Tuesday, May 28, 2013

BROKEN SHOWER HOSE AND LOST KEYS

What a day I had today.  Well, actually it all started last night while in the shower.  Just as I had my head wet and lathered with shampoo the shower hose broke off at the spicket and water rose up into the air like a fountain hitting the ceiling and splashing back down on me.  Disconnected the hose from the wall bracket and tried to tape it back together with duct tape.  Didn't work so I just finished my shower with the water fountain flow of water.

Then this morning I locked up the RV, packed up the dogs in their cart along with some bottled water and retrieved my bamboo mat from the basement to bring along as it is too difficult to carry a chair along with the dogs in the cart.  Then off we went exploring the beach on the electric bike.   




Happiness before the storm.

We rode to the fishing pier and went all the way to the end.  I love it there.  It always makes me feel like I'm on a large ship cruising over the ocean.  Let the dogs out so they could walk around a bit.  Cha Bu tried to crawl under the fence to get to the water below but the opening was too small and she gave up trying.

How can I get down to that water?

We left there and rode to the bath house pier and rode down the handicap ramp to the beach.  Crossed over the tenting area and off the state park and onto the town beach.  The beach is very dirty this week.  The tide is also very high and there is water in some spots that block me from riding into town.  So we stopped just outside of the state park and I let them out to play in the waves.


Her feet are all up in the air as she runs through the water.

You can see how the water has risen and goes all the way to the levee and has blocked off the beach.





Took some photos and had a good time with the Tzus. 

We later headed back to the campground.  I went to unlock the RV door and slipped my hand in the left pocket of my shorts where I usually put my keys and it was empty. 

First thing I thought of was that the keys had fallen out while riding the bike.  So, trying to keep the panic I was beginning to feel at bay, I decided to retrace my tracks and rode to the fishing pier.  Nothing there.  Went to the office and asked of anyone had reported finding a large set of keys.  Nothing there.

Then rode back out to the bath house pier and parked the bike under the gazebo in the shade and left the dogs there in order to walk the path I took earlier in order to search the beach for the keys.  I locked the bike's ignition, pulled the keys out and put them in my left hand. 

Began my long walk searching every where I had been.  Ran into the campground host who was cleaning the beach and asked him for help.  He offered to ride me around in his 4x4 to look for the keys.  He was very helpful and we must have searched that beach area for an hour and found nothing. 

He rode me back to my bike and dogs and said he would meet me at the RV in order to climb into the bedroom window that I never lock in order to unlock the front door.  When I got to my bike at the gazebo the dogs were so glad to see me.  Poor little things must have thought that I abandoned them.  I bent down to turn the ignition key on and there was no key.  I dug in my pockets and no keys.  So now I'm thinking they were now also lost on that long stretch of beach.  I pushed the bike all the way back to my RV and helped the campground host climb into my camper.  He unlocked the door and I placed the dogs inside.   

I searched in the bike basket but found no keys.  By this time I'm trembling.  The stress adding to my low blood sugar from not having lunch made me weak and confusion started to set in from the blood sugar spike.  I could not think clearly.  I tried to calm myself down so I could remember exactly what I had done and where the keys might be.

I searched the inside of the doggie cart but no keys.  I removed the bamboo mat that I had not used and returned it to the basement.  Opened the hatch door and placed the mat inside and there they were.  My keys.  What a relief that was.  It seems that I put them down when I grabbed the mat and just forgot them.

Now I had to concentrate on finding the bike keys.  I returned to the beach on foot and spent another hour searching for the small keys for the bike.  No luck.  Returned to the RV very down and very shaky.  Had some lunch and went back outside racking my brain as to where the keys might be.

I tried once again to search the bike basket only this time I removed everything from the inside of the bag.  And my last reach inside my fingers felt the keys.  I pulled them out and could not believe my eyes.  How did they get in this basket.  I would not have pulled them out of the ignition and put them in the bike basket.  That would just make no sense at all.  The only thing I can think of is that this set of keys are a spare set that I placed there when I got the new bike weeks ago.  I think the original keys are out there on that beach.  However, I'm not going to look for them anymore. 

By this time I'm a complete wreck.  The whole episode really shook me up.  It seems that every time I take the RV out for a short trip something happens to cause stress.  I can't handle stress.  It affects every medical ailment I have.  I put a lot of effort into making my life as stress free as I can in order to keep my body from being adversly affected.  Don't think I can take much more of this.  Camping is supposed to be fun.

So tonight I'm feeling sore all over from having to push that bike all the way back to the campground.  I'm also fighting a migrain.  So I took a pain pill.  I have also felt some tightening in my chest and the anxiety I felt most of the day today is subsiding a bit since I took a Xanax.  Thank goodness for drugs :-)

This episode has made me rethink locking my RV.  I was so upset that I said I would never lock it again.  I don't ever want to pull on that door handle and not have it open for me to enter.  EVER AGAIN!

 Tomorrow my friend Pat will be picking me up to take me into town to buy some boiled crabs.  I also need to get a few things at the supermarket.



15 comments:

  1. Oh Linda, I know just what you must of been going through and stress is the worst thing for my medical conditions too. Money and time.....that is my mantra when such things happen.....most things can be resolved with one or the other or a combination of the two.....I just keep reminding myself of that. Plus, while in town get a second set of keys made and put them in a hidey hole. Glad you had the Xanax, I always keep some around for just such an occasion.....better living through chemistry! That said, RVing isn't for the faint of heart.....there is always something! Right now I am camping at the mechanics waiting for a new alternator.

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    1. Hi Chris... You're so right about the money and time. All the while I was searching I was thinking ahead of how I was going to resolve the situation if the keys were never found. All situations led to money and time.

      My friend Pat told me he would have driven to my house in Houma to retrieve the spare set of RV keys. I know I can always depend on him. My neighbor has a key to my house so I would be able to get in. However, if this would have happened elsewhere it would have been a different story. A locksmith would have gotten me in but then I still would not have had a key to the RV to get me home. That scenerio is too much to even think about now.

      I hope you're not having too many problems with your new to you RV and all is fixed soon. It's good to hear from you.

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  2. I'm sorry to hear of your troubles, it can be a scary situation for sure. The pictures remind me of our stay at Grand Isle at Christmas. What a wonderful memory.

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    1. Hi Morgan... Did you stay at the State Park? Glad you enjoyed your time here in my part of the world.

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    2. Yes, we stayed at the state park. We arrived the day before Christmas and left the day after. There were 4 or 5 other RV's there. I was happy to see free laundry and enjoyed the solitude of the beach. We had wicked storms on Christmas Day with warnings all around us, but the park was spared the worst of it. Would definitely return sometime. Ya'lls park system is impressive and I'm glad we made the trek from VA. We also stayed out west at Palmetto Island and loved it.

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  3. I have extra sets of keys, but if I was locked out, I don't have a key hidden outside to get me back in. It IS a problem for solo travelers, because couples can each carry a set. The only solution is to hide a door key somewhere outside - it would get you into the cab and also allow you to drive away. And hopefully another set would be inside. I'm so glad you found your whole set of keys, and also had a spare for the bike.

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    1. Hi Barbara... My friend Pat keeps telling me to do the same thing - hide a key outside. My way of thinking is that I just as well leave the RV unlocked as to provide a key to a would be vandal. I am going to try and concentrate more on the moment and not be so forgetful. That might help. Good to hear from you.

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  4. hey we all do it..I have done it 3 time so far
    since oct. ... always forgot them inside and had
    to go in thru the window...lol

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    1. Hi Donna... I have never worried about locking myself out until just recently. It is an awful feeling of helplessness when you can't get into your home.

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  5. What about a hide-a-key somewhere??? I know these times when we forget or don't do the 'normal' thing IS stressful!! then trying to remember or retrace is crazy...

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    1. Hi Loree... I don't feel comfortable about hiding a key outside. Since this last episode I have just left it unlocked. The stress level I experienced over this last incident wrecked havoc on my health. It's just not worth it.

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  6. If you find that you cannot count on your brain to keep your keys where you can find them - mine hide on me occasionally - then have extras made and put them on a lanyard or some kind of a chain, and put that item around your neck when you get dressed in the morning.

    The terror of thinking I am locked out is more than I want to deal with. I have frequent nightmares (two last night) about not being able to find my vehicle or the way out of a neighborhood, but being locked out runs a close second. Like your computer - have a back up situation in place. It helps to ease the mind.

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    1. Hi Judilyn... I will be having extra keys made but not sure I want to wear them around my neck. My key chain is very large and I sometimes wear it as a bracelet but would not want to do that while having fun on the beach. I always leave a bedroom window unlocked but that won't get the motor started. I will not be locking my RV again until I think of a way to handle the extra set of keys. Meanwhile, I think this incident will keep me hyper-vigilant about my RV keys and I won't be leaving them behind when I leave the RV.

      Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. Wow, Linda, that must have been very stressful! Those lost keys really gave you a mini heart attack. And that shower was just annoying. Were you able to get that fixed? Maybe you should replace the hose completely so it won’t bother you again.


    Katrina Spencer

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  8. There are days just like that, when nothing seems to go right, and losing something must be one of the most frustrating things in the world. That is really scary, losing the keys to your RV. I’m with VtChris in saying that RVing is not for the faint of heart. About that shower hose, I hope you already got it fixed.

    Lovella Cushman

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