I spent quite a bit of time over the weekend finalizing things for our upcoming Eastern Gypsy Gathering rally in Elkhart, Indiana. Can you believe that it’s less than a month away? It seems like we were just wrapping up our Western rally in Yuma, and here we are halfway across the country getting ready to do it all over again!

Yesterday, I e-mailed info letters out to all of the rally participants whom I have e-mail addresses for. We had several that bounced, even though we checked their addresses against their original reservations. So if you have registered for the rally and didn’t get a letter, it’s either because we have a bad e-mail address for you, or none at all. Please send me a quick e-mail and I’ll get a letter off to you.

Of course, no project is perfect, especially if I have anything to do with it. I had the wrong starting dates for the rally on the first letter I sent out. The rally starts on Monday, August 30 and ends on Friday, September 3rd. If your letter has an incorrect date, my apologies.

I talked to Gita Patel at Elkhart Campground yesterday. They have been busy upgrading a lot of their RV sites to 50 amp full hookups, but they are not sure the job will be completely done before the rally. So at this time, all we have left for sites that we can guarantee, are 30 amp water and electric, and a handful of 20 amp water and electric. If you register and more full hookup sites become available, we can upgrade you once you arrive at the rally, if you wish. But again, there is no guarantee.

Camping for the rally is for four nights, from Monday, August 30 to Thursday, September 2. You can arrive early or stay later if you wish, but those arrangements have to be made directly with Elkhart Campground at (574) 264-2914.  They will not take your reservation for the rally dates, that is handled through us. But for before or after the rally, they will be happy to reserve a site for you.

I also arranged for our entertainment for Wednesday night after the pizza party. Whitt and Judy McKinney, who perform as the McKinney Washtub Two, come highly recommended by several people we know, including Larry and Melissa Beahm of One More Time music, who have performed at our last two Eastern rallies. I think it’s going to be a fun show. Check out the Music Page on their website for sound clips of some of their original songs.

I talked to my buddy Greg White, who pulled into Elkhart Campground yesterday. Greg said the place is really busy, and quite a few folks are already there just waiting for the rally to begin. We’re really looking forward to seeing Greg and his pretty wife Jan again, because like I said, Jan is really pretty, and because I have a lot of projects for Greg to work on.

We also spent a couple of hours last night filling orders that came in with our last mail delivery, or from our website. I’ll be making a post office run this morning to get them in the mail.

It’s been a busy weekend, and it’s only going to get busier as we get closer to the rally dates!

Thought For The Day – Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?

Click Here To Register For Our Eastern Gypsy Gathering Rally!

Many people have asked me how I come up with something new to write about every day in the blog. Usually it’s no problem; I write about our travels when we’re on the move, and about the RV lifestyle in general when we’re stationary for  awhile. And sometimes I stumble across something totally unexpected I want to share with my readers. Yesterday was such a day.

When I drove into downtown Salt Lake City to do some more genealogy research at the Family History Library yesterday, there was a crowd of people, a contingent of Utah Highway patrol Officers,  a horse drawn hearse, and several news crews across the street from the library.

As it turns out, it was the funeral for world famous artist Arnold Friberg, who died Thursday, at the age of 96. Friberg was known for his patriotic and religious paintings. His work also included the posters for the Cecil B. DeMille movie The Ten Commandments, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award; paintings depicting scenes from the Book of Mormon;  and his masterpiece work Prayer At Valley Forge, portraying George Washington kneeling next to his horse, praying for guidance during the darkest days of the American Revolution.

Fribeg was also famous for over 300 paintings he created to honor the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and he was a beloved friend to the Mounties. A squad of Mounties, in their trademark dress uniform known as the Red Serge, the scarlet tunic, worn with the flat brimmed Stetson hat and high boots, were on hand to escort his hearse to a nearby cemetery.

A squad of Mounties in full dress uniform is something very few people ever see in the United States. The Mounties’ everyday working uniform is a grey shirt with dark blue tie, blue trousers, ankle length patrol boots  and a regular policeman’s style cap. The Red Serge is worn only for special formal occasions. A news reporter at the scene said Friberg loved pomp and ceremony, and his funeral certainly provided that, in a grand way.

After watching the Mounties march off behind the hearse, I went up to the second floor of the Family History library, where they have a large bank of computers where visitors can do their research. These computers are hooked up to just about every online genealogy resource that exists. It would cost a person a small fortune to subscribe to all of these websites and services, but it’s all free here.

Half of the second floor has aisle after aisle of cabinets filled with microfilms that contain records for millions of people.

Each box contains a separate filmstrip, and each strip has hundreds, some even thousands, of pieces of data. Everything from court records, to birth, wedding and death records, newspaper items, land records and deeds, and much, much more.

In this age of computers and internet access, I had forgotten a lesson from my early newspaper days that I was reminded of in a big way yesterday. When you are sitting at a viewer, cranking through page after page of microfilm to get to what you are looking for, you can very easily get what can best be described as a form of motion sickness as the images fly past your eyes. Some people experience the same thing when trying to read a book or newspaper while riding in a car. After about three hours, I was so nauseated, and had such a headache, that I had to give up for the day.  When I go back next week, I’ll pace myself better so that doesn’t happen again!

Back at the RV park, I picked up Terry and we went to two different Joann Fabrics stores to get enough of a particular yarn she needed to finish a project she is working on, then we had dinner and went home to a quiet evening.

Today we have some visitors coming by, and then we may drive over to check out the Great Salt Lake. Or, if it’s too hot, we may just stay home and enjoy the air conditioning.

Thought For The Day -  Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

Click Here To Register For Our Eastern Gypsy Gathering Rally!

Yesterday was our last day in Apache Junction, and as much as we enjoy visiting with Terry’s parents, Pete and Bess Weber, we’re ready to get back up to Show Low, where it is a little cooler, and we can get another grandkid fix.

I spent part of yesterday doing some bookwork and maintenance on our subscriber mailing lists, and logging in several vendor registrations for our Eastern Gypsy Gathering rally in Elkhart, Indiana.

As of now, we have less than 20 of the 50 amp full hookup sites left, and twelve 30 amp full hookup sites. We still have quite a few 30 amp water and electric sites, and lots of 20 amp water and electric sites, but the folks who wait too long to register, and then expect full hookups, may be disappointed.

While I was doing that, Miss Terry installed another set of the Levolor window blinds that I mentioned in yesterday’s blog. These went on the small window in our bedroom, and I think they look pretty good.

A few people asked me if the blinds would rattle going down the highway. I don’t think so, since they come with metal brackets that attach to the wall or inside the window frame, depending on your installation. The bottom of the blinds slide into these brackets, which holds them securely and prevents any movement or rattling. At least that’s the game plan, we’ll know for sure after we actually do any traveling.  Plus, there is room for the blinds to pull up snugly in the header at the top of the window, where it is unlikely they can rattle.

Today we have an 8 a.m. appointment at Camping World in Mesa to get the problems with our inside dual wheels corrected, and hopefully we’ll be out of there in a couple of hours. Then we’ll head back up the hill, as local folks call it, to Show Low.

We have our choice of two routes, either U.S. Highway 60 east to Globe, and then the same road north through the Salt River Canyon to Show Low; or we can take State Route 87, the Beeline Highway, north to Payson, and then State Route 260 east to Show Low. The first route is the more scenic, with the dramatic drop down into the Salt River Canyon and the climb back up, but the route through Payson is a little easier and the road is better most of the way.

Since we came down through the Salt River Canyon, I’m leaning toward the Beeline Highway going back up, just for a change of scenery if nothing else. But I never know for sure which way I’ll go until I get there. That freedom is one of the advantages of the RV lifestyle. We usually don’t have to travel by any certain route, or be any certain place, unless we want to.

We have met a few fulltimers who are so rigidly locked into schedules that they never leave themselves any room to explore whatever comes up along the way, or even  to have a buffer in case bad weather or mechanical difficulties interrupt their trip. Most folks like this either loosen up and learn to roll with the punches, or they realize that fulltiming isn’t for them and they eventually find themselves settled down, either in a long term RV park setting, or back in a sticks and bricks house.

Thought For The Day – Everything worth knowing leaves bruises.

Click Here To Register For Our Eastern Gypsy Gathering Rally!

When I first heard about Apple’s new tablet computer, I have to admit that my first reaction was “So what? I already have a desktop computer, a laptop computer, and a netbook computer. What can the iPad do that they can’t?” Then I saw my first iPad, and my immediate reaction was “I want one!” 

As it turns out, there is not much you can do on an iPad that you can’t do with another type of computer, but there is a lot that I can do with an iPad that I don’t do on my other computers. Things like relaxing on the couch and surfing the web at the same time, or checking my e-mail while visiting the in-laws, or reading USA Today for free while waiting in the van while my wife is in the bank or grocery store.

The iPad comes in two versions, either a WiFi only version, or a 3G model (capable of accessing the internet via AT&T) which also is WiFi capable if you are near a WiFi hotspot. Both versions come with either 16, 32 or 64 gig of storage. I wanted the 64 gig 3G model, because one of my big reasons for wanting an iPad was for internet access away from our motorhome. Getting one proved to be a challenge, because every store I contacted was sold out. I finally put my name on the list to reserve one at the Apple Store in Tucson, and less than a week later it arrived.

I am no fan of AT&T, and I really wish the iPad was available on the Verizon network, but so far there is no verifiable indication that will happen anytime soon. So it is what it is. AT&T offers two different monthly pricing plans for the iPad, either 250 MB for $14.99 or $29.99 for unlimited data. You can change your plan at any time, but forget the cheaper plan. It’s a joke. I signed up for it, and in less than 24 hours I was at my limit, with no movies or music downloaded, just web surfing and checking e-mail. 

I was disappointed to discover that my iPad would not work with our Cradlepoint MBR1000 router right out of the box. So much for Apple’s “just turn it on and it works, first time, every time” reputation. I called the Apple Store, and they asked me to bring it in to see if they could figure it out. As it turns out, there is a setting on the Cradlepoint that I need to change, which the Apple tech assures me will remedy the problem. Since I switched to the unlimited plan, the conflict with my router is no big hassle, so I’ll wait and have one of my tech buddies talk me through changing the router’s settings, so I don’t mess up and lose Miss Terry’s WiFi access in the process. On AT&T, here in Apache Junction, the iPad works quickly, and I have no complaints.

UPDATE: After I originally posted this blog, my friend Greg White talked me through resetting the router, and now the iPad works fine on WiFi.

The first thing one has to understand about the iPad is that it is not a replacement to a computer, if you need all of the things a computer can do. I see it as a supplement. If I am at my desk, I may pop onto Facebook to see what’s happening, or answer an e-mail, or look around the internet, but to me, my desk is where I work, so I find myself feeling guilty if I goof off too much, and before long I’m writing a blog or a story for the next issue of the Gypsy Journal. With the iPad, I can park myself on the couch and play.

So if an iPad isn’t a computer, what is it? Well, it’s a great e-book reader, for one thing. I had an Amazon Kindle, and though I loved the concept, most of what I wanted it for were reference books. I discovered that photographs and charts look terrible, and are hard to see on a Kindle. On the iPad, they look great. I was also thrilled to learn that, besides Apple’s online book store, there is a free Kindle app, and once I downloaded it, all of the books I had purchased for my Kindle were still in my Amazon library, and I downloaded them to the iPad. Cool!

Being a career newspaper man, I am a news junkie. So I love the free USA Today app, which allows me to read my newspaper on the iPad. I can also read the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and a ton of magazines on it.

The iPad comes with a great street map, and the 3G model has a GPS chip built in. I can view maps in traditional street view, or Google satellite view, and the GPS feature allows me to find local businesses wherever I am. When I click on a business, I get the address, phone number, and other info, along with turn by turn directions.

We love music, and our iPod has thousands of songs on it. I can download those same songs to my iPad, and buy more from the iTunes Store.

For gaming, the graphics are fantastic, but I doubt that I’ll be playing games in the iPad. I have also seen movies on iPads on display at stores, and the picture is great. There is a Netflix app that allows you to download all the movies you could ever want to watch.

I could go on and on about all you can do with an iPad, but you can get most of that info online with a quick Goggle search. So instead, I’ll tell you a little about the features I like and don’t like, from a user standpoint.

First, the iPad is heavier than a Kindle, and your hands get tired pretty quickly if you are holding it like a paperback book. But if I prop it up on my chest while laying down, or on my stomach while sitting in a chair, it’s fine. (I knew I grew that stomach for something!) In the van, I prop it on the steering wheel and again, no problems.

I have heard that because the iPad doesn’t support Flash, some websites will not load right, or won’t come up at all. So far that has not been a problem, and I have been able to access and view every website I wanted to, including my own websites, the Escapees forum, Ancestry.com and many others. I can also follow links in websites with no problem

The glossy screen is also a fingerprint magnet, and in direct sunlight, the screen will give a lot of glare. There are screen protectors one can buy to remedy those problems.

I like the touch screen, and being able to make type and photos larger whenever I need to. For these old eyes, that’s a real plus. I am also very impressed with the iPad’s battery life. Apple claims 9+ hours of constant use on the 3G models, and 10 hours on the WiFi only models. I have found that to be true so far. I charged the unit up when I brought it home, and have about 40% of battery power left 36 hours later.

The speaker is so so at best, and while there is a jack for earphones, I don’t know how much I’ll use the music feature, since I can just slip my much smaller, lighter iPod into my shirt when I go for a walk.

I downloaded the free Weather Bug app, and I am very impressed with it. The graphics are excellent, and the GPS tells Weather Bug my location for up to the minute local weather info. One reader e-mailed me that they found its live weather radar very handy a few days ago when they were on the road and dodging thunderstorms and tornados in Oklahoma.

Other standard iPad features I really like are the notepad and calendar. Yes, I have both on my Blackberry, but my eyes older really need a bigger screen.  I also appreciate the fact that, unlike a laptop computer, the iPad does not get hot, no matter how long you use it.

There are other features, and thousands of apps that I am looking forward to exploring further, but based on what I have seen so far, I am even more impressed with the iPad than I was at first glance. I see it becoming my primary tool for media consumption, information access, and  web surfing. Like an American Express card, I won’t leave home without it.

So, is the iPad the newest must have gadget for every RVer? I don’t know, but it sure meets the needs of this RVer, and I’m glad I have it!

Thought For The Day – Suburbia: Where they cut down all the trees, and then name streets after them.

Click Here To Register For Our Eastern Gypsy Gathering Rally! 

Miss Terry is like the Energizer Bunny. Give her a big job and she just keeps going and going until it’s finished. Hardly taking a break for even a few minutes, she waded through the mail duties and put the job behind her like it was nothing. I have no idea how she does it. Forget the Energizer Bunny, I married Wonder Woman!

Terry wanted me to thank everybody for their feedback on her proposed RV cooking blog. Your responses were very helpful, and really gave her confidence in the project a boost. If she does go forward with it, and that hasn’t been decided yet, it will probably be a twice a week kind of thing, definitely not a daily posting. I’ll let you know what she decides.

By late yesterday afternoon, with most of the envelopes stuffed, and our van loaded with many, many bins of envelopes to take to the mail service on Monday, we needed a break. My daughter Tiffany had called to tell us that our mail forwarding service had sent a packet of mail to her address for us, so we drove into town to pick it up.

Son-in-law Jim was under Tiffany’s Toyota Forerunner, fixing something that he assured me that he didn’t need my help with (Jim knows just how handy I am), so we spent a pleasant couple of hours playing with granddaughters Hailey, age seven, and Destiny, age three. I won’t swear to it, but sometimes I think Jim just crawls under a car and pretends to be working so he can take a nap away from all the activity inside the house. Those little ones never stop!

Once Jim was done with his project, he cleaned up, and we took everybody out to dinner. We had a nice meal, and the little ones were well behaved at the restaurant. All through dinner, I kept telling Tiffany that they need to move somewhere warmer, like the Texas Gulf Coast, where I can come and stay longer. Preferably in a full hookup  RV site they build for me next to their new home. So far she’s not buying it, but Dad can be pretty persistent.

It was a good evening, and everybody had a good time.

After we parted company with the kids, Terry and I ran to Wal-Mart to pick up some things, and then it was back to the motorhome so Terry could knock out the last of the mailings.

We had only been home an hour or so when Tiffany called from the hospital to tell us that once they got back home, the girls were wrestling and goofing off, and Hailey fell and broke both bones in her left arm, midway between the elbow and wrist. Tiffany kept us informed as things progressed. This is the same arm she broke a couple of years ago.  Hailey is always climbing trees or bringing us handfuls of bugs to admire that she caught.  She’s definitely not a girly girl, and she usually has the scrapes and bumps to prove it.

Thought For The Day -  Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool .

Click Here To Register For Our Eastern Gypsy Gathering Rally!