Von Ormy

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Flexible Plans

Bah, it’s another grey morning in San Antonio! I am almost 40AH down! I’m holding steady thanks to my solenoid, but I’m hoping that tomorrow’s promised sun materializes!

Looking at the forecast trends for the next several weeks, I am really not eager to start pushing north so I am once again revising my itinerary. Caroline will probably not be in Austin when I go through there, so I have decided not to stop in Texas’ capital on the way north. That said, Austin is only about an hour and a half from here. So as long as there is no problem with extending my stay here, I will probably visit Austin on a day trip and remain in Von Ormy longer than planned.

My route north takes me right through Dallas and I’ve decided that I simply cannot drive through there without visiting the Dealey Plaza! I’ve spent too much time researching and theorizing about the JFK assassination to not actually get on the ground there and see if my theories hold water.

So the plan now is to watch the weather in Wichita. As soon as it starts trending with days above zero, I will head north, and then hunker down there until it feels safe to push on… as long as L is home as he has travel plans in April. I hope we don’t miss each other! 🙁

I am beginning to think that I will likely end up doing a cannonball run to Canada at the very end of April or even beginning of May instead of a more leisurely pace that allows for sightseeing. Having to travel in the shoulder seasons sucks! 🙁

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Lunch With RVing Ladies

Reader longdog2 invited me to lunch with several other RVing ladies today. I left Von Ormy at 11:40, got to Selma in plenty of time for our 12:30 meeting, and didn’t leave until 5:30! When we RVers get gabbing, we’re serious about it! 😀

It’s always lovely to meet fellow RVers, be they full-timers, part-timers, or complete newbies. It never ceases to amaze me how ‘being RVers’ is enough of a common thread to make age, lifestyle, and other differences insignificant.

Lunch was at Cheddar’s Casual Café, another nice U.S. chain with a good menu and low prices.

I was given a few suggestions on what to see in the area, so I am beginning to put together a sightseeing plan. I drove through San Antonio on I-35 today and, well, there was nothing but concrete to see. I look forward to a better glimpse of the city. 🙂

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200W Short

When I went to pick up the correct solenoid in Port Lavaca, I caught the back of my short denim skirt on something in B & S’s truck that ripped a gash up a good part of the back of it. I was irked as skirts are growing harder and harder to find unless you shop at pricey online boutiques. This one was the exact length and heft that I needed for it to be wearable both in the summer with sandals and in colder weather with tights.

I’m not much of a seamstress, so I decided to try to repair the skirt using some iron-on fusible webbing and then finish off the repair with a few discrete hand stitches.

The few times that I’ve had access to 120V power lately, I just haven’t thought about the skirt. It was cool enough on the beach to be comfortable in my longer skirts. But it’s hot here and I miss having the shorter one. This afternoon, I decided to attempt a repair.

There was just one teensy problem: my iron draws 1,200W, 200W more than my inverter can handle. Gaaaaaaaaaaah.

There was my poor skirt, all trussed up and dampened (okay, soddened) and ready to go:

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Never one to give up in front of a challenge, I remembered that for most of the history of ironing, women used heavy cast iron irons.

So I fired up the stove and a couple of minutes later, well:

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It worked! The repair feels very good, but I will add a few stitches to make sure the ends are solid.

It’s true, necessity is the mother of all invention! 😀

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Good Sleeping Weather

I left all the windows and roof hatches open last night, so the rig was super comfortable to sleep. It’s actually rather cold in here this morning, but I know that won’t last long.

The kitchen hatch rattles like the dickens, so I’ll keep it shut at night from now on. It’s meant as an escape route, so it doesn’t have a cover over it. This means that one really good gust of wind could rip it of, another reason not to leave it opened while unsupervised.

I bought a pork roast when I did my grocery run yesterday, so I’m cooking it this morning before the temperatures rise. It’s starting to smell really good! That said, we’re only supposed to hit about 75 today and that sky looks suspiciously full of rain clouds. So the heat wave is probably over.

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A Different Sort of Boondocking

Today, I start boondocking in HOT weather. Thankfully, there is a nice breeze, so with the cross ventilation and roof hatches open, the rig is comfortable. The cats are fine and I put an ice cube in their water, which Neelix in particular appreciates (lick, lick, lick, lick).

It was a busy morning. I got up late (8:00), so by the time coffee and morning tasks were done, it was almost 9:00. I cleaned out the shoe cupboard, a task I didn’t feel capable of taking on yesterday. Then, I hauled out the crazy long garden hose and the tank wand washer to clean out the black tank. Then, I recleaned the toilet room. Note to self, hose down the tank BEFORE cleaning the toilet room! By the time all that was done and the rig was packed, it was about 11:30, so I headed up the hill where Teri was already waiting for me.

Here’s the rig in the FHU pull-thru spot:

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You exit by driving over the grass. The spots are level!

I keep forgetting to show a repair I did to Miranda while on the beach. During my summer in Lethbridge (yes, almost two years ago already!) I broke the catch for the wet bay door.

One of the reasons I was so slow to replace it is that I knew I’d need putty to do it. When I picked up putty for the new window frame, I got a two-pack of catches at the same time.

So to recap, I broke the catch in 2011, bought a replacement a full year later in 2012, and replaced it about nine months after that in 2013. I tend not to do projects until they become pressing. 🙂

It was actually a difficult repair since I couldn’t reuse the existing screw holes but still had to position the catch to hold the door without impeding its opening all the while covering the existing screw holes. I also had to psych myself into making holes into the shell, even if they are well sealed. I used way more putty than necessary!

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Now here’s the rig in the dry camping spot on the edge of a HUGE open field:

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Teri was great about making sure I was happy with my spot. My requirements were full sun for the solar panel, nosing in so that my view in the back is the field, and a clear view from the office window. The spot she originally planned for me met none of those criteria.

The downside to this spot is that I had to put the passenger side on levelers and if it rains more than 1/2 inch, I have to move to a different location as this area will get very mushy. I was not put at the other location because it’s right by a busy road and the pads are super not level. I’m thus far happy with the spot, but suspect that I may need to back up a little to keep the solar panel happy.

For $5, I can use the laundry facilities ($1.50 to wash, $1.00 to dry; very reasonable) and the garbage dumpster. I am also allowed to run the engine if I need to (quiet generators are also okay). I have paid for 10 nights up front, so I’m definitely here till at least the 28th at noon.

I don’t know yet when I’ll be going into San Antonio. I have a social engagement Thursday and will likely be busy  tomorrow, so perhaps Friday. I can’t wait to see the Alamo!