...But not quite! Once again, the alarm went off, the coffee went off, and we stumbled around at dark-thirty this morning. At least it's Friday! We thought they might want us to get done and out of the "Camp Red Bay" today to make room for other customers coming in, but nobody seems to be in a hurry around here.
We were at Bay #23, for the finishing touches on the paint jobs well before the 7:00 opening. We went to the customer lounge and pretty much stayed put most of the morning. The alignment hadn't been rescheduled yet, so we didn't know whether we were going to need to make a 45 mile trip or not today. As it turned out, we're going up to Florence, Alabama on Tuesday morning for the alignment.
Eventually, late morning, the paint folks turned us loose. Since we didn't know about anything else, we just brought the Castle back to site #13 and set ourselves up. We did have a couple of guys come over and finish up two small jobs right after lunch, but the rest of the day was just relaxing and enjoying the quiet.
This afternoon, we got together with our neighbors across the street, Sharon and Bob. They are here in their '08 Phaeton for some work on their tile floors. We've gotten together with them a couple of other evenings and had a good time, so we just continued this evening. Sharon has had several modifications made to their coach and knows quite a few of the "runway" workers, so she's been giving me some good ideas. I'm going to have some little "end tables" made that will provide a small shelf to set drinks on when we have visitors. Very clever, and it will match the countertops in the coach.
The "runway" work is usually done by Tiffin employees, or former employees after hours. They can't work on the property, so they go down the runway, just across the property line. Tiffin knows they do this, but they are ok with it, many people get extra cabinetry, carpet, electrical, etc., work done this way, and the workers make a little extra money on the side.
Bob and Sharon also have 2 mini schnauzers, so it's fun to get together with them and compare notes. We're going to potluck a barbeque tomorrow evening, maybe some of the other campers will join us.
Then we'll wait for Dortha and Mark (Moppah and Bud for the chat room folks) to arrive on Sunday. They have just taken delivery of their brand-new 2009 Phaeton. They have a few items they need to get resolved here. We can't wait to see them. We met them in person for the first time at the rv-dreams rally in Branson, in June.
It's been a great day!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Tiffin Factory Tour
We're in the routine now - the alarm goes off at 4:45, followed in a minute by the sound of the coffee being ground. We get up, stumble around, get our coffee and wake up for a few minutes. I walk the dogs, come back and start packing things back up to move over to the bays.
We have moved from the general repair bay to one of the paint bays. They have fixed up several places on the paint that have scratched or chipped. One area was way at the top on the back where some over-zealous employee at the dealership got carried away with a buffer. We had a little chipping around the handles on two basement compartment doors, they just repainted the whole doors instead of trying to do touch-ups.
Today we figured would be the best day to take the factory tour. They give tours twice a day, but the morning tour gives you a better sense of the activity in the plant, because the afternoon time is when workers are wrapping up for the day. The fellow who gives the tours is known as Red. He's been around Red Bay for a long time, but has only officially worked for Tiffin for about 7 years.
I can't compare this tour to any other company's, since I've never toured a motor home factory, but it was extremely interesting for me. We saw motor homes in all stages of construction. We were furnished with headphones and little gizmos to hear Red, who had a microphone. There were 3 couples on the tour, one of the couples turned out to be our neighbors here at the campground who have owned a 2009 Phaeton for a whole week now. The other couple is here in a Dutch Star, they are considering the purchase of a Phaeton.
When the tour was complete, Red asked if we wanted to look at any of the motor homes on the lot. The couple who is considering a purchase went to look at some of the models there, while we and the other couple asked if Bob Tiffin might be available. Red directed us to the offices, and we asked the receptionist if Mr. Tiffin was in. In less than a minute, the 4 of us were sitting in Bob Tiffin's office, visiting with him. We all expressed how we appreciate his accessibility. I asked him a couple of questions, the other couple just said how happy they are with their brand new 2009 Phaeton.
We visited with him for several minutes. He talked about batteries and inverters, how important it is to understand how that works, especially in the models with a residential-style refrigerator.
We took our leave and came back to "Camp Red Bay" to check on our progress. We're still waiting for the tv folks to investigate the still-present green interference lines on the tv, and a couple of other things are still pending. We were scheduled to go for a front end alighment tomorrow, but the painters are not quite finished, so it could be tomorrow afternoon or Monday before we get the alignment. Not a problem for us, we are not in a hurry, and we want things to be done right.
We moved back to our site right about 3:00 or a little after, and are settled in for the opening night of the NFL!
We have moved from the general repair bay to one of the paint bays. They have fixed up several places on the paint that have scratched or chipped. One area was way at the top on the back where some over-zealous employee at the dealership got carried away with a buffer. We had a little chipping around the handles on two basement compartment doors, they just repainted the whole doors instead of trying to do touch-ups.
Today we figured would be the best day to take the factory tour. They give tours twice a day, but the morning tour gives you a better sense of the activity in the plant, because the afternoon time is when workers are wrapping up for the day. The fellow who gives the tours is known as Red. He's been around Red Bay for a long time, but has only officially worked for Tiffin for about 7 years.
I can't compare this tour to any other company's, since I've never toured a motor home factory, but it was extremely interesting for me. We saw motor homes in all stages of construction. We were furnished with headphones and little gizmos to hear Red, who had a microphone. There were 3 couples on the tour, one of the couples turned out to be our neighbors here at the campground who have owned a 2009 Phaeton for a whole week now. The other couple is here in a Dutch Star, they are considering the purchase of a Phaeton.
When the tour was complete, Red asked if we wanted to look at any of the motor homes on the lot. The couple who is considering a purchase went to look at some of the models there, while we and the other couple asked if Bob Tiffin might be available. Red directed us to the offices, and we asked the receptionist if Mr. Tiffin was in. In less than a minute, the 4 of us were sitting in Bob Tiffin's office, visiting with him. We all expressed how we appreciate his accessibility. I asked him a couple of questions, the other couple just said how happy they are with their brand new 2009 Phaeton.
We visited with him for several minutes. He talked about batteries and inverters, how important it is to understand how that works, especially in the models with a residential-style refrigerator.
We took our leave and came back to "Camp Red Bay" to check on our progress. We're still waiting for the tv folks to investigate the still-present green interference lines on the tv, and a couple of other things are still pending. We were scheduled to go for a front end alighment tomorrow, but the painters are not quite finished, so it could be tomorrow afternoon or Monday before we get the alignment. Not a problem for us, we are not in a hurry, and we want things to be done right.
We moved back to our site right about 3:00 or a little after, and are settled in for the opening night of the NFL!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Making Progress
It wasn't necessarily bright, but it was early, when we parked outside Bay #2's door, a little before 7 a.m. this morning.
The door opened and we zoomed in! Ok, so it wasn't a zoom, it was a slow creep, but we did get in and greeted our crew. After ensuring they had a good weekend, we started going over the items on the list for the day.
The window they replaced Friday behind the couch where I sit was still very tight and hard to open, so that needed more attention. The other high priority for the morning was replacing 4 floor tiles.
They had ground out the grout on Friday, today was breaking out the tiles to be replaced, cleaning the area and laying a new tile. This one is in front of the shower:
And the other three are in the main room:
The door opened and we zoomed in! Ok, so it wasn't a zoom, it was a slow creep, but we did get in and greeted our crew. After ensuring they had a good weekend, we started going over the items on the list for the day.
The window they replaced Friday behind the couch where I sit was still very tight and hard to open, so that needed more attention. The other high priority for the morning was replacing 4 floor tiles.
They had ground out the grout on Friday, today was breaking out the tiles to be replaced, cleaning the area and laying a new tile. This one is in front of the shower:
And the other three are in the main room:
Once the tiles were in, they could move on to other items on the list. Of course, no one, including the dogs, can walk on those 4 tiles until tomorrow. We feel like the tv detective, Monk, walking around here avoiding those tiles!
One of my major items was the uneven cupboard doors on the passenger side slide. As they looked at the situation, Terry discovered there was a crack in one of the doors under the sink. Off he went to find another door. He found one and got it set up and installed. I should mention that before they started this part of the job, they put the jacks down, so that they would be working on the rig as it is when it's set up in a campground. They wanted to duplicate the conditions we are typically in, instead of just "shopping" the job. The cupboard doors are now perfectly even!
There were a few other small items that got completed today. We still have the electronics situation to address, as well as a few touch up spots on the paint. An alignment is also on the agenda, and they will get that scheduled in the little town of Muscle Shoals, about 45 miles from here.
We are making progress!
Monday, September 1, 2008
In the Castle
Most of my day has been spent in the Castle - cleaning. I know it will get messed up again pretty fast, but I wanted to start the work week with it clean. I got into corners and under things, scrubbed, dusted, vacuumed, and polished.
As usual, while I cleaned, Jim found other things to do, like laundry and a quick trip to the store.
Jim grilled a couple of chicken breasts and I sauteed some peppers and onions, fixed some rice and made a salad. We picked up some huge tomatoes at a local stand a few days ago, so we had one of those in the salad. Gosh, it actually tasted like a tomato! I've gotten so used to the tastless things they sell in stores, I was pleasantly surprised to really taste tomato.
Otherwise, we've followed the news on Gustav and visited with neighbors when out walking the dogs.
It started out a little breezy with a few clouds this morning. The clouds have increased throughout the day and it's been alternating between breezy and still. The air is heavy though, and the humidity is high
The place has nearly filled up, although there are still a few spots open.
The next few days could be interesting - we need to be at Bay #2 by 7:00 in the morning. We'll see how far they get with the list.
As usual, while I cleaned, Jim found other things to do, like laundry and a quick trip to the store.
Jim grilled a couple of chicken breasts and I sauteed some peppers and onions, fixed some rice and made a salad. We picked up some huge tomatoes at a local stand a few days ago, so we had one of those in the salad. Gosh, it actually tasted like a tomato! I've gotten so used to the tastless things they sell in stores, I was pleasantly surprised to really taste tomato.
Otherwise, we've followed the news on Gustav and visited with neighbors when out walking the dogs.
It started out a little breezy with a few clouds this morning. The clouds have increased throughout the day and it's been alternating between breezy and still. The air is heavy though, and the humidity is high
The place has nearly filled up, although there are still a few spots open.
The next few days could be interesting - we need to be at Bay #2 by 7:00 in the morning. We'll see how far they get with the list.
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