Current Location: Grassy Pond Military Recreational Area, Lake Park, Georgia

On Sunday, we ran over to Lowe’s Home Improvement after measuring our outdoor kitchen refrigerator to check on a refrigerator we saw there that was liked. There was nothing wrong with ours, but we just didn’t like the layout nearly as much as the one at Lowe’s.

We took our tape measure with us to the store even though we had taken a picture of the measurements on the box the last time we had looked at it. The refrigerator that our unit came with is 22 inches deep and there is almost no slack at all between it and the exterior door. At most, we could put something in that was 22 1/4 inches deep.

The original refrigerator

When we got to Lowe’s, the display refrigerator was only about 21 1/2 inches deep, so we shrugged at the 23″ measurement listed on the box and put a box on a cart and took it up front to pay for it. We got back to the trailer and removed the current refrigerator and mounted the new one to the base that the old one was mounted on. Since the new refrigerator was taller, it was a struggle getting it through the door and into the unit, but we finally got it in. That’s when we realized that the refrigerator in the box (which looked slightly different than the display model) was, indeed, 23 inches deep. The door was not going to shut with it in there. We really should have measured it before going to all that effort.

Working on the base

So, everything went back into the box and we took the box back over to Lowe’s. It was obvious that the floor model was not the same exact refrigerator that was in the box. When we went to the return desk at Lowe’s, we asked if we could buy the floor model since we knew it would fit. The clerk there told us to talk to the appliance manager. We did and she said that would be fine. It would be considered a new unit and would carry the full factory warranty. Plus, she gave us a $25 discount on it.

We took the display model up front and finished up the refund and payment for the new refrigerator. We took the new one back to the trailer and just stuck it inside the door since we were headed to meet David and his friends for lunch. We left the old refrigerator in the truck to take to the base to give to one of David’s friends who had mentioned it would be nice to have his own small refrigerator in his room (since he shares a full-size refrigerator with three other airmen).

We met them all for lunch at Sonny’s Bar-B-Q, then headed onto base to drop off the refrigerator and say goodbye to the guys. Back at the trailer, the new refrigerator went right in, as we suspected. It fits just like a glove. Loading stuff back into it, we already liked the layout a lot better.

It fits!

Much nicer layout and a real freezer, too.

With the refrigerator in place, we went to Panera Bread for dinner and Target to pick up a couple items, then back to the trailer to finish packing up for Monday’s move.

Today we were on the road before 8:00 AM. Traffic was a bit heavy in Panama City Beach, but not terrible. We headed north on US 231 to I-10, then east to Tallahassee. We took US 319 north out of Tallahassee and US 84 east to Valdosta, Georgia. Then, south on I-75 to almost the Florida border to get to the Grassy Pond Fam Camp for Moody AFB. We have Heartland friends (Becky and Jeremy, otherwise known as the Crowded Camper bunch) who are military and they got us in the campground for two nights.

Grassy Pond

After we got set up, Becky brought Chick-Fil-A out to the campground and we had lunch on the picnic table, since it was a balmy 78 degrees outside. After we ate, we gave a brief tour of the trailer then headed down to finish getting checked in. Becky dropped us off to pick up her daughter from school. We freshened up a bit, then headed over to their house for a spaghetti dinner and an enjoyable visit.

We plan on hanging around with them tomorrow. Jeremy is a pilot and was flying this evening, so we didn’t get to see him. He will be around most of the day tomorrow.

License plate states were a bit thin today. We were mostly on US routes and traveling a day after everyone was going home after the holidays (probably a good call on our part). 19 out of 51 plates gathered today.

License Plates