Folks,

        The fifth wheel came in Saturday and we've spent four 
nights in it.   Boy did we have a lot to learn.  First, the 
slideout part of the living room wouldn't slideout!  Then the 
shower wouldn't work.  So, since all else worked great (furnace, 
fridge, toilet, water heater, etc.), I broke the "real man" 
code of honor . . .I read the directions.  Seems the trailer  
has to be level for the slide to work.  Leveled the trailer-slide 
came out like a new one.  One possible 500-buck repair eliminated.  
Then I noticed the instructions said to hook the water supply up 
with a regular garden hose. 

The expert friend who was helping me shake it down had hooked up 
a water pressure reducer to the water line (since it was in the 
trailer compartment along with the other assorted adapters, 
and looked used, we figured it must need it) and as soon as I 
removed it, voila!  the shower and all the rest of the plumbing 
worked.  I pretended I just "figured" it out, as I couldn't
let on that I had read any directions.  We didn't know how 
much propane was in the tank but there was some so, hoping 
there was enough to run the furnace we settled down for our 
first night in our new full time home.  
Propane ran out at 0100 AM.  It has a great feature called 
an automatic re-igniter that sounds piercing beeps when the 
propane runs out.   

Needless to say we froze, and I had to go out and turn off 
the darn noisy alarm.   

        Next day we filled the propane tanks and started to 
bring the "few" things we had kept from going into storage 
to use in the trailer.  Now this is a 35 foot hitchhiker with 
awesome cabinet and basement space, so what we "thought" 
would be our bare bones essentials to bring with would fit.   
Only a third of it would fit.  So since we couldn't get it 
registered until the week after Christmas,  We loaded all 
the excess in a 5X8 U-Haul trailer and hauled it with us 
here to Louisiana, to give to family (Merry Christmas),
or sell, or dump.  However we adjusted fairly well after 
I convinced Lynda to get rid of the 45 jars of assorted 
goopy stuff she normally kept in the bathroom, and she
convinced me to store the stereo system, and roll around 
tool box.  It's working out great.  Bogart has found a 
place to sleep in the hall where he's comfortable.  
He's now in a kennel until Friday so he's not liking 
things now.   

        We go back to San Antone Friday and will spend 
next week getting the hitch installed on the truck and 
registering the trailer.  Then I get to drive this giant 
rig for the first time to Bossier City.  That will be a 
trip!  

We'll see how everything rides finally.  The driver who 
delivered it said it pulls like a dream.  And he used the 
same diesel dually I have so it should be a breeze.

        We will be spotty on email until I get a phone and 
a server here so don't look for much from me until after 
the first of the year.  I'll be on for mail once today, 
once tomorrow, then out of the loop except for when I can 
plug in to a friend's phone.  So here's wishing Y'all a 
merry Christmas  and a happy New Year!   

dg.