Our RV Adventures

A few days ago we were running three heaters and hugging Karma the cat to keep warm. Then yesterday and today we were running the AC’s in the rig.

You never know what to expect from Texas weather. And it’s supposed to get cold again in the next few days.

My new toy is a Harmony Home Hub

The first thing it does is allow you to control pretty much any entertainment device from your phone. But even better it allows you to set up ‘activities’ or schedules for your devices.

You can set up an activity called Play DVD. When you click it, it will turn on your TV, your DVD player and your audio system. Then it will PLAY the DVD for you.

Or you can set it to turn the TV, change the channel on your DVR and then start RECORDing. Pretty much any sequence can be programmed.

But the real reason I got it is because it will also interface with our Amazon Alexa. So that we can now turn the TV on or off, mute or change the volume, and change channels on the DVR and start RECORD strictly via voice command.

I’ve got the basics working but still have to assign names to the different activities.

More later.

About 2pm Jan and I headed up into Webster to have lunch at King Food. We once again both had a big bowl of their delicious Hot & Sour soup as well as an order of their Crispy Chicken Wings with Garlic Butter.

We were introduced to them by Brandi and Lowell when we were all together at King Food for our big Christmas Eve get-together last December. And now we get them every chance we can.

Finishing up a nice relaxing meal, we drove up to the nearby Wal-Mart for prescriptions and a few groceries. And that’s where my close call came about.

While I was waiting for Jan, I used my phone to scan my Wal-Mart receipt with the Savings Catcher App. Then I put the phone and the receipt in the bag with prescriptions. But it didn’t stay in the bag.

It fell out of the bag somewhere along the way and I missed it in the cart. And the reason I know it was in the cart is that I have a photo.

As soon as I got home and discovered it wasn’t in the pharmacy bag, or any bag for that matter, I got on my computer and went to WheresMyDroid.com. Clicking on my account and logging in, I clicked on S8+ and clicked on Location. And here’s what I saw.

My phone was still in the Wal-Mart parking lot. So I grabbed Jan’s phone and headed out the door.

At the first stop light I encountered, I clicked on Where’s My Droid’s camera icon and then clicked on Front. which got me a blank photo. Then when I clicked on Back, I got this photo.

My phone was still in the shopping cart where I left it.

By the time I got to the Wal-Mart lot my phone’s location had changed to inside the Wal-Mart, and in the approximate location of the Customer Service office.

And here you can see it sitting in a bin under the desk.

When the guy pulled it out from under the counter, he ask if I could prove it was mine. So I said, “How about I show you a photo of me on the phone?”

He said, “Sure.”

But  when I showed him this one,

but he didn’t buy it.

So I told him to look at the phone and I used Jan’s phone to take a photo of him on that phone.

He liked that one, so I headed home.

Where’s My Droid not only tracks my phones and let’s you take photos of its location, you can lock the phone remotely, even if you don’t normally keep it locked. And if worse comes to worse, you can completely wipe the phone of all your personal data, even if it’s turned off.

Once you set it, as soon as the phone is turned back on, it’s wiped.

Check it out.

A close call, indeed.

The Word of the Day is:  Vulnerary 

Thought for the Day: 

Having an opinion is not the same as having the answer. 

gsffssg

Please remember, Our RV Adventures is an Amazon affiliate. When you do your shopping through any of the Amazon links here, including the Search Amazon box in the right sidebar, it won’t cost you any more, but we’ll get a small commission on everything you buy. Just click on the Amazon link, then shop as usual. Thanks.

Plus, many of you are sharing our blog with others using the “Share this:” buttons at the bottom of each blog. Again, Thanks.

I saw an article recently that Texas set all-time electricity usage records during the recent cold snap. But unlike other areas of the country that suffered blackouts due to an overloaded grid, Texas had no such problems.

And at least part of that is due to the fact that Texas is not part of  the nationwide grid, but maintains its own network called ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas). This lets them operate without worrying about those pesky Federal regulations and much more reliably.

This record usage showed here at the RV park as well. Normally our park voltage runs between 123 and 125 volts. But during the coldest period, when we had all three of our heaters running, the voltage was running around 110 – 112 volts.

We met Chris and Linda up at the Webster Cheddar’s at 12:30, luckily getting there right ahead of the crowd, so we got right in. Miss Piper had decided that she’d rather spend the day in Galveston with friends.

Her loss.

Chris got the Cornmeal Catfish Fillets, while Linda got her favorite Chicken Pot Pie. Jan of course got her usual favorite Key West Chicken with Shrimp,

and I again got the 4 Vegetable Plate with the House Salad.

Really good. Cheddar’s does veggies as good or better than Cracker Barrel.

After a nice, leisurely meal Jan and I  had planned to go by Wal-Mart for some things, but when we came out of the restaurant, it was pouring down rain so we just headed home.

There’s always tomorrow.

Chris brought our mail with him so after we got home we gingerly sorted through it, looking for hospital/doctor bills for Jan’s recent  stay. But so far, nothing.

Keeping our fingers crossed.

Yesterday at work I was watching a two hour Youtube video concerning some new software I’m thinking about purchasing for my client, and I was about 45 minutes in when I stopped to head home.

Then this afternoon I thought I’d pick up where I left off, but thinking I’d have to start and stop until I found the right starting point. But to my surprise, when I called it up here at home, it started up at the exact point where I stopped it at work.

Remember, they’re always watching.

The Headline of the Day: People are four times as likely to order dessert when their waiter is overweight.

So I need to find skinnier waiters?