Friday, July 14, 2006

Great Strides in RVing

First it was emptying the "Black Tank." For those of you who are RV-illiterate, that's the tank that holds...well...human waste. See, I was under the impression that if you were in a full hook-up park, you just kept that valve open and it automatically went into the sewer every time you flushed. Lesson number one--the instructions say that it's better to keep it closed and empty when full. Don't ask me why. I think it's a cruel joke the writer of the manual is playing on all of us city folks who are playing like we're camping. What was even more baffling to me was that Neal had actually READ the instructions, so knew about this little tidbit. The first time that there was an indication that the tank was full, Neal was at work. So I called him. He said "empty it." I said, "I'm scared." He said, "there's nothing to it just turn the handle and pull it out....but not too fast." "Not too fast?" "Or the hose will pop off and you'll have 'you know what' everywhere." Now I'm really scared. I wait for him to come home from work and I use the park's public bathrooms the rest of the day. I can now proudly say that I've emptied the Black Tank twice, with no unpleasant accidents. (I'm a pro.)

Next it was the oven. I've been doing quite a bit of cooking, believe it or not, but all on top of the stove or in the microwave or on the grill. See, the oven requires manual pilot lighting. Another scary prospect for me. Neal had explained in detail how to do it, but I asked my friend, KK (Killer Karrie) to give me more detailed instructions. Yesterday I bought a frozen pizza for dinner. No--I really have been cooking meals, but had a couple of dinner-time calls to make so I needed something quick and easy. After the third attempt the pilot was lit and voila! pizza for dinner.

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