Mystical Disorder of RVs

You know the great thing about an old car (besides being totally paid off) is that every once in awhile, the gremlins in the car will get restless.  This only happens with old cars.  New cars have young and lazy gremlins, while old cars have bored and malicious ones.  I discovered that our gremlins were fed up with all the rain we've been having.  I was driving up to Birmingham the other day.  A bright, sunny and warm day.  About half-way there I turn the radio up, gotta have the rockin' tunes.  Suddenly, the rear windshield washer and wiper come on.  I think that I merely knocked it and try to turn it off, only to discover it was off and I just restarted it.  Then, it continues to go off.  The people behind me must think I need new glasses or just have OCD about rear window cleanliness.  The stupid thing doesn't stop!  I finally just turn the wiper itself on, and this stops the fluid.  But now the wiper is going...and it's still bright and sunny out.  I feel like that old person who leaves their left blinker on for 80 Kilometers (you had to be there), only I realize that maybe that poor old person wasn't forgetful, just dealing with a gremlin.  I try, at one point, to turn the whole thing off and for about 10 minutes it works.  Then the washer and wiper start going again and I resign myself to driving with the rear wiper just going in order to save the washer fluid.  "Lonnie", of course, thinks that I'm an idiot and this couldn't possibily be what is happening.  Until it happens to him and I am vindicated!  So what was the problem, you ask?  "Lonnie" figures that after 3 days of torrential downpours, the chip in the wiper was wet (gremlins were sick of rain) and caused a short.  Problem is temporarily solved by wiper being disconnected.  I figured we'd be set until we went to leave at oh-dark-and-cold-thirty this morning for our race in Birmingham, only to have a dead battery.  To the gremlins credit, it was 23 degrees out and honestly I didn't want to be up either.  However, a quick jump fixed all and we had a great Mercedes Half-Marathon.  I can't walk at the moment, but the shiny medal was soooo worth it!!

 



OK, I must tell you all about Mardi Gras.  This is why living in a trailer is great, roadtrips!!! Now, anyone who poo-poos this awesome celebration just because you don't think you'll get enough beads because you a: don't want to flash strangers or b: would flash them but aren't confident in your advertising...must try Mobile, Alabama for your future celebrations!  Not only is there a plethora of free beads thrown at you, but there is no nudity required (and you'd probably get arrested if you did).  Mobile is the home of Mardi Gras.  Yes, I know you all thought it was New Orleans, however they are posers.  A man by the name of Joe Cain revived the fesitval of Mardi Gras in 1867 (post Civil War) by parading down the main street dressed like a crazy Indian (because the Natives never surrendered to the Union).  The rest is history.  There are weeks of daily parades, and we hit 3 parades and one 5K race in just a weekend!  It is super kid friendly and very safe...which for those who know me, these are not normally 2 criteria I waste time considering for a family adventure (what, there is a small possibility of a hospital trip?  Let's do it and take the kids!). 

 

Mobile has great, fresh gulf seafood (no added petroleum), the USS Alabama battleship, and beaches.  The kids really liked the battleship, except after Ayla slid/fell down some stairs Navy-style.  That scared her and battleship time was over although it was the coolest move ever--she slipped straight down riding the railing, "Lonnie" catches her, no injuries.  Instead, we focused on parades which all had cool names, like the Mystical Order of Time, and all their floats were time-themes.  The kids loved the floats (the ones at night were all lit up) and getting free stuff thrown at them.  It was so bad at one point that Kai was trying to take beads from other adults!  Orion took to screaming as loud as he could as each float passed, not to get anything, just to scream loudly.  Ayla danced to the music and fought Kai for beads and free toys.  Oh, and we got whacked with moon pies which are actually pretty gross tasting, but the kids were nuts for them.  I did get beaned in the back of the head with a container of uncooked Ramen Noodles.  Who the heck throws those at a parade?!   Our total tally of spoils was countless beads (in the hundreds I think) 7 stuffed animals, frisbee, 5 plastic Mardi Gras cups, 3 balls, 5 glow sticks, 2 glow rings, candy and moon pies, one pair of kids swim goggles, an I-Pad (not really), and a styrofoam tree.  Unfortunately, we lost the Ramen Noodles.  Better luck next year!