME IS AROUND 1700 A MONTH.   THEY ARE NOW FLAT BROKE. THEY'VE BEEN HERE 3 MONTHS AND THEY DON'T DO ANYTHING EXCEPT MAKE A BIG MESS.   DURING THIS PAST WEEK THEY'VE MANAGED TO GET TWO GUYS I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE INTO THE HOUSE AT NIGHT. FIRST I EVER KNEW ABOUT THESE GUYS WAS WHEN I OPENED UP THE BEDROOM NEXT TO MINE, WHICH IS MAINLY STORAGE AND HANGING CLOTHES.   NOW I JUST SAY WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHEN THE HELL DID YOU GET HERE.

THIS WEEK MY FRIEND'S BROTHER WHO IS RETIRED MILITARY CAME TO PICK UP ONE OF THESE UNINVITED GUESTS.   HE MISSED THE ONE THAT THEY'VE BEEN HIDING FOR TWO DAYS IN THE HOUSE.  I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS HERE EITHER.  I'VE KNOWN THESE GUYS SINCE THE 1980S AND HE IS JUST AS SERIOUS AS A BAD HEART ATTACK.  WHEN HE CAME TO "CLEAN HOUSE" HE MEANT BUSINESS AND THERE WAS NO HESITATION FOR THE ONE THAT NEEDED A RIDE TO HOP RIGHT INTO THAT BIG OLD RED TRUCK AND GET READY TO HAUL ASS.   NONE OF US KNEW ABOUT THE SECOND GUY IN THE HOUSE.  OF COURSE HE'S REALLY THE THIRD ONE I'VE FOUND LURKING NEXT DOOR TO ME.

WHAT CARTOON CHARACTER USED TO SAY "EXIT STAGE LEFT"?

THE Q AND I ARE DOWN CLOSE TO BEING ABLE TO "RUNN OFT" LIKE THE LITTLE BOY THAT RAN THE TRUCK INTO THE BARN IN THE MOVIE "OH BROTHER WHERE ART THOU".


JEWELLANN, QUEENIE, & RATT DAWG

Usually I am first in line to razz Popeye. During this hard bump in the road (   ) one person gets most of the credit for saving what is left of the forum. RVPOPEYE. If he has not been posting as much it is because he is working hard behind the scenes. Let me be first in line to give him a big “Thank You “.

OK. I’ve made some changes that were requested. We have a chat around the campfire forum, Scott has a forum for his stories, Saint Doug has a place for all this van builds he helps everyone with, Jim has a place to post his before and after solar jobs. Tx started a chat room so I don’t have to. 

I’m sure I’m forgetting something. In the next few days I hope to go to the host site and see if there are any goodies we can add. 

I’m going to have to figure out how to promote the forum. Remember that I’m learning on the fly and have an old brain. In addition I’m doing all of this on my phone as I don’t have a computer. Pathetic, just pathetic. 

Keep the suggestions coming.

That’s all, really. Am I supposed to say more about me? Maybe that I don’t have a van, but rather a fiberglass egg? The living space is about the size of some folks’ vans, but I have the added advantage of an SUV for my “garage”.

Maybe that I like long walks on the beach or in the desert, or in the mountains, as long as it’s not so high up that I wheeze when I climb.

Maybe that I think pina coladas taste like coconut flavored plastic?

5 or 6 years nomading. I have lost track ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Currently having to stick to southern Nevada. But I love Nevada, so no tears for me, k?

Will that do for an intro?

Ok...I found it...the suggestion box. Here I am....typing to the crickets!



But...something I would like to see is a reduction in the number of forums, sub forums, and endless granular separation of topics and subjects. It just looks so 'busy'...I know it was set up this way to be all things to all van-dwellers....but...that ship has sailed.

What we have here has evolved into something more personal. 

This forum functions on a more friendly face-to-face level...more like a small group of friends sitting in a house...you know...5 or 10 rooms is easy...I can easily find who I'm looking for. But having 40 rooms as in a mansion...where the hell are MY buddies? If I go over and post into thread so-and-so.....will anyone give a damn about that post in a thread they never look at? Sometimes I click on what looks to be an active topic in another forum and it's been dead for years. But it still shows to be active with 'bold' print.

Having about 40 individual places to post, and now the user has to decide WHERE to post things....for anyone new dropping in, it might be a bit over-whelming...and even for me...it sometimes seems a bit over the top to have that many forums and subforums and that's not counting the individual state-by-state subforums. 

I think most members seeking out step-by-step how-to directions on technical topics are probably looking elsewhere. This forum seems more user friendly for chatting and sharing.

I'm not saying we need to delete stuff...but maybe there would be a way to merge some of the existing threads with other similar threads. Of if an entire subforum has been un-used for a few years...archive it and close it to further replies. Cull off the extra 'phat'.

Along the lines of a more streamlined, user-friendly experience, I also suggest the addition of a live chat-room. I used to love active chatrooms. This forum is small enough that you can set up a chatroom that opens up on say, Tuesday and Friday nights, for a few hours....and lets members get in and live chat or just watch the others live chatting...it can be a lot of fun...and of course, it has to be moderated to some degree...

Chatrooms can be entertaining. You can be typing along saying hello to the group and other people can play sound effects, or play music (if allowed) and they can send emojis, memes, etc.  Some chat rooms even have live webcam capability but then you get into 'un-charted' territory if you know what I mean.

Chatroom software is cheap or free...depending on the version and features you like. Some forum software can have a simple chatroom plug-in...or you can set up a separate chatroom with a link that is active on the nights the chatroom goes live.  

Similar to the chats on youtube live stream...it can really be a hoot. 

Just a thought. Lets see if anyone else has any thoughts about either idea.

Thanks for reading!

Now...back to the crickets....

The question of the week is what caused you to join a forum about dwelling on the road?

For me it was easy. I left home to get away from my kids.   

I have three daughters. I made sure that I had a place for them in case of life’s happening. My chickens kept coming home to roost, as my mother would say. When my youngest daughter was in her second year of college, I bought a old dodge van. First I joined a dodge forum, and got the mechanics dialed in. Then I joined the crvl to learn how to get the living space set up right. I discovered solar.    I had so much fun building everything the way I wanted it that it was almost a year until I realized that I had a short van.    All along the way there was Sternwake to guide me in the electrical. I doubt that I would have made it without the community to give ideas and an occasional part. It took a couple of years to be able to hit the road. But I made it. 

For me this is what this life is about. Sharing information and passing along the favors given by people that once were complete strangers. Many are now friends.

I'm just testing to see if I can start a thread.  If you see this, it worked.

simple as that