Santa Fe Week 6-7

10/15

Once again... I have lost track of time!

That preposterous photo that heads this page has a reason, believe it or not. Since I intend to appear in my film Wander Lost numerous times, I decided I would wear ridiculous disguises (wink to the audience who will be in on the joke) throughout the film. I bought that ridiculous wig on Amazon for $14. When it arrived I slipped it on and knocked on my brother Robert's door. When he saw me he began to laugh hysterically. And kept on laughing for FIVE WHOLE MINUTES. He was overcome with hysteria. His eyes watered. When he was finally done and could laugh no more I told him that I wanted to wear it to dinner later that evening. Just for kicks. Lately I've become positively shameless in the "kicks" department. Once Robert had regained his breath, he let on that he wasn't keen on my suggestion. He probably anticipated the unwanted attention the black thing on my head would probably attract. I understood. But just barely.

From previous reporting to the present, there hasn't been anything especially out of the ordinary and a regular unremarkable daily routine has developed. Robert and me (I?) dine together 3-4 nights a week. Because of my crazy restrictive diet and matching frugality, I drink water and watch Robert eat. It's an arrangement neither of us finds objectionable.

A couple of weekends ago, Roberts a me went to Tesuque Village Market, a major spot tourist spot located along a windy road just outside of SF. The restaurant there, and it was packed, kept us ink line for over half an hour. It was hot. Everyone waiting had little choice to sit in the sun. FINALLY, they sat us. The harried staff explained that the extended wait was to let the kitchen staff catch up on the orders! Robert and I maintained a good attitude and did not take it out on the friendly waitress. They promptly placed a small basket of chips and an equally small, modest bowl of "guacamole" on the table. I had decided I was going to have a Margarita. Bobby ordered something to eat I forget what. My evaluation of the foods and drinks: Strictly Ordinary. When the check came I grabbed it for a change 😆 Tip and all I doled out $70! The super duper small, modest chips and guacamole "appetizer" ALONE was $12! Eh... what the hell. Food sticker shock. It happens to everyone.

My movie making has ground to a halt, but not for lack of effort. People have bailed, gone out of town, and miscommunication has played into it, too. I remain undeterred. I'm waiting for that odd thing when suddenly everything happens at once. It's happened before!

One big thing and something I've been thinking about and I finally acted upon is installing solar panels on top of my RV. Here in Santa Fe and even in Albuquerque and Fort Davis before that I have always had access to electricity. Plugging in has made RV'ing that much easier. But my next to destinations, Arizona and California, I'll be in places where I don't know any one. I'll be "boon-docking" (boon-docking means NO access to electricity whatsoever). But my solar set-up will take care of my electrical needs. As long as it's a sunny day. Santa Fe is almost always sunny. In fact, since it's 7000 ft. above sea level, it's unusually bright. Az and Ca are known for their clear blue skies and sun light. Lots of bright sunlight.

It took 2-3 days to install the whole solar panel set-up, connect the RV batteries (2), run cables, wires, etc. Careful planning of routing had to be considered. Panel placement on the roof of the RV took thoughtful consideration. There were multiple phone calls to Renogy (Co. I bought the solar kit from). I had to proceed cautiously because things could easily go south. Robert has a carpenter, handy man extraordinaire, Joel. I was anticipation all along that I would need Joel's able assistance all along. But I was able to do the entire install by myself. I had to borrow some of his tools here and there.

So far so good with the Solar Panel install, 2 RV battery bank, controller and inverter set up, I put it thru it's paces yesterday (10/14) and it performed great (while parked in the Starbucks parking lot - WiFi!). The inverter converts the DC voltage from the battery bank into AC (imagine regular electrical plugs) so I just plug in, just like I have electrical power. The solar panels, provided it's sunny, keep the battery bank topped off . And even at night, there's still enough battery charge to take care of all my electrical needs till sun-up the next day. For my test, I ran a 22 inch flat screen, charged my laptop and phone, and ran lights (not that lights were necessary) -- all on solar power. I've seen numerous YouTube videos of people running similar sets ups to mine that also run dorm size refrigerators so I may be eventually exploring that option eventually.

Okie dokey, I'll add to this soon. Take care y'all!