Dry Camping. Solar Panel Theft. Solo Women RVers. Amazon. Fuel Line To Genny. Egress. Off-Grid Washer. Cherokee Phoenix. Washington Monument. Malcolm X.

 

For “tRaVersing Thursday, or RV day”:

Basic tips for "dry camping"

”Dry camping, camping without utility hookups, requires special preparations -- and that includes wise use of electricity. Here are a few basic energy-saving tips for getting you started.

•When not in use, turn off all appliances, lights, radio, TV and anything else that requires electricity.
•Turn off your porch light.
•Coordinate your generator use with power-hungry devices. For instance, schedule your showers (the water pump uses power), furnace use, and use of microwave, coffee marker and other appliances at a certain time when your generator can power them all at once. This also charges your batteries.
•In cold weather, dress warmly: save your heater. Its fan gobbles power.
•Rise and retire with the sun. This saves power for lighting.
•If you read in bed, use a small rechargeable battery-powered reading light.
•Monitor your house batteries charge with a voltage meter so you don’t run them down too low, which can damage the batteries. Deep cycle batteries are considered fully charged at about 12.6 volts and completely discharged at 10.6 volts. Recharge before they get below 60 percent, or about 12.0 volts.”   By Bob Difley
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How to prevent your solar panels from being stolen

“Reports from around the sunny side of the nation show that theft of solar panels is on the increase. Some brazen thieves are marching into yards and removing the precious panels from sticks and bricks homes, but RV solar panels are attractive as well. Read more.”

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Solo Women RVers:

“Travel writer Joei Carlton Hossack of Surrey, British Columbia, has been RVing solo for more than two decades. Read more about her.

She first hit the road in 1989 with her husband, Paul. They bought a class B in England and traveled for 2-1/2 years throughout Europe and parts of Africa.  "Sadly," she said, "he died unexpectedly of a heart attack in a German campground on that trip. He was only 52."

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Temp Jobs Available with Amazon

“When e-commerce giant Amazon built its huge new fulfillment centers, the smart and mobile RV work force was high on its list of potential employees. Where else could they find armies of able, motivated workers who wanted temporary jobs and who could bring their housing with them? CamperForce was born. Read more.”

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Tapping generator fuel from motorhome's tank

Dear Gary,
”Is it possible to connect a fuel line from the gas tank directly to the generator that I have added to my 23-foot Honey motorhome? Can we do it ourselves? I've been looking for any technical help for so long. Hopefully, you are the right one.” --Marciano, (Savannah, GA)    Read Gary's response.

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Do you have a RV emergency escape plan?

“When we plan a trip in our RV we tend to think about all of the good aspects of the upcoming adventure. Where we are going, what we'll do when we get there, and all of the things we will see and experience along the way. What we don't really think about is what if something happens during the trip and everybody needs to exit the RV in a hurry. What if there is a fire? What if the entry door is blocked and you can’t get out. What’s the plan? Is there a plan?” Read more.

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Bill's Hints    Pilot light
“Unless you are using your oven a lot, leave the pilot light turned off when you are not cooking.  It uses a surprising amount of propane.”

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Random RV Thought
”A sandwich eaten in your RV at a highway rest stop is ten times better than a meal at a fast-food place. There is something extra special about being able to pull over, stretch your legs, prepare your meal, and then dine at your own table. It's fun to watch all the people scurrying about in the rest area, too.”

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Off Grid Laundry.

“This is how we wash clothes using a 5 gallon bucket and plunger as an agitator.”

“You forgot something, the reason why your plunger is sticking to the bottom is because you haven't cut holes in the plunger to allow the water to flow....cut three round medium size holes in the largest part of the plunger and VIOLA the water will flow through and won't stick to the bottom............”

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“Demonstrating our bucket washer. 5 minutes per cycle, one wash, one rinse, 2 gallons or less of water per cycle. Use the rinse water for the next wash cycle.”

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Mobile Washer (Hand Operated Washing Machine)

$14.95    “This washer uses a technique of pushing and pulling the water through the clothes without excess friction (which also reduces the wear on your clothes). This washer uses minimal water and because of the agitation motion, less soap.” http://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Washer-Operated-Washing-Machine/dp/B003SQ7I5S

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So how do you wring out the clothes?

“Laundry press. Press out the water before hanging on the line.”

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On This Day:

Cherokee receive their first printing press, Feb 21, 1828:

“The first printing press designed to use the newly invented Cherokee alphabet arrives at New Echota, Georgia.

The General Council of the Cherokee Nation had purchased the press with the goal of producing a Cherokee-language newspaper. The press itself, however, would have been useless had it not been for the extraordinary work of a young Cherokee named Sequoyah, who invented a Cherokee alphabet.

Ridiculed and misunderstood by most of the Cherokee, Sequoyah made slow progress until he came up with the idea of representing each syllable in the language with a separate written character. By 1821, he had perfected his syllabary of 86 characters, a system that could be mastered in less than week. After obtaining the official endorsement of the Cherokee leadership, Sequoyah's invention was soon adopted throughout the Cherokee nation. When the Cherokee-language printing press arrived on this day in 1828, the lead type was based on Sequoyah's syllabary. Within months, the first Indian language newspaper in history appeared in New Echota, Georgia. It was called the ‘Cherokee Phoenix’.

In recognition of his service, the Cherokee Nation voted Sequoyah an annual allowance in 1841. He died two years later on his farm in Oklahoma. Today, his memory is also preserved in the scientific name for the giant California redwood tree, Sequoia.”

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Washington Monument dedicated, Feb 21, 1885:

“The Washington Monument, built in honor of America's revolutionary hero and first president, is dedicated in Washington, D.C.  Three years later it was opened to the public, who were permitted to climb to the top of the monument by stairs or elevator. The monument was the tallest structure in the world when completed and remains today, by District of Columbia law, the tallest building in the nation's capital.”

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Malcolm X assassinated, Feb 21, 1965:

“In New York City, Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights.”

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Yesterday:

Apart from the usual chares, and taking care of Miss Priss after her surgery, I spent a lot of time comparing products and trying to decide which kind of ‘permanently affixed heater’ to buy.

 

One reason Miss Priss wouldn’t  settle down is that she didn’t want the pink fluffy soft bed in there, she wanted the old beige one.  Picky, picky!!

I had just about decided to go with a Mini Split Air and Heat, when one of the local HVAC companies finally returned my call.  I was under the impression that it cost about $500 to get one installed, but he burst my bubble when told me it was more like $1000-1500!  Back to square one.

Miss Priss acts like she had never had any surgery and was so anxious to get out of her big cage that I let her out to play in the Grooming Room this morning.  But I did make sure that there were things that she could step on to get to higher places. She is what is referred to as a ‘tree cat’, and likes to be high up.

Satchmo prefers his high-up place looking out of my bathroom window during the day, but at night time he comes out and sleeps on the end of my bed.  He is so sweet, and gradually gaining weight. 

The weather is still chilly in the mornings and then warms up to a lovely, warm, sunny, windows-and-doors-open day.