I got out my battery lanterns and lit the place up. It was pouring rain so I didn't want to go outside to unhook the electrical cord and plug it back into the coach in order to run the generator for the AC and TV so I went to bed. About 11:00 the electricity came back on as I was just about to fall asleep. Spent a little time on the Internet and then returned to bed. Slept till 9:00 this morning. The rain falling on the roof top was just screaming at me to stay in bed and enjoy, so I did.
There was a lull in the downpour so I took the opportunity to walk the dog. Short walk as it started to drizzle. Once back in the camper we had breakfast and I spent some time on the computer. With all this rain there is not much to do but read, whether it be a book or the Internet.
Got bored after lunch and decided to go for a long walk - rain or no rain - to get out of the coach. Put Xi Shi's new little red raincoat on her and got my big umbrella and we headed out. Once we got to the end of our Loop it really started to pour. Neither the umbrella or the raincoat was doing much good in keeping us dry. I spotted a roof top through the trees and headed for it. It was the bath house. Got some paper and dried little Xi Shi's face and head. She was soaked. Waited a while but it didn't let up so we took off for our campsite. Passed by some tenters and hoped they were keeping dry. One young mother with 4 little ones had 2 tents set up and lots of chairs and camping stuff. She's done this before.
May have to get her a larger size.
This is before the downpour.
On the walk back Xi got the urge and was desperately trying to find just the right spot to "go" but it was so wet that she was having a hard time getting the right smell. I stopped at several grassy areas but they were all under water. "Sorry ole girl... we'll just have to hurry and get back to our nice dry puppy pad in the coach." I finally saw a spot where the water had drained off and took her there. She was done in a minute. Poor little thing. We hurried back to our site and I dried her off and she took a very long nap after all that walking.
I put in a movie and settled in. After the movie I opened the cabinet behind the TV where the DVDs are stored and reached for another one. Pulled it out and it was wet. My heart skipped a beat. That means I have a leak. Oh no... please not a leak. I've just started on my journey and already have a serious problem.
I removed all of the items from inside the cabinet and felt around and looked with my flashlight and found that the wall on the left side showed signs of old leakage. Had never seen that before and don't know if it was there when I purchased the unit or has happened since I bought it. As I inspected the interior and felt for the origin of the leak it led me to the ceiling and the electrical outlet. Yes, there was water dripping from the electrical outlet located on the ceiling of the cabinet. Yikes!!!
My better sense said to turn off all electricity. Not true. My better sense said to get the hell out of there. I could just envision the whole place being lit up with me along with it. Once I stopped these kinds of thoughts, I unplugged the TV and dried the area with a towel. It had stopped raining outside so once dry the outlet no longer leaked.
Went outside and stood up on the picnic table to see what was at that location on my roof. I could see the small round cap that was for the cable and such. So I gathered some items and climbed the ladder and went up on the roof. I dried the area around the little dome and it looked like it was sealed properly but I knew that this was the entry way for water at that location. I have some sealant but it was too wet to apply. I tried duck tape and it didn't stick very well but I kept applying layer after layer and hope that it will work for now. Whenever I get to some sunshine and things dry out I will try sealing with the roof caulking.
The forecast for tomorrow is the same so I guess these 3 days at Chicot will be spent inside reading. Good thing I brought many books and movies. I've recently got on a kick reading the latest book on Bonnie and Clyde called "Go Down Together" which led me to other books about that era - including one written by sister-in-law Blanche called "My Life With Bonnie and Clyde." Also brought along the book "Public Enemies." So by the time I get to north Louisiana I'll be psyched to visit the spot where the infamous couple were ambushed and murdered near Gibsland, Louisiana which is along my planned route.
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
Circa 1932
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