archived new stuff and added guides, organized notes

9 files changed, 121 insertions, 76 deletions

diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 6721dec..9cc74ce 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -20,3 +20,45 @@ The average person spends 87% of their time indoors and another 6% in enclosed v
 
 ---
 
+## GUIDES
+    - How to travel as a woman alone in RV
+    - The best camp stoves
+    - How to make great Coffee
+    - Health Insurance
+    - RV Insurance
+    - Power
+    - Solar
+    - Bucket system
+    - Waffle iron
+    - Batteries
+    - Headlamps
+    - RV clubs
+    - Boondocking
+    - Birdwatching
+    - Road schooling
+
+
+
+## ESSAYS
+    - Panasonic Lumix S1R Field Test 
+        ** tasks:
+            - create CSS of inline picture stories ala CM
+            - create referal link callout at top of the page
+            - 
+    - TNF essay
+    - history of american nature writing, listing some more obscure authors, (themes therein?)
+    - list of nature writing books, 
+        - where is the thoreau of africa? 
+        - Is there a thoreau of russia?
+        - what is the relationship of other literatures to nature?
+
+## JRNL
+    - Birthday quickly followed by Summertime rolls
+    - Invitation to mailing list
+    
+
+
+# Completed
+    - Sounds of mexico 2019-03-12
+    - Blessing of the seeds Candelaria 2019-03-20
+    - Eggs in the jardin 2019-03-26
diff --git a/boat.txt b/boat.txt
index be192f7..98bfc6c 100644
--- a/boat.txt
+++ b/boat.txt
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ Here are *my* must haves for a monohul, if you want to live aboard for extended
 
 Head and galley right down at the companionway.
 You don’t want to go halfway through the boat, let alone pass through cabins to reach their ensuite head, with dripping wet oilies in a heavy seaway. It has to be right at the bottom of the stairs.
+
 If you like to eat in the cockpit, it’s very nice to be able to pass food directly from the galley without walking around with it.
 Also, the area in front of the companionway is usually the most stable one of the boat. Best for cooking at sea.
 
diff --git a/calendar.txt b/calendar.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index c1ca043..0000000
--- a/calendar.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,56 +0,0 @@
-## ESSAYS
-    - Panasonic Lumix S1R Field Test 
-        ** tasks:
-            - create CSS of inline picture stories ala CM
-            - create referal link callout at top of the page
-            - 
-    - TNF essay
-    - history of american nature writing, listing some more obscure authors, (themes therein?)
-    - list of nature writing books, 
-        - where is the thoreau of africa? 
-        - Is there a thoreau of russia?
-        - what is the relationship of other literatures to nature?
-
-## JRNL
-    - Visa Run
-    - Travco after page
-    - Invitation to mailing list
-    
-
-## GUIDES
-    - How to 
-
-## SRC:
-### django tutorial for beginners - part 1
-    * what is django
-        - python based framework for creating websites
-        - models urls views templates
-    * How can django simplify my life?
-        - built in tools
-            - admin
-            - ORM
-            - interface with Python’s unit testing tools
-            - authentication system
-            - basic CRUD tools
-            - generate feeds
-            - GIS
-            - internationalization/localization tools
-        - once you know your way around you can prototype things really quickly
-        -- ???
-     * Sites that use django at scale
-            - Instagram
-            - Mozilla
-            - National Geographic
-            - Disqus
-            - Bitbucket
-
-### django tutorial for beginners - part 2
-### django tutorial for beginners - part 3
-
-
-
-
-# Completed
-    - Sounds of mexico 2019-03-12
-    - Blessing of the seeds Candelaria 2019-03-20
-    - Eggs in the jardin 2019-03-26
diff --git a/guides/headlamps.txt b/guides/headlamps.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e520af5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/guides/headlamps.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+Headlamps are one of the unsung necessities of living outdoors. 
+
+Even those of us who'd prefer to do everything by firelight need some extra light at time. For the love of gods, please do not use a lantern. Many of us like the darkness, we seek it out in fact. Don't ruin that for everyone with lantern. 
+
+Get a good headlamp instead. Which headlamp should you buy? Good question. There are a lot of headlamps out there, and the fact that you found this review tells me you, like me, sometimes overthink things. Great, let's overthink headlamps.
+
+Really it's a light, with a strap that goes around your head. Go the nearest home supply type store and get whichever is cheapest. That's the simple way. Marketers like to complicate things though, so picking between headlamps gets bewildering quickly.
+
+As modern industrial people we seem doomed to think bigger is better. That means, if you read reviews, that you might think you need a headlamp with at least [insert arbitrary number] of Lumens. That is you need a headlamp of a certain brightness. Inevitably a brighter headlamp generally means a more expensive headlamp. 
+
+Don't buy the marketing BS. Bigger and brighter is not better, all you need is bright enough. Remember, a brighter headlamp drains batteries, and your wallet, faster. In my experience, living full time in an RV, for casual use around camp 150-200 Lumens is ideal. What's more important are the other features and how the headlamp works. Here's what I look for when buying a headlamp:
+
+**Ease of use:** How do you turn it on? One press? Two? Some crazy sequence? Does it start on low? That's ideal. Do you have to cycle through 10 lighting modes just to turn in it off? That's a pain.
+
+**Red Light/Spot Light:** I want a headlamp with a few lighting modes. I like to read at night and the red light is considerably less disruptive to other people's sleep. It also preserves your night vision, something I like when I'm getting up early in the morning and plan to turn off the headlamp as soon as I gather my things. The spot light is less necessary, but it does make hiking in the dark, whether that's a early approach to some climbing or going owling, considerably easier and possibly safer. 
+
+**Battery Life:** When you're boondocking on solar every bit of battery life you can save helps. I want a headlamp that gets at least 2-3 hours at full brightness and at least 100 hours at the low setting.
+
+**Cheap:** A nice headlamp really shouldn't cost more than $30. Actually, paying everyone involved in its manufacture a living wage probably means it should cost at least $80, but in the world we actually live in, with the market what it is, I would not pay more than $30 for a headlamp. The possible exception being use cases like hiking or climbing, where the extra money can get you a more focused beam of light, which you might need.
+
+### The Best Headlamp for Full Time RVers
+
+With those criteria in mind you have dozens if not hundreds of options. Out of that bewildering world of headlamp options, my favorite headlamp, and the headlamp I'd recommend for most people is the Foxelli tk.
+
+tk review
+
+https://www.amazon.com/Foxelli-Headlamp-Flashlight-Lightweight-Waterproof/dp/B01AUP9OIS/
+
+Comes with 3 AAA/LR03 batteries; also compatible with alkaline, Ni-MH rechargeable or the Petzl 1250 mAh CORE rechargeable battery (not included)
+Red lighting option preserves night vision; phosphorescent reflector helps you find your headlamp in low light
+Features 3 white lighting levels: proximity, movement and distance; single-button adjustment allows for quick and easy brightness and color selection
+Headband is detachable and washable
+CE-certified; IPX4 rating means this can withstand splashing water from any angle
+Compatible Petzl mounting accessories (not included) allow the lamp to be attached to most helmets or bicycles
+
+
+### The 'Worth It' Upgrade
+
+Petzl Tikka. 
+
diff --git a/guides/intro.txt b/guides/intro.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6d6816e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/guides/intro.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+All you need is a vehicle, be it a van, an RV, a truck, a hatchback, whatever. You need a way to get out here. When you get here all you really need are some warm clothes, some food, and way to keep that food cold and cook it. You can keep it cold with some $2 ice in a $5 styrofoam cooler and cook it over a $45 coleman stove. The vehicle is your big investment. Here is pays to do so research.
diff --git a/lttr/lttr-02.txt b/lttr/lttr-02.txt
index f314175..4401068 100644
--- a/lttr/lttr-02.txt
+++ b/lttr/lttr-02.txt
@@ -2,18 +2,31 @@ Greetings Friends!
 
 In case you've forgotten, you signed up for this mailing list at luxagraf.net. <https://luxagraf.net/newsletter/>
 
-This is the first time I've actually mailed the list. This is first time I've done much of anything with luxagraf lately. But there is, at last, something of an update. A new entry up for you to read anyway:
+---
 
-<https://luxagraf.net/jrnl/2019/06/hasta-luego>
+I've been slowly catching up, this letter has two new posts to tell you about:
 
-"We came to Mexico planning hang out, visit family, live cheap, save money, get some projects done. But sawdust in a hurricane has more permanence than our plans, so none of that actually happened."
+<https://luxagraf.net/jrnl/2019/07/seven>
+<https://luxagraf.net/jrnl/2019/07/summertime-rolls>
 
----
+I also wrote a thing about waffles for WIRED that proved way more popular than either I or anyone at WIRED thought it would. It turns out we are not the only ones who love a good waffle. Did you know you can make hash browns in a waffle iron? When your bus' oven is broken, you get creative:
+
+<https://luxagraf.net/essays/waffle-world>
+
+To go with the waffle piece my editors at WIRED asked me if I had a "what's it like to live in a vintage motorhome" sort of thing (WIRED calls it vanlife, close enough I guess). I did actually write a thing like that a long, long time ago but I never published it. So I dusted it off, re-wrote it a bit and put it up. I'm still not entirely satisfied with it, but I had to put it up. Deadlines are a great publishing motivator. If you have thoughts I'd love to hear them:
 
-Plans. I am not so good with those. I had plans to publicly announce this list at some point, but I never have. It's on my todo list anyway. If you know anyone who you think would be interested, feel free to forward them this message or point them to the sign up page: https://luxagraf.net/newsletter/. 
+<https://luxagraf.net/1969-dodge-travco-motorhome>
 
-For now I'm going to focus on getting caught up with everything that's happened in the last three months. I've got some stories to tell, like the time we camped next to a lady with two cats, one named asshole and the other named fat bastard. Or the time we went to a chili cookoff with no chili, or the time the brakes went out and I had to stop the bus by ramming a shipping container. That one is still too fresh, still working through that. 
+That piece generated a few comments on the site and in emails with people looking for advice about full time travel and whatnot. That's something I've never really done with luxagraf, it's always been a journal, really more for family and friend than anyone else. With lots of strangers suddenly stopping by and wanting help, asking questions I thought maybe I should add a section with some guides and how tos and reviews. So I'm in the process of doing that in my spare time and will likely have something to share next week.
 
 Stay tuned.
 
+Also, clearly some of you shared this letter with friends because sign ups went nuts after the last letter. There's almost three times as many of you reading this one as the previous one so thank you very much for that, I appreciate it. 
+
+One final note, if you have something to say and you don't want to put it on the site, you can reply to this email directly and only I will see it.
+
+Alrighty then, until next time
+
+-s
+
 You can unsubscribe from this newsletter whenever you like, just reply with the word "unsubscribe" and you'll be removed, no hard feelings, no questions asked.
diff --git a/scratch.txt b/notes.txt
index ea63c3b..990d6d1 100644
--- a/scratch.txt
+++ b/notes.txt
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+## Immersing yourself
+
+In his book, <cite>Written in the West</cite> Wim Wenders talks about improving photography by completely immersing yourself in what you see, "no longer needing to interpret, just looking." I find that it's not just photography that can be enhanced this way, but all of life. All you need to do is let go and look. Let go of any agenda and just walk (or sit) and watch the world around you. The world is endlessly fascinating. Even the parts you don't like, like Texas. Step back from the  things you want, the things you think you need, the things you think you should do, and a new range of possibilities opens up. 
+
 ## travel with kids
 
 "As with any thing, the needs of small people are different, and the same, as big people.  They thrive on novelty, on the right amount of ease and challenge, and struggle with boredom.  They find it hard to regulate when hungry or tired.  These needs are simply scaled down.  Adults, especially adults who have been around a bit, like to see what is between two mountains by viewing it from all sides.  Little people and their minds are content with seeing the two mountains via their emissaries, the little rocks which have fallen off into the valley in between.  Little people almost do well getting outside and having an adventure, again, today, but once things proceed much beyond a few miles the wants of the little become subservient to those of the big.
diff --git a/birthday.txt b/published/2019-07-13_seven.txt
index f6b6102..24c3ae1 100644
--- a/birthday.txt
+++ b/published/2019-07-13_seven.txt
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 This year we spent the girls' birthday in Texas. Stuck in the middle as it were. We made the best of it. I drove to the nearest Mexican market and got a piñata. We found some papel picado at the bottom of a bag. We bought way too many balloons. As you do.
 
-We made do with what we had, a skill you learn well living on the road. And we had a pool, a lake, and family in town. And some [chocolate waffle cake](/essays/waffle-world). Of course. We'll always find a way to make chocolate waffle cake. Everything you need for a birthday.
+We made do with what we had, a skill you learn well living on the road. And we had a pool, a lake, and family in town. Everything you need for a good birthday. And some [chocolate waffle cake](/essays/waffle-world). Of course. We'll always find a way to make chocolate waffle cake. 
 
-As per usual we were up at early dark thirty for the girls' seventh birthday. I've embraced this early rising thing lately. I'm usually up before the kids. Not on their birthday though. No one beats a kid out of bed on their birthday, not even the one trying to pile balloons on them before they wake up.
+<img src="images/2019/2017-05-22_150233_huntsville-tx.jpg" id="image-2058" class="picwide" />
+
+As per usual we were up at early dark thirty for the girls' seventh birthday. I've embraced the early rising. I'm usually up before the kids. Not on their birthday though. No one beats a kid out of bed on their birthday, not even the one trying to pile balloons on them before they wake up.
 
 <img src="images/2019/2019-07-11_060402_seventh-birthday.jpg" id="image-2053" class="picwide" />
 <img src="images/2019/2019-07-11_060508_seventh-birthday.jpg" id="image-2054" class="picwide" />
diff --git a/summertime-rolls.txt b/published/2019-07-28_summertime-rolls.txt
index e0c7dc7..df8bb56 100644
--- a/summertime-rolls.txt
+++ b/published/2019-07-28_summertime-rolls.txt
@@ -1,18 +1,16 @@
-When we flew back to states we had a rental house booked in Athens. That ended up falling through at the last minute so we headed down to where the bus was stored to see where things stood. 
+We flew back to states thinking we'd booked a house in Athens, GA. That ended up falling through at the last minute, which left us homeless. Not a new thing for us, but a hassle when you're trying to start a new job. We decided to head down to where the bus was stored to see where things stood. 
 
-We knew we had to stay in one place for a while and unfortunately we didn't have time to move to somewhere better than Texas. Between the summer heat and the cracked exhaust manifold, there was just no way to go anywhere. 
+We knew we had to stay in one place for a while and unfortunately we didn't have time to move. Between the summer heat, working, and a cracked exhaust manifold, there was no time to go anywhere. 
 
-We decided, against our better judgment, to hunker down in Texas and wait out the summer. We'd get our exhaust manifold, knock out a few other bus projects we'd been wanting to do and then, once the weather caught up with us and things cooled off we'd head west and spend the autumn and winter our west in the Arizona desert.
-
-It was a good plan and we actually would have done it, but for one rather large hiccup I'll write about later. 
+We decided, against our better judgment, to hunker down in Texas and wait out the summer. We'd get our exhaust manifold, knock out a few other bus projects we'd been wanting to do, and then, once the weather caught up with us and things cooled off, we'd head west and spend the autumn and winter out west in the Arizona desert.
 
 <img src="images/2019/2019-08-01_190811_around-trinidad.jpg" id="image-2050" class="picwide caption" />
 <img src="images/2019/2019-05-31_124006_pool-misc.jpg" id="image-2040" class="picwide caption" />
 <img src="images/2019/2019-08-01_203356_around-trinidad.jpg" id="image-2051" class="picwide" />
 
-The worst part of this plan was in the middle though, the wait out summer in Texas part of the plan. As regular readers know, I do not like Texas. I try not to complain too much because we have a pretty great life, but Texas rubs me the wrong way. Still, it was the best plan we could come up with and I thought we could do it. 
+The challenging part of this plan was the middle, the wait out summer in Texas part. As regular readers know, I do not like Texas. I try not to complain too much because we have a pretty great life, but given a choice between Texas and anywhere else and I'd go with anywhere else. Yes, even California. Still, it was the best plan we could come up with and I thought we could do it. 
 
-There were a couple things going for us. The RV Park where we were staying had a nice big oak tree we could park under and a swimming pool to cool off in. Even better, just down the road some extended family have a lake house where the kids could swim, ride jet skis and generally have fun and stay cool in the summer heat.
+There were a couple things going for us. The RV park where we were staying had a nice big oak tree we could park under and a swimming pool to cool off in. Even better, just down the road some extended family have a lake house where the kids could swim, ride jet skis and generally have fun and stay cool.
 
 Those things, the pool and the lake house were the highlights of the summer. The girls learned to swim and got to go inner tubing, ride jet skis, and spend their days in the water. If you're stuck in Texas, this is the way to do it.
 
@@ -24,20 +22,20 @@ Those things, the pool and the lake house were the highlights of the summer. The
 <img src="images/2019/2019-06-15_134842_lake-house_UYnd1Kh.jpg" id="image-2047" class="picwide" />
 <img src="images/2019/2019-06-15_151813_lake-house.jpg" id="image-2049" class="picwide" />
 
+It's funny how oblivious children are to the problems of adults. Not all problems, but some. Corrinne and I were frustrated being stuck in Texas. We tried to make the best of it, but I'll be honest, we didn't always. But the kids didn't care at all. They loved it. They had a pool to go to every day, a playground to run around on, a lake house to visit at least twice a month. Jet ski rides, boat rides, inner tubing. When I look at from their perspective it feels like we had everything we could possibly want. They didn't care where they were.
+
 Early on, before the heat became insufferable, we went out and explored the area. There was a big flea market once a month in nearby Canton, Texas that was fun to explore.
 
 <img src="images/2019/2019-06-01_104520_pool-misc.jpg" id="image-2041" class="picwide" />
 
-I was struck by the fact that we could stroll around a huge flee market for a couple of hours and the only thing we bought were some small bamboo flutes for the kids and snow cones. 
+I was struck by the fact that we could stroll around a huge flea market for a couple of hours and the only thing we bought were some small bamboo flutes for the kids and snow cones. 
 
-Living in a small space really does curb your consumer tendencies. Everything we even consider buying has justify itself: where would we put it, and is it worth the space it takes up? The answer is almost always no. At this point we don't even really have to think about it. We have what we need, adding more would create clutter.
+Living in a small space really does curb your consumer tendencies. Everything we even consider buying has justify itself: where would we put it? More importantly, is it worth the space it takes up? The answer, after a bit of reflection, is almost always no. At this point we don't even really have to think about it. We have what we need, adding more would create clutter.
 
 <img src="images/2019/2019-06-01_105311_pool-misc.jpg" id="image-2042" class="picwide" />
 <img src="images/2019/2019-06-01_105902_pool-misc.jpg" id="image-2043" class="picwide" />
 <img src="images/2019/2019-06-01_105927_pool-misc.jpg" id="image-2044" class="picwide" />
 
-What's nice about this way of living is that it eliminates purchasing stuff as a form of entertainment. That leaves us free to be entertained by just wandering, watching the world around us. We've always done this to some degree, but I think our time in Mexico really brought this out. There's so much to see just walking around in Mexico that it became a habit. When there's nothing to do you walk up to the Paroquia, sit in the shade and watch the world around you.
-
-In his book, Written in the West</cite> Wim Wenders talks about improving photography by completely immersing yourself in what you see, "no longer needing to interpret, just looking." I find that it's not just photography that can be enhanced this way, but all of life. All you need to do is let go and look. Let go of any agenda and just walk (or sit) and watch the world around you. The world is endlessly fascinating. Even the parts you don't like, like Texas. Step back from the  things you want, the things you think you need, the things you think you should do, and a new range of possibilities opens up. 
+What's nice about this way of living is that it eliminates purchasing stuff as a form of entertainment. That leaves us free to be entertained by just wandering, watching the world around us. We've always done this to some degree, but I think our time in Mexico really brought this out. There's so much to see just walking around in Mexico that it became a habit. When there's nothing to do you walk up to the Parroquia, sit in the shade, have a snack, and watch the world around you.
 
 That was early on though. As the heat increased and the utter lack of anything to do overwhelmed me, I got considerably less zen about being stuck in Texas. Still, I'm old fashioned. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything.