While w-a-l-king our Rudy and Gretchen around Sumter Landing, we ran into Anne Dobkin and her two long haired miniature dachshunds, Mollee and Muffie. Mollee is 11; Muffie is just 1, looked like a smaller Rudy, and even had a liver-colored nose like our little boy dog. Anne’s dachshund story is interesting; she has been owned by Mollee for many years, but after seeing our two puppies at one of Suzanne’s talks, decided to get a red long-haired mini like Rudy as a playmate for Mollee. She “put her intention out to the universe”, and then she found Muffie a few days later. Isn’t that a great example of “manifesting”? 
Just after seeing Anne, we noticed a unique golf cart… with stub wings and a vertical stabilizer tail. Hank Childs, the builder and owner, was climbing in with his dog, and “started her up”. The cart’s name is the “Green Hornet”, and she sounded like a jet fighter about to take off on a combat mission. 
Not only did she have a great fifteen-gauge cockpit with red night lighting and wingtip lights, but Hank has also rigged her with speakers blasting jet noise! (And that piece of paper in a plastic sleeve looks suspiciously like a pre-flight checklist.) Aviation enthusiasts need to talk to Hank, who apparently builds these custom-made machines in his garage. (Yeah, but can you take off and land on Morse Blvd. without getting a ticket from the Sumter Country Sheriff?) You can ask Hank to build your next whimsical cart at hchilds@massmed.org. 
There is one big upgrade we have made on The Bus and our little Honda Toad (towed automobile) this year – we added a dedicated battery charging system to keep the car battery charged while we’re driving The Bus and towing the car. Last year, there were several times when we stopped after a long drive and we had to jump start the car. In the Navy, we called that NG… Not Good. (Doesn’t our Honda CR-V look like a teeny tiny thing behind our 40 foot motor coach?)
It took me about two hours to install the circuit breaker on The Bus, run the wiring from Bus batteries to trailer hitch under The Bus, install a charge controller in the Honda’s engine compartment, run the wires from the car battery to the grille, and rig up a detachable connector line from the car to The Bus. This photo shows the battery compartment on The Bus with the new circuit breaker and white and red wiring runs above the four 6 volt house batteries (four 6 volts, connected in two pairs in series, making two 12 volts pairs which are then connected in parallel; there are also two 12 volt starting batteries above the red 6 volt batteries). Fortunately, both sets of batteries swing or slide out on their racks to allow for maintenance). 
I made the mistake of doing this job in the morning… had I waited until 1700 (5:00 PM for you civilians), it would have been Happy Hour, and I could have worked with a frosty (root) beer, making the job go much more quickly. Fortunately, My Good Friend Bob came out in the ninth inning to kibbutz and help me with the final connections. (Bob, where were you when I needed someone to crawl under The Bus, run the electrical line under the chassis, and have road dirt fall in his face and eyes? Oh, well, beggars can’t be choosers, right?) Good news, the upgrade works like a champ. Here is Your Faithful Correspondent snacking on heavy duty wire ties while trying to nip the ends of Bob’s fingers with a wire stripper. (My Lovely Bride often notices when “guy words” sneak into my blog… the word “stripper” obviously has several interesting connotations. In this instance, a stripper is a tool designed to remove the plastic insulation on a piece of electrical wire. In its other common usage, a stripper is a young woman who has the ability to electrify men. “Isn’t that interesting?”) Photo of Secondary Word Usage Was Censored by Higher Authority
Speaking of Higher Authority, while I was doing RV work, Corvette Chick was heading off for an event, and I just had time to capture her on film (well, okay, on a memory chip would be more accurate) before she left the house. Am I a Lucky Guy, or what? 
Now, for our weekly Parking Hall of Shame Award…. a Red Corvette! First, let me assure you readers that this is NOT Corvette Chick’s car. At 0930, I saw this one belonging to (a) a Parking Miscreant; or (b) someone who partied very late last night (“late” in The Villages meaning past 9:00 PM) and stumbled home to avoid a DUI; or (c) a very dedicated bank employee who was running late for work and didn’t take the time to park properly. The parking space stripe is clearly visible under its front tire.
1 Comment
Jennifer
Cute photo of all the doggies..My dad's dog is named Muffie and she looks like a little "Benji dog". A mix of sorts…
Nice photo of Suzanne. Like her red jacket!