Monthly Archives: October 2022
The Taxman Cometh . . .
Had Trouble Getting My TurboTax return e-filed this evening.
Finally got it done, but not until 10:30.
So no blog except the blog reposts.
Enjoy.
October 17, 2010
Mexican and More Mexican . . .
First off, here’s Mister really enjoying his fuzzy blankie.
Later, about 11:30 am, we met our son, Chris, his wife, Linda, & our granddaughter, Piper at Chuy’s for lunch. Chuy’s is one of our favorite Mexican places and it’s nice to have one so close by now.
About 1 pm I drove over to a client’s for some computer work. While I was there, our daughter, Brandi called and said Landon’s Baptism is set for Nov. 7th at their church in Katy. We’re really looking forward to it.
I headed back to the rig about 6:15, getting back just in time for this great sunset.
Among other great sunsets we’ve seen, is this one this past September in Elkhart, IN,
and this one in Gila Bend, AZ, less than two weeks after we first hit the road in February 2008.
I got home a little before 7, just in time to get Jan and head back out to meet out long-time friends, Bob and Maria at La Brisa about 7:15.
As usual, we had a great time talking and didn’t leave the restaurant until about 9. I think they were getting ready to close up.
Tomorrow I’ve got a bunch of errands to run and also pick up some computer stuff at Fry’s Electronics, my favorite computer store.
October 17, 2011
Mexican and Muffins . . .
After a relaxing morning of coffee and muffins, Jan and I just enjoyed the brief burst of sunny weather we woke up to today, because tomorrow we’re back to rain and more wind. Wheeee!
After lunch I headed back over to the RV/MH Hall of Fame to work on their computer system some more. And by the time I left about 4:30 I was finally starting to get a handle on the things that still need to be done..
After getting home we all headed over to El Maguey for a great Mexican meal and a lot of good conversation, getting back to the rig in time for our favorite Monday night TV programs.
And now for another installment of . . .
Things Every RV’er should have:
As a follow-up to yesterday’s post about testing your power connections using an AC Receptacle Tester, todays post will tell you how to not only test your power, but protect your rig at the same time.
To do that you need one of these. a Progressive EMS (Electrical Management System).
They have permanently mounted units like this one,
and portable, hang-on-the-pedestal models like this one.
Available in both 30 and 50 amp models, these units monitor your incoming shore power three different ways.
First, after you plug into the pedestal and flip the breaker on, the unit cycles through a number of tests on the incoming power, including voltage, frequency, and all possible mis-connections, i.e. open ground, open neutral, etc., before it applies power to the coach.
Second, it monitors the power all the time to be sure that the voltage levels stay over 104 volts, and under 132 volts. Voltage levels outside this range can damage your rig and your appliances.
Third, it acts as a surge suppressor to protect your rig from voltage surges and nearby lightning strikes, just the surge suppressor power strips you plug your computers and other electronics into.
I bought my Progressive EMS from Daryl Lawrence of Lawrence RV Accessories in Casa Grande, AZ, a month after we started our full-timing life. And in the last four years I’ve lost track of the times that the unit alerted me to problems with the power at the pedestal.
Once, on Cape Cod in 2009 the EMS gave its life in a shower of sparks to protect our rig from over 400 volts. And even though it was a weekend, Progressive overnighted me a new board to get my EMS going again. Now that’s service!
October 17, 2013
Groundhog Gate . . .
or The Ceremonial Changing of the Hoodie
Although our days have been very nice, in the high 70’s and low 80’s, our nights are getting a bit nippy, sometimes with a vengeance. Last week we were still having nights in the mid/high 70’s until the recent cold front came through.
A few nights ago the Weather Channel said the overnight low was supposed to be 62 degrees, but at 4am, it was still 77. So I’m thinking, Boy, did they screw up this forecast. But a few minutes after 4 a little north wind started up. Then the temp started falling like the bottom dropped out of the thermometer.
And by 4:30 it was 63 degrees! 14 degrees in 30 minutes. Maybe I shouldn’t have insulted their forecasting skills after all. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a drop like that.
Anyway, when Jan comes out to relieve me a little before 7am, it’s still pretty chilly, about 60 degrees, and for some reason, we only have one hooded jacket, so every morning before I go in to go to bed, we exchange the hoodie jacket outside.
In retrospect, this story was a long way to go to get nowhere.
As far as Groundhog Gate, as usual Jan has been counting the days until we head back to Houston, probably since before we even got here. So a couple of weeks ago she gleefully told me we only six weeks until we leave the gate. But after thinking for a moment I told here I didn’t think that was right, that it was more like 7 or 8 weeks. She said, No, she was sure that it was only six weeks, but she would go inside and check. Then a few minutes later, I hear some VERY unladylike language emanating from the rig. She had discovered I was right.
Then the other day she was watching a TV ad that mentioned it was only three weeks ’til Halloween, and I hear another “NNOOOOOOOOOO!”. Turned out she forgot she was watching a DVR’d show. Oops.
I told her later that this was a Groundhog Gate, where the day never changes. Trucks come in, trucks come out. It’s hot, it’s cold, it’s rainy, it’s windy. It’s just the same day, over and over and over again.
Or at least it seems like it some times.
Yesterday I finally completed a mammoth 22 hour, 1.7 GB download. And it only took me two tries. The first time it got to about 20% before it froze, but made it all the way though the second time. What I was doing was downloading the latest 2014 map update for the Garmin 1490 GPS that we use in our truck. And at 1.7 GB it’s probably the largest file I’ve ever downloaded.
They have a program called Garmin Express that, after you plug in your GPS to the computer, tells you what updates you need and sets you up to download them. The only real problem is that the Garmin Express software does not let you pause or resume the download, or pick up where you left off if you get knocked off line. So you just have to start it up and hope for the best. But it’s done for this year at least.
October 17, 2014
A Big Drop . . .
Today was grocery day so I left the rig (RV and oil) a little after 10 for B/CS about 25 miles away. But before I even got to the paved road, I had to stop and take some pictures.
I think I’d mentioned before about there being llamas along our road, but this was the first time they’d been near the fence. When I stopped the truck and got out to take a picture, a couple of them walked over to the fence, but I didn’t get any closer since I didn’t know the owner. And because they spit.
They seem to make themselves right at home among the cows. All told, there seem to be 20-30 out in the field.
Wal-Mart only took about 45 minutes since my list was pretty short, mostly because of all the Gate Food we’ve been getting from Ama’s, which as I hoped, has been delivering to the frack site that’s going to be working for another week or so.
One thing new on my list was doggie treats. If there’s a animal nearby, Jan’s going to try and feed it. Birds, deer, squirrels, and now apparently, dogs. Old Dog and New Dog will be coming around a lot more once they realize there’s treats involved.
And apparently Old Dog now thinks we belong to him. I mentioned a few days ago how Old Dog tried to run New Dog off one morning, even though New Dog is much bigger. Well, Jan said the other morning both of them showed up together, and immediately Old Dog laid down about 3 feet in front of Jan to keep New Dog away.
I think we have a new owner.
Getting back to my Wal-Mart trip, before I left there, I stopped in the McDonald’s for Ice Caramel Mochas and some pies before heading over to the Sonic out in the parking lot for Corn Dogs (Me), a Chili Cheese Coney (Jan) and Chedr Peppers (both) to bring back for lunch.
Due to one of our frack rigs moving out, the traffic was a lot lighter today, with 202 vehicles coming in, to yesterday’s 290, and 324 the day before that.
We do have a workover rig coming in there tomorrow morning, so that usually means they had a problem with the frack that they need to fix. But that shouldn’t increase our traffic too much.
Good.
October 17, 2015
A Brief Reprieve . . .
When I got up about 11 this morning, Jan was sitting in the rig watching TV.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Turns out that the company man had come by about 10, after all the equipment had rolled out, and said that we had a few days off until the workover rig comes in sometime next week. In addition, he gave us a key to lock the gate if we leave for a while.
Whoopee!
So we had a nice, quiet morning, just talking and relaxing for the first time in a good while.
Very nice!
Later, Jan and I headed out about 4:45 to have dinner once again at what’s turned out to be our favorite local place, Longhorn Grill. But first we drove down to check out the pad after everyone had pretty much pulled out this morning after the completion of Completion. But as it turned out, everything wasn’t cleared out, I guess waiting for the arrival of the workover rig.
Heading back past the rig, we crossed paths with the landowner, Mr. A. He was just doing his evening rounds, checking out things since the pullout. Told him we were heading out for dinner. We also stopped in for a few minutes with the other gate guards to see if we could bring them anything back from town.
And as our two previous visits, Longhorn was just as good as before. Jan had her 10oz. Sirloin, while I had my usual 14oz. Ribeye.
And of course, we both had a salad with their great homemade dressings.
Jan and I both agree that their salads are so good, they rank right up there with the ones from Outback Steakhouse, which are our other top favorite.
To wrap things up on a high note, we split a piece of their also-homemade Strawberry Cheesecake. And this time I managed to get a picture of it.
Compare the size of this normal single serving with those thin slivers you get at other places. YUM !
And even better, with the size of the steaks, we had a lot to take home with us, along with some of their homemade yeast rolls. This means steak sandwiches in a few days.
Coming home, we stopped off at the local HEB to pick up a few things, and maybe find a couple of items that the Wal-Mart here doesn’t carry. (Hint. HEB doesn’t either.)
Another good thing about not working for the next few days is that tonight and tomorrow night it’s supposed to be in the mid 40’s here, so it’s nice to be inside
On another note, since yesterday there’s been 131 attempts to break in to this blog. There will be nothing for an hour so, and then 15 minutes of almost constant attempts. Persistent little devils.
But they really don’t stand a chance hacking my password. Mine is 8 characters of upper case, lower case, and numbers. This gives a combination of 62 possibilities per character, i.e 26 upper case, 26 lower case, and 10 numbers.
Multiplying this out at 62 x 62x 62x 62x 62x 62x 62x 62 means they have a 1 in 218,340,105,584,896 chance to guess my password. That’s 218 Trillion with a ‘T’.
That means it would take 6,931,432 years to try every combination.
Of course they could hit the right one tomorrow, but it’s not likely..
October 17, 2016
Still Nothing Yet . . .
I waited until about 2pm without hearing from anyone before I put in a call myself. But only got voicemail.
So if I don’t hear from anyone by noon tomorrow, I start back calling some of the other numbers that I talk to earlier.
Catching Up on Small Stuff
I spent most of today finishing up my taxes on TurboTax and finally submitting them on E-File at 9:42 today.
According to the USPS Priority Mail tracking, the county auditor of Lake County, South Dakota received Jan and my Absentee Ballot Request Forms today, so hopefully we’ll get our actual ballots back later this week, or the first part of next.
When I mention that the S.M.A.R.T. software on my ASUS laptop was telling me to replace the HD soon because it was failing, several readers ask me where they could get this software, since they didn’t find it listed on Amazon.
And the reason for that is that the S.M.A.R.T. software is actually built into the HD firmware and is constantly monitoring the hardware. Now it’s not perfect because catastrophic failures are still possible. An example of this was a while back when the HD in my desktop machine suddenly died. The drive motor just froze up with no symptoms or warning.
It’s kind of like a tire pressure monitoring system on your RV. It will monitor and warn you about a slow leak, but a sudden blowout probably won’t show up before it goes “BOOM’.
Also be aware that since the S.M.A.R.T. operates at the DOS level so you’ll only get a warning when booting up and shutting down.
Several readers have ask for an update on the Zero G RV and Marine Hose that I started using a while back. It’s a flexible drinking-water safe hose that won’t kink. But though it’s flexible, it’s not expandable like the ones you see on TV. Instead it feels like canvas, like a fire hose.
And being flexible, it’s easy to just wad it up and stow it away. And no wrestling with a stiff hose when you’re trying to pack up when it’s 40 degrees outside.
The heavy duty cast aluminum couplings are nice too, and so far the hose shows absolutely no wear since we bought it in June.
Well recommended.
So tomorrow we’ll just keep circling in our holding pattern, waiting to hear from someone.
October 17, 2019
Choices, Choices, Choices . . .
Jan and I spent most of the day, on and off, talking about our proposed Alaskan Cruise-Tour next September. Or maybe I should call it a Tour-Cruise, since it starts in Fairbanks and ends up on Vancouver, B.C.
We have been trying to figure out many extra days we want to spend in Fairbanks before the cruise actually starts. We kept going back and forth on whether we wanted 4, 5, or 6 extra days. So I made an executive decision that we’ll just do 7 days extra,.
We had originally planned on staying at the Pike’s Landing Lodge, but since the cruise actually starts with a 1 one night stay at Holland America’s hotel, The Westmark, we decided to just stay there the entire so we wouldn’t have to move twice.
We had already planned to get an Inside room, based on our last Holland America Alaskan cruise back in1998. We had a outside Partial Seaview room which meant we could look out and see the feet of the people walking on the Promenade Deck and the sky behind them. Plus we were almost never in the room during the day anyway.
But on this cruise we’ve got our choice of two different Inside rooms, one Regular and one Large. The only difference is the size, with the Regular one at 151 sqft and the Large at 233 sqft.
And since the price increase is only $65/person, we’re going with the bigger one.
The next decision was about our meals. On our 1998 cruise, we only had two choices, Early Seating at 5:45pm and the Late Seating at 8pm, and a pre-assigned table.
But we really liked the Open Time/Open Seating for meals on our Viking Cruise. Of course, within a couple of days we had met up with a great bunch of people and ended up sitting with the same people at the same table anyway. But it was our choice of friends and our choice of table.
But now we have a 3rd choice, Open Time/Open Seating just like Viking. It’s the same menu, just in a different dining room.
So that’s what we chose.
October 17, 2021
Getting Immersed . . .
Jan and I decided on Gator’s from lunch this afternoon, and got to sample one of their new treats.
Margie, the owner, who we’ve known for about 30 years, has been trying expand her already-delicious menu, concentrating especially on Keto items. So she wanted us to try this new Blueberry Muffin.
It was delicious. I told Margie that if I didn’t know it was Keto, I wouldn’t know it was Keto.
From lunch Jan got the Keto Avocado Toast with a side salad instead of fries.
However they still gave her fries anyway. So I took them home.
Having a sweet tooth today I got the Stuffed French Toast with Strawberries, Sweet Whipped Cream, and Sweet Potato Fries.
Definitely not Keto, but really delicious.
Sweet tooth assuaged..
I’ve mentioned before that we’ve got two Van Gogh exhibits coming up in the next two months, the first one a week from tomorrow, on Jan’s birthday.
Called “Immersive Van Gogh”, it’s a traveling version of the original one we saw in Paris in May 2019. So we’re really looking forward to seeing this updated version.
But there is another.
Called Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, it’s a rival exhibit, both of them touring the US at the same time.
So of course we had to sign up for both of them the second one on November 21st, with
Brandi, Lowell, Landon, and Sophie coming with us.
Both of them are apparently very popular, with both sold out into December.
To find out more you can check out this comparison article.
Houston has two competing immersive ‘Van Gogh’ exhibits but only one is worth the ticket price
10 People, 4 Cars, 3 Hotels, and A
Partridge In A Pear Tree.
Well, no partridge, so how about a peacock?
After a very fun day at the Animal World & Snake Farm in New Braunfels, and then a really fun meal at Magic Time Machine last night, we wrapped things up this morning with a breakfast wrap-up at Domingo’s, a really good restaurant right on the Riverwalk.
Located in the Canopy Hotel, we all met there at 9am for a great meal, though I’m not sure quite sure about the whole Broom motif thing of the dining room.
Jan had what she said was probably the best Avocado Toast she’s ever had.
I got their Breakfast Burrito, also very tasty with egg, bacon, jalapenos, cheese, onions, and a bunch of other stuff.
Several of us got their Churro Waffles, which it seems they’re somewhat famous for.
They shared a couple of bites with Jan and I, and boy was it good.
And probably 3000 calories.
We got some time to talk with Miss Piper & Derek since they were sitting across from Jan and I.
Piper is now doing psychological counseling and interviews for prospective foster families, and is looking at starting down the Master’s/Ph.D. path. Derek is hoping to have his Master Electrician License soon. So maybe a two Master’s family.
Note no Landon or Sophie. It seems that they were still sound asleep back at the hotel. So they really missed out.
After a lot of hugs and goodbye’s, we went our separate ways from Domingo’s, with everyone ready to head home after a really fun family get-together.
Tomorrow I’ll go back and start catching you up on Saturday’s adventures.
Thought For The Day:
“Meow…or…maybe not” — Schrödinger’s cat.
October 16, 2010
Dams and Taxes, or Dam Taxes . . .
After getting home so late after the Alvin Opry, Jan and I both slept late, really late. We were lucky to be up before noon.
It’s not really the Opry that goes so late – it’s over by about 10:15 or so – but after it’s over, a bunch of us drive about 20 minutes away to an IHOP and grab a late bite to eat. Then from there it’s about 40 miles back to the rig.
Friday for me was Tax Day, since I always file for an extension. I never like to give the government my money any earlier than I have to. And because of the way I have things laid out, I only had to send them an extra $82 this year. The reason I always file for an extension is that I have read from several former IRS agents that by filing later you are less likely to be audited. So far, it’s worked for me.
Here’s the latest Landon pic. Brandi said he was sleeping soundly until Kitty, the 105 pound Black Lab, came over and woke him up. Probably with a big, sloppy kiss.
Saw in the news a couple of days ago that they’ve finally finished the new Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge. After next week when it formally opens, you will no longer be able to drive over the dam itself. Glad we got to do it several times in the last few years.
This photo shows it under construction. Note that, at this point they haven’t even started on the actual bridge roadway.
Based on what I saw I always thought it was a type of suspension bridge, like the Fred Hartman Bridge here in Houston.
But it turns out it’s not. The towers and cables were just to hold up the arch and roadway until everything was finished.
This is what the bridge looks like now.
It looks like it’ll be fun to drive over when we’re out there next year. Actually, I don’t think my wife Jan will be too happy.
I mean, what can I say. She doesn’t even like roller coasters.
And at Busch Gardens, this is considered the ‘kitty coaster’.
About 4:30 we headed up to Kemah to have dinner at Chili’s, and then after a quick stop at a client’s in Clear Lake, we did the weekly WalMart thing, and stocked up on stuff. Somehow, we keep buying stuff, using stuff, running out of stuff, and buying more stuff. It’s a viscous cycle, and personally I think ‘Big Stuff’ is behind it all. You know, like ‘Big Oil’, or ‘Big Tobacco’.
‘Big Stuff’, it makes sense, right? I mean, somebody got to be to blame.
Well, the guy didn’t move out off our old site today, so I guess he re-upped for another month. I told Jan she might as well resign herself that Site 73 is going to be our home for the next 3-4 months, and not site 80.
Here’s our old site 80.
And here’s site 73 where we are now.
Jan likes the the island out there in front of 80 because she see more birds.
We’ll have to see what happens.
Elkhart, IN
October 16, 2011
He be’s Busy . . .
Well, we’re now in our 4th day of rain and wind, and we finally got a small leak coming in under the slide. I suspect all the high wind has blown some water past the slide seals. Not enough to worry about though.
The RV/MH Hall of Fame is closed on Sunday, so since I couldn’t work there, I mostly goofed off on the Internet.
Today was a Landon-Skyping Sunday, but since he had a late nap, we didn’t get started until almost 5:30, but of course, better late than never in Landon-Skyping.
Our son-in-law Lowell got a new iPhone4S with the front and back cameras and is now using it to Skype. And the difference in picture quality is amazing.
One thing we can really see better is how much hair he actually has now, but it’s so blond it’s hard to see. Hopefully he inherited his father’s hair, and not his grandpa’s.
The other thing we noticed is how he never stops. He just runs everywhere. And this looks like something he did inherit from his grandpa.
When I was just a little older than Landon is now, my parents owned a motel on the beach at Gulf Shores, AL. One day my mother asked Annie May, one of the maids who helped her clean the cottages if she had seen me.
Annie May replied, “No, M’am, but where ever he be’s, he be’s busy!”
And so is Landon.
A little while after we finished Skyping, we headed over to the North China Buffet to meet Al Hesselbart for dinner. With the addition of King Wha, we now have two favorite Chinese places here in Elkhart.
And now for another installment of . . .
Things Every RV’er should have:
You’ve probably all seen one of these, but may not have know what it’s for. It’s a AC Receptacle Tester, and should be used any time you plug your rig into a 20 or 30 amp AC receptacle.
Of course if you plug it into 30 amp, you’ll need to use a 30 to 20 amp adapter like one of these.
But however you plug it in, it will tell you if your outlet is wired correctly and safe to use. Depending on the age of your rig, and how the outlet is wired or mis-wired, it can be dangerous to plug into an outlet that has the hot and neutral wires reversed. There can also be a similar problem if your outlet has a open ground.
Either of these conditions can possibly cause the metal in your rig to become hot and give you a shock if you touch it while grounded.
The tester is very simple to use. Just plug it in and check the 3 lights on the end.. If you have 2 yellow lights, you’re good to go. Any other pattern of lights indicates a problem. And the light code is printed on the side of the tester so It’s easy to know what’s going on.
If no lights are visible, then the outlet is dead. Used this way inside your rig, it makes it easy to find the popped GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) or circuit breaker controlling the dead outlet,
You can get a tester from Amazon for less than $8. AC Receptacle Tester
And you can also find them at your local hardware store.
If you don’ t have 30 to 20 Amp Adapter, you can get one from Amazon also.
Still In Elkhart, IN
October 16, 2012
More Chinese Food
The other day when we were visiting the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitors Center, we saw this little mini CruiseAmerica Class C. I didn’t realize they even made them this small.
The one we rented back in 2007 for our first RV trip was a good bit bigger. And it was small enough to ensure that we wanted a 40ft coach.
Our Internet access has been slow here so I decided to put up my Wilson db Pro 65 Amplifier & Antenna system to see if it would help.
After getting it set up, it does seem to have sped things up.
Tomorrow I’ll spend some time trying to aim it toward a different cell tower. I think the one we’re connecting to is overloaded, thus slowing down our speed.
Hopefully I can speed things up even more tomorrow.
Around 2pm the park guy came by to tell us that the park water would be off this evening and tomorrow due to a pump problem, and that we needed to fill our fresh water tanks to get us by.
Low water pressure has been a continuing problem since we’ve been here. Hopefully this repair will help things.
Around 5pm we all headed out for dinner, along with Janis and Lenny Thomas, on our way to Dockside Grill for some more good seafood. However when we got there we found them closed on Tuesdays. So it was back to Hunan Chinese for some more great Chinese food.
October 16, 2014
Nice, but Busy . . .
Very, Very, Busy.
Once the rain passed through the other day, we’ve had a string of very nice days, with more to come on the horizon. With temps in the mid-70’s to low 80’s, and low humidity, it makes ideal gate weather. And the nighttime temps in the 50’s still aren’t bad either.
But the gate traffic has been . . . well, let’s just say, HEAVY. But the end is in sight.
After a couple of days in the 320+ range, yesterday and today tapered off a little to around 290. But it looks like one frack job is finishing up, and they’ve already started to pull equipment out, so we should see a sharp drop-off in the next day or two. At least the sand trucks have stopped coming in for that frack. But the other frack has about another week to go, or so we’ve been told. We’ll see.
I was feeling a little under the weather this morning so no grocery run today, but I’m pretty sure I’ll go tomorrow. We’ve gotten so much delicious catered food from Ama’s that we haven’t used much of our own, so we don’t need a lot.
And according to our logs, Ama’s has been going to the frack that’s got a week to go, so hopefully our food drop-offs have a week to go also. We can only hope.
With the nicer weather, Mister is spending more time outside with me in the afternoons. Of course this is how he spends it.
Not really great company, though.
We had another cattle stampede this afternoon. A herd of them came down the road, milled around for a while, and then headed along the berm beside the rig.
Then they headed back along the fence line and out of sight.
October 16, 2015
A Last Minute Change of Heart . . .
When I got up about 10:30 am, I found that ‘Billy’ Claus had delivered my packages from Amazon. So, resisting the temptation to open the box that contained my new Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ70 camera (easy to tell which one it was because it had a big ‘Lithium-Ion Battery’ warning label on it), I opened the one with my replacement Mighty Mule Driveway Alarm in it first. Then it was off down the road to get it installed.
It only took about 5 minutes to change out the sensor and the transmitter, since I just reused the mounting poles. Getting it all squared away, I came back to the rig and plugged in the new receiver and power supply. But then in hurry up and wait mode, it was almost 15 minutes before a vehicle came past that showed it was now working. Hopefully that’ll be it for a while.
Today being Friday, it was another Wal-Mart/Lunch day. Before I went in to sleep at 7am, Jan had said she wanted a Sonic Chili Cheese Coney and an order of Ched’R Peppers for lunch, but by the time I was ready to head into Carthage about 11:15, the call of the burger was just too strong, so it was off to Whataburger instead.
The Wal-Mart here in Carthage is one of those ‘mini’ SuperCenters, so it’s laid out kind of weird, but now that I’ve finally got the hang of the place I can get in and out pretty quickly now. So I was at Whataburger by a little after noon.
But this time, for the first time, they completely screwed up our order. Jan and I each order a #6 Double Meat Whataburger Jr. w/Cheese, and I add Bacon to mine. But what we got wasn’t that.
Jan got a big Whataburger (Sr.??), but a single meat, and with no cheese. I got my Whataburger Jr., but also a single with no cheese. So, a disappointment, but still delicious.
Later in the afternoon, I finally had a chance to open the new camera box. As I mentioned before, it’s a Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ70 like this.
The first thing I did was to get the battery charging while I threaded the strap and the lens cap onto the camera. Then I perused the manual for a while, waiting to get enough charge on the battery to try it out.
And I found a lot of neat, new features, like a built-in Panorama function with a guide line to help you keep the camera level as you pan it. And I’m sure you’ve seen those ‘artsy’ shots where the subject is in sharp focus in front of a blurred background. Well without getting into a bunch technical stuff about aperture and depth of field, the FZ70 has a quick and simple way to do this on the fly. Neat.
One thing I hope they’ve improved is a better (easier) manual focus. Manual focus is usually needed when you’re trying to take picture of an animal behind cage bars or a chain link fence. The camera generally tries focus on the fence, and not on the animal. But with manual focus you can almost make the bars or fence fade out.
But the one on my old FZ28 was kind of clumsy to use. So hopefully this FZ70 will be better.
By now I had enough charge on the battery to check things out, so inserting my new 128GB memory card and the battery, I gave it a try. And I was VERY impressed.
The lens on here is really good, and the image stabilization is fantastic. I’ll have some shots in the next few days showing the difference between my old Lumix and my new one.
One thing I noticed was that the camera says that my 128GB card will hold 19,803 pictures. WOW! This is almost as many photos as we took in the entire seven years we had the FZ28 Lumix.
With that one we’ve taken 23,629 photos in that time, averaging a little more than 9 per day. Of course that’s more like 150 one day, and then none for the next week.
But it’s still a lot.
Jan had been taking a few pictures recently, some with the old camera, and some with the new one.
Here’s a sunset she took with the old camera about a week ago.
And here’s a few she took with the new one this evening when some visitors passed by. The landowner had released some cows and donkeys out into our pasture area, and Jan got a few shots as they came by the canopy. One thing to note is that it was after 7pm when these were taken with the new camera.
And a couple of donkey’s wandered by too.
The landowner’s son said the gray one is almost 45 years old. He said they bought it when he was 15, and the donkey was 21 years old. Now Billy’s in his late 30’s, and the donkey’s still going strong, although he had lost all his teeth. He looks like he’s still eating pretty good, though.
I didn’t realize donkey’s could live that long, but Google says 30 to 50 years. Who knew.
October 16, 2016
On Pins and Needles . . .
We’re still hoping to hear from the SiteWatch guy tomorrow morning, and I guess it’s possible that we could be on our way down to the Karnes City / Kenedy area tomorrow afternoon.
So I spent some time this afternoon looking over RV parks in that area in case we have move in a hurry,
Debbie Clark did post a photo of one of Gate Guard Services guard shacks (I didn’t even know that GGS had guard shacks)
Seems a little small. I really hope ours is a little larger. Someone else who works for Guard 1 says theirs is 10 x 12. Now that’s more like it.
I wonder if we’ll get a flag too.
Speaking of possibly traveling tomorrow, Miss Karma has finally gotten used to traveling in the rig. This last trip over from Lake Conroe she spent a large part of the trip sleeping on the floor between Jan and I.
Much different than her first trip from Colorado River back over to Lake Conroe right after we adopted her back in February. Then she spent the entire trip hiding under the dining table, yowling most of the time.
About 4pm Jan and I headed into Columbus to have dinner at Los Cabos, a really good local Mexican place. Earlier in the afternoon, knowing he was ‘batching’ it this week, I walked over to Dick and Judy Mott’s to see if Dick wanted to go with us, but he was otherwise occupied, but we did spend a good while before I headed back home.
Jan got her favorite Fajita Beef Stuffed Avocado, with rice and a cup of tortilla soup.
For my part, I got the Beef Fajita Poblanos, a dish I haven’t had for a while, but always really enjoy.
And of course, Los Cabos more than meets my minimum Mexican restaurant requirements.
They’ve got to have good iced tea with no off-flavors or taste.
And they’ve got to have good chips and salsa.
If they cover these, I can forgive a lot.
October 16, 2018
Starry, Starry Night . . .
About 1pm we headed out for Mt. Dora, FL, about 75 miles away. Jan wanted to check off another item on her bucket list.
She’s been wanting to see the Starry Night house, I.e. The Van Gogh house, there. (Hey, what can I say? She’s checked off so many things over the years, it’s getting to be a short list).
Initially the owners painted just the wall in front of the house with a replica of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” to please and ‘soothe’ their 25 year old autistic son. The city of Mt. Dora immediately tried to force them to paint over the wall, fining them $100 a day until it was done.
Told that the wall had to match the rest of the house, the owner’s took them at their word . . . and painted the rest of the house to match the wall.
At various times the city tried to label the house a ‘sign’ and then also ‘graffiti’. After winning a couple of initial court tussles, the Pacific Legal Foundation stepped in on the side of the owner’s, citing Free Speech rights, and the dominos started falling.
And by the time the last one ‘plopped’ down, the city was out almost $60,000 in legal fees, and paid the owner’s $15,000.
Oh, and also cancelled the $10,000 of $100 daily fees, too.
So now the house is all Van Gogh all the time.
Jan and I, both Van Gogh fans, think it’s really neat.
I wonder how our RV would look painted like that?
After hitting a couple of antique mall/stores, where Jan added to her cloud of octopuses with a couple of new additions, it was on back over to Sanford where we had dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse there.
