Although the alarm was set for six, I awoke at three this morning and could not fall asleep. My mind was a whirlwind of activity thinking of the work to be done on our Tiffin and where we are going following the "surgery."
Seven o'clock found us sitting at the "operating room" door. At eleven minutes past seven o'clock, we rolled in and to our amazement our first view was of two brand new off the manufacturer's line bay/basement doors and a fender. Yep, there sat our new implants all shiny and new.
Dr. Ethan took a peek inside the bay door and uttered "Woah!" What happened here?
"Well," I said, "John and a boulder had an argument. The
boulder won. Big time."
"I guess so," says Doc
Ethan.
He made the first incision by removing twenty feet of railing right above the doors on the side of the coach that was having surgery.
Now that was quick. I wondered if the entire surgery was going to go that smooth and quickly.
After the damaged and very dirty rail is excised, the underlying area is cleaned and prepared for the new rail.
Removing the doors from the rail was the next order of business. I believe that was called a bay-doorectomy.
An exploratory process in order to locate the latch that would release the door for removal was performed.
"It is not in here"
"Ah, here it it is, right in the center."
"Nurse, I need the drill to remove the screw so that the latch can be removed."
The two doctors, Dr. Joel and Dr. Ethan work well together as all Tiffin doctors do.
"I'll push, you pull and we will slide the door down the rail."
The next part of the surgery was the fender removal. As a result the tires were fully exposed. Do you see, on the right of the tires, where the frame is bent? Here is a better view.
That part of the frame, the water tank, bay floor and wall must be surgically removed. A straight piece of frame, walls and bay floor will be welded in place.
A new water tank will be installed in the bottom space where you see the white smashed tank. Unlike some fractures, there will be no pins or rods.
Here you see where the damage starts in the bay just in front of the tank bay.
This bay is where all of our outdoor furniture is stowed.
It is almost time to begin to finish this stage of surgery. It has been a long day and the Tiffin surgeons are tired from a good day at the Tiffin Motorhome Hospital.
They prepare to close the incision, the "rail implant."
An double sided adhesive is applied to the length of the back of the rail.
The adhesive as well as screws will hold the rail snugly in place and provide the strength for the bay doors to hang onto and keep the incision scar from allowing moisture to enter.
Drs. Ethan and Joel apply the new rail to the cleaned section where the damaged section had been removed. Look at the desert dust that was on the undamaged portion of the rail. We are really itching to go gather more of that dust.
The fender has been left off until all welding is complete. That will make it easier for the welders to work. After the welding comes the undercoating that came off in the battle with the boulder.
After the welding, back to surgery to replace the fender and then we are off to the paint room. Oh, how we would love a new paint job, but it is not in our budget this year. Maybe next or following year.
Stay tuned Monday or Tuesday to learn about the welding hospital.
Thank you for visiting the blog today. It has been such an interesting day that we did not wait in the nice customer lounge.
We had a learning experience today. Now, if John will make wider right turns - waiting for any vehicle that is in the way to give him a larger, clear turning space, I will be happy.
We did have to go get diesel after leaving bay four. Believe it or not, another too sharp turn and fast braking. It threw me onto the floor in the door way and I am quite sore tonight. It took some time for me to figure how to get out of the steps. Not a pretty sight. We will see how stiff I am tomorrow.
John says he is done driving and it is up to me. Good grief, in the last fourteen months with this coach, I had driven one other time. Maybe he will reconsider, maybe he should not, maybe his bout with respiratory failure and on life support for six weeks has impaired his decision making, I do not know. All I do know is that I have a headache.
I am off to take some Advil. I am trying not to be grouchy with him or show my deep concern. Prayers are appreciated.
On a happy note....Christmas and New Years day we spent with blogger friends, Bill and Kris Osborne of Seeing the USA. You will enjoy their blog.
They had their Bus in the Tiffin Service Hospital yesterday. Their slide needed a new floor under warranty. He gave a great review of that repair.
Thanks for visiting. God bless you all!
oh I almost forgot. I took Pecan pie to Bill and Kriss'. It was well received so I though I would share the recipe. It was delish.
http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/best-pecan-pie-recipe
Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust, partially pre-baked (learn more in this post on How To Make A Pie Crust)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 2 cups pecans (plus extras to line the top, if desired)
Method
Partially pre-bake a pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan according to instructions, then heat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, salt and cinnamon; add eggs and whisk until smooth.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the butter turns brown and fragrant. Slowly pour butter into the sugar mixture, and whisk to combine. Stir in chopped pecans, then pour filling into the prepared pie crust. If desired, line the top of the filling with extra pecans.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the filling is set. If the edges of the crust begin to turn too brown, briefly remove the pie from the oven and cover the crust with a pie crust shield or loosely wrap with aluminum foil, then return to the oven. Once the filling is set, remove the pie and let cool completely on cooling rack, 3 to 4 hours, before slicing.
