banks and state governments ...

                

           I WON ! ... I WON !!!

   no, not the Lotto, but almost as good ...

   I left a very small bank account in Kalifornia when I moved my residency to a less-Socialist atmosphere - South Dakota, to be exact, the 'RVers State' these days ... 

   South Dakota is VERY friendly to fulltime RVers, being one of only 3 states that allow a Post Office Box to be used as a legal address, for purposes of residency ... of the 3 states, SD is best overall in terms of taxes, vehicle registrations, fees, and insurance, etc... Texas and Florida, (the other 2 states), reflect higher expenses for these same things ...

   I left about $30 in this particular Kalifornia bank account, just to make check-cashing easier, when I'm there to visit ... a couple weeks ago, my monthly bank statement arrived, indicating my $30 was seized, for unclear reasons ... 
   a visit to the bank, revealed a seizure order from the 'People's Republik of Kalifornia' to grab my money, by order of the State's FTB ... FTB (Franchise Tax Board), is Kalifornia's state income tax department, that is also used as a collection agency for any other fee the state can dream up ... it's a way of getting around confiscation laws ... and, the banks LOVE to 'comply', since it gives them the opportunity to impose their own $100 'processing fee' ... 
   my bank said the papers indicated the FTB was attempting to collect money for a DMV bill ... (no, I do not owe the DMV squat) ...

   I freaked out at the prospect of having to deal with the DMV, usually a process taking hours out of my life, only to be refused at every turn, usually rudely, on top of it ...

   my ex-bank (I immediately closed my account with Bank of the West after this farce) emptied my account, for this DMV claim ... the 'claim' by the DMV was over $600 !, then, Bank of the West adds their '$100 processing fee' to the mix ... so, in the end, Kalifornia got nothing, and 'Bank of the Cheating West' got my $30 ...

   a couple phone calls to the Kalifornia DMV, and FTB (Franchise Tax Board), was amazingly quick and simple ... the nice ladies that I had on the phone, quickly discovered that Kalifornia " MADE A MISTAKE !!!!!!!!! " ... turns out, I do not owe Kalifornia a dime, never did ...

   ... imagine that ... 
  
   although my travel trailer was registered in SD, Kalifornia had missed that, and my $54 license plate fee climbed to about $650, in 4 years, after their assorted ridiculous penalties ...

   after thanking this nice lady at the DMV, (who stated she was retiring in a few months, and " moving the hell out of Kalifornia ! "), she said I needed to call the FTB, and give them a new mailing address, as they owed me money ... ???????????? ... she said Kalifornia has been sitting on a $152 tax refund, that they owed me ... 

   the FTB said " yup, you'll get our check in 4-5 weeks " ... I asked if the Kalifornia state-issued check would clear the bank, or bounce, she said,
 " no promises, honey, I can't wait to retire and get out of this state, too " ... WOW ! ... seems the nicer state employees are heading for the exits ...
    
   then, I returned to my ex-Bank of the West, and after showing how they had screwed me out of my $30 (that they refused to return), I made a solemn promise to ridicule and badmouth them, at every opportunity ...

   HEY !!, BANK OF THE WEST (owned by the French National Bank), was my lousy $30 worth your reputation ? -  GREEDHEAD FROG bastards ! ...

       ********************************************

   anyway, more pleasant things, our recent rains have really brought out the wildflowers and greened things up even more ... 50% chance of rain for tomorrow, too ... with fire season upon us, I hope for more rain ...

purple lupins sprouting everywhere

      

back 'on the air' ...

   

   Sybil & I just came thru a long stretch of gloomy weather, today seems to finally be the last of it ... rain, cool temps, and foggy mornings, that seemed to affect our Internet reception ... late yesterday afternoon, I was finally able to access my online bank account for the first time in almost a week ... that's never occurred before, and I'm suspecting my computer's modem may be getting weak, or something ... weather doesn't usually affect it that much ...

   anyway, we're back online, Sybil's snoozing in the 'yard', and I'm sitting here in my bathrobe (a poor man's version of Hugh Hefner), drinking my coffee, and hurting less than the last few days ... it's a good morning ...

   I'm going nuts waiting for football season to begin ! ... this is the first year I have ever followed the football drafts and free agency acquisitions during the off-season ... that's pretty desperate - yup, I got 'da Bears Fever' real bad ! ... 

'da Bears' will rise again !

         *******************************

   Sybil and I returned to our favorite summer camp, to find LOTS of wildlife running around our 'yard' - several deer have returned, as well as our gray fox, 4 wild turkeys, and lots of songbirds ... it's really nice, as I told Sybil, "look at all these critters, that won't try to bite us!" ... after a winter of scorpions, tarantulas, cactus, and rattlesnakes, it's a welcome change ...     

   BUT -

   the night before last, our female cougar came around camp at 2am, screeching and looking for a pet to munch on ... she's back, dammit ... and Sybil was really looking forward to sleeping outside again, in her dog house ... nope, not gonna happen, now ...


  

tinkering around ...

  my weather is much improved, and I'm able to tinker around outside more comfortably now ...

   after putting it off for almost 5 years, I FINALLY got around to installing an outdoor 12v power socket on the trailer ... (ya can't just rush into these things !)

   I bought a heavy-duty Marine 12-volt socket off eBay (5 years ago), and added an inline fuse to the harness I made for it ... 

   

   then, I drilled a hole thru the wall of the trailer :

you did WHAT ??!?

   yup, I drilled a hole thru the wall, it's really no big deal ... the ease of working with fiberglass, is why I bought the Casita in the first place ...

drill that puppy ! NO FEAR !

    even with my limited tools, the job went easily ... the socket was wired to 12-volt, by tapping into the 12v refrigerator supply wire that runs just inches away ... access to the fuse is readily available under the sink ... when I leave the trailer for any length of time, I just pop the fuse out, and access to the12v system is blocked ...

idea:  i should paint the factory 120v box a matching black ! (someday)

   since I already mentioned the 12v supply wire to the fridge, I'll add that it is a heavy-gauge wire, more than ample size to provide juice to supply the fridge, and my power socket ... (which is for powering my little guitar amp or portable DVD player, nothing larger) ...and, I never power my fridge on 12-volt power, anyway ... NEVER ... well, not on purpose, anyway ...

   not long ago, I went to bed, and just before dozing off, something didn't look right, on the fridge LEDs ... sure enough, I must have bumped the switch, and the fridge was running on 12v power ... I caught it around 12.1 volts (50% discharged), so I was quite lucky ... had I gone to sleep, I would have awakened to dead batteries ... batteries suffer permanent damage to their lifespan, when things like that happen ... 

   I was going to order one of those plastic guards, that surround the fridge controls to prevent bumping them ... but, considering I never run on the 12v side anyway, it is easier just to unplug the 12v heater element on the fridge ... 

   mission accomplished !   (now, I've earned another 5-yr vacation from chores !)

  

Sybil gets some snow to play with ...

   Sybil & I spent a couple nights at Walker Lake again, on our way back north ... just a few miles north of Hawthorne, NV, it offers a nice change from the desert we just left ... there were only a couple other RVers, and they were almost invisible in the far distance ... the weather was a bit chilly, and a whole lot windy, so we bugged out after 2 nights ...

   we knew we were going to encounter some edgy weather when we arrived at our favorite northern campsite, but it is always good to be here, no matter what the weather is ... 

we missed the green grass ! - sand ain't so nice

    this campsite is our 'super-secret' site, my all-time favorite, accessible only after passing a series of obstacles, and surviving several deadly guardians of the gate ! ... kinda like an Indiana Jones movie - you know, roadside bombs, razor wire, armed guards, dangerous beasts, etc. ...
  

yeah, i'm the 'dangerous beast', on guard duty

   our first morning, we woke to 24 degrees - ouch !

   and then, it started dropping some 'popcorn snow', Sybil had a ball chasing it as it dropped ...

there's too many of 'em, dad !

sticks are more fun, anyway !

    the wet 'popcorn snow' was coming down pretty good, for awhile - of course, it didn't stick ...

blowin' in the wind ...

   Sybil and I are still squatting in the same spot, waiting out the high winds ... we will wait, and roll out in the morning, after they  calm down more ... after hearing how noisy my engine is, I figure there's no future in putting any unnecessary strain on it ...

   the broken pieces of the catalytic converter's interior are making a pretty noisy racket ... as long as it doesn't clog, and impede my exhaust flow, it should be fine ... if not, I guess that's why they build tow-trucks ...

        **********************

   we heard from our ex-neighbor lady today, and thankfully, her motorhome problems were minor (mostly clogged fuel filters, etc.), and somewhat inexpensive ... we are grateful for that good news, we hate it when bad things happen to good people ...

         **********************

   yesterday afternoon was spent practicing guitar again, something I haven't been able to do the last couple weeks ... as I mentioned previously, I busted my left thumb, and had to lay off the guitar practice (just as it was becoming fun, if not 'obviously non-musical') ...

makes my thumb hurt, just to look at it !

   

on the road, again ...

rollin', rollin', rollin', and all that stuff ...

  we pulled out of our wintercamp recently, and Sybil is already glad I stopped for awhile ... she doesn't travel like she did as a puppy ... she slept all the way from Illinois to Kalifornia when she was just a youngun, but she is much more restless now, not to mention LARGER ! ... of course, it could be the old grouch's driving that makes her nervous, but I don't think so ... she likes to stop a lot, and sniff around, so I indulge her ... she's earned it ...

look how little I was at 12 weeks - I GROWED !!

  a winter neighbor and friend to both Sybil & I, pulled out when we did, but her motorhome broke down just 50 miles into her trip ... we waited with her for a wrecker, and it was real sad ... I'm hoping her repairs won't be serious and expensive, as she is already struggling to get by ...

  our headwind was so bad (how bad was it ?), the van actually downshifted a couple times, just to maintain my 50 mph cruise control setting, something it never had to do before ... THAT is really windy !, because my Ford UTV (Ultimate Tow Vehicle, lol) is amply endowed with more than enough horsepower to deal with any obstacle !  (I figure kissing up to my truck can't hurt) ... at first, I was afraid my catalytic converter had gotten obstructed by the loose pieces of metal in it, something I am watchful for on this trip ... but, as soon as I got out of the van, and the wind almost knocked me down, I knew there was no problem, except for too damned much wind ...

  after running crosscountry thru the Mojave Desert, (on some really crappy, barely-blacktopped roads), we stopped to spend a couple days at Baker, Kalifornia ... we parked in a very large parking lot, adjacent to the 'Mad Greek' restaurant ... 

  for years, I always stopped my semi-truck there to grab a 'gyro' sandwich, when passing on I-15 ... since retiring from the road, I still frequently change my route just to include a visit to 'the Greek' ...

         ***************************

c'mon, Football Season !!!!!, hurry up !!!

Sybil & I can't wait for 'da Bears' to tear up the accursed Packers !

short !

   Sybil and I are 'short', time's runnin' out, and we'll roll down the road soon ... it's still a bit chilly at our usual summer camp, but getting too hot to stay here, our usual situation ...

           **************************       
 
   my Ford SuperDutyVan 'UTV' (Ultimate Tow Vehicle) has developed an annoying clinking noise, which turned out to be a faulty  catalytic converter ... our Canadian RV friend, Harvey, is a retired Ford mechanic, and suggested I 'bang on the pipe' with my fist, and sure enough, that's where my noise was coming from ... once again, Harvey to the rescue !

   it's all part of a one-piece stainless steel exhaust pipe with 2 integral catalytic converters, and is 'crazy expensive' to replace ... 

   fortunately, my Internet research revealed that Ford had gotten a bad batch of catalytic converters that year, and accordingly, extended warranty coverage for it ... phoning my trusted Ford dealer up north, they verified my coverage and will fix it upon my arrival ... thank God ! ... I have seen ridiculous prices for that pipe upwards of $1200, and that doesn't even include any labor (which Ford rates at 2.5 hours) ... 

   hopefully, we dodged the dollar bullet again !

          ***********************

   the cactus in my yard is still blooming, we now have a bouquet !

purty flowers !

   
   
   

   

desert exploding with color ...

  Sybil announced the first day of Spring, yesterday afternoon - after splashing around in the Colorado River, and then rolling in the sand she was a mess, so I brushed her out a bit, and finally got some shed hair ... her shedding was 2 days early with her 'announcement' of Spring this time, but she was right on the money, last year ...

   she'll shed enough fur the next 2 months to stuff mattresses !

   this early and hot Spring weather has really greened up the desert, and the blooming cacti and wildflowers are everywhere you look ...

these have brilliant colors

a desert rose

  

Comments disabled ??

it was pointed out to me, that somehow, my 'Comments' option wasn't working anymore ... I hadn't even noticed, I just assumed everyone agreed with me, or something ...

I think I may have fixed it, we'll see ...

yup, I just checked, and it's fixed, now ... thanks for the heads-up on the glitch ...

another suicidal rattlesnake ...

   well, Sybil saved me again ! ... last night, Sybil & I were sitting outside, as it was finally starting to cool off a bit, after a 96-degree day ...

    just as the sun was starting to go down, Sybil jumped in the air, almost making me jump outta my chair ! ...

   I was sitting there barefoot, and in my 'hillbilly speedos' ( know the difference between underwear briefs and $75 Speedos ? - about $73 ) when she jumped, I jumped, and the rattlesnake panicked !

   anyway, just like a couple years ago, Sybil intercepted an intruding rattler just a few (4 or 5) feet from me ... and, just like a couple years ago, this rattlesnake panicked in her awesome presence, and suddenly committed suicide just before reaching me ! ... I owe ya, again, Sybil !

just keep the food comin', dummy !

   last time, the rattler somehow beat itself to death with a big rock, but this rattler was more modern, he likely used a .410, loaded with birdshot, just a guess ... much more efficient, but too damned loud, just the same ... he coulda been more considerate ...

   the following dawn, Sybil investigated the intruder -

Sybil doesn't even like the dead ones ...

   like the last rattler (after it's suicide) body parts were 'relocated' as per my hippie neighbors' advice (" WE don't kill rattlesnakes, WE 'relocate' them, instead ") ... same thing Sybil & I do - the head was 'relocated' to a trashbag so no one could get scratched on it, and the rattles were relocated to my hat band project ... 

   if these rattlers weren't kind enough to commit suicide, Sybil & I might not be alive today, as Kalifornia (in it's infinite wisdom), has declared rattlers a 'protected species' ... they also added the Great White Shark to their crazy-list ... I don't know how Sybil would react to a Great White Shark encounter ??!?    (probably like this dog from a YouTube video) :

    back to the story,

minus head, lots of 'neck', and rattles

11 rattles, with a few more broken off - he shoulda known his limits by now ...

                          ***********************

      apologies for the intermittent posts, I will possibly be rolling along soon, and will try to have something interesting ... ohhhh, 'da Bears' football season can't come soon enough for me !
      

            ****************************************