No More Travels!

I didn't get much done at the apartment today, but enough so that I can see some headway. I spent most of the day at Jeannie's, and thought I'd have to sleep there tonight because I couldn't find my keys when it was time to leave. Everyone looked everywhere! I had a spare set of truck keys, but no house keys. Don't ask me why, but I normally never lock my door when I leave, but now with nearly everything gone, I decided to lock it today. It was getting close to absolute dark and I was beside myself when I remembered that I wore a jacket and hung it in the closet rather than over the chair. Sure 'nuf, the keys were in my pocket. I just about made it home while I could still see.

Then I made a total screw-up of backing the truck in because someone came in right behind me and wouldn't go around me. I don't know if they wanted to watch, or if they were trying to be polite and wait until I had backed in. I finally pulled out into the lot again and waved them on. Then I backed in with no trouble, not the easiest thing to do in the dark, and you can see on my header picture the concrete and rocks I have to deal with on one side, plus a big Chevy Blazer parked next to me.

A reader wanted to know if there is more of a demand for a Ford F-350 on the east coast. I'm not sure if there is any difference - there is about $10 difference in blue book value. I think what would work better on both coasts is if I were to advertise to the RV and sportsman market, rather than sell to a dealer or a company such as Enterprise.

Anyone who pulls a 5th wheel, or drives a motorhome for that matter, knows that sooner or later you will get too close to a post, or a gas pump, or whatever. I have a bit of chipped paint on the front bumper and the guy who looked at my truck talked about having to repaint the bumper, paint the tailgate, and so on. And OMG, there is some rust on the undercarriage. He admitted that Californians get the heebie-jeebies when they see rust, whereas it isn't such an oddity on the east coast.

I think to keep things in perspective it is a good idea to remember that this is a 2002 year truck - 10 yrs old. It is built to work, and a pristine 10 yr old Ford F-350, or a Chevy/Dodge 3500 hasn't done much work. In other words, a buyer thinking to tow a trailer, or take it out 4-wheelin' or putting it to use as it is meant to be used, isn't going to gasp at a 3 inch circle of paint chipped. Tomorrow I will try to remember to take a photo of the bumper and you can see for yourselves. (This is what looks to be a dark charcoal colored bumper, with a coat of black paint on it.)

I know there are some people who baby their vehicles and keep them in top notch condition, and I applaud that. But for me, I towed a 5th wheel with it and I ran over some curbs, brushed against the fence along my daughter's driveway trying to turn that monster around, and a few other things. It runs like a champ and when it's cleaned and polished it looks beautiful to me. The fact that it's 10 years old and has a few dings doesn't bother me at all. What's 10 truck years equivalent to in a human life span? I have a few dings myself and a bit of chipped paint, and I think I'm still sorta ok, if not exactly beautiful!