Bill Joyce

We have been with E-Trade Bank since the 1990s and also have brokerage accounts with E-Trade's brokerage side.  They combine the balances for the bank and brokerage for perks like reimbursing ATM fees and since we have our IRAs there, that is not a problem.  Mostly we use them online, but since it is easy to move money between the brokerage and bank accounts, we have deposited big checks at one of their brokerage branches, which are in major metros.  

Three weeks on a wrongful death civil trial right was educational, but enough for me.  So far I have not been called for another trial.  My wife has been called twice, once the jury pool was dismissed on arrival and another time she was dismissed since she had been treated for back pain and the trial was for prescription drugs, especially those for back pain.

If the only grocery in town is a Dollar General, don't bother.  <grin>

Organic is out there, in food co-ops, in specialty grocers like Natural Grocers, Sproats, Trader Joe's  and Whole Foods (also called "Whole Paycheck"), all of which are here in the Phoenix metro.  Many supermarkets, including Wal-Mart, have organic sections.  But not everywhere.

If it is important to you, I would advise maximizing your food storage so you can carry a couple weeks of supplies.  You might run out of fresh perishables, but have frozen or canned ready when in those areas you can't get resupplied.  

Another one for old timers with Univac experience - "Programming without Fang is like watch making without a sledgehammer."  Fang was kind of the Perl or Python of its day, but different.

On 1/17/2020 at 9:52 PM, Mark and Dale Bruss said:

Only back to the A Series?  I started with B300/B5500's. The previous versions of Edge were severely limiting.  I have been using Vivadi, a Chrome based browser for several reasons.  At least with this Chrome based Edge, I can add some extensions I rely on for those applications that will only use Edge for display purposes.

The first computer I even programmed on was an IBM 1620.  The first assembler I learned was CDC 7600.  

We will see how much I use the new Edge.  

Just a quick aside, Lucky Goldstar is now LG.  

Washington state has hummingbirds in winter, so it makes no sense to me.  

21 hours ago, Sehc said:

will-t stated they will not be staying anyplace without shore power. That is no boondocking.

I wanted it clear that since this topic was in the Boondocking forum, it was not a suitable choice for a boondocker.

An electric space heater makes little sense for a boondocker, since it would require a 2500 watt or larger generator.  A van can't hold enough solar, batteries and inverter to power such a heater.

23 hours ago, WileyOhio said:

My trouble is not with the residential fridge, but with the inverter.  All is well when on AC, but it shuts down when we’re unplugged.  I show 13.8 VDC to the inverter, but no AC out.  The existing inverter is a WF - 600 TH - 112 with AC pass through.  Any recommendations on a replacement?

https://www.donrowe.com/Default.asp has great inverter products and knowledgeable people to talk to. 

Why would you think an RV would be damaged by long showers?  High end diesel motorhomes with diesel hot water and heating systems have continuous hot water and their owners have been taking long showers for years, on hookups, without any problems I have heard of.

The plan is going away and renewals will not be honored.  8 minute video - 

 Text article - https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/alert-att-pulling-togo-airstream-360-year-unlimited-data-plans-effective-january-16th-2020/ .

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/guides/getting-better-wifi-rv-selecting-long-range-wifi-extending-cpes-antennas-radios/ might help.  

Many RVs have the sewer hose won't fit issue.  I use these ends:

Prest-O-Fit 1-0204 Hose Coupler Kit

With a RhinoFlex hose that does not have ends on it.  You also need the Prest-O-Fit Sewer Hose Adapter:

They also make a straight one.

21 hours ago, noteven said:

If you look on the Campervan Kevin you tubes, he has a video up showing a continuous low water use shower design that the inventor will send you the plans and materials list for. It is well thought out. 

'It is 19 minutes long

The Hootoo Filehub is on Amazon, but is overkill if all you want is a travel router at $44.  I have the older version.  The GL.iNet mini routers work well for similar situations as Tom_M said.  

18 hours ago, filthy-beast said:

Wife has a shot glass with frozen water, there is a penny sitting on top. Depending on how far the penny is inside the ice lets us know if we need to throw out stuff or not.

 

X2 

"that i had to turn on the light and return 10-15 min latter just to have enough light to see things. no instant light, started off very dim"

That sounds like compact fluorescent, not LED.   

21 hours ago, vermilye said:

If you don't want to go to the expense of a recording remote thermometer such as a SensorPush, put an ice cube in a zip lock bag & stick it in the freezer.  If it is still an ice cube after driving, things are OK, a puddle or lump in the bottom of the bag indicates a thaw.  Useful in your home freezer to discover power outages... 

$15.99 for this one instead - https://smile.amazon.com/AMIR-Refrigerator-Thermometer-Wireless-Temperature/dp/B07B9N71VC/ . 

54 minutes ago, Mntom said:

So, you're telling me that if the ice cream is still hard it is warming up?

It sounds like your fridge is probably OK without power longer than mine, which is all I was saying.  Residential fridges are not all the same model, size and specs, so why act like your test case of one fridge applies to everyone's fridge?  I actually put in a remote thermometer, because I like to know for sure.

Fridge thermometers come in multi-packs under $10 on Amazon.  Ones with two wireless sensors, one for the fridge part and one for the freezer, start about $16 on Amazon.  You can choose to use your ice cream to know if the meat in your freezer is safe to eat, while I will use a thermometer in the freezer.  Especially since we rarely have ice cream in the freezer.

An RVing friend had to go back to South Dakota for cancer treatment and was glad it was not winter, but it did extend into fall.  He did get his initial diagnosis away from South Dakota, but his health insurance required him to be in the state for treatment.  It all worked out since he is still on the road.

"travel all day without the fridge even running"

This is very dependent on the residential fridge you have.  Our residential fridge warms up in five hours so the freezer is in the 20s.  You have to test it.  We have a wireless thermometer, so we know.  

21 hours ago, chirakawa said:

Actually, you can set the pin code on the sim using any device that has that capability.  I used my Unite Explore, others have used their phone.  Once you set a new pin, then disable the pin requirement and you can put the sim in any device that it'll work in.

Thank you.  I did not know I could turn off the pin on the Unite Explorer and now I knew I could.  I did a web search and no longer need a pin.

We used the suction cup Sunpass transponder so we could move it between the car and motorhome.  Multiple winters in Florida in areas where the toll roads were much faster and less stressful than the alternatives convinced us it was a good move. 

I run Linux Mint on one of my computers and it works well.  But it does update often, sometimes multiple times a week.  But these updates do not require a restart.  I also find that for me, I still have Windows software that I need to use, so I still run Windows 10.  Not all the Linux alternatives to Windows software work for everyone.