Hi to everyone at the Barthmobile and a blessed and healthy new year.
It's been sometime since I've been at the "site" but those who know me know I live in Port Charlotte,Fl home of hurricane Charley and the three that followed. We filled the diesel fuel,reg.gas,lp gas, water and the cabnets. We were ready to roll and then the weather man kept saying it looks like land fall will be around Tampa. Hey- thats 200 miles away lets stay. Our house was built in 1956 and every inside wall is made of concrete block and we have a new 4-12 roof over a flat roof. We been thru two other hurricanes we will be safe. As hurricane Charley was about us in full force we still felt safe till we heard the front door howling like something out of a movie- then came the loud noise of something trying to knock the front door down- I knew something was different and grabbed my wifes arm and said quick get into the hallway. She yelled out "oh my gosh look at the Barth". When I looked out I saw the left wheels of the Barth had raised about a foot off the driveway and was rocking to the point it looked as if it was going to go over and at the same time was moving in a snake like motion and then just that quick it sat back down. The howling and thumping front door was quiet. Later we found that a tornando had touched down just three blocks away. We had to live in the Barth for 14 days as the house had no electric and you had to boil water for drinking. The ac was also real nice at night. The Barth took 40+ hits to all sides and the roof. The stand pipe vent was sheared off at the roof. The drivers mirror spun down and smashed the extra turn signal, someones metal porch roof smashed into one of the driving lights breaking the glass and leaving marks on the front of the Barth. The heating wires for the mirror pulled out. The plastic trim on the left side was ripped off and there are numerous dents on the roof and roof edge. The front windshields were marked from roof shingles and one side window glass needs to be replaced. The good news is Foremost Ins. company has been great and the Barth is now at a body shop. They are stripping all the paint off and it gets the aluminum etched and then a new paint job and glass. I was thinking of changing the paint scheme however so many people including to paint shop said to leave it the "classic Barth paint scheme-- so it's staying all original. The amazing thing is we had no water leaks in the Barth even tho the front windshields had tried to blow out as the rubber molding was pushed out about half an inch. Well we did have a flood in the bathroom but thats only after we started to use the water in there. We had a broken water line to the toilet, basin and shower. We had to pull out the bathroom carpeting. I had to get safety inspection of the underside and everything was found to be ok except for a small oil leak from the generator. It appears to a hairline crack in the gen.motor mount. The only way to find it is to pull it out and then have it magnafluxed. I may try JB weld on it first. As I said it's hard to keep a good Barth down, it did a lot better then my airplane of 10 years, which was a total loss.
Hey guys ans gals thanks for letting me bend you ear. Jim

Well, thanks for sharing this event. Sure sounds as though you two had some scary montents. Most of all we are thrilled things are working out and that you are safe. Wow, another chapter in your life, and one we are sure you wish not to repeat. Bless you. Dale and Sharon

Jum: I was still living in Cape Coral, FL when you were having your engine replaced. How is the new power plant? We decided to move to Tennessee before the hurricanes hit but were delayed in moving when "Charlie" did some minor damage to the house. Come on up to the hills of Tennessee, you'll love it..............carl

THE TOY 88 33' Regal SE Coach #3448

To Dale & Sharon- You hit it right on the nail. We don't wish to repeat that event again.
To Carl-I have a friend that retired just over a year ago and moved to TN from FL and he & his wife love it there. They too want us to visit them. If we ever head that way we'll stop by and say Hi in person.
About the Barth, the used engine runs great and the extra 25 hp did make a difference. We made two trips up to North Carolina to visit my daughter/son-in-law and grand kids and the Barth ran just like a new one. On the way back we stopped in to see an old friend we meet in South Carolina about 6 yrs ago when we made a precautionary landing (due to bad weather) at an airport he manages. Well this time he allowed us to pull the Barth into a large open hanger facing the runway, hook up to the water & electric and we stayed there for three days. I even went flying in his plane. Carl, we are thinking about moving to North Fl, S.Alabama or S.Georgia maybe S.Carolina. The wife says she would like to check TN out even tho I don't know if I could handle that cold weather. Hey I've been here since 1970. Let me know about your area. Jim

HI Jim & Barb, So far you're closest to home on the site. We sweated it out up here in Venice but didn't get much compared to Charlotte County. I'm a drywall contractor and I've been pretty busy down your way. We've done a lot in Deep Creek, Harbor Hieghts, and Edgewater west of 41. Every job we do seems to generate four or five more, but we can only do so much. I don't think most ppeople realize what a mess it still is down there. I took Suzy through Harbor Hieghts soon after Christmas and she was awestruck at the devastation still evident. I was very lucky with the Barth during the storms. I picked it up from some service work up in Lakeland the day before Jeanne came across and they had a ton of damage to units that were parked right where my Barth was. If you or any friends need drywall service, let me know. I know how hard it is to get anything done right now. My number is listed. What area of Port Charlotte are you in? Welcome [back] to the site.

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Dan & Suzy Z
'81 Euro 28

We just got back from getting our mobile home ready for sale in Lake Wales Fl. Hurricane Charley started the damage on our trailer and Hurrican Jeanne did the final damage. Hurricane Francis just blew by. We were actually lucky that there was not more damage. They had to completed destroy one mobile home in our park and there is still considerable damage to others in our park. I am sorry to say that the trailer is now sold so we just have our home in Indiana and our Barth. Who needs an extra home when you can live in the Barth when we go south.

I am glad the other Floridians got through all the Hurricanes. Yes there is still a lot of damage that may never be repaired.

Mel and Penny

To: Jim & Barb Too long to give the whole story but my move to Tennessee was mainly due to lack of parking "THE TOY" at home because of code requirements. Although it all started humorously, I gave serious thought to the rapid growth of Cape Coral, 130 thousand people,needs 22 new schools in 10 years,traffic was a killer, million dollar homes popping up, the heat, the rainy season, etc. Sooo, like you folks I started considering spending my Golden Years with my Barth somewhere else. Cookeville, TN was mentioned to me and I started checking it out on the internet. I'm sure there are many more locations to choose from but Cookeville has just about all we need. Excellent medical needs,small town atmosphere with all the amenities you like. You live in the country (lots of open land) and can still drive into town in 8 to 10 minutes. I'll admit it's been colder than I expected but from the TV stations to the local residents,all claim this is the coldest winter in 40 some years. Several RV owners tell me they don't get picky-uneun about winterizing their coaches because the lower temps don't last more than 10 to 12 hours. It's great to go out for the paper each morning and see my Barth in the driveway. You get a lot of "Bang" for the "Buck" in this area when you buy a home. I'll send you some picture of our home(via E-Mail)with a few details........carl

THE TOY 88 33' Regal SE Coach #3448

To: Dan & Sue Your very lucky to have moved your Barth when you did or it too could have been badly damaged. We drove up to Sarasota today and checked on ours. They have the new silver paint on it and masking it for the stripes. I could not believe it was our coach. I told them don't rush it- we are in no hurry. Body shop guy said the roof around the edges were a real mess and they were still working on that part.
We live on Ferris Dr. off Elkcam thats just about three blocks from where Huricane Charley's tornando leveled the hardware store and a house behind it. No one can realize the destruction until you drive thru it. When my daughter called from N.Carolina to check on us she keep saying oh Punta Gorda looks bad. I said to her no Robbin, it just isn't Punta Gorda-it's all of Charlotte County and then into Desoto Co.
Block after block ,mile after mile. One has to be here to believe it.
To: Mel & Penny Sorry to hear about your mobile home, but I am glad your Barth is ok.
Your so right about just enjoying the Barth and staying in it when you travel down here.
Wed. we just got our new privacy fence in around the back yard. "Charley" took our old one and left one section of someone else's in the side yard after knocking two 24" holes in our roof. Happy and safe traveling to all. Jim & Barb

Just an update on our 85 Regency.
It should have been ready two weeks ago but got a call from Guardian glass that they could not put the new windshields in as there is a problem in the upper portion of the windshield opening. I called the bodyshop they said the Barth is painted and ready to go except for this problem. So wife & I drive 40 miles to see-- whats up--.
It seems water had been getting in behind the windshield molding in the top corners it had rusted the metal lip edge and when the Barth dropped or twisted it broke free causing hidden damage in that area(Barth owners make sure that seal is tight). The solution is to grind out all the old rust and fabicate a new lip edge for the rubber molding, rivet it in place, grind to shape and seal the metal & aluminum with a bodyshop version of JB weld to the tune of an additional $750. The other way was to remove the front cabinets and headliner and weld the part in place(which I turned down).
The Barth looks(as Tony the tiger sez) gggrreeaat.It does look like a new one and can't wait to get it home. I called my ins. company and they advised they would cover the additional charge. I'm not a spokesman nor am I getting any kick back for this comment-- American Federation Ins. Co (Foremost Ins.Group) has been excellent. The disaster adjuster( Mitch Bull) has been on top of my phone calls and quick with sending the checks for the repairs. They rate 20 on a scale of 1 - 10. Enough said.
Jim