More From My Readers....

While I sit here watching the service guys bleed my brakes, try to get some wires out from behind my dash (for my old GPS that I want to use in my car and for my Sirius that I want to be able to move between vehicles), work on my hydraulic jacks (one has decided to not drop down anymore - lazy thing...LOL!) and then do an annual service on my A/C (which has probably NEVER been cleaned)...I figured I'd do a quick blog replying to some comments and questions from readers.

"My Minnie Winnie is also an E450, just like yours. We probably don't have the same brand of tires but for my 19" tires it is 60# in the front, with a maximum of 80# for the duals. Actually, you should weigh each tire position and consult the manufacturer's recommendations for the particular weight at that location. Mine handles better with 60# than the 80# the local Ford mechanic increased them to."
After getting weighed at the RV Life on Wheels, I am now using 80 in the rear tires and 75 in the front. I am overweight, especially in the rear, but am working diligently to correct that. I hope to get the rig weighed again here shortly.

"With the Nuvi, you should be able to touch MENU and then touch the sat signal strength indicator, it should then show you accuracy, elevation, position of sat's and all sat signal strength."
This was in response to my complaints about missing features on my Nuvi as compared to my older Quest II. If I go to Menu/Tools/Where Am I, then I can see the elevation. Not something you should be doing while driving...the Quest displays it on the screen. Oh well..at least I can find it. LOL! Thanks for the help.

"You have probably ordered already, but although you can handle the 25# portable break system now, there will come a time you may not be as strong or you could just strain your arm temporarily. The Roadmaster seems like it could prove valuable. I also wonder if you should sell the Suzuki would having that brake system on it help the resale value?"
Yup, already bought the Brake Buddy Vantage system (proportional braking). I realize that lifting it may become an issue at some point but since my car IS older and there is always the possibility of needing to upgrade at some point, the portable brake system makes more sense. Unfortunately, have the setup on the car for the Roadmaster Brakemaster wouldn't increase it's resale value. So both for convenience and current outlay, the portable system made more sense. (And keep following along...that's how we all learn!) Thanks for reading and commenting...

"Have you cropped your bird photos or are you able to get those full framed photos with your camera system?"
Yes, my bird photos were cropped. They were all taken with the 10x zoom on my Canon PowerShot S5 IS at a very high resolution (3264 x 2448) so I can crop them. They are over 1MB each.

"Did you know that you can buy (probably from Camping World & other places) a hose that lets you connect one of the refillable propane bottles to a grill that is made for the disposable bottles? And they have refillable tanks that are smaller than those standard ones so are easier to carry & haul around. Get one of those, then just keep a disposable as a backup if the other runs out when you need to use it."
"Got my hose last week at Lowe's (nice low price) and am still looking for a reasonably priced tank. I can find plenty of 20# ones for around $35 but that is just too big & heavy for me. I really want the 5# one but they seem to run $55-60. Yikes!

"You will have to let us know how that little grill does with chicken, especially drumsticks & thighs. I just can't seem to get decent chicken from the grills I've had - from the big one to the little one and they have all had tops that close which the one you just got doesn't have. I just don't seem to be able to turn them down low enough to decently cook the chicken and get it done in the middle and not burn the outside."
Ah, I already knew the secret for that one...from many years of watching hubby do this. You parboil the chicken for 20 minutes then cook it on the grill till it's browned the way you want. The parboiling cooks it, the grill then sears in the flavor (butter, BBQ sauce, whatever you use).

"Question re: the California Duster....I imagine it could be used to keep the solar panels clean. Ours sure got dusty in the southwest.. Do you put it in water or always use it dry.."
You MUST use it dry...it actually contains wax that's impregnated into the fibers. I don't think that would be a good idea for the solar. I know that mine will need washing soon...been in the desert too long. But first have to find a park that will let me and then need to be sure I have an extension long enough to reach it from a side ladder (I don't do rooftops). So far I do like it on the car...seems to help repel the dust a bit as well.

"I saw that very same solar light in WalMart's clearance aisle for $17 last week. No shipping & handling needed."
Say, you want to pick up two of them for me and I'll pay you the S&H? I have checked here and they don't have them. Mine actually blew off the table and broke (I have semi-glued it precariously back together). Sigh...

"We use Grand Central and love it. Since we can't get cell phone reception at our home, I have GC set so that when someone calls us on the GC phone number, it rings both on our landline phone and on our cell phone. That way, no matter where we are, at home, at the beach, on the road, I can answer the calls."
Oh yeah, rub it in...the BEACH....LOL! Seriously, nice to hear that it works so well.

And thank you to Tina who called my voicemail to test it out...she came through loud and clear. I love having voicemail alternatives!

Speaking of alternatives, I did find one more FREE incoming fax site - Fax Digits. I actually like it better than eFax because they email you a PDF file, no special software needed!

"By the way, that external propane outlet, I hope they did not sell you the kit! I think it has gone up to $150+/-. I just got the gizmo itself and the RV guy made me a hose as long as I wanted to!"
Nope, all I got was the valve and it was around $25-30 if I remember correctly. Still have to get the hose though...

One last side note...following the intrepid example of my fellow RVers, I have added a little Shout-Out space on the right. As long as it's used (and not abused), I'll keep it. So far I'm the only one who has posted...give it a whirl!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Free (or almost free) helpers while traveling

I use a lot of helpful sites while full-timing, sites that let me do things conveniently and efficiently. I am often referring folks to them so thought I would toss them all in a blog and maybe some of them will help others. I use all of these.

faxZERO.com
This site allows you to send up to two free faxes of up to three pages each once a day. The faxes can be PDF or DOC files or you can type a text message to be sent. If you need to send more then two in one day it's $1.99 per fax (paid through PayPal). Same for sending a fax for more than three pages...for $1.99 you can send up to 15 pages. I have used this several times and it has been WONDERFUL and much cheaper than hunting up a spot to send a fax. FAQ here.

eFax.com
This site has three plans and they are compared here. I use the free version and have used it off and on since their early years. In order to read the free fax attachments that are emailed to you, you will need to install their free eFax Messenger program. There aren't a lot of choices out there for free fax sending. Most require a fee for the faxes or they require you to join (for pay) another type of service offering to get the free faxing. I have had documents sent to me this way, printed it out, filled it in, scanned it in, printed out as a PDF, and sent back using faxZERO. eFax help.

FaxDigits.com
I am adding this site because I had signed up for it quite a while back and just rediscovered it. I like it better than eFax because they email you a PDF file, no special reader or other download needed. They offer unlimited incoming faxes but on the free plan they don't store them for you. Read the FAQ.

mail2web.com
Many of us use web-based email addresses or access our ISP email via their web interface. For those that don't have easy access to their email when not at their own computer, mail2web offers a great way to get to your mail. You can set up your own personal page and store multiple email accounts to check (this is what I have done). One other NICE feature about mail2web - someone sends us that HUGE attachment and it locks up our mailbox because of its size. I go into mail2web, read the message, delete it and my incoming mail is now back working. More info.

SimpleVoiceBox.com
Yes, most of us have cell phones. Yes, most of our cell phones have voicemail. No, our cellphones don't always have service. So how can you be sure you stay in communication with family & friends? I set up a free SimpleVoiceBox account. I tell my family & close friends that if they can't get to me via my cell phone and it's urgent, then leave me a voicemail at 641-715-3900 x6315069 (my SimpleVoiceBox number and extension). Go ahead, leave me a message (I will remove the number in a couple of days and use a fake one). Here is the FAQ.

GrandCentral.com
A newer offering is one from Google - GrandCentral. Currently in BETA testing, you can sign up for your number now. They advertise; "One number that rings all your phones. One voicemail box, all your messages in one place." Many features....time will tell how much I will use it, but hey, the sign up is free and I already use a TON of other Google stuff.

MyWay.com
Okay, so you have all these neat new sites bookmarked. Your computer dies and you need to get online at the library. How do you remember all the sites you need to check? What about your favorite forums and other sites?

I use a personalized MyWay portal page (my home page - sample below). I have local newspapers from home bookmarked on the left, followed by weather in areas of interest to me. I have my news sources in the middle, on the right the only advertising they use is a small Google box of contextual ads and under that I have a HUGE list of all my favorite sites.

This makes it very easy if I need to use another computer, I just log into MyWay.com and I'm set. But even on my computer it makes it easy because I can click to all my favorite forums, check weather, find out sunrise/sunset times, all my favorite sites - from one page. In addition, I have my TV listings for the stations I watch the most at the bottom of the page, nice quick overview to see what's on. It's all very customizable, even the color scheme. Read the FAQ.

I am sure other portal sites (Yahoo, ISP home pages, MSN, etc) all offer something similar. I just happen to like the clean interface and minimal ads offered by MyWay.

IrfanView
The best freeware around for image/graphic manipulation. I have used this program for over 10 years now...I love it so much that I recently sent in a small donation to help in the continuing development. I can't begin to tell you all that it can do, you need to learn as you go (I'm still learning). The basics we all need are the ability to resize the dimensions of an image (width x height), optimize the file size of .jpg photos (I use 85% optimization most of the time), crop the edges of an image, flip it horizontal/vertical, rotate it to the left or right.

In addition you can save as many different file types, open many different file types, crop out the INSIDE of an image, adjust the colors, reduce the colors, change to black & white, make a negative image, save a GIF with a transparent background, auto adjust photo colors, and so much more. I keep finding new things all the time. You do need to remember to check for updates from time to time, there is no auto-update procedure. Once downloaded and installed, be sure to download and install the plug-ins as well.

pdf 995 ~ CutePDF Writer ~ PDF reDirect
All three of these provide you with a free and easy way to create PDF files. They install a printer driver and all you do is choose that as your printer. Sweet! Each offers a slightly different way of saving the file, some have more options, some have PRO (paid) options. I have used all three and have opted for the pay version of CutePDF & PDF reDirect. Over time I had some Vista issues with CutePDF so I almost exclusively use PDF reDirect PRO now. But for most folks, the free version is all you need. Try them and keep the one YOU like best.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Plaxo & Frappr Map [updated 9/24]

I should be packing, sorting, tossing STUFF but got messing around on the computer (it's over 90 outside) and decided to do some general email address clean-up. I use Mozilla Thunderbird for my email client (if you are still using Outlook Express with all it's security holes, you might want to give Thunderbird a try...it's free, too).

Anyway, I found a way to synchronize my Plaxo information and my Thunderbird address book. Neat, I thought. Unfortunately a couple of things happened....Plaxo ended up with a bunch of email addresses that got automatically added to Thunderbird just by virtue of my sending an outgoing message. (THAT option is now turned off....) This meant that when I sent my update contact email from Plaxo, it went to a lot of folks that it shouldn't have. Hmmmmm.....

Next mistake, I thought I had found a neat little solution for mapping, a concise way for me to visually see who was in an area that I planned to visit. So the first note went out about Google Maps. Turns out that the owner is the only one who can add to Google Maps (thank you to the first person to notify me about this). So I deleted the map and started playing around with Frappr Maps. I hadn't used them in a LONG time so messed up the first two times I created a map.

I think it's set the way I'd like it now. If you just scroll all the way to the bottom of this page, you will see the map. I have added myself and will change my location as I travel, that way everyone can see where I am (as long as I have Internet access). Anyone who knows me can add themselves to the map by clicking the ADD YOURSELF button. Enter a name I will recognize (I have to approve all new pins so that the map doesn't get spammed with folks I don't know), enter a fake email address if you want (I am the only one who can see it, but I did a fake one since I didn't realize it wouldn't be shown) and chose the appropriate pin (if you have RV space or not or if you are an RVer yourself). NOTE: Several new additions to the map came without a name, even though I approve them they don't show. If you added yourself and don't see your pin within 48 hours, PLEASE add yourself again, being sure to add a name first.

I don't know if this will work but figured it was worth a try. It will only be as good as the information entered. So we shall see....thanks for giving it a whirl!

For those who got the Plaxo note for the first time, you are NOT required to join Plaxo, you just need to enter the information you want me to see (email, phone, address, etc). For those who think they need to download something then I suspect you may have Java turned off...I think Plaxo uses that (or else Flash and you may not have that loaded). Worst case, just email me your information and I will update it. I do really like it because if you DO join, anytime you make changes on your information, I see it automatically (and vice versa). Handy....

Okay, enough techno babble for one day...here's to continued communications!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Backing up is hard to do.....

No, not an RV....your blog! Today I was googling around and ran into a topic that I hadn't thought about. What happens if your blog provider LOSES your blog? Do you have a backup? I sure don't...I used to host the blog on my domain, then I had backup. Now that it's under Blogger's upgraded plan, they host the blog but display it under my name.

So, found what looks to be a possible solution (actually two) for those of us that blog and don't want to lose our content (words are precious....).

The first is easy but is only good as long as 1) it exists and 2) it's priced right. Presently it exists and being free, the price is right. It only backs up text so be sure to save any photos to your hard drive where you can easily find them.

Here is what PC World had to say about this solution:

"If you have a blog and you aren't sure that your blog provider will always have a backup in case of a crash, head over to BlogBackupOnline pronto. The site is straightforward: Log in, enter information about your blog, and the site diligently backs it up every day (provided that you use one of the 11 supported blogging services--Blogger, Friendster, LiveJournal, Movable Type, Multiply, Serendipity, Terapad, TypePad, Vox, Windows Live Space, or WordPress). The site is also a great tool if you ever decide to move your blog from one platform to another. After you've backed up your blog, BlogBackupOnline can bring all of your old entries into the new service."

Yes, I've signed up and will give it a try. But in addition I am also using the other approach. It means creating a page with all your blog entries on it. Some folks said it doesn't work over 1000 posts but since I don't have that many, I created it today and dated it. In a week I will do it again...if it starts dropping them off the end, they will still be there in my older saved pages.

This page explains how to display the entries. Then just do a FILE SAVE AS, give the page a name you will remember and voila....a simple backup!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

The Perfect Pet

It all started out so innocently. I was setting up a client's new laptop. It came with Vista and already had the Google Desktop installed and she was running the sidebar.

"How annoying", I thought. Computer snob that I am, I hate to give up any desktop space to something I feel isn't necessary. But since it was HER computer, I left it there. Well, before the day was over, I found myself interested in checking it out for my office computer (large monitor with lots of room).

I downloaded the software...nice look, not as slick as on Vista but still very nice. The first thing I did was have the photos start to rotate through the folder I had with pictures from my 2005 motorcycle trips across the country. Nice!

The notepad turned out handy for those little things I was putting on Post-it notes and sticking all over my desk. The To Do list I found I could use alone or link to my Outlook tasks. Next came the calendar...several tries to find one I liked. Oh, and had to add the weather...

From time to time I would search for new gadgets, switch things around, try new ones, get rid of them and try another. I've added a great digital clock, a volume control bar and a system performance bar.

One day I was checking out the "fun" tools and found my perfect pet....a little tree frog. I got to personalize him with blue eyes and red feet (you get to leave him all green or choose various colors for eyes and feet) and I found the perfect background for him....lilypads (imagine that).

When I'm bored or need to break, he follows my cursor around his lilypad home. Cute! Well, last week he got better....he was upgraded and I can now feed him flies. As I click my cursor little green flies are released and he moves after them zaps them with his tongue. Really got a laugh out of that.

After a week or two I realized that I felt like I was feeding my pet and felt guilty if I hadn't given him some flies that day! Oh my....this is like having a pet. Then I realized that this was the best pet....I never have to clean up after him, he's easy to take care of, I can talk to him and if I ignore him he'll never die.

Finally...the perfect pet!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

When did I lose my technical edge?

I'm not sure when it happened. I used to be an early adopter. As soon as I read about a new gadget, I just had to have it. New software, new computers, new peripherals, new whatever. I reveled in the knowledge that I was "out there", staying on the technological edge.

I worked with computers when they took up a hole room and no one had a personal computer. I was in the field when few women were interested. Quick to adopt the "new", I learned to adapt quickly. I laughed at jokes about flashing numbers on video recorders. I snickered at those who sneered that they would never use an answering machine. I smiled when listening to gripes about how difficult it was to use their new device. I was the queen, I ruled.

Then one day I realized that I was losing the edge. Commercials left me wondering what they were selling. Why was that person wearing headphones and dancing? My Palm Pilot languished in a drawer while I noted events in my paper pocket calendar. GPS and geocaching were foreign terms. Why in the world would someone want satellite radio?

Determined to get my edge back, I started out with an MP3 player. Very proud that I got one with removable memory so I can store more songs, I brought it home and opened the package. I had no idea what to do next. Several readings of the documentation, I figured it out. Phew!

From there I moved to installing my own wireless network. Piece of cake...I'd worked in the computer industry for years. Yeah, right! After spending an hour on the phone with a 19 y/o son of a friend of a friend, it was up and running.

The purchases continued as did the confusion. New DVD players/recorders, GPS devices, satellite radio, programmable kitchen appliances....I read the instructions. I muddled my way through...sometimes it was like reading Greek. But in most cases I managed to get things set up.....finally.

Then I realize I need to change something....or the power flickered and I need to reset my options....or the government changes daylight savings time. And once again I realize that I can't make the change without digging out the instructions and starting all over again. Wondering if I will ever find the instructions for the neat atomic alarm clock and be able to finally set the alarms!

I've become one of those I used to smile at and snicker about.....I'm now technologically challenged and use my son and grandkids for help. Sigh....

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna