24/7 Chat About Anything

[travelaround]

Cool tool, Maki - I did go look at the video! Also cool that you can sense rain coming in time to batten down the hatches.

Crofter, sorry you're having to deal with crime in your area now. When I was living in Yreka for two months after the fire, there were a lot of car thefts! The police weren't reporting them to the newspaper, a weekly... never saw anything about it in there, but the local internet group had frequent information about vehicles being stolen. I got one of those steering wheel locks that people tell me don't work but I think it is better than nothing. I still use it here in Happy Camp as there have been car thefts here but nothing nearly as frequent as what was going on in Yreka.

I'm going to have my van worked on in Yreka but they will keep it in a garage at the RV repair place, and it won't be out in the parking lot.

 

[crofter]

I had installed door bars as I was getting my lock bumped regularly. Putting in the alarm system seems to have slowed things down. Saving my pennies for a cctv system (over a thousand bucks new) or maybe find a used one as I don't need anything fancy. Can you tell that I'm an off duty security guard. Gotta love those cameras.
-crofter

BTW the simplisafe system communicates over cell signal (has its own internal sim for communication) so the system could be adapted as a vehicle entry alarm.

 

[travelaround]

Today I decided to go park in the shade near the river to read books... and where I parked, some people stopped by with water jugs to fill up on "spring water" so I've now found a new water source. I'll have to get some water purification equipment so I can drink this local water.

When I lived here before 2013 we got our water out of a similar pipe coming out of a stream-bed . . . this one, but the pipe has been removed now. This is Little Niagra Creek - formerly known as No Name Creek.

 

[maki2]

The only reading I will do this week will be listening to audio books while I work. Or book reading at lunch, dinner or after dark. Or perhaps if it rains on memorial day, there is some chance of thunder storms on Monday and Tuesday. Rain would be good for the area but lighting strikes would be very bad news for the forest as it has been very dry this spring.

Not much video streaming this week end as the signal towers were crowded other than in early morning or late night. My cell connected tablet gets better reception than my iphone. Bu so far no real need for a signal booster as it is not going to solve a congested tower issue. It is only a 10 minute drive to reach a major shopping area in town where I could go to a coffee shop or fast food place to use wifi internet. I have a VPN service installed on my devices for secure wifi. But so far I have not needed to do that.

 

[nature lover]

Back in Lancaster County PA today and tomorrow and then Back to Perry county pa mountains for at least another week. First day of bright sunshine in over a week solar panels being able to charge “sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy”. God bless the nomads everywhere.

PS- I just treated myself to a large “extra banana” milkshake. Now that’s a treat.

 

[user 30781]

Today I decided to go park in the shade near the river to read books... and where I parked, some people stopped by with water jugs to fill up on "spring water" so I've now found a new water source. I'll have to get some water purification equipment so I can drink this local water.

When I lived here before 2013 we got our water out of a similar pipe coming out of a stream-bed . . . this one, but the pipe has been removed now. This is Little Niagra Creek - formerly known as No Name Creek.

TA, I used to live in a VERY 'spring-y' area in North Idaho.  At one place I lived, an owner long ago had improved a spring behind the property at the base of the hill it came out of, put in a bed of sand and gravel and surrounded the whole thing with deer fencing and a double gate entry.  We used to go over there with our various containers for water.

Also, I lived in Clark Fork in Idaho when I first moved there and just over the border into Montana someone had run a pipe from the spring on their property on the hill down to the road so people could get water.  That pipe gushed all year round.  I'd see pickups there with those huge water containers in the bed filling up.

It always felt like such a blessing to be able to get spring water right from the source.

 

[crofter]

... setting up the free cam I got to run off a cell phone hot spot: needs 2mbps to 5mbps to stream the video feed for live monitoring...

Multiple tests reveal that my phone hot spot is fast enough to download video but too slow to upload it. Back to the drawing board.
-crofter

 

[travelaround]

Uploading video is an issue I'll have to deal with when traveling. Last time it became so problematic I didn't do much on YouTube. I need to work on that. I'm planning to have a cell booster installed on my van roof during the conversion and a WiFi booster as well. Maybe a Winegard Connect.

@Wanderingsoul - what part of North Idaho were you living in? I lived in Post Falls for six years. I miss it - and will go back soon for a visit.

The best springwater I've found is in Mt. Shasta City Park - easy access to drop by and get bottles filled as water gushes out of the mountain at what they call "The Headwaters of the Sacramento River" though that designation has been disputed. Further up on the mountain there's a place with a pipe coming out of the mountain and that water is good too. I normally buy Crystal Geyser springwater that comes from Mt. Shasta - to me, no water tastes better.

 

[highdesertranger]

Do You know Crystal Geyser got busted for illegal dumping of hazardous materials. Namely Arsenic that they had removed from there spring water. This was from their operation in the the Owens Valley. And they are also in a water rights battle about their operation in Mt. Shasta.

Just a little FYI.

Highdesertranger

 

[travelaround]

I would not buy their Owens Valley water - I check the label to make sure I'm getting genuine Mt. Shasta water.

I did some web research - the Owens Valley (Olancha, CA) water gets shipped to Japan.

There are two Crystal Geyser water companies. Both of them are affiliated with a Japanese company - Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. - but they are two separate companies.

"CG Roxane Crystal Geyser" produces the water I buy. They have seven sources for their water - but I buy only the Mt. Shasta water.
https://www.crystalgeyserplease.com/our-sources/

The other company, "Crystal Geyser Water Company" is the one in a water rights dispute with the Winnemem Wintu tribe.
https://crystalgeyserwatercompany.com/

 

[maki2]

Many of the older historic breweries were located by spring or artisan water sources.

 

[user 30781]

@Wanderingsoul - what part of North Idaho were you living in? I lived in Post Falls for six years. I miss it - and will go back soon for a visit.

The best springwater I've found is in Mt. Shasta City Park - easy access to drop by and get bottles filled as water gushes out of the mountain at what they call "The Headwaters of the Sacramento River" though that designation has been disputed. Further up on the mountain there's a place with a pipe coming out of the mountain and that water is good too. I normally buy Crystal Geyser springwater that comes from Mt. Shasta - to me, no water tastes better.

I started out in Clark Fork, then went to just over the border in Montana for about 6 months in a studio cabin on the side of a mountain with an INCREDIBLE view.  Then to about 18 miles out of Sandpoint up in the boonies in a rustic cabin for a couple years (wood heat, gravity fed spring water, outhouse), then in to town in Sandpoint which felt like living in the big city after all those rural places.  I was sharing a cabin right on a spring fed slough on Lakeshore Dr just before you get on the Long Bridge into town, that where the fenced in spring was.  Then later got an apartment right in town, which was wonderful.  Sandpoint  is one of the most beautiful places I've ever lived.

 

[maki2]

Productive day today. I got all the wood pieces for my cabinet doors precisely cut to the required dimensions. The job went fairly fast in spite of it all being done with a Japanese hand saw. That is because I could clamp together up to 4 pieces that needed to be an identical length to saw through them together instead of cutting them one by one by one.

I put on my FM ear muffs and listened to the radio while i worked. Too difficult to listen to an audio book story when doing this kind of thing as I can't focus on critical task as well as follow a story line. I could not make any mistakes as I dont have extra wood for that.

Now I have to do the hard part this evening, cleaning up the mess and putting tools away. Cutting is way more fun and rewarding than cleanup. I think a glass of wine and an audio book will be my reward to enjoy while I do that.

More work to do on those pieces tomorrow. I need to begin drilling the fastener holes. It sure is nice having the screen room for a workspace to keep all the the sawdust out of my trailer... except for what stays on my clothes.

 

[Cammalu]

Pics Maki

 

[maki2]

You want pics of pieces of piles of pieces of cut up 1x2 and 1x3 poplar wood?...sorry they are now inside of plastic garbage bags to keep dirt and rain off them. Supposed to be thunderstorms tomorrow. So far the roof on my screen room has not leaked and I put up the side panels but better safe than sorry,

I did take a few pics of the setup while cutting some of the wood but I have been too busy to stop and edit the size of the images. I use the computer during prime solar hours but this week my focus is on working on the cabinet making, not on photo editing. I will take more photos of the drilling st up. But anyone can see videos of how the Kreg pocket screw system works as there are hundreds for tha on youtube.

The cabinet doors wont be finished for a few weeks. There is drilling, assembly, routing, sanding, tack rag to remove dust, coats of varnish, hinges, mesh panels, knobs, hanging the doors, latches to install. Not quick or easy things to make. They are not flat plywood slabs like you see on many DIY builds.

 

[user 30781]

Supposed to be thunderstorms tomorrow.

 

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to my first thunderstorm safe and cozy in my van with a book and a cup of tea.

 

[travelaround]

Sandpoint  is one of the most beautiful places I've ever lived.

Sounds like you had a good backwoods adventure in North Idaho!

I loved Sandpoint... I've got a video I made there one day while I was at the beach . . .  this was way back, maybe 2014?



[video=youtube]

 

[user 30781]

Very nice!

So you're in the restaurant next to the Best Western I think. My last apartment was about a block from the road that goes down to City Beach from the main road through town.

I'm thinking about a roadtrip over there for a couple days. Got one to make in the other direction first this weekend. Going to the Snoqualmie Valley for a few days.

 

[travelaround]

I'll be going back to North Idaho soon, I hope. I didn't get to see my friends there last year when I was there because of Covid. I hope this year will be better...

 

[user 30781]

If you end up in Sandpoint again, The Hoot Owl just on the way out of town on Hwy 200 has fantastic breakfast and Eichardts in town right at the turn by Sand Creek has the best fish & chips (get the garlic fries). I had an elk burger there one evening with sweet chili sauce that was one of the best hamburgers I've ever had. Also with garlic fries. lol

Can't seem to stop thinking about food tonight, I haven't eaten since lunch. haha