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Add another one to the full-timer count!
Yahoo Message Number: 102844
I have now been full timing for 4 days!  The house is sold, junk was given away, items were stored and the RV is full! I have too much stuff in my RV, so for the next several weeks I will be going through and getting rid of more stuff.
 I haven't been online for more than a week while I was moving, so I need to catch up on everything.  I'm sure over the next several months I'll have questions for those of you who full-time or live for extended periods in your RV.

Pam 2008 MB
2008 MB
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102845
Quote
I have now been full timing for 4 days!  The house is sold, junk was given away, items were stored and the RV is full! I have too much stuff in my RV, so for the next several weeks I will be going through and getting rid of more stuff.
 I haven't been online for more than a week while I was moving, so I need to catch up on everything.  I'm sure over the next several months I'll have questions for those of you who full-time or live for extended periods in your RV.

Pam 2008 MB
Congratulations Pam!!  I envy you.
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102853
Pam,
 You're going to love it!  We're currently at Ghost Ranch and wake up amazed every day at how wonderful it is here.  Thats the kind of stuff you have to look forward to!

Hope we meet up some time

Kate
 http://cholulared.blogspot.com http://www.cholulared.com

Want to find us? Click below, we're #3096 http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=3096

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102858
Quote


I have now been full timing for 4 days!
Pam, we won't soon forget sitting on the beach in March watching the missle launch (our first) with you and the others.  I remember how excited you were at the prospect of full timing.  Good for you.  You've come a long way and if my guess is correct, you will LOTS of help from this site.  Let us know where you are and how you are doing.  We hope to see you at the Fall SELD GTG at Veteran's Park in GA.
Good Luck!! Ed and Jeanne Gaffney
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102924
I have a 2008 27 foot Mid-bath.  I think it's big enough but may have a different opinion in a year.  I am working on getting rid of some things in the RV.  I currently have things (cleaning supplies, books, winter clothes ...) in the shower and in the aisle between the sofas.
 I'll probably get rid of some of it and be creative in storing some of it.
 If anyone has any suggestions on what to do with books, I would like to hear about them.  I enjoy my travel books and now that I'm traveling I brought about 1/2 of them along.  I may stow some in my car, but I'm towing a CRV and it's fairly heavy already.

Pam
2008 MB
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102929
Quote
On Jun 3, 2009, at 10:01 AM, pstravus wrote: ...
If anyone has any suggestions on what to do with books, I would like to hear about them.  I enjoy my travel books and now that I'm traveling I brought about 1/2 of them along.  I may stow some in my car, but I'm towing a CRV and it's fairly heavy already.


Hi Pam, Some things are treasures, some things are ... well, disposable.
First, you'll need to determine what *your* treasures are, what your hobbies are and what you'll be doing year-round no matter where you are.

I'm a solo fulltimer in a Rear Bath, and for me, books are a treasure.  The little cabinet between my barrel chairs carries nothing but books.  I keep a 12" x 20" wicker basket on top of my desk that holds nothing but reference and travel books.  One of my long upper cabinets is at least half full of manuals (computer, software and RV) while the opposite long cabinet is half full of maps.  Maps and books are my treasures.  Oh, and rocks too!!!  Other books (and photographs) that I want to keep "forever" are stored at my sister's.  While I purge my rig at least once a year, the only books I remove are those I've already read, and they are passed on, never thrown away.

I do weigh my rig frequently and, believe me, it can get dicey at times; somehow I manage to maintain it under weight even if only by a few hundred pounds.  All you need is a few months on the road to determine what you *really* can do without -- duplicates, for example.  And if you're inclined to spend winters in warmer climes, except for a few basics, dump the winter clothes!
 At the beginning of your adventures, you'll probably do more frequent purges, make more stops at Goodwill and simplify your life with every passing mile -- that's what it's all about,  Yes?  As you spend more time on the road, you'll probably end up moving things around a half dozen times as you find convenient places for "stuff."  It's an ongoing process, and you''ll get the hang of it in a very short while.
 Congratulations on your decision to full time.  That took guts!  I'm sure you'll enjoy your new life on the road.  Where are you headed first?

Lorna Pennencamp Coral Reef, FL

I have a 2008 27 foot Mid-bath.  I think it's big enough but may have a different opinion in a year.  I am working on getting rid of some things in the RV.  I currently have things (cleaning supplies, books, winter clothes ...) in the shower and in the aisle between the sofas.

I'll probably get rid of some of it and be creative in storing some of it.

Pam

2003 RB
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102934
Speaking of carrying books on the road, I want to add a suggestion.
 Nothing will replace beautiful travel guides, but for other kinds of reading (fiction, current events, great classics, etc) I recommend trying one of the new e-readers. My husband and I have been using Amazon's Kindle 2 since February, and we love it.
 The Kindle 2 is small, thin, and lightweight, yet it can carry 1,500 books at once, with even more stored (if needed) in your personal account on Amazon's system. The book selection is tremendous, the prices reasonable, the interface pleasant to use. There are six sizes of fonts to choose from, so you can easily adjust for your eyes and the ambient light level.
 You can have not only books but also newspapers and magazines delivered to your Kindle, literally out of thin air, via Amazon's amazing "Whispernet" service. So you don't even have to visit a bookstore or have computer access to get new reading material on the road.
 Bernie and I each have our own Kindles, on which we share (and often read at the same time) the same books. Our Kindles will both be on board, along with our favorite travel books, when we take BluCon on her maiden voyage later this month.
 NOTE: Neither Bernie nor I has any affiliation with Amazon. We are just super-enthusiastic users of the Kindle 2. Sony makes a similar product, and it has many fans too.

Martha in Santa Fe
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102935
I have one of the original Kindles and I love it.  It is so easy to take as many books as I think I will read in 2-3 months and they are all on the Kindle.  Before I was carrying many books.  I haven't tried any newspapers or magazines, just books.  I chose the Kindle because they store my purchases on Amazon so if my Kindle ever failed, I could just get them loaded to a new one.  The book choice is overwhelming; you can go on Amazon.com and click on the Kindle link and read all the available titles.

Linda Prescott, AZ

__
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102942
On Jun 3, 2009, at 9:23 PM, marthamarks1000 wrote:

Quote
Speaking of carrying books on the road, I want to add a suggestion.
...
NOTE: Neither Bernie nor I has any affiliation with Amazon. We are just super-enthusiastic users of the Kindle 2. Sony makes a similar product, and it has many fans too.
Martha, I just looked up "Kindle" and watched the demo on Amazon; I'd never heard of it before.  What a very cool gadget.  And what amazes me is that you can upload books from ANYwhere without finding an internet connection first.  Amazing!  That thing is definitely a boon for fulltimers who love to read.  Thanks for telling us about it.

Are you counting down the days?  I can feel your excitement.  Where are you taking BluCon on her maiden voyage, and who gets to drive her first?

Have a wonderful time planning and organizing and exploring!

Lorna Pennecamp Coral Reef Park, FL
 Travel Blog:  http://uppity-woman.blogspot.com
2003 RB
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102943
Quote
Nothing will replace beautiful travel guides, but for other kinds of reading (fiction, current events, great classics, etc) I recommend trying one of the new e-readers. My husband and I have been using Amazon's Kindle 2 since February, and we love it.

Do you each have a Kindle or do you share one?
 My husband and I both like to read too, particularly at night in bed.  IMO, that's always been a weak point of these types of readers: i.e., only one person at a time could read using it.  They're a pretty expensive item to purchase two of, so I was just curious if you'd sprung for two or shared one.

Linda Hylton http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1167 http://earl-linda.blogspot.com/
Linda Hylton
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102945
Quote
Do you each have a Kindle or do you share one?
Yes, we each have one NOW, but only after trying to share one for a couple of months. That didn't work well. :-)
 Bernie's brother has one of the original Kindles, and so does a friend of ours. They both are very happy with the K1 and don't plan to upgrade. Personally, I do like some of the new features that Amazon added to the K2 and don't miss what was dropped to make it thinner and lighter.
 Since I had seen both of theirs in action and decided to wait for the newer version, I snatched one up as soon as it became available in Feb. But then Bernie began using it too, and... the rest is history. I ordered one for him in April. Now we both use them in the evenings and (like you) read ourselves to sleep.
 You're right that it's pricey to buy two, but you can save some money buying the K1 on Amazon or eBay. We are both voracious readers, so the investment was worth it for us. And of course, they will be priceless once we set out in BluCon.
 To Lorna: yes, we are excited! I've got 3 boxes packed to ship to the MS once we get The Call, plus a couple of bags ready for the delicate stuff (the Kindles, cameras, iPod, Bernie's painting gear, etc) to carry on the plane. We've lined up storage, road coverage, and insurance. The costs mount...
 As for who will drive her first: it will be Bernie. He's the only one of us with RV-driving experience. I'm planning to take the RV School in Vegas; after that I'm sure I'll be ready for anything. Besides, since I "conned" him into buying this contraption, it's only fair that he get to take it on the road first.
 This spring, since placing our order, we have met Tina and Bill Pratt and Don and Dorothy Malpas, in both cases as they traveled through Albuquerque. Both couples were very generous in showing us their MBs, what improvements they've made, niceties they've added, etc.
 We also plan to visit Kate and Terry Klein at Ghost Ranch sometime in the next couple of weeks. Kate and I have talked on the phone; she's a great source of LD wisdom... as were you, Lorna, when we met at the MS last spring. Everybody we've had any contact with so far has been wonderful about helping us get a better feeling for the LD before we take ownership of our own.
 So yes, we're excited about our new toy (which is being built "even as we speak") and also about being part of the LD family.

Martha
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102946
I can vouch for the Kindle 1 that I've had for a yr now, I don't know how a bookworm like me ever lived without it! Martha, I'm in Vegas, and I'd love to see your new 'baby' when you get here. Mari Ryan cell:575-571-9952
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102947
Quote
I can vouch for the Kindle 1 that I've had for a yr now, I don't know how a bookworm like me ever lived without it! Martha, I'm in Vegas, and I'd love to see your new 'baby' when you get here. Mari Ryan cell:575-571-9952
Thanks, Mari! I'll stash your number away and will give you a ring once we hit Vegas.
 Vegas drivers better watch out for a large blue-and-white contraption careening down their streets! :-)

Martha
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102951
"what amazes me is that you can upload books from ANYwhere without finding an internet connection first."
 Yes, but you must have a Sprint cell phone connection, preferably of the high-speed type... and Sprint's high-speed coverage outside of metro areas is nowhere near as good as Verizon's. Now, what's cool about Amazon's deal is that you pay no extra fees for the Kindle's use of Sprint's network (which Amazon calls "WhisperNet")--you don't need a Sprint account or any kind of account, because there are no monthly fees.
 But it isn't magic. If you're not in a location with a high-speed Sprint signal--which according to their coverage map, includes most of the Midwest and Southwest--you WILL have to find yourself an internet connection and use your computer to download and transfer books to the Kindle.
 However, there is another wireless way to download Amazon's ebooks without having a Sprint tower nearby: Amazon's "Kindle for iPhone" program lets you download and read Kindle books on your iPhone or iPod Touch, using either AT&T's network (which is generally better than Sprint's) or any Wi-Fi hotspot. Many people have said that they enjoy reading ebooks on the iPhone/iPod Touch platform, despite its relatively small screen. You do have to pay for the AT&T connection, though.
 Getting back to the Kindle, it's a really wonderful gadget, especially in its K2 version (which in my humble opinion is what they should have shipped in the first place). And Lorna, if you hadn't heard of it, shame on you!--go back and look at your copy of Eureka, which has an extensive and informative article on the Kindle and its competition, Sony's Reader. It's getting to be a real horse race: Amazon offers 250,000 books for Kindle, but Sony now offers 600,000 for its Reader, thanks to a deal with Google... who say that they are planning to go into the ebook reader business themselves pretty soon. Google has scanned seven *million* books to date, so potentially they could offer a library that makes amazon's look like tiny. :-)
 I'm just grateful these devices are available, even if they're still a bit pricey. I read books every day on my Sony Reader. It costs me nothing, because I get all my books for free from manybooks.net. :-) And while I have more than a thousand books stored on my computer (and thirty on my Sony Reader at the moment), they don't weigh anything! :-)

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #16 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102954
"It's getting to be a real horse race: Amazon offers 250,000 books for Kindle, but Sony now offers 600,000 for its Reader, thanks to a deal with Google... who say that they are planning to go into the ebook reader business themselves pretty soon. Google has scanned seven *million* books to date, so potentially they could offer a library that makes amazon's look like tiny. :-)"

Andy
 Thanks for bringing this up as I have been lusting over the Kindle. The Kindle is a treat to use and I appreciate its ability to download daily newspapers automatically (if a Sprint signal is available).
It does have a lot of limitations and a limited library, especially of specialty books. Its proprietary format and high price are also turn-offs.
Its inability to store and read files is troublesome, although the bigger Kindle DX will be able to read PDX files.
 Getting Google in the act might blow this technology wide open by having an open standard and expose up the e-reader world to more innovation and lower prices...maybe.
Is this going to set off more file sharing problems, similar to the music industry?
 I would like to see a notebook like device with a Kindle type screen and Internet capability.  A screen that can display color photos would be nice but it would significantly increase power consumption. I can live with black, white and gray if it means a long battery life.
I do find it odd that you must use an external light for reading a Kindle at night.
 This is a rapidly developing technology with a lot changes sure to come in the next year or so. I'm now inclined to sit back a let the dust settle. This could turn into another Beta VS. VHS battle.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Was Add another--NOW KINDLE!
Reply #17 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102955
On Jun 4, 2009, at 5:31 PM, Andy Baird wrote:

Quote
And Lorna, if you hadn't heard of it, shame on you!--...
I'm just grateful these devices are available, even if they're still a bit pricey. I read books every day on my Sony Reader. It costs me nothing, because I get all my books for free from manybooks.net. :-) And while I have more than a thousand books stored on my computer (and thirty on my Sony Reader at the moment), they don't weigh anything! :-)
OK OK already!!!  I'm definitely going to look into it -- thanks for all the details Andy.  But, hey, it's a little like GPS and Paper Maps.  Mainly, for me, there's something to be said about supporting a locally owned independent bookstore...Santa Cruz prides itself in having several.  It also has Logo's, an enormous used book emporium that buys, sells and trades.  When I'm home, shopping at Logo's on Farmers' Market day is part of my routine.  Another of the independent book sellers was one of my customers back in the day.
It's a balancing act.  But there's just something about buying local and buying independent that makes me feel good, even if it means I have to dump a few rocks on the side of the road!!!
 Also, I have half a dozen newspapers bookmarked on my computer that I read daily, but only the portions that interest me, without having to shuffle through an entire newspaper.

I'm curious about "manybooks.net."  I know you're a pretty special guy Andy, but what's the catch, if any, in uploading books free of charge?!
 Again, thanks for the update on Google's involvement -- interesting!

Lorna Floriduh Blog:  http://uppity-woman.blogspot.com
2003 RB
Re: Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #18 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102968
"[Kindle's] inability to store and read files is troublesome"
 Oh, it stores files--lots of em, if you want. It has a card slot so you store even more. And you don't HAVE to buy them from Amazon; you can download books from, say, Project Gutenberg or my favorite, manybooks.net and copy them to the Kindle via USB, SD card, or by emailing them to Amazon for coversion (10 cents a file).
 "Getting Google in the act might blow this technology wide open by having an open standard and expose up the e-reader world to more innovation and lower prices...maybe."
 I surely hope so! Ebook prices are still way too high. Where do publishers get off, charging half the price of a hardcover for a file download that costs them literally nothing to sell? You know the author's cut isn't any bigger, despite the fact that the publisher's cost of production is zero for an ebook. This situation can't last.
 "Is this going to set off more file sharing problems, similar to the music industry?"

It already has, and there'll no doubt be more.
 "I'm now inclined to sit back a let the dust settle. This could turn into another Beta VS. VHS battle."
 Not quite, because both competing readers can read unencrypted formats like text, RTF or PDF. It's only the purchased formats that differ. So even if Sony closed their online bookstore, I'd have access to enough books to last most of the rest of my life via manybooks.net and Google.
 Hardware prices will certainly go down, if nothing else, so you can't lose by waiting, as long as you're not hurting for books to read. My situation was different: I *was* hurting--badly--because as a fulltimer I'd had to leave 98% of the thousands of books I own behind in storage. As I've said before, the Sony Reader saved my sanity. :-)
 "I'm curious about manybooks.net. What's the catch, if any, in uploading books free of charge?"
 They are all fully legal public-domain or Creative Commons books. Want the latest Tom Clancy novel? You won't find it there. Current best-sellers are never in the public domain. (Of course, there's Shakespeare, Pride and Prejudice, and the Bible... all P-D.) Anything published before 1923 is pubic domain, and a great many books published after that are as well.
 In addition, many less well known current authors have released books under "Creative Commons" licensing, allowing them to be freely copied as long as they're not sold for profit. Like science fiction? The Baen [Publishing] Free Library is a fantastic resource of topnotch old and new stuff, all available online for free.
 I've read literally hundreds of books in the past few years, and I can count on one hand the ones I've paid for. 98% were free, and included some of the best fiction I've ever read.

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
E-book readers / Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #19 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102973
Quote from: Larry W"

 "I would like to see a notebook like device with a Kindle type screen and Internet capability.  A screen that can display color photos would be nice but it would significantly increase power consumption. I can live with black, white and gray if it means a long battery life."
 Larry, your wish is granted…sort of.  In the June 2009 issue of PC World magazine, page 65, there's an article on how to transform any XP-based netbook into an e-book reader.  The article also tells how to be able to read the pages vertically instead of horizontally, if you want to.  Sort of a neat idea, if you already have a netbook.
 There are also reviews of the Kindle and Sony Reader in the May issue of PC World and the July 2009 issue of Consumer Reports.  For those who like the Kindle, the Kindle DX, with a larger screen, is supposed to be out sometime this summer.

Sharon N.

Crossville, TN
E-book readers / Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #20 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102974
In the June 2009 issue of PC World magazine, page 65, there's an article on how to transform any XP-based netbook into an e-book reader.  The article also tells how to be able to read the pages vertically instead of horizontally, if you want to.  Sort of a neat idea, if you already have a netbook.


 I already have a netbook, but I can't imagine lying in bed with it trying to read a book.  As small as it is, it would still be too awkward for that (IMO).

Linda Hylton http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1167 http://earl-linda.blogspot.com/
Linda Hylton
E-book readers / Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #21 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102976
Quote

 I already have a netbook, but I can't imagine lying in bed with it trying to read a book.  As small as it is, it would still be too awkward for that (IMO).
Amen, Linda. And that's a major attraction of the Kindle or Sony e-readers. Not only are they small and light, but they are *not* backlit as a computer is, so you can read comfortably on them for hours. Try that on a computer of any sort.

Martha in Santa Fe
E-book readers / Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #22 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102977
Quote
Amen, Linda. And that's a major attraction of the Kindle or Sony e-readers. Not only are they small and light, but they are *not* backlit as a computer is, so you can read comfortably on them for hours. Try that on a computer of any sort.

 My concern wasn't with the computer being backlit (although that would be a consideration), but rather, with the awkwardness of trying to hold a computer, even a very small one, while lying in bed trying to read.

Linda Hylton http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1167 http://earl-linda.blogspot.com/
Linda Hylton
E-book readers / Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #23 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102978
"marthamarks1000"  wrote: Not only are they small and light, but they are *not* backlit as a computer is, so you can read comfortably on them for hours.
--- I tried an early version of a Kindle, and it wasn't at all easy or comfortable to read -- for me, anyway. Perhaps the newer ones have an improved display, faster page switching, larger type, and are readable when one is sitting outside in bright daylight (with polarized sunglasses on) ...???
 The company which developed the display technology that the Kindle and the Sony product use, E Ink, has just been "acquired" by its technology partner; a color display is planned, according to the article.

http://tinyurl.com/r8ha8m

Joan
2003 TK has a new home
E-book readers / Add another one to the full-timer count!
Reply #24 –
Yahoo Message Number: 102980
Quote
I tried an early version of a Kindle, and it wasn't at all easy or comfortable to read -- for me, anyway. Perhaps the newer ones have an improved display, faster page switching, larger type, and are readable when one is sitting outside in bright daylight (with polarized sunglasses on) ...???
Joan, lots of those early issues were fixed in the Kindle 2. Better keys so you don't turn pages without meaning to. Faster page turning. Six adjustable font sizes. Etc.

Quote
The company which developed the display technology that the Kindle and the Sony product use, E Ink, has just been "acquired" by its technology partner; a color display is planned, according to the article.
I understand that the color technology already does exist, but the price is prohibitive... it would cost somewhere around $1,000 per unit if offered today. That will undoubtedly change in time. This is a young, fast-changing technology.
 In response to Linda... I know you didn't mention the backlit feature, but lots of other people commenting on the Amazon.com review pages have complained that the Kindle is not backlit, as a computer is. The rest of us respond: That's good! Who wants to read on something as hard on the eyes as a computer is? The Kindle is exactly like a book (without the bulk): you need to provide your own light source. Except... when you sit outside, you don't have to wrestle with blowing pages.
 As for the Kindle DX, due out in a couple of months: it will be a lot larger and more expensive. I don't think the "casual reader" will find it as enjoyable as the paperback-sized K2.
 Anybody thinking about buying one of these should also plan on buying a protective case for it. That's essential!

Martha