South Texas

By Uncle Hans

  .........we visited our friends, Ed and Judy the first aft/evening and went out to eat, catching up on all the news in the medical world (Ed is a "retiring" anesthetist whom I worked with for 30 years).

  The next day we went the 5 miles to Mexico and went shopping. 

       No, I successfully resisted the urge to buy this gorgeous sombrero, but we succumbed to this ceramic wall hanging.  We have been looking for something to fill a big blank space on the brick wall facing the lake at home.................

   ......The next day we started the long trip back.  Renee quickly came to enjoy the RV lifestyle.  She crocheted.

She napped.  She spent a couple of hours with the local newspaper and enjoyed the real estate section.  She snacked and made sandwiches for me.  She played with the bird............

By Uncle Hans

 

Shakedown

By Uncle Hans

Our RV maiden voyage got off to a weird start.  Our friends in Texas got word of a visit from one of their kids for the weekend and so we left a little early so as not to conflict with them.  That meant leaving from work at Grantsburg.

     That meant taking the RV to work......

     That meant taking Renee as well.......

     That meant taking the bird, Tinker, as well.......

Renee and Tinker got to hang out in the Doctor's Call Room until I got done.  Then we left from there as it is 45 miles on the way to  Texas from our house............

   ........the route is weird as well.  We drove for 24 hours straight........
               ..............and never looked at the map!
It is literally straight down I35 all the way to the Mexican border (almost).

This is sunset in Iowa.  If you look closely, you can see the windmill farm we were passing by....................

.....we ate the Chex mix that Renee had made before we left.  We also had sandwiches made fresh, used the onboard bathroom, and stopped for gas only.  We averaged 66.67 mph, which is damned near impossible if you have ever tried it.  (that is 1600 miles divided by 24 hours).  We averaged 14.8 miles per gallon of gas (not diesel).  I was disappointed as the Rialta is reputed to get 20-22 mpg.  I would guess that is achieved on level smooth roads at 60 mph and 75 degrees.  We were at 75 mph or more, and the weather was not favorable, so I guess I should not complain..............

By Uncle Hans

Outfitting

By Uncle Hans 

Outfitting!   A "new" RV calls for outfitting or rigging.  So off to Walmart we went with a long list that got longer as we waded through their RV and camping sections  These are some of the bags that came home with us, with more added in subsequent trips.  The Rialta has a trunk, which needs filling............

........so fill it we will.  Tool kit, 12volt inflator, potable water hose, camping chairs, window washing fluid, and on and on.  I moved the "poop chute" from the trunk to the special storage port in the generator bay.........

 

  ..... speaking of "poop chute", I was amazed at a feature this late model Rialta has that the earlier models did not.  This outside wash station with hot and cold water and a showerhead.  It is located on the opposite side from the door, which I thought was strange.  Wouldn't you need it near the door so you could hose off your feet?  Well, when you drop the showerhead and it hits the ground.............it lands next to the grey and black waste outlet!
    Now I get the location!

..............We are rigging in the special RV stall in the garage, but the temp is usually about 45 degrees.  Renee enjoyed finding a place for each and every thing.  I didn't have the heart to tell her that the hair blower won't work unless we are parked and plugged into 110 or the generator is running............

  ..........Renee thought it would be fun to have Chex Mix from her mother-in-law Bert's recipe. So she made up a couple large batches to munch on for the trip to Texas ............

  .....then we got a really hair-brained idea.  Let's take our parakeet, Tinker, on our maiden voyage.  That will take more rigging, but we got a cage and filled it with stuff for him to play with.  Of course, his playground has to go along, too......

  .....so the trunk is full.  Or, rather, as full as it gets.  One advantage to driving is you can buy some wild souvenirs if you so choose.  In Florida we bought a flowering cactus and a 50lb concrete sea turtle.  So you need to leave a little trunk space......

    More on the Texas shakedown cruise after we get back ...................

By Uncle Hans

KINDLE AUTHORS

ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THE KINDLE REVOLUTION IS THAT IT HAS BROUGHT ON A TON OF NEW AUTHORS.  YOU CAN STILL BUY AND READ YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS AND BOOKS, BUT YOU’LL PAY $15 FOR EACH BOOK.

TODAY ON THE INTERNET ANYBODY AND THEIR BROTHER CAN PUBLISH AN E-BOOK. HEY, UNCLE HANS, YOU GOT A SPOONER SNOWMOBILE MURDER MYSTERY ROLLING AROUND IN YOUR HEAD?

AFTER YOU WRITE YOUR NEW BOOK, YOU UPLOAD IT TO THE KINDLE STORE AND PURE CAPITALISM TAKES OVER. YOU RECIEVE A PERCENTAGE ON EVERY BOOK SOLD TO A KINDLE READER.

MANY NEW AUTHORS START WITH THEIR FIRST BOOK PRICED AT .99 CENTS, AND THEN SELL THE SEQUEL AT $2 OR $3 DOLLARS. SIMPLE, IF YOUR BOOK IS ANY GOOD, IT SELLS LIKE HOTCAKES AND READERS WANT MORE, OR IF YOUR BOOK IS A PIECE OF SHIT IT DOESN’T SELL.

TWO RV BLOGGERS THAT I READ DAILY HAVE BECOME FICTION AUTHORS, NICK RUSSEL AND BRIAN GORE. I BOUGHT AND READ NICK’S FIRST BOOK, BIG LAKE, FOR .99 CENTS AND IT WAS A PAGE TURNER, WHO DONE IT? WILL I COUGH UP $2.99 FOR THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES? YUP.

(THE CURRENT “DOORS AND DRAWERS” SCORE: 18 DONE, AND 32 TO GO.)

KINDLE

MARY IS THE READER IN CAMP, AND LATELY SHE’S BEEN COMPLAINING THAT HER EYES GET TIRED FASTER, AND I NOTICED THAT A LOT OF HER LIBRARY BOOKS ARE THE LARGE PRINT EDITIONS.

I DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND BUY A KINDLE SINCE YOU CAN ADJUST THE SIZE OF THE FONT.  TODAY KINDEL’S RANGE FROM $79 - $199. THE $199 KINDEL FIRE WAS THE HOTTEST SELLING ITEM AT AMAZON FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON, I SELECTED THE MORE CONSERVATIVE $99 KINDLE TOUCH.

THE KINDLE CAME IN THE MAIL IN A WEEK, AND WAS WAS ALREADY REGISTERED. THE FIRST TIME IT HOOKED UP TO THE INTERNET ON WI-FI, MY NAME CAME UP IN THE CORNER.

I HAVE A WEBSITE THAT LISTS FIVE FREE BOOKS EVERY AFTERNOON, AND WITH A COUPLE OF CLICKS THE BOOKS DOWNLOAD WIRELESSLY TO THE KINDLE, IT’S LIKE MAGIC.  OLDER CLASSICS, OUT OF COPYRITE, ARE FREE, AND THERE ARE LOTS FREE BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM THE KINDLE STORE ON THE INTERNET.

MARY IS GOING TO BE TAKING A CLASS AT THE LAUGHLIN LIBRARY WHERE SHE WILL LEARN TO BORROW KINDLE BOOKS FOR FREE FROM THERE ALSO.

THE LARGE PRINT AND EASY TO READ SCREEN HAS BEEN AN EYE SAVER.

(THE CURRENT “DOORS AND DRAWERS” SCORE: 10 DONE, AND 40 TO GO. THE BATHROOM IS DONE, WE’RE HEADED TO THE 10 IN THE BEDROOM NEXT.)

SO YOU WANT A BENGAL KITTY?

WHEN I FIRST GOT OUR NEW BENGAL CAT LAST OCTOBER I SOON GAVE A SWEEPING ENDORSEMENT OF THE BREED AND HOW DESIRABLE THESE FUN LOVING CATS ARE.

BUT ON THAT FIRST WEEK-END IN GREEN BAY THERE WAS ONE PERSON WHO CAUTIONED ME ON HOW PESKY A BENGAL CAT CAN BE.  IT WAS RENEE, WHO TOLD ME A STORY OF SOMEONE SHE KNEW THAT HAD A BENGAL CAT THAT SOON BECAME ABUSED BECAUSE OF BEING INTO EVERYTHING AND EVERYWHERE.

NOW THAT WE’VE HAD A BENGAL CAT IN THE HOUSE FOR FOUR MONTHS I’M REMEMBERING HER WARNING, AND I’M BACKING OFF ON MY BLANKET ENDORSEMENT.  BENGALS REALLY LOVE PEOPLE AND IF YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO SPEND WITH THEM THAT WILL BE A PROBLEM.

BENGAL CATS ARE WAY TOO INTERESTED IN FOOD.  IF YOU THINK A KITTY CAT SHOULDN’T BE ON YOUR KITCHEN TABLE OR COUNTERS, A BENGAL MAY NOT BE THE CAT FOR YOU.

BENGALS THINK THEIR FRONT PAWS ARE HANDS AND LOVE TO PICK THINGS UP OR BAT THINGS AROUND. FOR EXAMPLE THEY MAY JUMP UP ON THE DESK AND BAT THE COMPUTER MOUSE ON THE FLOOR, OR YOUR CIGARETTES.  IT REMINDS ME OF A HOKEY PLAYER SLAPPING THE PUCK ON THE ICE.

THIS ALL LEADS TO SOME CHANGES AROUND YOUR HOUSE.  THE FIRST TIME WE LEFT “AZ” HOME OVER NIGHT AND DIDN’T COME HOME HE CHEWED THROUGH A CARDBOARD BOX OF VANILLA WAFERS, AND THEN CHEWED UP ALL THE COOKIES.  IT LOOKED LIKE IT HAD SNOWED COOKIE CRUMBS THOUGH OUT THE FRONT HALF OF THE CAMPER.

THE SECOND TIME, HE CHEWED OPEN A BRAND NEW PACKAGE OF COOKIES AND DID THE SAME THING.  YOU’RE GOING TO BE CAT-PROOFING YOUR HOUSE. NEVER LEAVE FOOD ITEMS OUT ON THE COUNTER.

OUR BENGAL KITTY HAS TIGHTLY BONDED TO REX.  WHEN I’M HOME, HE IS ALWAYS THERE.  HE FOLLOWS ME AROUND FROM ROOM TO ROOM, IF I’M ON THE ‘PUTER OR WATCHING TV HE’S IN MY LAP. FINALLY TWO WEEKS AGO HE GAVE UP SLEEPING WITH ME OVER NIGHT AND CURLS UP IN HIS CAT BED.

BENGALS DON’T REQUIRE THE NORMAL 16 HOURS OF SLEEP PER DAY. “AZ” IS READY TO GO ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT, AT LEAST FOR ONE DAY.  OUR SECOND DAY OFF HE NEEDS AN AFTERNOON NAP.

TWO OTHER PROBLEMS THAT ARE COMMON TO BENGALS ARE JUMPING ON PEOPLES SHOULDERS, AND EXCESSIVE TALKING.  WE DON’T HAVE EITHER OF THESE PROBLEMS, “AZ” DOESN’T DEMAND THINGS VOCALLY AND IS A QUIET CAT.

SO IF YOU’RE GONE FROM HOME DAY AND NIGHT I WOULDN’T RECCOMEND A BENGAL KITTY.  IF YOU DON’T WANT THAT PRETTY SPOTTED FUR BALL IN YOUR FACE FOR EVERY PROJECT YOU DO ALL THE TIME, DON’T GET A BENGAL.  IF YOU DON’T LIKE PICKING UP AFTER SOMEONE, DON’T GET A BENGAL.

PERSONALLY I WOULDN’T GIVE UP “AZ” THE BENGAL KITTY FOR ANYTHING. HE IS TRUELY MY BUDDY FOREVER.

 

(THE CURRENT “DOORS AND DRAWERS” SCORE: 9 DONE, AND 41 TO GO.) 

DOORS AND DRAWERS

WE HAD SUCH GOOD LUCK LAST SUMMER AND FALL APPLYING VARNISH (SPAR URETHANE) TO THE STEPS, CABINETS, AND FURNITURE ON THE PORCH, THAT I DECIDED TO TRY IT ON ONE OF THE INSIDE CABINET DOORS.

I PICKED ONE WAY BACK IN THE CORNER IN THE BATHROOM, SO IF I SCREWED IT UP NOBODY WOULD EVER NOTICE. I SCRUBBED, SANDED AND VARNISHED IT OUT BACK ON THE PICNIC TABLE. WHEN THE VARNISH SOAKED INTO THE SUPER DRYED OUT WOOD FROM BEING ON THE DESERT AND DRIED OUT IN THE SUN, THE VARNISH GOT LOTS OF LITTLE BUBBLES.

DON’T VARNISH OUTSIDE IN THE DIRECT SUN.

SO WE WENT BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD AND SANDED OUT ALL THE LITTLE BUBBLES AND GAVE IT A SECOND COAT,

INSIDE THE PORCH, NOT OUTSIDE IN THE SUN.

THE DOOR TURNED OUT MUCH BETTER SO WE TOOK OFF ANOTHER DOOR AND TRIED A DRAWER.

 

 

LOOKS PRETTY GOOD AND SURE IMPROVES THE LOOKS OF THE DOOR.

REVARNISH THE DOORS AND DRAWERS, SOUNDS LIKE A NEW PROJECT.

HOLD ON……. WAIT A MINUTE……

TAKE A LOOK AROUND YOUR RV AND COUNT THE NUMBER OF DOORS AND DRAWERS…….

HOLY CRAP, OUR TRAILER IS ONLY 32 FEET LONG AND HAS 50 DOORS AND DRAWERS.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I’VE BEEN MAKING MONTHLY PAYMENTS ON THIS TRAILER FOR EIGHT YEARS, AND I THINK IT WILL TAKE ANOTHER EIGHT YEARS JUST TO REVARNISH THE DOORS AND DRAWERS.

SIGH……. 1 DOWN AND 49 TO GO.

Ice Fishing

By Uncle Hans  

We have the usual two seasons here in the frozen north.  A short one called "Road Construction Season", followed by the LONG one called "Ice Fishing Season"
    Since none of us is qualified to wear a bright orange vest and hold a flag and get $32.00/hour and full health and retirement benefits, we opt for fishing (which pays less).........

............Jake now gives a tutorial on cleaning fish.
                  The little fishy is first.........

  .....the other is a 34 inch northern pike.  A nice fish, but not a monster.  They are not considered good fish to eat, they have too many bones. If you are not skilled at fillet technique, you end up with little edible meat.  The first cut is behind the head, down to the spine, and back out at the dorsal fin.  This results in a usable piece of meat..........

  ....the sides or "fillets" look good at first.............

...........but then they have to be skinned, which reduces them a little...........

  .............the tricky part is cutting out the y-bones, which are so plentiful that they make the stuff nearly impossible to eat safely.................

   .........Jake does this difficult work under the watchful eye of his supervisor.  Tinker is a retired traffic flagger whose pension check makes Jake's income look like beer money/pocket change..........

                ………….. go figure.

By Uncle Hans

Rialta

By Uncle Hans

The winter weather affords us a lot of adventures.  Here we are in the middle of Indiana last weekend.  Also in the middle of a sudden 9 inches of snow..........

...........We had driven for for 10 hours, picked up our "mission purpose", and started back.  Just outside of Chicago, on the Indiana side, we gave up and found a motel.  The crew looks pretty tired and dejected for Rechsteiners in a bar.............

......the "mission purpose"?  A 2003 Rialta!  You will remember I owned one years back and ran the wheels off of it.  It actually died of overload abuse.  Our driving trip to Florida convinced us that driving might be better than flying in some instances.  Now, if the trip could be made more comfortable?....................

  .......It is comfortable.  but TINY.  Up front are two recliners that swivel into living space when you get there.  The galley is larger than the last with three burner stove and microwave........

.......it has a third recliner and this cute little fold-up table between two of the chairs as a "dinette"............

.........larger, more formal dinners can be served at the table in the back  (table is missing from this picture) which opens into a double bed.....

....the refrigerator is about three times the size of the old one and has a freezer.  12v/110/LP, of course!..

    ...........the bath is the same bizarre setup as the old one.  Like an internal "slide-out" it opens to toilet, sink and shower all in the same unit.  If you get bored while driving, you can take a shower.  The 4 gallon (not a typo, 4 gallon) water heater is 110v, but also extracts heat from the engine coolant while you drive........... 

.....this is the bed.

       The whole thing fits into a vehicle 20 feet long, a touch longer than a suburban, and 7'6" wide, meaning it will fit into most parking spaces and it drives like a suburban.

Our maiden voyage is to visit an old anesthetist buddy in south Texas in February.

Sounds like a blog!?

Uncle Hans