I knew a guy that built a mountain cabin under similar circumstances. He did not want to pay the price for a well so he installed a 500 gallon cistern powered by a 12v RV water pump so he had water when power was out. He could not install a septic because some arcane rule required a well before a septic could be installed. So, he installed a 1500 gallon holding tank and had a honey wagon pump it out as needed. To fill the cistern he put a 200 gallon tank on a trailer and filled it at home before going to the cabin and then transferring it. Now, you would need to find a place to get water but I know in some places, in Texas at least, there are water delivery companies. The whole project is certainly doable. I would be more concerned that things like this were allowed in the first place and then take a look at the use of the surrounding properties to make sure someone did not NIMBY your project.

24 minutes ago, Darryl&Rita said:

SuperBrightLEDs.com

I second this. You will pay a slight premium but they are worth it. 

We also on one RV replaced the pucks entirely with new fixtures where the LED is integral to the puck. We got them from Amazon. Facon 4.5Inch LED RV Puck Light

2 hours ago, BobDees said:

Have any of you had a Federal Jury Duty Simmons in Bueanmont District Court? How did you handle it? Did the Court Clerk understand your situation as a member of the Escapees?

What does being a member of Escapees have to do with it? There are only certain things that excuse you from jury duty, however, if you are not going to be in the area the best thing you can do is to contact the Juror Office and request to be excused. 

4 hours ago, Kirk W said:

That still violates the TX regulation that say that you must show "Evidence of Texas Vehicle Registration* for each vehicle you own."

I'm no lawyer but I suspect that really means for each vehicle you own (and regularly drive) in Texas. But it would be an interesting "what if" question to pose to Texas DMV.

18 hours ago, Kirk W said:

So what about the retiree who has a summer home and a winter home and keeps a car at each location and proper registration of a car is where it is garaged, while driver's license properly is only in the state of domicile?

Summer or winter, I think is the key. If, for example, Texas is your legal domicile and you spend winters in Texas, then vehicles that you keep in Texas and use in Texas need to be licensed in Texas. Your summer home is not your domicile and by implication is your vacation home, then you can keep and register a vehicle there and drive on your domicile license. This may not be true in all states though.

For years, the cabin next door to my parents was a summer only cabin with the owner being a Missouri resident. He kept a couple of old jeeps there but had to license them in Missouri since Colorado would not let him license them there without a Colorado license. I am hazy on how the change came about but the law was changed so he could start licensing them in Colorado.

58 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

I hear that from time to time, but I question it because our son moved to TX from WA several years ago and got his TX license right away, but didn't even bring his vehicle to TX for several months. I also have two grandchildren with TX licenses that do not own any vehicles. It has been so long since we moved to TX that I don't remember what we had to do.

Quote

1. U.S. Citizenship or, if you are not a U.S. Citizen, evidence of lawful presence

2. Texas Residency

3. Identity, and

4, Social Security Number

5. Evidence of Texas Vehicle Registration* for each vehicle you own. Registration must be current. Visit Texas DMV vehicle registration for more information (New Residents who are surrendering an out-of-state driver license only)

6. Proof of Insurance* for each vehicle you own

*If you do not own a vehicle, you will sign a statement affirming this.

This is straight from the Texas DPS. So, if you have no vehicle, no problem, but if you do and affirm you do not, that is technically perjury. Would the state ever call you on it? Doubtful, unless maybe you got pulled over driving a car registered in another state under your name. 

1 hour ago, cowboy said:

In any case I called the state office and the person I talked to said no no no you have to have a license or address in South Dakota to register your vehicle??

I honestly thought this was a rule everywhere. Texas seems a little backwards to me in that you have to register a vehicle before you can get a license, and anyone can get Montana plates if you want to go through the hoops for an LLC. Otherwise any other place I have lived required that you have an address or license.

1 hour ago, Kirk W said:

Regulators Say Wells Fargo Isn’t Doing Enough to Police Customer Crimes

This is not just you, Kirk, but I wish when people post links to articles that said articles were not behind the paywall. Not everyone has subscriptions to all these different sources.

1 hour ago, Kirk W said:

I hope that nobody believes that they have a bank that cares about them. 

~~~

Publicly held corporations do not have ethics, only the profit/loss statement matters. You may find a few employees who have ethical standards and seem to care about the customers, but only profits matter to the investors.

This is a pretty jaded outlook, although it may not be entirely inaccurate. Any company, whether public or private, really only cares about profit or loss at the end of the day. Even "non-profits" (unless generously funded by donations) have to make a profit to cover overhead. I happen to bank with the largest bank in the US and I have never found them to be uncaring, just opposite actually. I get a number of perks from them and I fully understand that they are intended to keep me happy and, more importantly, keep me as a customer.

3 hours ago, Kirk W said:

What was your experience with Wells Fargo?

My experience? My folks had WF accounts and when my Dad passed we wanted to close the accounts. Well, I never imagined the difficulties in doing that, nor the sheer incompetence that they showed in the process. They supposedly closed one account but somehow managed to keep a monthly fund transfer going from it. That then generated overdraft charges. They were unable to explain it adequately to my mother, who by the way was Head Teller of a bank for 25+ years and knew a bit about banking. I had her get me a POA so I could talk to them and they refused to honor the POA even though it had been drafted by an attorney, notarized, and filed with the court. That took an in-person visit from the attorney only he went to the regional office which was over the local branch we were dealing with. Anyhow, we finally got the accounts closed after several months of fighting with them. I will bad mouth WF at every opportunity I get.

2 hours ago, Kirk W said:

They do not keep your money and federal banking regulations also require that the customer be notified before such action is taken and if there is no response that is satisfactory they then must notify you that your account is being closed. Most also address the way for you to receive your funds. Banks are very much regulated and monitored by the federal reserve.

Wells Fargo, however, tends to skirt the law, pushing the envelope until they get caught. 

Wells Fargo Ordered to Pay $3.7B for Array of Violations

14 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

While on the subject, SST knives are not a good choice, it will not sharpen or hold a sharp edge nearly as well as heat-treated high-carbon steel.

Absolutely! Our kitchen knives, while being the magnetic stainless 😁 are NSF certified, but they are terrible for keeping sharp. I am constantly having to hit them with the knife sharpener it seems.

4 hours ago, amarie1 said:

Chalkie, thanks. I followed the link, and it appears they have two types of Zero-G, one for residential, one for RV/Marine. I can't see a difference between the two from their site. 

Is yours an RV/Marine one?

In case I haven't been clear, I need this for both filling the fresh tank AND (more frequently) for hooking up to city water, so it'd be under pressure for days. Yes I do have a regulator that keeps the pressure 45-60 psi.

AM

I got mine at Lowe's so I am thinking it must be the residential type. The only thing I can think of that might differentiate the two is that RV one is blue, otherwise they seem the same. I would not worry about keeping them under pressure as I have done that for months at a time when we are stationary. Unless the city water is really high like over 100 psi I think it would be fine.

I would never use one of those pocket hoses because they are not certified for drinking water. I have used Zero G hoses now for several years. When they are drained of water they are very lightweight and flexible, and best of all, they are safe for drinking water. You can find them at Lowes and other places. Here is a link from the manufacturer: https://www.apexhose.com/lightweight-hose-zero-g/

11 hours ago, mike5511 said:

I'm guessing a person that just did one hitch during peace time, wouldn't meet the qualifications for their definition of veteran?  EDIT: I checked it out and I'd qualify!

A veteran is a veteran, if you served one hitch or half a dozen is all that matters. That you did one is one more than it seems most younger folk today are interested in. 

18 minutes ago, Ray,IN said:

True SST is not magnetic.

That is not entirely true as it depends on the type of stainless steel. For example, 430 stainless is magnetic while 304 or 316 stainless is not magnetic yet all of them are "true" stainless. My father-in-law who was a master machinist once tried  to explain the differences of all the different stainless steel compositions. I know I must have given him the deer in the headlights look. I do remember in his job he mostly used the 304 or 316 because the machinery they fabricated was used in a caustic environment and those blends had a higher resistance to corrosion. 

On 1/23/2024 at 10:42 AM, Friz said:

Which has better WiFi reception (distance), An Amazon TV or a generic TV with a Fire Stick plugged in?  Also, is there and extender that will move a Fire Stick closer to a window?  Thanks

First, while some newer parks have better WiFi, generally speaking most RV parks probably will not support streaming which is why there is so much discussion about internet access (Starlink, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.) on the road. As far as an extender goes just get an HDMI extension cable. 

21 hours ago, sandsys said:

There must be two people in the room and only one of them is free--the other must pay. Even the free one has to pay fees and taxes. So, not quite free. But still a good deal if you are interested.

Linda

ps. forgot to say it applies to LEOs and teachers who qualify as well.

Heck of a good deal IMO. We are taking a 7 day cruise next month and the taxes/fees/port expenses per person are only 10% of the total fare. Now, this obviously this does not cover air fares and any other expenses.

Margaritaville at Sea has Free Cruise Tickets Available for Veterans and Active-Duty Military on This Upgraded Ship through April 29, 2024.

11 hours ago, FULLTIMEWANABE said:

Another favourite mashed rutabaga aka swede with roast dinners.  

To each their own.

Indeed. I think the taste of a rutabaga is bitter no matter what you do with them, which is odd because I like cabbage and I like turnips (especially as Tatties and Neeps). Maybe it is genetic, just like to some people cilantro tastes like soap which they know is caused by a particular gene.

2 hours ago, lappir said:

Another not Recipe. 

I used to peel off the skin of Potato's, but haven't in many years. I would also peel carrots and usually Cucumbers, but consider just washing them now. 

How many wash. 

Wash and peel

or just Peel? 

I'm also thinking of discarding my "Plastic" cutting boards after reading the latest on the amount of plastic released by cutting carrots on a plastic cutting board. 

 

Rod

 

I peel potatoes if I am going to mash them otherwise skins are fine. I have gotten lazy on carrots and just buy the "baby" carrots. I peel cucumbers because I personally find the peels to have bitter taste.

RV Life sort has done it as you can filter for Escapees in Trip Wizard. However, it only shows the actual Escapees and COOP parks not all the parks that offer an Escapees discount.

3 hours ago, DanZemke said:

I don't have trouble seeing.  And I prefer to test myself, rather than depending on a professional to do it for me.  It's much easier, and just as accurate.

Driver's license requirements, for Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA), vary from 20/40 to 20/120, depending on the State in the US.  My current state (CT), requires a BCVA of 20/40. 

I've had a small cataract in my left eye for about 5 years that is slowly growing. My latest BCVA test result for my left eye is 20/40.

Driving Restrictions Per State

I find it interesting that your self test even advises that:

Quote

It is not a substitute for an eye examination and doing well does NOT mean that you do not need an eye exam. 

You know that you have a cataract and having had two I think I know a bit about them. They can also alter your color perception in addition to or instead of visual acuity. That is, in fact, how my first one was discovered. I went in for an eye exam to get new glasses and the optometrist discovered a discrepancy in my color vision, and that was before he even looked in my eyes. 

Your same link also recommends:

Quote

... all adults at the age of 40 complete a comprehensive, baseline eye exam. Problems with glaucoma and cataracts start to become more frequent ...

The link only tests acuity, it does not test for glaucoma nor does it have the ability to test color or to measure the actual size of your cataract to see what it is doing. Even if you got that baseline exam without professional follow-ups you have no idea what is changing or has changed. 

You do as you see fit, personally I will stick with seeing the experts.

It was a pain, but I wired my radios directly to the battery with their own in-line fuses. Yaesu actually recommended this way as you can use a heavier gauge wire than what you will find in most vehicles.

3 hours ago, durangodon said:

6:30 am Lumberton TX

Temperature 68F

Power's out from Norther which passed through here a couple of hours ago.  No problem, generator kicked in as designed.

Stay cool, if you can.

Don't get too complacent. I see that area is supposed to be in the teens by Tuesday night. It's just taking a little longer for the cold to ooze its way there. We're supposed to see two nights in the teens in Austin and possibly some freezing rain. 🥶