Big Blue
“Let’s fulltime!”
“Okay! Let’s DO it!”
And we were outta there.
Actually, it didn’t happen that
fast. We have
been rv’ing since 2000. Did the
normal stuff. Started
out tent camping and complaining when one of those smelly, big things pulled in
and who cares if they have their own toilets, fridge and showers? Obviously,
we did, because we got our first RV, a GMC, then moved up to a Barth, then down to a
Roadtrek (Gary couldn’t stand up straight in it) then back up to an Allegro
Bus, AND THEN.... to a monster. But a
kind, friendly, beautiful monster, our Newell, number 729, our gentle giant.
We sold our six acres, house
and barn on the Chama River in New Mexico. And
along with it our mini donkeys, chickens, tractor, four-wheeler and 8 koi. We
graciously threw in the pond care, the 24/7 mowing, the mosquitoes, the pocket
gophers, our propane, telephone, satellite, television, and electrical expense
at no extra charge.
We then traveled to the Newell
factory in Miami, Oklahoma. Actually,
the Okies pronounce it Miam-UH. Obviously to differentiate it from the one in
Florida. The similarities are astounding.
And lo and behold, we found our
monster, our very own Big Blue. And it had everything. Four slides, all electric, dishwasher! What more could a girl ask for? We were amazed at the technology that Newell had
ten years ago. Yes, it’s ten years old, but its brand new to us. The only thing our bus had over
it was the side cameras on the turn signals. I think I would trade that for the dishwasher.
We leave Camp Newell with a
song in our heart. Until, we realized this was not just a monster, it was a
whole new animal. We had to unlearn as much as learn. But with the continuous
help of Newell’s 24/7 service we did fine! Gary
was most reluctant to call, but I didn’t hesitate. Cresley, Mike, Curtis, Ryan, others whose names
escape me... remember me? “Susie”. I can just see them rolling their eyes
when they heard my name. But
each time (and I am sure I interrupted more than a few sit down dinners) they
were terrific, and most helpful to these Newell newbies.
Let’s see, what are our
favorite things? The
dump procedure would have to rate right up there at the top. At least that’s
what Gary tells me. I’m not even sure where to find it on Big Blue. And the Gaggenau
cook top. No more trying to get that dern propane cook top lit. And how could I leave out the dishwasher? Of course, I had one in the other rv’s, but Gary
didn’t always dry them that well.
The oohs and aahs Big Blue
receives are legendary. Every
campsite we pull into it attracts immeasurable attention. (And even freebies, like chocolate chip cookies,
from the campsite owners) Gary
loves pointing out all the exterior features to the curious and I love pointing out the
crystal wine and old fashioned glasses, compliments of Newell. Rally, dahling, everyone should drink their wine out of crystal while camping, don't you agree?
Life, however, is not
perfect. There
are some downsides. Or rather, one downside. The money pit bay. Unfortunately the 24/7 hotline doesn’t tell us
how to run it on cooking oil.
