Simple Living and Simple Travel

At the beginning of last summer, I made a deal with myself. If I got back into as good a shape as I was a few years ago, I’d purchase this e-MTB (electric mountain bike). I have the experience and knowledge to achieve this in maybe three months. I would just have to keep my mind focused on the long-term goal over the coming months. This is not the type of electric bike one just sits on and is pulled along by the electric motor. I mean, seriously? It’s me. The Trek Powerfly 5 is a pedal assist, 10-speed with different modes. Pedal assist means one must be pedaling to tap into the electric assist. No free ride. The bike has an approximate range of 20–100 miles depending on the power mode (4 in all), terrain, incline grade, wind, and one’s riding style. 20 mph is the top-assisted speed, at which point the assist cuts off. The bike can go faster, but it will be all pedal power. The bike comes with stellar components, including hydraulic disc brakes, a Bosch electric motor (the best)...

Why does this photo almost look scary? Back in the NM state parks. I’ve met a couple of new interesting person and have been catching up with my winter acquaintances. Feels good. Sure wouldn’t want a lifestyle of this, though. Down on the flats east of the Sacramento Mtns., I’ve been accessing NPR from a different station. The first Saturday, I tuned in early to see what time Wait, Wait would broadcast. I got a chuckle when I heard ‘Best of Car Talk.’ I haven’t heard these re-runs for quite some time. What a treat. Has a psychic ever won the lottery? Had new larger drums and brakes put on the Nash. Sure feels good to have working brakes again on the trailer. The last couple of winters in the parks, I’ve noticed more cargo trailer campers. There are a number of companies now that convert the trailers into campers. A good number of people still choose to do the work themselves, as in this trailer. The owner purchased a top-of-the-line cargo trailer, constructed f...

I’ve been to Central Park and seen many photos of it. But not one from this angle. Pretty cool. I came across most of these in a newspaper (remember those?) and they brought to mind others that I remember. How long has it been since you heard any of these lines? I remember them all and I’m kinda glad they are no longer in use. A couple of these words did not even show up in a spell check. Everything Hunky Dory? You drive that jalopy? and Don’t touch that dial. You sound like a broken record. and Let me have a carbon copy. That’s poppycock. and That’s gobbledygook. You young, Whippersnapper! It could be a boondoggle. Heavens to Betsy! and Holy Moley! Gee whillikers! and Jumping Jehoshaphat! Living the life of Riley. and We’re in like Flint. Not for all the tea in China. and What a nincompoop. Gee, that’s just swell. and Knee high to a grasshopper. Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. (How could one come up with this?) Kilroy was here. (I had read somewhere that a riveter, or ...

This is the view from another lot I was thinking about purchasing. It was an acre and the asking price was $5,000. I liked the view better than from my lot, but I did not think I could have towed the Nash to it with my truck’s power problem. There are four routes to it, but each has steep, rocky hills. Bummer. It quickly sold. This doe would lower the level of the seed an inch, whenever she came by. This was after she ate all the corn. I moved the feeder. A few weeks ago, I saw a fawn taking milk from her mum. Good grief. The little one was not merely sucking on the nipple, but forcibly butting against the doe. No way could it have been comfortable for the doe. Maybe that’s why it did not last too long. I love this lifestyle. ‘Blood is thicker than water.’ This commonly means one should always put family ahead of friends. Originally, it might have meant the opposite. The full maxim was, ‘The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,’ w...

Last year I wrote 14 pages about Timberon. I don’t understand why one would choose to build a house here. At least five or six Arched Cabins and some houses have gone up in the last year of so. Unreal. If one wanted a house here, there are a number of houses that I’ve never seen a person, vehicle, or tire tracks around, and a couple, just a time or two. There is even a new pre-fab that has been on the market for a couple years and I was told the people only lived in it for six months. One could look into seeing if the owner of these unused houses would be up for selling. One would save tens of thousands of dollars over the high cost of building here. This lot has a nice secluded house on a little used road (my kind of spot). Their tower provides an awesome view. Never saw anyone here, and no tracks on the access road. I have not seen my neighbor from last summer, the horny toad. But now I’m thinking I might have been seeing two of them. Recently, I saw a young horny toad but cou...

This Montezuma quail is awesome. There is a pair that has visited a few times. As you can probably guess, the female is kinda drab in comparison. Why is that so often the case with birds? There are nowhere near the amount of turkeys around the area this year as opposed to last. When I got here in March one could hear what sounded like quite a few, off in different directions. Since then no families, and just a group of five gobblers that come by every few days, no hens. One day a single hen with this single chick stopped by to feed, well, at least the hen fed. In the past I’ve always seen Mom, Pop and a dozen or so little ones, never a single hen and chick. I wonder what the story is with these two. I had my furnace fixed. I found out there is someone up here who used to work as a RV technician. He stopped by one day, took the furnace back to his shop, ordered parts (circuit board and sail switch), and re-installed it the following weekend. Not bad. I also finally got around to...

Okay, another identify-the-bird question. Anyone? Thanks. Thanks, Rob, yes, the bird on last month’s page looks like a Spotted Towhee. Really nice looing bird. Now I think there are just two more birds I want to identify. I have not yet been able to take any useable photos to upload. And thanks for the info on allaboutbirds.org and National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. I’ll be checking them out. I’m really enjoying hearing birds in the morning, unlike last year. You think there might be a few who are just squabbling with their spouses? I don’t know for sure, but I think some mountain bikers might be insane. I came across this photo on the Trek bicycle site as I was researching one of their bikes. I REALLY hope this is the last piece of medical info. The doctor who performed my surgery last May might not have closed things up all that well. I had to have a loporoscopic incisional hernia repair with mesh, in my abdomen. It went well but I have to take...

The Stellar Jays (thanks, Rob) are back, along with a variety of smaller birds, and even a couple doves. Anyone know what this bird is? I did not notice any last year. And, what’s really cool, this year there are birds singing in the area. Don’t know why there were none last year. Maybe putting out birdseed out as soon as I got here, had something to do with it. It wasn’t until the fall last year when I thought of putting out birdseed. But still, I would have thought birds would be around. This is a photo of a problem, however. One or two come by every day. I wonder what birdseed is going to cost me this year. The first time turkeys came through, it was a whole family. The evening before, I had put the pan on the steps, since it needed to be refilled. After a couple minutes, two stragglers came through and their path took them to where some scattered seed was still on the ground. I wonder if those two are the ones that keep coming back. It seems they did not share this feeding spo...

Back in 1950 (my birth year), Alfred Eisenstaedt, a Life magazine photographer, was covering the University of Michigan’s famous marching band. He noticed a drum major practicing his high steps over on a playing field, A small boy ran out after him and fell in step behind him. Other children then ran out and fell in line. Eisenstaedt ran after them and took this shot. This is one truly kick-butt joyous photo. Life’s director of photography called ‘Drum Major,’ an ‘ode to joy.’ I would guess that the director of photography enjoyed the fourth movement in Beethoven’s 9th. I replaced the bland blinds in the Casita with Bali 1” aluminum light blocker ‘forest shadow’ blinds to add some color. In the Nash, I started with the galley blind. I’ll order two more later in the year. Check out the strips of painter’s tape that I put inside the light covers. The under-cabinet light shown too brightly into my eyes. The cabinet edge should have extended lower....

With all the light-weight trailers out there now, I went back to the November 2006 page, “choosing a rig,” and added my thoughts on these rigs. Might have touched on issues that could be missed. Noah Smith, PHD and economist, stated that economists who study happiness have begun to entertain the notion that perhaps what matters isn’t the degree to which people get what they want but how much they like what they get. Good emotions may be more important than satiation of desires. I like that. I missed staying in the parks last winter, and this winter I was somewhat bummed with the increased numbers of RVers. But it jives with the increase in RV sales. Guano. The last few years I noticed the increase of women RVers. That, at least, is good. This winter I met five whom I enjoyed talking with. Sure beats talking with the scruffy, old fat guys that inhabit the parks. At one spot where I exchanged some paperbacks, I looked through a stack of magazines that were up for grabs. There ...

A view out the back window. I went back to the July 2006 page (Table of Contents) and added some of my favorite photos from this lifestyle. There are so many more. Might be worth a look. When I had the Casita, Onyx stood up at the screen door twice, pulled down the handle and walked out. Not good, if we were in the winter state parks. Up in the mountains, off the grid, it’s generally okay. Wish I thought of this, then. Recently I picked up a sash lock at Lowe’s and instead of using it on a window, I screwed it onto the screen doorframe with 1” sheet metal screws. Didn’t even have to use the other part. A good, quick screendoor lock. If there is a next time for getting a flat on the Nash, I will try something else. The hydraulic jack needed to be put on a stack of wood since it did not have enough range of motion. Not the safest arrangement. Next time I’ll build a ramp with my wheel blocks for the other wheel on that side and drive the good tire up onto it. It should have the ...

I went through images on my Canon and found a useable one of the bobcat peaking out from behind the prickly pear, so you can go back to the November page to see it. I downloaded the NM Wildflower app to my iPod. It’s a treat when I’m out hiking or while out walking Meadow and Mesa. The pace with these two gives me plenty of time to look up plants. I like free, useful free items. This month I have a birthday, and as always, it is my most meaningful day of the year to give thanks for all that the previous year has brought me and for being able to cope with problems that came my way. I plan to go back and read ‘here’s a little story.’ It feels so good to not yet be ashes in an urn. I noticed this one day while at Bottomless Lakes NMSP. Guano. But it gave me an opportunity to use the 2-ton hydraulic jack I’ve been hauling around in case this happened. I tried plugging the hole but did not have the strength to even get the rasp into the hole. Here’s another document ...