Perdón por la Ausencia

The inactivity of this blog is directly related to my life on the road – simple as that! Living and traveling thousands of kilometers from home and inhabiting a series of hotels, hostels, pensións, and friend’s homes, coupled with the intensity of both my work and travel schedule do not facilitate writing. Since my last real post (not including a minor update) I have worked a couple of months in Connecticut – Hurricane (i.e., Super-Storm) Sandy response and recovery for FEMA – came back to Colorado (and to the Airstream Mother-ship – Ms. Bertha) briefly (literally only a day) and spent the Christmas holiday in Winter Park, Colorado with good friends (my extended Colorado familia), then headed back East to pick up my wife and to fly to Istanbul – about a week thereabouts, then off to Jordan where I presented a couple of papers at the World Archaeological Congress, then to Israel and home to Denver – Phew, this Gypsy / Bedouin lad is just a wee bit tired.

I left Colorado with only about eight hours notice to head to New England in anticipation of the big hurricane strike. I packed and tried to get Ms. Bertha prepped for what was proposed to be a 60-day deployment. I was fearful of not buttoning her up properly – but did manage to shut off water and leave notes for neighbors, friends and colleagues about my hurried departure. I also sort of went through the refrigerator and removed things I thought would spoil. I turned down the temp on the fridge and freezer (as a good environmental steward). I left the freezer full thinking there would be no issue with frozen food. As I was rushing to leave at 0-dark hundred hours the next day, literally greeting the taxi cab driver taking me to the airport when I remembered all the fancy beer I had stashed at various locations both within and outside of Bertha. With the assistance of the taxi driver (who has become a pal of mine) and in the darkness of the very early morning we threw the precious and expensive beer into the semi-empty fridge and wrapped the rest in a sleeping bag and wool blankets to prevent freezing. I did not leave the heat on in my absence. Off I then went to Connecticut to fight the good disaster fight.

I had been thinking and fretting about the visitation of Old Man Winter to where I live along the Front Range of the Rockies ever since I purchased the Airstream in April. I like to think that I knew what to do in advance of cold temps and snow. The problem is that I had to bug out in a heartbeat – and it was not cold or snowy when I left the week before Halloween. I did not buy antifreeze for the plumbing, nor did I blow out the lines before I left. I also did not install the various types of insulation that I had been gathering. I did have a plan and like all things related to Airstreaming – was looking forward to the tasks of winterization.

I did managed to get a neighbor, the RV park super, and friends/colleagues to check on Bertha and to run my truck while I was gone. There were no apparent problems during my absence (& the beer did not freeze).

My work in Connecticut came and went and I eventually came back home the day before Christmas – to very cold temps and snow. And, the temps in Colorado were low and there was a fair amount of snow mostly through my entire deployment. Bertha was on my mind a lot, but so too was my upcoming trip to the Middle East with my wife – who I have not been spending much time with since starting to work on the road for the Feds 4+ years ago.

When I returned to Bertha I only had a few days before I had to leave for the East Coast and thence to Turkey, etc. All seemed well in the initial few hours whilst I was aboard the Mother-ship. I immediately cranked the heat and opened the outside water valve. The roof of my outside ramada caved a bit from the snow load, but that was easily fixed by reattaching and re-rigging a series of bungee cords and tension rods.  I checked the fridge and all was good, but when I opened the freezer I immediately got a whiff of something wrong – the deer meat went bad. How could that be I pondered until I realized that because the temperature outside and inside the rig were lower than the thermostat setting of the fridge/freezer, this temperature differential tricked the compressor into not working correctly (similar to the problems one will have with a refrigerator placed in an unheated garage in winter) – so the delicious venison steaks were tossed and I quickly washed the interior and put a box of baking soda in to absorb the odor. After this excitement and while I was prepping to head to Winter Park for Christmas eve, I quickly turned on each water source and immediately noticed water leaking at three (inside) locations – toilet, kitchen sink and shower. It was painfully clear that there was ice in various portions of the PVC plumbing and that when I connected to and turned on the (fairly high-pressure, but regulated) city water source it met the ice dams and blew seals / joints at three locations. I flew into action by once again undoing a section of Bertha’s winter skirting and climbing under her belly pan to shut off the outside water valve. I spent the next hour or so mopping up the water that had quickly shot all over – and unfortunately in a couple of virtually inaccessible areas. Knowing full well that there was not much I could do to remedy the situation on Christmas eve, I packed up and made my merry way to the mountains over icy and snowy roads.

I only had 5 days back in the bosom of Ms. Bertha between Christmas and the New Year – after which I was to leave again for about three weeks. My work schedule was crammed with duties after being away for eight weeks – so, I could not tend to the broken plumbing. I buttoned up the rig once again (in exceedingly cold temps and snow) and headed to the Middle East.

So, this is the tale of my adventures away from and returning to my aluminum womb. More posts on the plumbing misadventures and the continuance of winter living will follow shortly now that I am back into a somewhat “normal” routine. I thank those friends and colleagues and fellow Airstreamers who have subscribed to or otherwise read this blog. Anyone with plumbing tips to pass on – I am all ears!

Autumnal Equinox

Autumnal (Vernal) Equinox is here and I sense a change. Call it what you will – I celebrate it greatly as Autumnus, Feallan, Sukkot, or Samhain. Practically speaking, it was 51 degrees Fahrenheit (Celsius 10) this morning – I left windows open and did not tarry getting dressed upon rising. The process of wintering-up Ms. Bertha is about to take on some urgency. I am looking for the flannel sheets my wife claims are somewhere on board, and am trying to decide which wool blanket goes over/under the down comforter (probably the cowboy blanket and changed with the Navajo pattern) – baby steps to face Old Man Winter – say I on the Autumnal Equinox.

As the temps gradually diminish and the hours of light decrease, I now take the short walk to the community shower (& a great one!) in darkness and with a sweater on. I also only have a few hours after returning from work to have a pre-dinner cocktail, make something yummy to eat and enjoy my patio before darkness falls and I sense it is time to go to bed (or actually to read for a few hours before nodding off). Gone are the days of trying to cool off Bertha’s interior resulting from months of very high temps (& many triple-degree (F) days). I now am deciding on how to keep my gal warm and protected from what is certain to come our way. Thankfully, skirting the rig is accomplished and I think the floor is, in fact, warmer that it was this past spring with similar temps (or perhaps I simply want it to be so!!!!!!!!!). I am developing a plan for heavy curtains, insulating here and there, snow removal, etc., etc. – most of which will be talked about in future blog segments.

I want to mention that I revel in decorating Ms. Bertha (inside and out) – the ambiance and coolness of our home is muy importante y significativa! One of my colleagues refers to my lifestyle as “Margaritaville.” I initially brought out a lot of decorative pieces to Colorado from my many years of travel – my wife brings more every time she comes out. I had the opportunity to be back on the East Coast last week on business – and made a quick stop at my house to bring out even more. Since I have not been “home” for half a year and have been living in Ms. Bertha for almost five months – I had a good vision of what additional cool mementos I wanted to bring back. The following photos show a milk gourd from Kenya, Rastafarian belt, British pub towels, Russian saints with long, long beards (that I think resemble me) – wooden icons from St. Petersburg, brass bells from Malaysia and Burma, eagle feathers from the Aleutian Islands, beer bag from Laos, Samoan palm hand fan, Cambodian scarf, a beer cap musical instrument (shaker) from St Croix, USVI, and misc. Guatemalan woven pack straps – all of which will soon have a special place with Ms. Bertha! I particularly like the Samoan palm fan – use it to stoke the coals in my small charcoal grill – sure beats the cutting board or other things that I have used all summer!!

Recent bunch of travel mementos and collectibles for Ms. Bertha.

Recent bunch of travel mementos and collectibles for Ms. Bertha.

Recent bunch of travel mementos and collectibles for Ms. Bertha.

Recent bunch of travel mementos and collectibles for Ms. Bertha.

Recent bunch of travel mementos and collectibles for Ms. Bertha.

Safety First, Be Prepared ~ Proactive Not Reactive!

Yes, “Be Prepared” – the Scouting mantra. Well, I never made it very far in the Boy Scouts – something about having nuns as “den mothers” and priests/businessmen as outdoors leaders did not cut it for me – plus, after passing through Tenderfoot and getting heavily fixated on knots, I decided that girls were far more interesting. However, as I cruised through life (literally traveling around and a lot of archaeology in remote settings) I quickly realized the importance of being prepared and of safety and planning.

I have been a WEMT (Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician) for quite some time, achieved status to teach a variety of Red Cross First Aid courses, was the health and safety officer for a company I worked at for 20+ years and also on many archaeology projects in Alaska, and gave heaps of safety talks, etc., etc. Plus, I work for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), whose motto is: “to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.”

In any event, I do, in fact, feel safe and sound residing in my Colorado aluminum womb – Bertha, a 30-foot Airstream International (of very recent vintage). But, the vagaries of natural and man-influenced disasters/emergencies keep me on my toes. Colorado is susceptible to tornadoes, wild fires, earthquakes (with the presence of the Rio Grande Rift and other active faults), floods, high winds, and severe rain/lightning/hail.

I sited Ms. Bertha off the floodplain and away from any areas of potential suburban flooding for starters. I am also pretty secure from wild fires and am more or less buffered from high winds. I cannot control the path of a tornado or hail/lightning or whether some chemical plant relatively close by will blow – but I am prepared to deal with any of these issues if the occasion arises – to protect myself, my wife, Ms. Bertha, neighbors, and anyone else who may need assistance.

To begin, the RV lifestyle attunes one to the weather – you sense and feel it in all ways – a lot more than in a regular stick-built home. Crazy weather can impact you a lot more in an RV – so, I pay attention to what’s happening and what is forecast or looks like may come my way. I had the opportunity to visit the RV park where I now live a bunch of times before selecting a spot. I wanted to be near trees but not underneath them (for fear of branches coming down and hurting Ms. Bertha). I got a spot with two big juniper trees that provide nice late afternoon shade and buffer the winds coming off the Front Range. I positioned my rig so the morning sun warms the port (i.e., window side) and the afternoon sun can be shaded on the opposing side by the main awning (& also the side with fewer windows to transmit solar radiation in the heat of the Colorado summer).

I make routine safety inspections of the following: propane tanks and the appliances working off of propane (I have two 7-gal. on-board tanks and a big tank (120-gal.) just outside the aft section – the hot water heater, refrigerator, and furnace run off of this gas – I look for loose connections, check the lines, and sniff for fumes / listen for hissing; the shore power plug gets inspected for overheating, burn marks, and loose connection; the electrical distribution panel is checked for tripped circuit breakers, etc.; the plumbing get a close look for leaks – both interior and exterior.

I look under Bertha’s belly for signs of rodent/small mammal (including coyotes) and insect activity – don’t want them burrowing, sleeping, dropping scat, having babies, etc. below deck. All alarms/detectors (smoke/propane/carbon monoxide) get inspected and tested often and I have a plan for battery changing. I examine the cooking vent for signs of grease build-up and the same for the motor compartments and exhausts of the refrigerator, hot water heater and furnace.

Since I pay attention to the weather and the news and receive Blackberry / phone alerts for anything else jeopardizing health and safety, the next responsible thing to do is to be prepared to take action. There are many simple things once can do to act efficiently to help yourself, your family, neighbors and those officially charged with protecting and aiding the public in times when the shit hits the fan.

Even though my Airstream is relatively small – I thought it a good idea to formulate an evacuation plan. The aft (bedroom) window is an intentionally designed emergency exit and it is nice to know that it is there and that I understand how it works. But I nevertheless also know how many steps it takes from the foot of my bed to the front door. I also make sure that this path is clear of obstacles (fan, heater, clothing). I am familiar with the layout of my RV park at night and know how to get around to the manager’s office, brick shelter building, and neighbors in case the power goes out in an emergency. I think about the concept of “defensible space” around my rig and act accordingly to tie-down/secure tables and chairs, etc., clear the site of flammables (leaves, etc.), and to have water and a long hose ready.

The EMT world dictates that one be able to quickly and precisely state your location when requesting help. My pad site has a # (mostly for the mailman and maintenance staff), but it ain’t a good marker for police, fire, or ambulance. I have memorized distances and directions to my site from major x-roads in my community – replete with recognizable landmarks as way points. I can also supply global positioning system points (lat/long) if requested. My neighbors and the RV park managers know me and have a complete set of contact information – they also know where the keys to Bertha and my truck are stashed. Our park is patrolled by police and I have made it a point to introduce myself and to let the coppers know I am available to assist if called upon.

Is this missive verging on craziness or revealing obsessive traits of my personality? Not really – I am conditioned to be prepared and I am just recording my world view.  In the interest of wrapping this particular blog up (no doubt I will touch on this topic again) I want to offer a few more observations (in no real priority): get a good first aid kit and understand a bit about emergency medicine; get a battery or crank-powered (NOAA) weather radio and flashlights; be ready to evacuate your rig and take refuge in a public shelter in case of an emergency – to this end, assemble a disaster supplies kit (lots of advice on the internet on what to include); know how to shut off the utilities; be aware of any special needs of your neighbors; and have a plan and be aware of your safety – a su salud (y la seguridad).

Can’t Wait for Fall Weather; Anticipating What Old Man Winter Shall Bring

A little over four months of full-time living in my 9.1-meter Airstream International. This has been a wild Spring/Summer for Colorado weather – an unusually hot and early Spring and a long, hot (many triple-digit Fahrenheit days / high 30s C.) and bone dry Summer. However, two weeks left until the Fall Solstice – temps are already cooling off nicely and I am giving a lot of thought to winterization of Ms. Bertha (more about this in an upcoming post(s). The Farmers Almanac says that in the little spot of this beautiful state that I occupy, Winter days will be above normal and precipitation will be below normal (but I will not be lulled into a false sense of well-being!). While temps have still been high over the past fortnight since I returned from working in Alaska, it is beginning to cool off nicely in the evenings with many spectacular sunsets. I am truly loving sitting under my main awning, reading, having a cocktail, firing up the barbie, chit-chatting with my friendly neighbors, and watching the evening colorization of the Front Range skyline. I intend to spend as much time as I can over the next month outside after work and weekends – night time is falling noticeably earlier every week.

What a dang great end to the week – terrific weather and buena productividad en la oficina y éxitos! Thursday, late morning at work attended a presentation on the Fed Center’s recycling program – Yawn, a lot of you might say, but NO, fascinating state-of-the-art eco-cycling, single-stream concepts of ZERO waste. I especially liked the techniques employed for hard to recycle materials, NAKED packaging, and a host of other Green initiatives. Boo-yah – would not expect anything less from this great state!

Lunch taken at the Fed Center’s farmer’s market – with a yummy egg, green chili, chorizo burrito hand made by my amigo Ramon. I took time to talk to a lovely gal who made the totally delicious Vegan sweets basket I won at last week’s market (Le Blossoms, Highlands Ranch, Colorado). My treats included handmade (in a home kitchen), organic sea salt caramels, toffee brownies, caramel popcorn, Vegan Snickerdoodle cookies, green tea cookies, and more!!! I told her I loved the product – implying that I ate most of the big basket, but in reality have (mostly) saved it for my wife’s next visitation.

Finally, what a nice night – cooking Italian sweet sausages, eating guacamole, drinking a bottle of Brother Thelonious (Belgian Strong Dark Ale), and listening to Thelonious Monk. I am truly digging my life in Colorado, but must prepare to face Old Man Winter!

Vegan and organic “sweets” basket from Le Blossoms, Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

A “Skirting” We Shall Go!

I mentioned in my last post that we are in the process skirting Ms. Bertha. Why are we dressing our baby up like this? Easy, I will be living in our lovely aluminum womb in Colorado over the winter – probably enough said! But I want to relay that my hope with this expenditure (and it ain’t inexpensive) will be to allow Bertha to be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The 18 oz., polyester reinforced vinyl skirt ought to help prevent fresh/gray and sewer water pipes from freezing, improve refrigerator efficiency, keep the young lady from rocking in the wind, warm the floor, and deter critters from taking up residence under her belly.

The RV specialist who is doing the installation measured the nine sections of the durable and pliable fabric (tractor trailer cargo protection material) last Friday and spent part of the weekend cutting, sewing, and putting on snap buttons, zippers, Velcro strips, and turn-button attachments. The color we selected is charcoal gray – a nice contrast to the silver aluminum.

The family crew arrived Labor Day a little before noon and finished attaching the many turn-buttons (70) and snaps/Velcro to the rig – carefully making sure that the various sections fitted together nicely and hung straight. Tubes were sewn onto the bottom of the fabric in order to slide in 1.25-inch diameter PVC pipes to stabilize the skirt. For added efficiency I will fill these pipes with sand.

I asked that the fabric be trimmed out with zippers around the wheels of Bertha – so when traveling we could simply use these 6-foot segments for sun protection – the craftsmen had no problem making this modification.

The crew spent 2.5 hrs. measuring and fitting on Friday; 8 hrs. pinning, hemming and sewing the setup at their shop in Loveland; and then a little under 2 hrs. for the onsite  installation today. The sections were cut no more than 14 feet in length and I was shown the correct method for removal, packing (storage bags included), and reassembly. Their product, design, and installation is perfect. I am most happy to give them the highest recommendation. Kudos to Kurt, Matt, Courtney, and Josie.

First time that I have opened up the stainless steel wrap (rock guard) protection panels – love the “gull-wing” effect. May hang some lights on them and open for happy hour ambiance.

Initial measurement and custom fitting of skirt – aft section.

Initial measurement and custom fitting of skirt – aft section and port side.

Initial measurement and custom fitting of skirt – aft section and starboard side.

Initial measurement and custom fitting of skirt – starboard side.

Installation of the finished skirting – forward section.

Installation of the finished skirting – aft section and starboard side.

Installation of the finished skirting – port side.

Turn button assembly.

Zipper opening for gray/black water pipe – port side.

Wheel cover segment – starboard side.

Kudos on a great job!

ALUMAFANDANGO, Part II

I am currently at the top of a long weekend off from work. As I write this entry I have an RV specialist over to my site to begin installation of a “skirt” for Ms. Bertha. The company has a great reputation and does quality work (www.rvskirting.com) – the owner (Kurt) and some of his children have been here for a couple of hours in the hot Colorado sun measuring and otherwise custom fitting the 18-ounce charcoal gray vinyl. They return in a few days with the finished product – and the skirting experience will be the subject of a blog next week.

The long weekend gives me a chance to catch up on the blog. Before going on about my recent archaeological project on the west coast of Alaska, the “winter weatherization” of Ms. Bertha, various new recipes I have dreamed up or remembered from past travels, new Colorado brewpubs and restaurants, Et cetera+, I want to say some more things about the Airstream rally – Alumafandango, held a week ago at the Lakeside Amusement Park, Colorado.

As stated before, this was a terrific event: muy impresionante! Not only were the caravans fun to ogle (so too were the tow vehicles and hitches), the event was also a great learning experience – technical details of operating and repairs. The fact that there were about 80+ caravans present (of all makes and models and sizes & many open for inspection) presented my wife and me with loads of ideas for organizing, decorating, modifying, living, and hosting parties in Ms. Bertha. Airstreaming and Airstreamers Gypsies are close to a cult :).

The camaraderie was infectious and not only during the “roving” happy hours! We made a lot of friends – our Face Book amigo list has certainly spiked.

There was tons of fun touring a local vintage Airstream renovation, rebuilding, restoration & re-manufacturing facility – Timeless Travel Trailers (www.timelesstraveltrailers.com) and the historic amusement park. Riding the old-school coasters, Ferris wheels, bumper cars, carousel, and others was a blast. The Lakeside Amusement Park was a very appropriate venue for the rally & thanks to those who organized it and made it happen.

My wife entered the Aluminum Chef competition whipping up a tremendously unique desert – but alas, technical difficulties did not allow Sebbie to proceed as an Aluminum Chef finalist :(. However, next year at the rally in Tucson we shall both participate and be much better prepared.

A hurt and sore back (from working way too hard in Alaska only a few day ago) prevented me from entering the trailer “back-up derby.”  Once again, next year in Tucson, but I must practice with the Mrs. in order to come in with a respectable time and no faults.

I was also unable to attend the workshop on solar power and other technical / historical presentations – due to work schedule – but I heard that they were all well done, entertaining and useful. We did attend the parts flea market and the swap meet – and had a good time.

Finally (at least for this particular post), it was very good to meet fellow Airstream bloggers on Saturday afternoon: Deke & Tiffany (www.weaselmouth.com), Laura & Kevin (www.riveted-blog.com), Kyle (www.whereiskylenow.com),  Rich (www.airstreamlife.com/maze), Ana (www.glamperanairstreamdiary.com), and another Kyle (www.channelsurfingwithgas.com).

Zoom Drop Tower – a terrific photography platform for aerial shots!

Aerial view Airstream Camp – Alumafandango, Lakeside, Colorado.

Aerial view Airstream Camp – Alumafandango, Lakeside, Colorado.

Aerial view Airstream Camp – Alumafandango, Lakeside, Colorado.

Airstream Camp, the Classics compound – Alumafandango, Lakeside, Colorado.

The Mrs. on board the Zoom Drop Tower – for photography session.

Un poco clásico!

For sale – could be yours?

Two beauties for sale.

A very unique unit.

Interior of previous photograph.

Wave those flags!

A cool slide-out.

A very unique rig!

Another special rig.

The Chinese-Buffalo in front of a great caravan and tow vehicle.

Cute little Airstream awning lights.

The Line!

l

More of the Line!

Happy hour.

The Chinese-Buffalo with his new friends.

Evening at the camp.

The Classics.

Evening lights.

All hail the International!

Airstream parts market.

Back-up competition.

Aluminum Chef cooking competition.

Airstream bloggers – round table discussion.

ALUMAFANDANGO ~ Lakeside Amusement Park, Colorado – 2012

My wife and I attended a terrific Airstream rally this weekend – Alumafandango (www.alumafandango.com). I have been working out of town (Denver) for about a month (Alaska and a brief stint in North Dakota), and very much missed being enveloped in my aluminum womb. I sat in on a seminar on Airstream blogging on Saturday afternoon and one statement rang out loud and clear – voiced by the three husband and wife blogging team panelists and the editor of Airstream Life magazine (www.airstreamlife.com) – “continuity and regularity of content is important” – you gotta serve up goodies for your readers on a very regular basis. So, with this mantra in mind I am resolved to blog away – mostly Airstream stuff, but also whatever else I find important, urgent, useful, and interesting to post. Again, for reference see my very early blog posts in March of this year.

Unfortunately, I remain crazy busy with work, familia, and other pursuits, but as stated, am committed to documenting my full-time living experiences in Bertha – a 30-foot International (Serenity model).

I will focus my next few blog posts on this weekend’s Airstream rally. A few words summarize the Alumafandango event: impresionante, espectacular, & sensacional. Although I am relatively new to the Airstream lifestyle (but note that I am fast approaching the start of my fifth month of full-timing), I have experienced a few Airstream owner get-together events with my dad in the 1960s just outside of my hometown in central Pennsylvania. 

The recent event was super-cool – and the early 20th-century amusement park venue made it all the better and totally unique. Lakeside Amusement Park (www.lakesideamusementpark.com) is one of the oldest in the United States and remains true to its old-school and Art Deco style. The organizers of the event are to be congratulated! Here are some photographs of the Amusement Park – the rally itself will be covered in subsequent posts.

My lovely wife at the Tower of Jewels – entrance to the park.

The first rig that we saw at the rally – and a great combo – from Wyoming.

Wonderful International tow vehicle.

The “Beer-stream” – portable bar – run by an interesting Airstreamer.

The camp – immediately adjacent to the amusement park.

One of the Ferris wheels.

The Satellite – what a ride!

The famed Cyclone Coaster – ca. 1940s.

The Chinese-Buffalo at the Tower of Jewels.

Skoota Boats!

Flying Dutchman.

Airstreamers getting a great tour of the park.

The Dragon.

Auto Skooters (Bumper Cars).

The Heart Flip with Airstream camp in the background.

The Mrs. and the Hurricane.

What a park and what a ride!!!!!!!

The Mrs. on the Satellite.

The Mrs. on the carousal.

Matterhorn.

Airstreamers on tour.

Airstreamers getting a great and knowledgeable tour of the park.

What a lovely park!!!!

Ferris wheel with many, many Airstreams in the background!

Phew – A Busy Week Indeed!

I am determined to keep up my chronicles of full-time RV living! However, things are getting busy – both with work (fires in Colorado and Montana), familia (wife and friends visiting), general conviviality, volunteering weekends at an archaeological excavation for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and preparing for an upcoming a trip to Alaska. Nevertheless, I want to offer a bunch of photos that generally depict the goings on about Bertha over the last week or so.

It all started with my lovely wife’s birthday – she came out for five days of fun in Colorado and we had lots of happy hours, brew pub visitations, general relaxation and fussing with Bertha, and got to see the Beach Boys on their 50th anniv. tour at Red Rocks.

I must state that the reason I went to the show was to see Brian Wilson – it was great to witness this genius in action – despite his obvious health issues. Brian is a true icon and I am glad that I had a chance to catch him live – also good to see the entire band respecting his presence.

It is once again hot throughout Colorado – every day without rainfall poses more fire threats. There are still quite a lot of fires burning in Montana.

One thing of note that continues to bother me quite a bit is the destruction of historic features in Mali (especially in Timbuktu) by Islamist rebels – S’il vous plait, arrêtez cette pure folie – elle ne sert aucun objectif rationnel.

Here is a rapid chronicle of some of the events:

Alaska mate – explorer, author, scientist, teacher and all-around good fellow.

Archaeological excavation – Scott site, Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Archaeological excavation – Scott site, Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Bertha – rain rigging. Main awning tilted to allow rain easy exit and to avoid pooling on surface (potentially damaging effects).

Bertha – rain rigging.

Pink flamingos – Yip & Yap, replete with Mardi Gras beads – Laissez le bon temps rouler!!!!!!!!!

Yip & Yap loving life.

Mrs. (Sebbie) playing role of bartender and cocktail waitress. Sliding door is another terrific feature of Ms. Bertha!

Sebbie cooking up a storm!!!!!!!!

Colorado cowgal taking a break.

Delicious happy hour respite. Table cloth is my old lava-lava (men’s sarong from Samoa).

Say hola to our little amigos.

The lady of the house.

One of our Airstream neighbors – in an RV park adjacent to ours. An oldie but goodie!!!

What next!!!!!!!!???????

The Chinese-Buffalo and Mrs. Chinese-Buffalo celebrating her birthday during Denver City pub crawl!

Birthday pub crawl. One of the very coolest of brewpubs in the city.

Birthday ice cream at super-cool establishment.

The Chinese-Buffalo and Mrs. Chinese-Buffalo having birthday ice cream on an old-school metal glider.

Rainbow over Ms. Bertha.

Colorful sunset – thanks to pollution from northern wildfires.

“Besties!”

Mr and Mrs Chinese-Buffalo at Beach Boys concert – Red Rocks, Colorado.

The Chinese-Buffalo after mowing grass in record heat!

Fires Burning and Personal Climate Control

Sunday morning – relaxing a bit and preparing for what will certainly be a busy month. President Obama came to the state last week and declared the fires a “Major Disaster” – & FEMA is responding. My role is as yet undefined, but I imagine that one way or another I will be participating in the recovery effort.

My wife is visiting over the upcoming holiday and we have lots to do – continuing to set up Bertha for full-time living, catching up with each other and with friends here in Denver, and visiting a few new pubs and restaurants that have been on her list for a long time. We are also going to see the Beach Boys perform at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Additionally, I have three important projects to finish at work and a few conference presentation abstracts that I need to get out before I even think of planning and packing for a ca. three-week archaeological project along Kuskokwim Bay (Bering Sea), near Bethel, Alaska in August.

At the moment the Colorado Emergency Operations Center is activated and working on 10 active fires (some of which are very large):

• High Park, Larimer County
• Waldo Canyon, El Paso County
• Weber, Montezuma County
• Pine Ridge, Mesa County
• Flagstaff, Boulder County
• Little Sand, Archuleta County
• Treasure, Lake County
• Lightner Creek, La Plata County
• Stateline, La Plata County
• Eby Creek, Eagle County

The Front Range winds have calmed over the past couple of days, but it remains hot and very dry. I worry a bit about the chance of fires breaking out in this area – both my office and my RV park (west and southwest sides of Denver) are located along the base of the foothills of the Front Range and are susceptible to fire starts.

There have been many thousands of folks evacuated in the past month or so – both north and south of here. Hundreds of homes have already been lost. Kudos to the brave and stalwart firefighters, additional emergency services responders, the Red Cross, and a lot of others who are fighting the good fight! I will be honored to play a small role.

It is clear that an all-clad aluminum caravan can get incredibly hot in the summertime! I hope this thermal situation will work to keep me warm in the winter. My difficulty is that I do not want to run the AC units when I am at work – even at a higher setting – just seems wasteful. Heck, I also don’t want to keep the fans running when I am away either. Bertha sits out in the open – sin ninguna sombra de los árboles. However, her siting was intentional – when I picked the lot I did not want the fickle and gusty Front Range winds to blow tree limbs down and cause (expensive) damage. Since I decided that the location selected would likely last for a year or more, I welcomed the sunny spot as an adjunct heating source come winter. I guess I did not count on a record-breaking heat waves at the end of May and throughout June (and looks like all the way up through the end of the summer and even into Indian summer)!

Windows on an Airstream ought to remain shut when the Captain is on shore! A few days ago I learned a good lesson about leaving the windows open (full tilt-out) in Bertha. In this particular instance I was home and noticed the wind kicking up while I was grilling chicken (semi-East African style, needing attention). When the wind comes up my routine is to run around the outside perimeter of the caravan and knock down the windows either to their lowest notch (hoping the wind would not catch at this position) or close them completely. Doing this from the outside is faster and works well. However, while I was on the port (i.e., street) side of Bertha working forward, the wind hit a window raised it up and down and twisted it – shattering the tinted safety glass. I watched the entire episode fearing what was about to occur. I took a few steps to grab the window before it broke – and got about a meter from it when glass showered my body! Unfortunately, it was so hot that I was not wearing a shirt and was in flip-flops. I got peppered with glass and was pulling shards out of my skin for about 15 minutes – & survived just fine. Problem now is to replace said window!

Gracias a Dios for the awning rigging that we installed in Bertha. Although quite expensive, it most definitely serves to cool our gal down nicely and efficiently. However, once again, the awnings are set onto aluminum struts, arms and hinges = delicate mechanisms that cannot take a lot of stress from twisting / turning / bending in the wind – especially when I ain’t there to intervene (i.e., stow the sails). This situation presents me with a dilemma, similar to the windows – I cannot leave the awnings up when at work – ergo, Bertha absorbs a lot of thermal energy and passes it to the interior. I often get home, open the door and am greeted with temps in the 90s – cannot be good for electric components, etc.

Bertha has a high-power exhaust fan = a tremendous asset! The brand name is Fantastic Fan. This sucker has a three-speed vent covering a 14-inch square in the ceiling of the forward section. It displaces a lot of heated air and even has a rain-sensor that shuts the plexiglass hood. Unfortunately, the hood is susceptible to wind gusts and if broken will be a pain to fix / replace. Needless to say, I cannot leave the hood open (not even a little) when not on premises.

I have studied that path of the sun and know how it affects Bertha. Once again, Gracias a Dios for the two large juniper bushes (really small trees) along the starboard side of our site – provides a goodly amount of shade for most of the rig starting at ca. 1500 hrs.

Our pad site is gravel under Bertha’s belly, macadam on the port side, and cement on the patio (i.e., starboard) side. Both the driveway and the patio reflect heat and add to the overall baking effect of life aboard Bertha!

Briefly, as this post is spinning out of control, here are some of the measures that I am taking to address my “climate” issues:

• Rise early each morning – have a cup of Fair Trade and carefully brewed coffee – and enjoy the cool of the early morning.
• On especially hot days that extend hellish conditions into the evening I seal up the rig and turn on both of the 15,000 BTU AC units – so I can sleep. I manage to get up sometime during the night and turn off the AC and open to windows to let Mother Nature take over.
• Shut all blinds and curtains in the rig as I leave for work – definitely helps.
• Leave a couple of windows open a bit – strategic placement so as to influence air-flow and heat exhaust.
• Start leaving one or both of the floor fans on when I am at work – but am slightly resistant.
• Have perfected a routine of quickly opening up all windows, turning on all fans, and pulling down all awnings – the minute I arrive home from work.
• Sometimes give Bertha and the patio a brief shower when I return, but we are in drought conditions …

Here are some longer-range plans I have to battle the heat:

• Enlist the help of some of my retired gypsy neighbors to watch Bertha whilst I am working or otherwise away from the rig – open windows, turn on fans, pull down awnings, spray down, etc. I will need to work out compensation for these efforts – along with instructions for the necessary tender-loving care that Bertha requires.
• Install secondary solar screens on both port and starboard side awnings – one that can be rigged open when the other awnings are stowed – will require engineering ingenuity, but I am moving forward and making strides in the correct direction!

In conclusion, I have now realized that no matter that I made the choice to reside full-time in Bertha – she is still a caravan, not a house specifically designed for full-time occupancy in all sorts of weather. These rigs are meant to have the inhabitants close by to quickly take care of things that go awry. Creature comforts do come with a price. However, I am still rocking on and loving life.

I always feel the need to espouse some randomness:

• I listened on the radio to Burmese dissident, Aung San Suu Kyi, give a speech at a venue in Europe yesterday. She will return next week to take her seat in the country’s parliament for the first time. I thought it appropriate that she only refers to her country as Burma and the people as Burmese – not accepting the current regime’s name-change to Myanmar.
• I took my lunch in the Capitol Park last Friday – really enjoyed to free drum concert and the multitudinous food trucks and the noon-time festivity.
• I Skyped with a good mate of mine this morning who is on his way to bonny Scotland (Orkney) to participate in an exciting archaeological project – I am most happy and wish him the best.
• I talked on the phone with another old mate from my wild days in Montana during the 70s. It was great to catch up, having not talked in many years – made me think of just how important meeting different people and living in different places have been in my life.
• Had the opportunity to reunite this week with a lot of FEMA folks that I have worked with in various states over the past three or so years – wonderful to be part of such a great and effective Fed Agency.
• It is July 4th – happy freedom day – I have always known that the United States of America is an amazing and wonderful country. I am proud that my immigrant ancestors had the courage to make the sail from the Old World.

Drum session – Capitol Park, Denver.

Shattered window – port side, forward.

Shattered window – port side, forward.

Patio living.

Cedar planter and pink flamingos.

Study – mid-ship.

New Neighbor.

A Busman’s Holiday

There is no doubt that birthdays tend to mean more the older one gets. This is especially true when living the Gitano (i.e., Gypsy) lifestyle. Cell phones, Skype, email, Face Book, and blogs help me to remain close to loved ones, mates, colleagues, and even those who I encounter but briefly and become suitably impressed so as to want to stay in touch. It was my birthday a week or so ago and … Hells Bells – I am overwhelmed with all the greetings (mainly through Face Book) – thanks to all very much! I realize that I have soooo many friends that I only hear from or otherwise communicate with on the blue moon – but, over the course of this summer I shall make a point of reaching out to every single one of youse guys and gals. Vaya adelante con amor!

Our set of pink flamingos arrived this week – and they are beautiful and delightful – complement Ms. Bertha to the highest degree. Clearly, they need to be given names, and this task I leave to my wife – although she had better get back to her Colorado home soon – I am seeing names for our birdos flash by on a pretty regular basis. Speaking of names, the Mrs. (Sebbie or the Chief) gave one of the rabbits who live under our juniper bush a name – Frito (need to check on the origin). Mr. Frito (I now believe him to be a young buck) has met the flamingos and accepted them into the community (see photo below). I planted the birds (they like to run in pairs) close by the big juniper and beside our hanging aloe plant in the lovely cedar basket a friend made for us as a Bertha-warming present – the whole picture looks very nice indeed! Have already had numerous compliments and Oohs & Aahs from neighboring Gypsies on putting up the classic RV lawn ornaments. However, riding my old bike around the “hood” I have not see even one pink flamingo – what the hell!! – there are about 250 campsites where I live – Mr. Featherstone (creator of the iconographic statuary) will not be happy when he hears about this!

Since my working hours are primarily a normal eight and because I arrive at the office early, I return home to the belly of Big Bertha with more than my usual amount of free time. Loving this situation – gives me time for all sorts of things – especially cooking. For the past three and a half years I have been on the move working long hours with perhaps one day off every couple of weeks. Most of my meals were eaten in restaurants as I resided in hotels the entire time – except for time spent working in Haiti – but that is another tale.  But, my point is that I am enjoying cooking – the main course outside on the barbeque – side dishes, etc. on the gas range in the galley. Having a bit of time, I get the protein and then think of interesting ways of preparing and cooking it – mostly trying methods I learned or observed somewhere while I was on the road in a foreign land – and North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, and New Jersey are certainly foreign zones. This is truly an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours after work – then I try to write about the interesting or funny ones! I always try to make a bit more for lunch and to share with daring colleagues. Must admit that I do like chicken (a world-wide fav) and also bison.

Earlier last week I got inspired to cook up some chicken – African style – taught to me by a nice Ugandan high school teacher I met on the road from Nairobi to Kampala. Rigged my little bbq into a dutch oven – slow cooked the Kis-Swahili way. Made variant version of KUKU (poulet) demi-glace with as much of the African ingredients that I could remember – did not forget the peanut sauce, beer, hot sauce, oil and vinegar, and other (more secret items). Delish!!! and I made a bunch for lunch. Did not make any veggies though – never ate them much in Africa when chicken like this was available. A few days later I cooked up a rib-eye bison steak on the barbie – w/ roasted garlic and brussel sprouts – some french red wine & Lena Horne in the background – can’t beat this lifestyle. Gracias a nuestro Dios benéfico!

Laundry time happens Saturday mornings – within a round of deep cleaning, lawn duty, bill paying, and other chores. Yesterday – early morning, I glanced over at the “things for free” bin in our RV park’s laundromat – what did I spy but a hand-crank, emergency weather radio – terrific “pick” as that very annoying TV show states over and over (& they refer to themselves as “archaeologists” – fooey!)  – but I got this one for free – top that pickers! I experimented right away and found it to be in total working order – the crank generator gives good amount of juice and picks up a variety of weather channels. Being in the biz of disasters, I had it on my list to acquire one of these babies – now I gots one – my wife will be most happy (see a picture below)!

I am also glad to report sighting of a great looking veggie stand at the Denver Federal Center – Farmer’s Market. I am trying to buy my produce here when possible (certainly is convenient), but must share the wealth and also support mom and pop truck stands selling produce scattered about the City – and also my fav Vietnamese bakery for breads and puddings!

At the end of last (very hot an dry) week I had the need to travel a couple of hours south to Pueblo for a meeting and research at a variety of repositories – Emergency Operations Center, Public Library, and County Historical Society. I picked up the govt. truck and hit the road – très excited to be back on the road (if even only for a few hours) – have not been back down this way for about a decade and never really spent much time at all in Colorado Springs (2nd largest city in the State) or Pueblo (7th largest). Maybe I have not been paying attention, but these cities have experienced a heck of a lot of growth since I last passed through. However, and despite the heat (hit 105 degrees in Pueblo) and the traffic snarls of “the Springs,” I loved the drive to and from work, through a beautiful section of a most beautiful state – which is currently ablaze with uncontrolled wildfires!

There were lots of RVs on the road (after all it is summer), and I was fortunate to spot five Airstreams (three parked and two being trailered). I only managed to get one photographed (see below). She (28- or 30-foot Excella of ca. 1970s vintage) sat at the rear of the lot where I purchased Bertha – never ventured that far back on the property, but the truck I was using was located just down the road apiece. I passed many cool looking RV parks on the trip and I bet that if I could have taken the time to detour then I would have a lot more Airstream sightings!

I spent the whole day in Pueblo and was impressed – a sizable and important historic city (steel production mainly – called the “Pittsburgh of the West”) sill containing a good array of 19th and early 20th century buildings. My research was profitable and I accomplished my mission. I also got a chance to see a few particularly interesting things:

• The Damon Runyon Repertory Theater (611 North Main Street) – formerly the Chief and the Rialto theater, in downtown Pueblo – ca.1918. Hosting a tribute to one of my favs – Patsy Cline.
• The historic Pueblo Union Depot railroad station – Richardsonian Romanesque style ca. late 1880s – and on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Pueblo County Courthouse – Beaux Arts, Classical Revival – early 20th century, and also on the National Register.

I came across lots of other lovely buildings and historic streetscapes and which I hope to photograph on my next bit of fieldwork in October.

The temperature was HOT and a few days later fires broke out in Colorado Springs – Waldo Canyon – and it is bad and a lot of folks are hurting.

In conclusion, I am very happy that His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Aung San Suu Kyi met in London about a week ago – I would love to have a transcript of their conversation – Namaste.

Bertha’s Pink Flamingos.

Frito and the Pink Flamingos.

Breakfast table and emergency “weather” radio.

Emergency “weather” radio and breakfast.

• 

  Denver Federal Center – Farmer’s Market.

Classic Airstream, Denver.

Research – Pueblo County Historical Society.

Damon Runyon Repertory Theater.

Damon Runyon Repertory Theater.

Pueblo County Courthouse.

Pueblo Union Depot.

Fred’s!!!!!!!!!!

Mesa Hotel.

Streetscape, South Pueblo.

More Skinny!!!!!!!!!!!!