Ken, the starter went out of the MH :(

OM! OM! OM! Well, yesterday, (Sunday) we leisurely got up, had breakfast, watched a movie and decided we'd leave about 11 am. Ken went outside to do "his thing" and I did "my thing" in the house. One of my things is to start the MH, let it idle then drop the jacks in preparation for takeoff. I do this because I "have memory to remember each step". Thus, I sat down, turned the key and nothing. Okay let's start this again. Turn key to the right. Nothing. Ken comes to the door and then goes back, opens the hood and does some wriggling, stomping, banging and each time says "try it now"; "ok, try it now". This went on for about 1/2 hour. He comes to the door and says "Well, the starter has finally gone out. I'll have to drop it out and get it rebuilt. " Then he came into the house, sat down and took a nap. We've been having problems off and on all summer so we were not surprised. We also were not particularly upset at the schedule being thrown off. What better place to be than in the back of an Elk's Lodge, on WARM black pavement and Ken won't kill himself getting this done. Well, it took the rest of the afternoon with him banging on metal; grunting; dropping things on his face so that today he looks like Roddy on the movie Planet of the Apes, much muttering and "hand me that 3/8" kumquat on the hex things with the extension on it". My roll was to sit in the sun, reading my CJ Box book, going hmmm; that's too bad; are you bleeding bad and handing him "stuff". I diligently got on the internet; looked up starter "doctors"; found the addresses; plotted them out on Streets and Trips and got ready to do the laundry tomorrow while we waited for it to be rebuilt. Bright and early today we started out at 7:45. After 35 miles (in town and all around) we found a very nice little alternator/starter shop. We left there and went another 43 miles from place to place looking for these "special" bolts. We found them; went and got the laundry done; picked up the starter at 4 pm and returned to the MH. Ken couldn't lift it up so I found some rope and we jury-rigged it up so that I could pull it up as he guided it. Well at darkthirty we finished. The TIME HAD COME! "OK, try it now." NOTHING! Wriggle, pound. "Try it now". NOTHING! Wriggle, mutter. "Try it now." "NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING!" I sit in the driver's seat and say a little prayer. We did the try it now a few more times. I look down at the gear shift. Hmmmmmmmm! I get up and VERY QUIETLY walk out and mutter, "Honey, ahhhhh is this thing ahhhh like a car? Uhhhh, if I left it in R (I now think this means RETARDED.) uhhhhh would that affect it starting? He very quietly says, "Well, go take it out and see." YUP! It spun quicker than a button on an outhouse door! Started right up!" The long and short of this is - I no longer can mutter at Ken when he drives, stops, forgets to take it out of gear, gets up and walks away. Hmmmm! You know, it takes two of us to wander down the road. I drive; he navigates. SO tomorrow we head out to Las Vegas 48 hours late! Who cares; our plans are written in JELL-O anyway. Let the adventures continue!