"The trouble with America is that there are far too many wide-open spaces surrounded by teeth." - Charles Luckman

Coming down to crunch time. Camping is within view
I have all the tasks related to being gone from Pathway done. Or at least I think I do. If I've forgotten something they'll figure out a solution.

I have made the umpteenth change to my slide presentation for next Thursday night's speaking engagement in Seattle. I'm feeling better about it but I may be making adjustments up until 6 p.m. that evening.

Early this morning Pam and I went over to the RV yard where the teardrop is stored. I had been there three weeks ago when Rob & Leslie were visiting to show him the trailer and make sure everything was OK. It was. Today when I went back I found this:

The tarp was disintegrating in the AZ sun and barely hanging on. In three weeks' time! The jack stand under the tongue (click to enlarge) was bright orange when I put it there in early April.
I ripped off what was left of the tarp, hooked the trailer up to the Kia and brought it home. Everything inside the cabin and the galley was covered with that fine layer of desert dust that manages to get in through the smallest gaps.
Pam went to the fabric store today and looked at the awning fabric they sell. It's 50% off right now and they have a bunch of it in the remnants pile for another 50% off that reduced price. So she's going to make a fitted cover for the trailer that we'll use when we get back from our trip. It won't cost much more than that tarp did and should last years. It will be similar to the blue covers you see on boats.

I spent an hour or so and switched out the electrical connection on the side to a system that will be more convenient and use a regular extension cord instead of the $90 cord the 30 amp hookup required. I wiped everything down and we got the mattress and the bedding Pam made into the cabin. Tomorrow I'll install the curtains she's made and begin setting up the galley, putting the camping gear in the cabinets. I've also got several chores to get done around the house, like fertilizing the roses and houseplants and giving the lily pond a final cleaning.
By 3 a.m. Tuesday it will all be done and I'll hit the road, trailer in tow.

I lost my needle nose pliers. Can't find them anywhere. It's not that needle nose pliers are expensive, and this was a cheap pair. But the last time I used them was working on the VW wiring. I'm not looking so much to find them as to make sure I didn't set them down where they're going to cause a problem later.

My content for next Thursday night has to do with the effectiveness of what's called a Bible church in a postmodern culture. I wish I could figure out a way to take Pathway with me as the perfect example.