The Boy Scout Motto ... BE PREPARED!!

I never was a Boy Scout, or a Girl Scout for that matter.  Those privileges were awarded to the kids who lived in town.  We lived out in the country, so it wasn't a group we could easily access.  Never the less, we DID learn to be prepared for mechanical breakdowns and the next depression!!  I definitely keep this in mind when traveling alone in my rig, so when Nick Russell posts his "must haves" for RV owners, I pay close attention.  My latest purchase is an air compressor for keeping my tire pressures pretty constant.  I figure new tires will cost a fortune ... digging into my depression savings ... so I better learn how to take better care of them.  Tom Westerfield has a great setup ... a carbon dioxide tank, you know, like the off-road people use?  They dump the air in their tires to climb rocks, but then need to refill them to get home on the highway.  It's pretty slick, but anything in a scuba-like tank is a little scary ... even MY scuba tanks!!  So here's the new unit.  It's not very big, is light enough for almost anyone to carry and should work just fine.  Now if I get any slow leaks, I should be able to air it up enough to get to a service center, instead of sitting on the side of the road ... alone ... in the dark ... trying to explain to someone 2,000 miles away EXACTLY where I am so they can come help!!  I know I can fill tires from my rigs air tanks, but that 40 foot hose weights more than this compressor!!

As far as that depression part, I'm finally learning I really don't need to save all those pieces of aluminum foil and TV dinner trays like my mom told me!!!  It's funny when I return from a trip in the RV, how I go around the house throwing things away that I don't use.  I like the minimal living in an RV ... I mean really, how many USB cords do I need when I don't even know what they go to???

I'm always prepared when it comes to my camera.  It sits on my counter ready to grab at a moment's notice!!  Here's why ... it rained a couple of days ago (in California .. real water from the sky), and I noticed this beauty sitting on top of my back fence.  Too bad my long lens was still packed away in the rig.  THAT will come out today and sit on the counter also!!  He's pretty big ... maybe 18 inches tall.  As I clicked away, he turned around ......

Then did a dive bomb to the ground inside the corral, where he disappeared in the bushes.  I figured he must be after a gopher.  As he flew back up to the fence, I didn't really see anything in his beak or claws, but apparently he had something!!

Must have been a big worm ... he sat on the fence and used his beak to tear it up and toss it down.

Next thing I know, he does it again in the opposite direction.  I guess that little bit of rain brought some goodies to the surface.  After an hour of fence dining, he flew away.  What a beautiful Red Shouldered Hawk!!  He's been back two times since, so I'm headed to the rig for the lens ... in which case I probably won't see him again, but at least I'll be prepared!!

I wasn't prepared for this either ... I finally got those 300 pieces sewn together and I ran out of thread!!  How frustrating is that!!  Just when I was going to see what the first section will look like, I'm dead in the water.  

I've got a REAL exciting appointment today ... the dentist .. Ouch!!   Followed by the Contractor ... ouch in the pocketbook!!  It's going to be an OUCHY day!!!