After emptying and extensive cleaning, we moved our Alpenlite 5th wheel out of the Santee Lakes RV Park about 10 miles into a storage area. For the month of January we had had 1 call on the Craigslist ad (bullet points of functions included/improved by us). That individual was looking for a week-ender with room to sleep a few adults and many kids. That isn't what this particular RV was built for or remodeled for by us. So, we were not hopeful of a quick sale.
We re-posted the Craigslist ad with some wording changes and new pictures of an empty RV ready for new owners to make it theirs. We explained how this was a full-time unit and built for multiple open/closing of cabinets, storage space that would allow for full-time living, etc. etc. etc. And, then we waited.
On Tuesday afternoon (02-06), Jeremy called and wanted to be able to see the RV. Since he worked full-time, we agreed that he would call on Friday night and we'd set a time for Saturday. A side note, the RV is stored about 30 miles northeast of our new home. So we want to be sure that someone is truly interested before we set an appointment to drive up there and show it.
On Wednesday morning (02-07), Tara called and was excited about seeing the RV. I told her she was second in line but that we weren't showing it until Saturday but I would be ok with setting a time for her after I heard back from #1 (Jeremy). She agreed to await my call back on Friday. I was looking at her number and the notes I had for Jeremy and noticed that they had the same area code (San Diego's 619 or 858) and the same 3 number exchange. So, I asked her if she knew a Jeremy Beck. AND, they are married!!! She agreed to talk with her husband and we'd 3 arrange a time to see the RV.
Later that same day (Wednesday), Tara called back. She and her father were out looking at another RV. Due to an error in the entry of the address they were looking for; they ended up at the RV storage area where we have the rig. Since there was a posted sign on the front, they could see the phone number from the road. Thinking that I lived in the mobile home park that manages the storage area, they called hoping I could show it right then. Tara and I agreed that her finding the RV because of an error entering another address was serendipity. This RV was meant for them. We arranged to meet the following day for them to really check out the RV.
She and her father arrived on time and repeated that they were very interested in this particular RV. After about an hour of inspecting all the nooks and crannies of the RV (her father even crawled under the rig), they made an offer with a caveat. So much cash right now and the rest in 24 hours - if they could take the rig home for extensive examinations of all functions and mechanical items. We felt pretty sure that the rig would pass the inspection as we had been very diligent in annual inspections/fixes and made improvement over the 10 years we were on the road.
We believe in the innate honesty of the people we have encountered over our lives. Have we been suckered or scammed over the years? Yes, but have we lost our belief in people? No, never! So, we agreed, hooked up the RV to our truck and let her father drive our truck while Ruthi followed in his car. Tara and Jeremy live another 20 miles NE of the storage (a grand total of 50 miles from us in the SW corner of San Diego county).
They live on a ranch on the outskirts of Ramona. There is an RV pad with utilities built between the main house and the apartment where Tara and Jeremy currently live. Her dad backed the RV into position (in seconds – never works that well for us) and began connecting everything. Ruthi helped and answered any remaining questions before driving back home to await their decision.
The next day (Friday), Tara called and said they were very pleased with the RV and would like to close the deal as soon as possible. We agreed to meet Saturday morning halfway between us and them at a branch of their bank to complete the transaction. YEAH!!!!! We were so happy, we even gave them the Reese Hitch from the back of the truck – if Jeremy could get it disconnected and out of our truck. Ruthi was able to separate the components for ease of removal but there were tracks bolted to the bed of the truck that she couldn’t reach nor had the strength to unscrew.
This morning, we met as planned and traded money for the title and registration. Ruthi removed the Craigslist ads as soon as we got back home. Now on to selling the truck and buying a smaller vehicle!!!
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
The Federal Reserve - Video
While not focused on the 1st Amendment, I found this explanation of The Federal Reserve very good. You might want to check this out. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe0fGXzKb1o&sns=em) The video is a bit outdated (2010) as to numbers but the concepts seem accurate!
“America was never white, & never will be. There's only one race: the human race.” Dr Willie Parker
1st Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
“America was never white, & never will be. There's only one race: the human race.” Dr Willie Parker
1st Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
More - Tax Reform
FYI – More Trump Tax Bill Facts –
Small business owners, did you know that under the #TrumpTaxScam you will NOT be able to DEDUCT business expenses?
You might want to check this out.
“America was never white, & never will be. There's only one race: the human race.” Dr Willie Parker
1st Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Small business owners, did you know that under the #TrumpTaxScam you will NOT be able to DEDUCT business expenses?
You might want to check this out.
“America was never white, & never will be. There's only one race: the human race.” Dr Willie Parker
1st Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Friday, November 24, 2017
Tax Reform
FYI – I sent the message below to my Congressional Delegation (Senator Murkowski, Senator Sullivan and Representative Young). I am copying you that you might use this for your communication with your Senators/Representative. Remember you can contact all of YOUR Members of Congress. Call 202-224-3121, enter your Zip Code and you will be directed to the right office. You can leave messages.
I believe the House version of Tax Reform is disappointing! I want my opinion to be heard across Congress in the hopes that the tax changes really do help the 99% and not the 1%!
The Trump Tax Reform bill has a few terrible ideas:
1) guts Medicare to the tune of $23 billion-as a 71yo retiree this directly impacts my healthcare options; while I have excellent health, I love the Medicare benefits that allow me to continue a healthy life
2) eliminates the Affordable Care Act Mandate, which in essence destroys health care for millions of Alaskans/Americans-this impacts my family but not me personally
3) attacks a woman’s right to determine her own reproductive health issues-again this impacts my family but not me personally
4) removes deductions for:
a) mortgage interest-will have an adverse impact on the housing industry and discourage home purchases/sales (depending on which side of the deal you are on)
b) charitable contributions-can have a devastating impact on organizations that are picking up the slack as a result of defunding form the Trump administration
c) state taxes (income and sales)-Alaskans currently do not have state-wide sales tax nor an income tax but the state legislature has been toying with income tax in recent sessions. So, the elimination of that deduction could impact Alaskans in the future.
None of these directly address the fact that the bill is designed for the 1% not the 99%. You might be in an upper income bracket and personally benefit from these “reforms.” But 99% of Alaskans/Americans will not benefit.
Please do not vote for any tax reforms that include the items above! Please protect us, your constituents, from a greater tax burden under the fake heading of “tax reform.”
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou
1st Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
I believe the House version of Tax Reform is disappointing! I want my opinion to be heard across Congress in the hopes that the tax changes really do help the 99% and not the 1%!
The Trump Tax Reform bill has a few terrible ideas:
1) guts Medicare to the tune of $23 billion-as a 71yo retiree this directly impacts my healthcare options; while I have excellent health, I love the Medicare benefits that allow me to continue a healthy life
2) eliminates the Affordable Care Act Mandate, which in essence destroys health care for millions of Alaskans/Americans-this impacts my family but not me personally
3) attacks a woman’s right to determine her own reproductive health issues-again this impacts my family but not me personally
4) removes deductions for:
a) mortgage interest-will have an adverse impact on the housing industry and discourage home purchases/sales (depending on which side of the deal you are on)
b) charitable contributions-can have a devastating impact on organizations that are picking up the slack as a result of defunding form the Trump administration
c) state taxes (income and sales)-Alaskans currently do not have state-wide sales tax nor an income tax but the state legislature has been toying with income tax in recent sessions. So, the elimination of that deduction could impact Alaskans in the future.
None of these directly address the fact that the bill is designed for the 1% not the 99%. You might be in an upper income bracket and personally benefit from these “reforms.” But 99% of Alaskans/Americans will not benefit.
Please do not vote for any tax reforms that include the items above! Please protect us, your constituents, from a greater tax burden under the fake heading of “tax reform.”
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou
1st Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
What Are You Thankful For?
In keeping with my year long emails. . . This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the fact that I live in a country where I can:
1) send these emails out to each of you,
2) call my Congressional Delegation (on almost a daily basis),
3) march for changes that I believe will truly make us a better people,
4) petition the government for actions/changes without threat or danger exactly because of the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution!
I’m thankful that I can support Net Neutrality. Here are some twitter entries that helped me (a techie) to understand what Net Neutrality really means for each of us.
“Without #NetNeutrality your ISP can:
1. Charge you extra to reach certain websites.
2. Slow down streaming services like Netflix that compete with their streaming services.
3. Block some websites altogether.
This is the end of the free and open Internet.
(https://twitter.com/billprady/status/933023707135582208?s=03)”
“Let me explain net neutrality in the most horrific way:
if FCC dismantles it, and you get internet from Verizon, they may force you to use YAHOO as your search engine (because they own it), but PAY to use GOOGLE. Would you like that? If not, you SUPPORT #NetNeutrality.
(https://twitter.com/Tom_Nikl/status/933080543352070144?s=03)”
Net Neutrality protects our 1st Amendment rights to freedom of speech. Think about it! If you feel the same way, you can contact all of YOUR Members of Congress. Call 202-224-3121, enter your Zip Code and you will be directed to the right office. You can leave messages.
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou
1st Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
1) send these emails out to each of you,
2) call my Congressional Delegation (on almost a daily basis),
3) march for changes that I believe will truly make us a better people,
4) petition the government for actions/changes without threat or danger exactly because of the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution!
I’m thankful that I can support Net Neutrality. Here are some twitter entries that helped me (a techie) to understand what Net Neutrality really means for each of us.
“Without #NetNeutrality your ISP can:
1. Charge you extra to reach certain websites.
2. Slow down streaming services like Netflix that compete with their streaming services.
3. Block some websites altogether.
This is the end of the free and open Internet.
(https://twitter.com/billprady/status/933023707135582208?s=03)”
“Let me explain net neutrality in the most horrific way:
if FCC dismantles it, and you get internet from Verizon, they may force you to use YAHOO as your search engine (because they own it), but PAY to use GOOGLE. Would you like that? If not, you SUPPORT #NetNeutrality.
(https://twitter.com/Tom_Nikl/status/933080543352070144?s=03)”
Net Neutrality protects our 1st Amendment rights to freedom of speech. Think about it! If you feel the same way, you can contact all of YOUR Members of Congress. Call 202-224-3121, enter your Zip Code and you will be directed to the right office. You can leave messages.
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou
1st Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Saturday, November 18, 2017
Journalist Last Column
One of my college jobs was as a “gofer” for my hometown printing company. The owner/boss was Fred Dickey. I had various tasks that I was assigned. On Wednesdays, I would drive to a larger printing office in Princeton with the newly engraved plates for the weekly edition of the newspaper, wait for the run to be completed and then return to distribute the papers. I also babysat Fred’s children on week-end nights. Fred sold me my first car – Dodge with push button transmission (does anyone remember those cars?). There were enough redeemable bottles in the trunk to pay for the car (purchase price $20).
Fast forward to Anchorage – After teaching for 10 years, I went back to school and got a degree in Computer Science. Then I got my first job with a local company, Computer Consultants of Alaska (CCA). The company put a “new hire” announcement in one of the local papers. A few days later, I got a congratulatory call from Fred Dickey. He was now Managing Editor of the Anchorage Times.
Fast forward again to San Diego – We have been staying here on and off annually since we first discovered this park (Santee Lakes Regional Park) in 2008. The local paper is the Union-Tribune. Lo and behold, Fred Dickey had a weekly column about people around the San Diego area. I always meant to get in touch with him and reminisce about our history. When we got back here at the end of October, I noticed that his Monday column was missing. I soon discovered this, his last column. Since its focus is on the 1st Amendment, I wanted to share it and validate the author’s credibility! (http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sd-me-fred-dickey-20170920-story.html)
So, it really is “a small world after all”, just like the song says!
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou
1st Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Fast forward to Anchorage – After teaching for 10 years, I went back to school and got a degree in Computer Science. Then I got my first job with a local company, Computer Consultants of Alaska (CCA). The company put a “new hire” announcement in one of the local papers. A few days later, I got a congratulatory call from Fred Dickey. He was now Managing Editor of the Anchorage Times.
Fast forward again to San Diego – We have been staying here on and off annually since we first discovered this park (Santee Lakes Regional Park) in 2008. The local paper is the Union-Tribune. Lo and behold, Fred Dickey had a weekly column about people around the San Diego area. I always meant to get in touch with him and reminisce about our history. When we got back here at the end of October, I noticed that his Monday column was missing. I soon discovered this, his last column. Since its focus is on the 1st Amendment, I wanted to share it and validate the author’s credibility! (http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sd-me-fred-dickey-20170920-story.html)
So, it really is “a small world after all”, just like the song says!
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou
1st Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Skies Over - Santee, CA
After getting unhooked and settled in for the long winter's night, so to speak. Ruthi began to notice the various cloud formations against the blue sky. You know walking the dog can be pretty boring some days. Walk, smell a few blades of grass, walk a little farther, pee, repeat with an occasional poop.
Anyway, here are some of the shots she got with her phone!
Anyway, here are some of the shots she got with her phone!
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