Locked out, screwdriver screwed

I had good intentions Friday. We went to the local clubhouse where Emo met some other recovering alcoholics, I attended the noon meeting, and we went to Lake Livingston State Park to hike. I locked the keys in the truck. We hiked about a quarter mile to the headquarters and a lady there let me use her cell phone to call GM Roadside Assistance. We waited about an hour and a guy from Smith's towing showed up and let me in. We'll hike another day.

I am without Ham Radio here because my High Sierra screwdriver antenna is kaput. I tried it and fried it, there was smoke from the control box. I tried a little troubleshooting and the antenna just won't work for me. I'm thinking of keeping it simple and getting some Hustler resonators, easy to set up and no operational problems. Not as good a signal, but I will be on 3 bands with a rugged and simple and durable set-up.

Resolutions? One day at a time? Well, Emo dog is fat, he weighed in at 78 pounds, his highest ever. I am also gaining weight. I resolve to go hiking more, so look for some trail reports and pictures soon.

Despite the glitches, I am in a good mood and enjoying the great weather here. Windows are open and I got to ride the little motorcycle down the road to gas it up and check mail. I think it will do OK on these 70 MPH Texas roads for short stretches. I might ride it to meetings next week.

More next year...Chuck

Back in Livingston, Texas

We have arrived safely and set-up here at Rainbow's End. We will be here until January 18.

Dog Day

Emo Dog got the treatment today. I ordered his 2012 tags online, he got to the vet for a check-up, stocked up on meds, and a bath. He should be good to go for Big Bend.

Safe at home

We have arrived in Dayton.

We took a short hike today in the Big Creek Scenic Area. Nice woods, and a nice trail along the creek.

Trailhead.

Map showing several loops.

The Big Creek.

Emo crossing a bridge.

Plans are to head out Tuesday in the little truck to come back to Ohio for appointments and Christmas. Been mostly having a lazy time around the campground, had to fix an insurance mess to get more meds, and been to a few meetings. Not much to report. Still thinking about Big Bend after the New Year.

Arrived at Livingston

We have arrived and set-up at Rainbow's End in Livingston, the home of Escapees. Satellite dish set-up was done by a Higher Power, I just set up the thing, turned the system on to tune it, and I had a 94% strong signal, nothing more to do. Don't know how I managed that.

We'll stay here until December 12 or 13, then put the rig in storage and go to Ohio for appointments and Christmas. See y'all then.

Short drive and hike

We went for a short drive in the forest today, down a couple gravel roads. One was gated, so we parked and walked about a mile down and a mile back. Emo seems fine. Been chillin' around the campground and going to meetings. Great weather here.

We headed out early today and went for a short hike, about a mile out and a mile back, on the Lone Star Hiking Trail in the Sam Houston National Forest. Emo seemed fine on the way out, but was dragging tail on the way back. I don't know if he is sick, old, out of shape, or all three. Maybe the pork chop bones from a couple nights back didn't sit well, he's been giving some less than solid things for me to pick up. At any rate, it's dog rations only for a few days.

The hike was in piney woods with some undergrowth, I took pictures. The second and third pictures are at a dry creek bed. There are water restrictions here it has been so dry.

Laundry day yesterday, no big plans. I'll hike Emo here in camp, there's a nice long dog run. If he seems OK, I may water up and hike a lot more of the trail. Hard to construct a loop, though, I may need to use a forest road or something. Oh, air conditioner weather here!

All set-up

Arrived at Thousand Trails Lake Conroe and we are set-up, 50 Amps, water, sewer, internet, DirecTV, same nice site as last year.

Last night I took a hot shower and watched some METV which is a local Texas station that shows stuff from the 70's. Also shaved. Clean shaven, Ohio folks, except for the little mustache. Might keep it that way?

Clear skies, temps high 40's-low 50's today. Gotta get some groceries in here and stroll the dog.

Edit later - the donut shop across the road got me for a dozen. That and some hot dog buns from the little store next door will do until tomorrow when I go to a real store. Lazy day after the setting up, it is actually about mid 60's here, I have the door open with the screen door closed. It gives Emo a good view, and we have a nice breeze to balance the sun's warmth.

Emo staring intently at something out the door.

View from the door. We have a field out there to walk in.

Almost there

We are camped overnight at a pull through site in an RV park I saw on the side of the road a few miles before Nacadoces (sp?). Easy drive to Lake Conroe tomorrow. So far, so good on the trip.

Preparations

Put some anti-freeze in the plumbing today, I will leave Nov. 8 for a slow drive to Lake Conroe Thousand Trails in Texas. Hopefully, from there to Livingston at the Rainbow's End Escapees park where I will stay until 14 December, then put the RV in storage in Livingston and head home for appointments and Christmas. After that, back to Texas and maybe Big Bend?

Update

I have been approved for Social Security Disability Income for depression, so I should be able to keep the house and the RV. Best of both worlds.

I've been using the good weather days here for motorcycling, so no hiking reports or pictures. I went to a weekend workshop last Fri/Sat/Sun riding the little bike through the country loaded with bedroll and clothes. Good time.

My plans are to head for Alabama after Election Day, and stay near Andalusia. The RV is in the shop for a new TV. I hope I can get out of Ohio without having to winterize the rig.

I'll be back in Dayton for a week or 10 days around Christmas. All for now, look for Alabama pics this winter.

Update

21 years sober today!

We've had some trips around Ohio, I motorcycled 300 miles one day, we spent a day at Shawnee State Forest with my friend Tom, been to our favorite local park, Possum Creek. Emo doing fine. Fighting the depression with steps 6 and 7.

I plan to stay in Dayton/Wilmington at least until after the MW2 workshop mid-September.

Back in Dayton

We will be here at least through August. Need A/C work and roofing work for the house. Probably get some Ohio hiking in.

Emo freed from collar, heat wave

Emo dog figured out how to lick his bad toe nail with the Elizabethan collar on, so I took it off. He was grateful for that!

The temperature here was 98 last time I looked. The 30 Amp breaker at the hook-up pedestal kept blowing, so I set the power center on the Winnebago on 20 Amp service. The breaker didn't blow anymore, but the A/C just couldn't keep up. Right now, I have the generator set running, and the cold air is rushing in. Full 5500 Watts for the A/C to work with. It is suggested to run the generator an hour a month anyway, and I have plenty gas in the tank, so we will keep cool for a little while.

Went for a short country drive today, nothing exceptional to report. With the dog healing, this may be a stick around the campground week. That's not all bad, I guess.

Emo boo-boo

Emo dog tore the nail off one of his dew claws (he has 4). The vet put him in an Elizabethan collar, so he won't lick it. I remember my terrier little Pepper Dog was the most miserable creature I ever saw with a collar. Emo seems to take it in stride, but I can tell he hates it.

You can see how red it is, must hurt, but little complaint from this always cheerful critter. God love him.

Vet said no hiking or swimming for a week or two. I'll be back in Ohio in a week, and I'll take him to his regular vet for a follow-up. Poor Emo. I expect the regular vet will remove the collar if the nail is starting to grow back and things look OK. I'll take the poor beast for a couple long country drives while we are here, but I just couldn't stand to hit the trails without him.

Arrived at St. Clair

We made it. I had a sewer hose spill setting up, what a stinking mess. Guy next door and I dumped a bunch of bleach on it, it still smells in this heat. I need a shower now, more later.

Good day

We went for a Sunday drive up to the Huron Nat'l Forest, and hiked 3/4 mile back to a lake where Emo went swimming. Took this picture of the Au Sable river from an overlook.

Plans

We are still at the OAI Rifle River park. Haven't done much the last few days, went to a meeting and checked out a back country area a guy told us about, lots of two rut roads to walk down. Drove the motorcycle on some more sand, did OK. Drove to Bay City then West Branch to check out cigar stores. Emo seems content with a single outing each day.

I made reservations for 19-26 July at the St. Clair Thousand Trails park here in Michigan, after that we will return to Wilmington and Dayton, back to the house for August, I guess. That's all for now.

Another good day

I went back to the Rifle River Recreation Area today with Emo Dog. We drove all over it, having a good time and stopping several places to let Emo swim. I even coaxed him to climb up a lookout tower. Then we hiked about a mile and a half back to a lake, and came back the way we went. The bugs were intense, poor Emo had a blackfly that rode about a mile on his hindquarters, and bugs buzzing about his head all the way. But, overall we had a great time. Here's some pictures from today.

A small lake, view from the lookout tower.

The two mushrooms on the left look like the picture of a poison mushroom I saw at the Ranger Station.

It is a great trail, until we got to Lost Lake and hit wet peat moss.

There were lots and lots of ferns on this hike, I like them.

Canoe on the Rifle River, shot from the swinging bridge. I asked them if I could take a picture, the woman in front grabbed her bikini top and said, "How much?"

We might kick back in the campground and do maintenance for a couple days, and let the weekenders have the trails.

Bike Ride

I rode about 150 miles today on the little 250cc Super Sherpa. Half of it was on gravel, dirt, and sand. I only fell once, in some deep sand on a curve, nothing hurt. I reconnoitered the Rifle River State Recreation Area and plan to take Emo there hiking tomorrow. He was glad to see me when I got back. I got mud on the bike, had a good time. The little bike is great for Michigan roads. And, it is perfect weather here, I didn't break a sweat even with my mesh jacket. Wildflowers are in bloom, campgrounds are almost full, families out picnicking an swimming. I like Michigan in the summer.

Luck smiles on us

I'm in a much better mood today. We drove to the State Forest Visitor's Center where I got maps and a great trail book. On the way there, I saw an RV in front of an electronics shop, and figured, I'll just see if they have a satellite dish and tripod. They did, and the guy gave me a few tips on setting it up. It is working! We travelled the back roads back, spending about two hours on forest gravel roads. Emo got to swim in a river. Things are slowly getting pulled together here!

Here's a picture of our campsite, and the always happy resident.

Set up in Michigan

We arrived in Michigan, set up for two weeks at the Outdoor Adventures Rifle River camp. My satellite dish quit. All I can get over the air is Oprah and PBS. No baseball! I think I have a battery problem, too, but I'm plugged in here. Also, a fog lamp came loose, I guess I'll have to crawl in the dirt and see what I can do. 30 Amps, water, no sewer hookup, but we can go 2 weeks with the huge tanks in this huge tank.

This place is dusty and hot, but we will have fun exploring around backroads and trails. Pictures to come.

Maintenance, and a trip planned

What a day. I had to replace the converter in the motorhome, not only did it die, but all the stuff in the 'fridge melted. Trip to RV park, trip back to RV dealer to get a new converter ($$), trip back to RV, then...I decided my green approach to mowing just wasn't working. The electric mower's battery just doesn't have any grunt after two years. I bought a self-propelled Toro and mowed the back part where it was knee high.

I made reservations July 5-19 at a park in Michigan near the Rifle River. Ought to be fun. We may go back after some appointments..

Roughing it

Yeah, recliner, Reds on ESPN, dog by my side, cigar, coffee, beautiful weather with windows open and roof fan on, internet, ham radio, it's tough camping.

Radio installed

I got the TS-480 and the HS-1800 installed in the rig, now I have radio. Sorta. Still have a high SWR, I think I may need to work on grounding. I did have a 40 Meter contact with a blind ham, Bob, W8MXC in Michigan using 50 Watts. He was a bit chirpy on his ancient history rig, I love the sound, but it takes a lot of bandwidth and is not proper operation.

I took Emo to go swimming today. He likes to hide under the couch, I surprised him. He must have thought the camera was something to eat.

Robin eggs

A robin has made a nest in my generator compartment. Pictures tell the story.

Having a good time here at Wilmington, watching softball and taking short walks. I did go home to get a cigar shipment, do some motorcycle maintenance, and get tools. I plan to set up the Ham Radio station in the RV tomorrow.

Finally, another hike

Weather has turned summer in Ohio! Emo and I went to Buck Creek State Park and hiked part of the Buckhorn trail. We went back about two miles to a place I know as a swimming hole for Emo. He had a good day, a good car ride, hiking, swimming. I did OK after so much couch potato stuff. Emo's arthritic knee seems to be doing fine, too.

We will be moving to the RV at Wilmington Thousand Trails tomorrow and remain there for the Women's College World Series on TV. I'll probably come back to the house to mow grass Friday, other than that, we will be in the park.

I had to take the old TS-830S radio onto the bench, it wasn't driving the final tubes. It took awhile, but I discovered a disconnected connector on the RF board. It's a great radio, wonderful receiver and nearly indestructible tube transmitter. I'm glad I got it going again.

Tinkering

Well, been stuck in the house in rainy Ohio. Every time there is a dry half-day, I have to mow. I did get Emo to the Bark Park yesterday.

I have a bunch of old ball game radio broadcasts from the 40's and 50's on my computer, and I am trying to home brew an AM transmitter so I can listen to them on one of my old tube radios. There are many circuits for this on the internet, but I wanted to design my own for kicks.I've come a long way for two days, using my very deep junk box - or junk room. I'm seeing modulation on 641 kHz with a 12V supply. Here's the circuit:

Here's my breadboard mess:

But, I'm getting close. I can see a nice sine wave, and the modulation seen below. I can hear the 400 Hz signal from my old frequency generator in my Kenwood R1000 receiver!

I need to get more modulation, then the critical part of putting together a permanent circuit on a circuit card and tweaking things. It's been fun so far. BTW, I'm using the first audio transformer that came to hand, a Mouser TM108. I think I need a step-up transformer.

Good Day

The weather finally gave me enough of a break, I got some antennas up and mowed half the yard.

These antennas are solidly up, I hope they will last a few years. I have an Alpha-Delta DX-LB that I replaced the center insulator with a W2AU balun, and used some homebrew PVC spreaders to parallel a 30M dipole. It is up about 35+ feet in the center, and maybe 25 on both ends. Since I had everything I needed to do it, I also hung a G5RV Junior as a sloper. Other antenna is my die hard 6BTV vertical. The low wires are on Rohn 50 foot masts, one bracketed and guyed (35') and the other with plenty of guys. I am very happy to report everything seems to work fine, I worked a Marconi Special Event station on Cape Cod with 25 watts on the 30M dipole, and a few days ago I worked the Queen Mary station on 40M with the vertical. It's a little pistol station, but it should do all I want to do for a long time to come.

Whew, I haven't worked that much in a long time. I promised Emo next nice day, we will go to the Bark Park.

Much rain, chores

Solid rain for several days as usual for April in Dayton. Back yard is a swamp. An ice storm here while I was in Texas took down some of my antennas, I'm almost through getting them back up. Gotta get all teh guy wires, etc. off the ground so I can mow tomorrow.

Hoping for some sunny days to do some day hiking and spend some time in the RV.

Levelers fixed

I got the RV back from Lewis RV today, the levelers are fixed, and I had the oil and genset oil changed. There were 4 other RVs like mine there, all for leaking windshield seals. I may need to do something more aggressive to address the issue, mine does leak a little even after I tried to seal it.

I have a broken little toe, it is almost healed, but it has put the stops on any day hikes. I hope to get some housekeeping done and yard work, antenna work, etc. taken care of before the Thousand Trails Wilmington park opens next Friday.

I've been watching the Reds, off to a great start! More soon, once I get out and about more.

Good medical news

I had a colonoscopy today. After having colon cancer removed in '07, I'm happy to report a clean bill of health.

Busy in Dayton

Been taking care of a lot of things. Psychiatrist, therapist, chiropractor, veterinarian. Went to the MW2 Men's AA Workshop last weekend. I picked out a good annual site at the Wilmington Thousand Trails. And, I broke my little toe. Ouch.

The RV goes in for work on the levelers and oil changes on April 5, so no travels before then. I go in for a colonoscopy Monday, the cancer is 3 years behind me, I hope for a clean bill of health.

My brother in law is doing well, gets the staples out of his incisions today.

Later.

In Dayton

Arrived back in Dayton about 6:30. Emo not happy. Chuck not happy. House just like I left it, a mess. Lots to do - appointments, RV needs tires, oil change, and levelers fixed, tons to do in the house and yard. One day at a time, I guess.

Almost there

Overnighting at a Love's truck stop well east of St. Louis, be in Dayton tomorrow (Wed.)

Emo on the beach

Emo happy

I drove down to the fishing dock today, and let Emo run the beach off leash. He was so happy he was running in circles, up the hill, through the water, just having a good time. We will go down there every day now.

Good News

My brother in law's operation went well!

I'm still here at Lake Texoma, going to local meetings, washing the RV and the truck, smoking cigars, and generally being lazy. Watching some spring training games, planning my trip back to Ohio.

Great camp

We are camped in a great site in a great park. This is my favorite TT preserve so far. Right across the road is the trail, and we hiked about a quarter mile down to an empty picnic site overlooking the lake. I let Emo off leash and he got to swim, we stayed over an hour. I saw many fish jump.

I got groceries today, and I think we have all we need to keep the truck parked for the next two weeks, excepting 15 minute runs to the local AA group, which I attended last night. Great meeting, nice meeting space. They meet every night at 7 PM except Sunday when they meet at 3.

I'm going to take a few days to get back to Ohio, but I have registered for the Men's Workshop starting Friday the 18th. I hope the motorhome will fit, if it won't, I may try to motorcycle camp weather permitting. The following week I have appointments, and the week after that I am guessing I will have another colonoscopy. My cancer has been gone for 3 years, I expect a good bill of health. The cardiologist tested me and said I was good last fall, I just need to get out and hike more, and do something else, maybe dumbells. And, quit eating junk.

I use my Blackberry tethered to the laptop for internet, and the signal here is very weak, so e-mail and a short browse is all I can do. Probably good for me, it got us down to the lake instead of sitting in front of the machine. Soon I will start some maintenance, I think my leveler problem may be low fluid, I need to get out the ladder to reach the fill port and check it. If I can't get it going, I'll need to call someone out $$$.

Life is good. Tom, send me your e-mail address if you read this, I wanted to discuss the recent state politics, I see the public unions in Ohio got hit. I hate to get political on this blog, but I really think hitting teachers with budget cuts and crippling their unions is like eating our seed corn. Teachers, cops, fire fighters, infrastructure workers, and military are things we need to keep up if we are going to advance.

Watching a lot of pre-season baseball, it's funny watching some of these kids try things past their abilities to impress people. Wild throws, baserunning, etc. I'll listen to the Reds on Dodger radio tonight, I hope for another good season.

Bye for now...Chuck

Here with problems

We arrived at Texoma signal on Blackberry too weak for laptop internet. Leveler problems but leveled with Lynx levelers. Might not blog much with the phone. Heading towards Dayton March 14.

Movin' On

Moving tomorrow (Tuesday) to Texoma Lake TT Preserve for two weeks. Thinking about keeping the house for another year or two, I guess I'll let it play out by itself. I'll blog tomorrow night after we get set up up north, looks like good travel weather.

Slow

I've slowed down the last few days. Reading, walks in the campground, naps. Went to the Post Office to pick up my General Delivery from the mail forwarding service, but a fellow coming out of the building told me, "Dia presidentes, no abierto." Stopped by the market for a few simple things.

I'm reading a few books, one of which is William James' Varieties of Religious Experiences. It starts out a bit dry, and hard to get a good handle on. I needed to use skills I got in my Philosophy classes to bull through to page 75 or so. After that, it gets to be very rich and wonderful. I see now why the early AAs liked it.

Seems Thoreau was a bit of an intellectual snob, and I don't believe him when he says he can hike 30 miles in a day.

Baseball Friday. Thank God.

Hot here, I just put on the air conditioner. We went for a big walk, Emo swam in the lake, we got barked at but I let Emo pee on the other dog's tree, ha! Took the long way back, past a couple interesting RVs and holiday weekenders breaking camp. Great thing about full-timing, watching others pack up to go back to what I can no longer handle. I'll be so glad when I get the house ready for sale and get things set up like I want.

Enough rambling. Give some good thoughts and prayers to my brother in law Bill, he will be going through some serious medical procedures, we won't know details until they start in on him. Thanks...Chuck

Chores, Zoo, Hike

Been a busy 3 days - almost. Lots of lazy time, too. Tuesday got laundry, dishes, and general clean-up done and hit the meeting. Wednesday I went to the San Antonio Zoo and took a bunch of pictures. Emo and I went back to the Hill Country State Natural Area today and we hiked trail number 8, sans camera. The trail has no great features, just a very good multi-purpose (horse and hike) trail through mostly ranch land. There is one overlook, over a nice creek. There are some rocky and steep sections, I'm glad I'm not a horse. So far, all these Texas trails have been excellent. I am going to go over the HCSNA map and chart another loop to hike next week. We will hike the little trail here in the Preserve this weekend. And, I'll be at the meeting tonight.

I cooked some Anasazi beans in the pressure cooker. Vegetarian style. They are like pinto beans but a bit smaller and marbled with color. I used a full bag of beans, two onions diced, two bay leaves, and some pepper. Soaked overnight, drain so they won't make me gassy, cover with fresh water and bring up to pressure, for 8-10 minutes, let stand to cool. Good beans.

Here are some Zoo pictures, click on any picture to see a larger version.

Hiking the Hill Country SNA

Depression set in this morning, I slept from 10 last night 'til 9 this morning. Didn't feel like doing anything but taking a nap. Body felt stiff and sore. I forced myself to get breakfast. Then, I decided we would hike whether I wanted to or not. Got stuff together, took some ibuprofen and an anxiety pill, and off we went! I'm so glad I was able to win out and get out.

It was a great day, temps in the lower 70's and blue skies with a few white clouds. We hiked one of the "most difficult" rated trails, 5B, that goes to a loop with several overlooks. It was rough, rocky going for a while, I had to stop to rest several times. Emo had no problems, but he was panting pretty good. It was worth the effort to get to the top. That's where the overlook pictures are from.

We hiked down another trail a ways, and then took an easy trail about a mile back to the horse camp where the trailhead is. The boots I bought are work boot soles with cowboy boot style uppers, I was worried about how they would do on the trail, they did great. My tennis shoes would have had a rough go over all those rocks.

Many more trails in this park, we'll be back. Enjoy these pictures for now.