24/7 Chat About Anything

[VanFan]

Today I had my first Zoom meeting...

Glad to hear it went well!

 

[VanFan]

We got away to see the comet the other night.  It was very cool.  (So were we, since we rigged an a/c in the window for the night.)

 

[maki2]

We got away to see the comet the other night.  It was very cool.  (So were we, since we rigged an a/c in the window for the night.)

sounds like fun!  I am looking forward to seeing some dark skies with lots of stars, planets, comets, satellites etc.

 

[VanFan]

I am looking forward to seeing some dark skies...

The other night (morning, really), I went outside.  It was so light, I thought it was dawn.  When I came back in and looked at the clock, it was 3:00 a.m.!  Sadly, it was not the moon providing the glow.

We love to sleep where it is so dark you can't see your hand six inches from your nose.  Shooting stars (Perseids) in the mountains in August are awesome, but we caught a meteor outflow while in the lowlands (lying in a double hammock) a few years ago and counted over 100 in an hour.

 

[Qxxx]

Heat, humidity, covid, and now Hurricane Hanna coming into Texas.

 

[Qxxx]

Couple of years back some French tourists were killed there when a Navy jet crashed. It is like being on the side of a high speed race track without any catch fencing.

From the looks of the video, it is like being on the "out" side of a high speed turn on a race track. Some of those jets were pulling some real Gs on that corner.

 

[crofter]

Heat, humidity, covid, and now Hurricane Hanna coming into Texas.

Been watching the hurricane, what I do during hurricane season. Gives flipping trailers a whole new meaning.
-crofter

 

[maki2]

Woke up to muscle fatigue and utter exhaustion. But only 3 more days of this to go. Going to be hot one those. So this morning I am going to try to get most of the work in the upstairs space finished. The garage space stays in the low 70s.
But the ustairs space has a big bubble skylight no windows in it but an box fan rigged to a one of those twirly metal exhaust through the roof vents.

Breakfast 3 scrambled eggs, quick and long lasting energy. Now I need to top it off with some coffee for more energy.
Of course first starters for breakfast was my arthritis meds, a muscle relaxer, some 8 hour tylenol and some chromium to regulate blood sugar levels and help keep me out of deep depression.

Better days to come soon...but I will still be working to get my rig finished for a few months time. But I will work at a reasonable pace and even take a day off now and again. First on the list will be to get a tongue box put on for holding the generator and also hook up the solar wiring.

 

[VanFan]

Woke up to muscle fatigue and utter exhaustion. But only 3 more days of this to go...

So, this is the big push--and you're on the home stretch.  You don't need me to tell 'ya, but here goes anyway:  Pace yourself.  You'll get more done.

 

[VanFan]

Heat, humidity, covid, and now Hurricane Hanna coming into Texas.

No tornadoes or ice storms this week though!  A van friend came to visit from the East in December one year.  It was a glorious sunny day.  Next time she headed west, we had a foot of snow.  The time after that, she was met by a violent tornado that threw semis around at a truck stop very close to her and leveled part of Arlington.  (We were in the Davis Mountains that day out of cell range, and she was very concerned about not being able to reach us.)

Seriously, the weather here is pretty decent most of the time.

 

[Qxxx]

Seriously, the weather here is pretty decent most of the time.

And what's more, I "actually" believe you (uh, huh ). At least Dallas is probably far enough inland the hurricanes burn out before they get there.

 

[VanFan]

Dallas is probably far enough inland the hurricanes burn out before they get there.

True.  When it gets crazy is when temps drop from the 70's to the 30's or lower in one day.  That's when our winter tornadoes happen.  We have a 3/4" steel bullet-shaped shelter bolted to our garage foundation.  All bets are off with the big ones, but it makes us feel better sometimes.

I am a Colorado native (but have lived all over the U.S.).  When my dad was asked why we moved, he said he got tired of shoveling "partly cloudy" off the driveway.  In one place we lived, "snowed in" meant just that, as in you couldn't open for door.

 

[Qxxx]

 We have a 3/4" steel bullet-shaped shelter bolted to our garage foundation.
...
In one place we lived, "snowed in" meant just that, as in you couldn't open for door.

3/4" steel, hmmm. Maybe you might have mentioned "come ... Hell or High Water", . 

As I lived in CO for over 20 years, I know about shoveling snow, 6'-10' every year. So I retired to a more benign climate, on purpose.

 

[desert_sailing]

Just what we have been waiting for in the LCV!

4 pm 94 degrees and 13% humidity.

AHHHH... great time to lay out on a rock!

Or sit in the van and roast?

 

[nature lover]

Hi all.  Just got back on.  I searched for this thread but could no remember it started with numbers I was looking for chit chat.  I posted on newcomers thread.  It is good to be back   I’ll get back into finding my way around soon.  I am living in the van now for 2 months No regrets.

 

[desert_sailing]

What is LCV?

Lewis Clark Valley.

 

[maki2]

So, this is the big push--and you're on the home stretch.  You don't need me to tell 'ya, but here goes anyway:  Pace yourself.  You'll get more done.

I would love to pace it to my tolerance but I am not the driver of the situation. That is often the case when working with other people when you have a lot of physical limitations they have never experienced.

But at least it won't be many more days.

 

[travelaround]

Hope you all had a good Sunday. I moved my desk today and am now going to read books...

 

[maki2]

Woke up in a better mood today with less pain. That might last an hour or two.

It is going to be another long and busy day of sorting, packing, toting and trying to cram stuff into my little tow vehicle. I want to keep the trailer somewhat empty except for the build tools and materials, potty, bedding and some water. Impossible to do work if it gets too chaotic with constant shifting of "stuff".

If I get lucky today or tomorrow I will find time to do some wiring. It would be nice to have the solar panel charging the battery so I can run my portable fridge and at least one or two 12v sockets until I finish the rest of the wiring install. But I need a couple of hours of work to complete hooking up the solar and the fridge.

 

[travelaround]

Good to hear you will be on your way soon, Maki. Glad you are not putting things in the trailer as clutter in the sleeping quarters makes life so difficult... it is something that was a problem for me last summer as I took too much along on my first journey. Do you have a plan for where you're going when you first leave there?

We had dry lightening yesterday afternoon but I haven't heard of any new fires yet. That is how most of the big forest fires get started around here.

I had a long talk with my daughter yesterday. The new plan is that sometime in August I'll be going back to Idaho with my son-in-law. He will get his skoolie ready to roll with two new tires and a new battery, and I will empty my storage into my van. We will take the cargo trailer along for him to sleep in on the way up there and I will probably use it as sleeping quarters on the way back, if my van is too crowded with stuff from storage.

The skoolie will hopefully be parked in my backyard for him to renovate it. He also wants to start a market garden there next spring.