Author Archives: Richard

Del Mar Neighborhood Birds

We are in California for a few days seeing our son Robb and his family. What a nice change from the barren “stick season” of Vermont; we awoke early the first morning due to the time change to birdsong and … Continue reading

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Six Weeks To Go

Having gone to bed and then awakened early to the horrific news from Paris, it was good to be nudged out for an early dog walk by Penny. I had heard a rifle shot while it was just getting light … Continue reading

Posted in beekeeping, iPhone 6, Penny, Southwest trip 6, Trip Planning, Vizsla | Comments Off on Six Weeks To Go

Vote for the Boats

You may recall that we sold our kayaks and purchased two super light Hornbeck boats this summer. We like them a lot but wonder about lugging them 7,000 miles, much of which is desert, for the relatively few chances we … Continue reading

Posted in Hornbeck boats, Southwest trip 6, SW trip 2016, Trip Planning, winter travel | Comments Off on Vote for the Boats

2016 Trip – Return Trip

I remember sitting beside the Pacific Ocean a couple of years ago, watching surfers, seabirds, and our grandkids cavorting, and thinking “We’ve got nearly four thousand miles to drive back but this makes it worth it.” Well, God-willing, we’ll have … Continue reading

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2016 Trip – Westbound Portion

As I  noted a while back, I’ve been doing some trip planning and locking in some reservations in parks that fill up fast. The initial half of our trip is to do some birding in Arizona and visit our son … Continue reading

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All Inspected and Ready to Go

The state inspection on the Airstream ran out in August but I decided to wait until September in order to gain a couple of months on the sticker — and then got busy and it slid to October. I don’t know … Continue reading

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New Battery System

As I noted last week, I have been looking at options to strengthen our electrical system for those times where we are not hooked up. I decided to install two AGM batteries and a new controller under our couch which … Continue reading

Posted in Airstream, battery, boondocking, electrical, Electrical System, equipment_issues, renovation, Safari | Comments Off on New Battery System

Stuff on Trees

I try to get out for a long walk with Penny every other day at least, in addition to her regular loops that we do in our woods. Yesterday afternoon, we hiked two and a half miles up on our adjoining … Continue reading

Posted in Fungi, Local Birding, nature, Vermont Birding, Vizsla | Comments Off on Stuff on Trees

Electrical System Issues

We seldom spend much time “boondocking” with the Airstream and one reason is that we just have one battery. Over the years, we have taken some steps to improve our sustainability: we carry an 80w solar panel and have a … Continue reading

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A Jaunt to Chickering Bog

After a hospital lab visit and some errands yesterday morning, I decided to visit a local area where I have never birded: Chickering Bog Natural Area located on the border of Calais and East Montpelier. It’s not too hard to … Continue reading

Posted in Local Birding, nature, Turtles, Vermont Birding, Washington County | Comments Off on A Jaunt to Chickering Bog