More Power

Saturday: (12/02) I started work on the RV. Before i did much Ernie noticed the neighbor was disposing of a bunch of used pavers. Lou asked and we sent some time move a bunch of pavers from the dumpster and from his backyard. They are now an addition to our former front lawn with the excess dirt and broken concrete.  After lunch, I got back to work on the RV installing the batteries and powering up the Inverter. I then prepared to hook up the solar panels. The panel end needed to be terminated in the splice boxes on the panels. To complete that I needed some plugs to close off some now to be unused holes in the splice boxes. A visit to Orchard Hardware eventually found what I needed. I hooked up the panels but didn’t switch them on. Wouldn’t do too much since it was almost dark. I needed to make a second run to a different Orchard Hardware to get some more plastic knockout nuts. I decided to replace all the metal nuts on the cable fittings on the boxes. Tomorrow I can finish the wiring in the rear compartment since I received the 30 amp plug I need. Everything should be operational tomorrow. Boysenberries with cream for breakfast. Shrimp and French fries for lunch. Sausage and zucchini for dinner.

Sunday: (12/3) Lou made a nice omelet for breakfast. I installed the missing conduit nuts on the solar panels and taped the connectors hoping to prevent water entry into the splice boxes. I worked much of the rest of the day completing the wiring of the AC power through the new power sub-panel. I had to make a couple of runs to the Hardware stores to get some parts. Along the way I picked up lunch for us all at LUU Noodle House. I completed the RV wiring and put away all the tools and excess materials. Lou and Dawn were busy installing the Christmas tree. Lots of things had to be moved and while she was in the garage attic getting the tree she threw down a bunch of boxes for TV’s, microwaves, etc that have been around long enough that they won’t be going back to the store. Lou made sausage with baked potatoes and asparagus for dinner.

Monday: (12/04) I headed off early to Harbor Freight. I picked up some gloves for my hike next week. On the way i stopped at A Good Morning for a breakfast burrito. On the way home I did some grocery shopping for Lou. I then tinkered in the shop putting away all my tools and the excess parts from the RV solar install. I also found a few things that needed to be put in the RV. I then checked the bed hatch. It’s difficult for Lou to lift so I checked the weight of the hatch and located replacement gas struts for it. For lunch I made pork chops with rice. Lou and Dawn had an appointment in the afternoon. I reinstalled the RV radio which i had removed in hopes of replacing it but ran into  fit problem with the new one. I also stocked my clothes and backpack in the RV. In the evening I sent out my usual dire warning letter for the hikers that signed up for the South Wilderness hike. Later we all went to Grocery Outlet to get cheese and left with a big bag of groceries. Too many eyes and hands.

Tuesday: (12/05) I relaxed in bed util 1030. I did go through some of my clothes and prepare a bag for Goodwill of stuff I don't wear, mostly because they shrank so much. Lou made hard boiled eggs for breakfast. I headed off to get a magnet wand that I can use to retrieve the missing valve stem cap. I’m worried it might fall into the brakes and cause a real problem. I also had some things from Lou to return so I made return visits to Lowes, Home Depot and Orchard Hardware. I got rid of everything except a PVC Ell and a drill bit. On the way home I picked up Lunch at Super Taqueria in Sunnyvale. We hit the jackpot there. There was evidently someone else's order in our bag in addition to ours. Nice bonus. While trying to use my new magnet wand eventually the cap fell out. Couldn’t have decided to do that earlier. I also organized the stuff i’d thrown into the drivers footwell. Most will eventually find a home or be installed. I also cut and installed the divider for under the sink to keep the trash out of the pan drawer. Dawn made soup with toast for dinner. I’ve been binging on the Midsomer Murder series recently.

Wednesday: (12/06) Leftover Mexican food for breakfast. Worked in the RV in the morning doing some final cleanup and packing. We prepared the RV to roll and drove it down to fill the propane tank. While it was out I checked the umbilical cord and found the lights weren’t working properly on the jeep. I needed to prune the front trees to fit the new RV height.  I worked the rest of the afternoon trying to correct it but found I needed a couple of connectors to allow better testing so picked up a set at the auto parts store. When starting the RV it seemed like it barely had enough juice to start. That matches the low charged voltage so tomorrow I'll get a new one. Lou made ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch. We had leftover soup ala Dawn with toast for dinner.

Thursday: (12/07) Lou and I were off grocery shopping early. I also bought a new starting battery for the RV. At home, I installed the new battery. I then corrected the wiring for the towed Jeep lighting. I left the brake and power connections open because I couldn’t easily identify which was which. I’ll have to spend some time later ringing it out. I still need to install the RV portions of the system salvaged from the old RV. Fortunately, there are no real mountains on our way to the Pinnacles. In the afternoon I returned the bad battery to Walmart for the core charge refund. I also stopped at Smart and Final for some energy drinks and at Sprouts in Sunnyvale for some bread. I got gas and picked up lunch. I was home around 1530 so not really lunch. We had tamales for dinner.