FC Complete RV Service - Filiberto.campos@yahoo.com

I bought this Thor Hurricane Class A Motorhome after seeing my neighbour Ernest and Nicolina’s rig. It was so attractive.  At 29 feet I could see driving it. I’d had a 40 foot fifth wheel after a smaller RV but never felt safe driving it so had a tow truck move it when I needed to.  The garage became an office and never did get used for my quad and motorcycles because you need room to lower the ramp.  My camper was good for weekends and shorter stays but after spending a couple of months last year in Southern California and Arizona I was ready for an upgrade.  

Traveland had sold me an earlier RV and provided great service. Peter and Larry who have a Tiffin  had had  great success  with Traveland.  So that’s where I found this sweet machine that was only a few years old with low mileage Traveland accepted the trade in and this has been the ‘shake down cruise’.  Everything worked on the little jaunts before this. This though has definitely been days of driving and work. 

First I hit the mirror going through the border. I was thankful I could jury rig that to be legal to get to Bellingham RV Park.  There Barry Lewis, On the Road RV Service did a masterful job of connecting the electrical so that the turning and backing cup camera worked.

Next the furnace pooped out and I was able to get by with wearing sweaters and socks till I got to  Orange Grove RV Park in Bakersfield.  There Miquel of Arias RV Service replaced a part of the furnace and heat was restored.

It is definitely ashake down cruise.   I’m putting lots of miles and wear and tear on my machine. This time I saw water supurting up under the sink so stopped using that kitchen counter sink having the washroom sink to get by.  I explored all I could but could only see where the water was coming from but not quite access it. I thought it was a loose hose clamp. I worry with each repair requirement.  

In Vancouver I ‘ve had Kelvin at Travco to rely on for any RV repairs.  Traveland does annual maintence checks but on the road I feel I need one of those vans and crews the elite use on their expeditions.  We loved watching Brad Pitt in F1 and I thought I could use a pit stop crew on this trip. Fortunately at each of the RV parks  I’ve been able to ask the owners who they’d recommend for mobile repair and sure enough I’ve been truly blessed by the people they’ve recommended.

Lisa at the Hollywood RV Park recommended Phil at FC Complete RV Service - 818-253-5980 - Filiberto.campos@yahoo.com.  

With Laura visitting  and our schedule of event I was concerned about when I could arrange the visit and worried how much it would entail.  Phil was very accomodateing and came first thing in the morning. Much to my horror he accessed and exposed that the actual drain pipe from the sink to the grey water tank had been sheered off. This was a major plumbing issue beyond my duck tape and goop capabilities. 

I really enjoyed this humble pleasant man methodically working through the problem and carefully clearing out the old pipe so 

he could install a new one with a coupling. He actually heated the new pipe to shape it to fit.  Because it’s housed in metal and doesn’t slide while the slide passes over it, it really is a tricky problem. It actually looked like someone had been in and done a previous repair. 

As an off shore solo sailor and former surgical assistant I’ve got lots of knowledge and skill with maintenance of systems.  I can jury rig like the best but really appreciate watching a master do his work. My plumber friend would have been impressed too as each bit of work required exact measurement.  

When the pipe was restored and I could turn on the tap , no leak occurred. I suspect that’s what the previous repair had been about.  Phil however had me run the slide in and out and said he heard a rubbing.  Sure enough the sink and counter had settled so that if we’d left it at that it likely would have broken  down again down the road.  Phil put in a support that ensured the slide didn’t rub against the housing for the pipe running into the grey water tank.  

With that he put all the screws back in to the places he’d taken apart to gain access.  It was a 4 hour job and he did it all masterfully.  The cost was totally reasonable too.  All the mobile RV services have been well worth it.  I was so thankful to Phil who New Year’s Eve day restored my ‘kitchen’.  

What a wonderful end to a great 2025.  I so appreciate kind people being so helpful and having become such skilled masters. Thank you Phil!!!!@

 

THE GETTY CENTRE - LOS ANGELES - Dec. 30, Tuesday, 2025

A truly spectacular art museum! The architecture is incredible with open plazas and hilltop views of all of Los Angeles. The pavilions have rooms full of paintings ,sculpture and pottery dating back to antiquity.  We were there for the baroque art exhibit and most enjoyed the impressionist and post impressions on display from the Getty collections.  

From the parking lot to the entrance a delightful little tram carried us up.  I loved the sculpture of the lying nude on the stairs.  We obtained a map from the very help information services that had guides and tours and audio self guided tours along with the Getty Centre app  

We forgot the maps and guides and just began to wander.  The rooms of European art we wandered through started in the 16th century and moved forward to the 19th.  Paintings were on the second floor of the pavilion and on the plaza floor there were the furnishings of the palaces and houses, marvellous beds and couches , tapestries, cabinets. Beautiful wordwook and crafts.

I loved recognizing painters and enjoying looking at the original of Titian and Turners. I told Laura that as a sailor I liked the ships and there was one of the most famous of ship paintings/. There was Greco and the Italians.  I love the Mother and Child paintings. When Laura and I  we were in Rome , the Louvre and British National Gallery we so enjoyed the Christian religious art. I especially love the baby face expressions of Jesus, son of God.  Some are beautific while others are so horrid and ugly they can only be the artists patron’s child.  

It was at the Chora Church in Instabul , the whole interior walls and ceilings paintings of the Biblical stories, that it became clear that as so few in medieval times read ,these paintings were like comic strips for the majority to know the Biblical stories.  The trend continues today in stained glass windows in the church.  

 

There was a magnificent couch that Laura and I felt would be perfect for watching Bosche episodes which we’ve been doing since we arrived enjoying the LA and Hollywood sights in the background of this famous cop series. 

I’ve always loved the impressionist and post impressionists since having the works of Renoir and Picasso on my poor student walls. My doctor colleague told me she had Van Gogh’s Iris poster in her first years of medical school. 

Laura and I had Getty Special Burgers with curly fries in the downstairs cafe.  What a wonderful dining experience with more 

great views and a complete selection of Mexican, Thai and American dishes. There was a restaurant upstairs and in the plaza a cafe services.  Lots of little tables and chairs for folk to sit outside and enjoy the magnificent ambience and discuss art. We loved it.

The rooms of the impressionists and post impressionists were inspirational.  Lots of Claude Monet , Eduard Manet, Renoir, Guagauin, Degas, Cezanne, and Munch. What’s so exciting is that when you begin to recognize Degas for his pictures of dancers and Gaugin for his island folk you come across a picture that defies convention.  Some also seemed so similar. They represent different periods in the life of an artist. I also learned reading the classics art book, Taschen’s Impressionism 1860-1920  by Ingo F. W. Walter that several were friends and holidayed together painting the same scenes.  This  accounted for the similarities but also allowed one to see the distinct unique vision of each.  I loved seeing Monet’s Haystacks and learning that he painted dozens of the same scene at different times of the year studying light. 

It’s a wonder seeing the portraits and wondering what someone like Van Gogh would have thought of the iPhone and selfie generations. Once when only the rich  could have portrait of a loved family member ,child or even dog. Now everyone could.  Several of the most famous impressionist portraits are of family and friends as well as lovers.  I liked seeing the Getty Callibotte because I had the Paris Street, rainy day, poster up in my student digs.  It reminded me of living in London with the umbrellas and glistening cobblestones.  In this one he has a man looking out from a balcony and the composition is so engaging. 

There were several pavilions with drawings and other exhibits but despite being there for four hours we only saw half at most of what could be seen. Definitely a place to come back to over and over again.  We were uplifted and tired at the same time. Our souls and hearts invigorated while our feet, legs and back were weary. We were glad to ride the tram down to the car and return to my Thor Hurricane Motorhome in Hollywood RV Park.