Clickable image: Hitched.

While stocking the trailer with provisions yesterday, I found that the refrigerator in the trailer had quit working. It is a dual power unit, designed to automatically switch between AC power and propane gas. We plugged into the electric outlet and turned the fridge on a few days before. All seemed well, since the water in the ice cube trays froze and the items we placed in the fridge were cold also.

I inspected the propane tanks and found that they were empty. Since it was late in the day, I decided that I would refill the propane this morning and troubleshoot the failure of the unit to operate on AC power afterwards.

Filling the propane tanks (2) proved to be a little hassle as well. The dealer where I fill the tank for the outdoor grill was “temporarily” closed. So I went to an RV park down by the town limits where The Better Half and I stayed a few times before we built our house. Unfortunately, the propane was on a cash only basis. I had to trundle back into old town to use the auto-teller there, then back out to get the propane. Finally, I got back home and hooked the propane up and started the refrigerator.

After that, I removed the panel behind the fridge on the outside of the RV. The AC cord for the unit was NOT PLUGGED IN to the outlet behind the panel! At first, I thought the plug might have vibrated out of the outlet, but that was bullshit. Whoever installed the unit either forgot to plug it in, or some other careless reason to pull the plug out and not put it back. Anyhow (bottom line) the plug is in, the trailer hooked up to AC and the fridge is off and running.

Note to self: complain to the guys at the RV lot where we bought the trailer. When we get back from our adventure, of course.

The character on the right is holding a black gun that says “Bam” and the character on the left is reeling back and saying “Ohh!” I’m not sure if the black spot under his hat is a hole in his head or maybe just his hair.

Yep - I’m convinced that if I were to have been born sixty years later that I would have been sent to the principal’s office and/or suspended. As it was, I recall going home, grabbing cap guns and playing cowboys with my brothers or maybe the kid down the street.

One thing is for sure - I was never destined to be much of a graphics artist. Clickable image.

First, The Better Half declared that we would need to get the lint and dust off of our carry guns. So I broke out the gun cleaning kit and we cleaned out the bores and chambers, applied a little oil and returned them to our CCW holsters. While the cleaning kit was out, I sharpened and oiled both of our SOG Trident folding knives.

We keep a shotgun handy whenever we are camping, so I got out the Remington 870 security 12 gauge and put a few rounds of double-ought buckshot in the magazine. I’m leaving the shotgun trigger lock installed until we’re actually camping, though.

We also need to decide our road menu and do some shopping for provisions. I’ve already stocked bottled water and adult beverages in the trailer. Maybe we can cover all the bases this time. That would be nice.

Idea borrowed from a Facebook post I saw.

I can’t attest to the historical accuracy of the events described in the (clickable) image above. Even if it’s not true, a little of this sort of thing in our current skirmishes with terrorists would go a long way toward fixing the problem. Bacon bullets - yeah - that’s the ticket!

I zoomed in on it with the camera and then saw what appears to be a golf ball. It lies on a spot that is rather inaccessible without special clothing and a snakebite kit, so I opted to figure out what it was using only the camera.

So how did it get on the back part of our lot? The closest golf course is about a mile away, so my guess is someone nearby used this area for a driving range. This is not the first golf ball discovered on our property. I just hope that the intrepid golfer(s) will use an area devoid of structures and people or at least yell “fore” before driving.

Via The Patriot Post:

According to the official investigative finding of the Jacksonville Police Department, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the District Attorney, the Marine, who will remain unnamed, returned to his house with another Marine and a civilian friend, around 0140 Sunday after attending a birthday party and then patronizing a local club.

Upon entering his home, the Marine noted that things were not in order. As he walked toward the back of his house, Maurice Skinner, 33, stepped out and hit the Marine in the face with the butt of a Mossberg shotgun belonging to the Marine. Skinner and Diego Everette, also 33, had forced entry through the back of the house and had discovered the shotgun under a bed.

Skinner ordered the Marine and his two friends onto the floor and demanded their wallets and cell phones. Everette and Skinner told the men they would kill them if they caused any problems, but reassuringly noted that they would not shoot the Marine who was a father.

Skinner demanded duct tape and rope with which to bind the three victims.

At one point, as Skinner looked away, the Marine resident reached for the shotgun and a struggle ensued. Everette entered the room and joined the brawl, hitting the Marine and his civilian guest with a crowbar. Skinner broke loose and pointed the shotgun at the Marine saying, “You are going to die now,” and squeezed the trigger. However, while the Marine resident kept the gun loaded, as a safety practice he didn’t keep a round chambered. Thus, the gun did not discharge, leaving Skinner perplexed.

The Marine resident then kicked Skinner and freed the shotgun from the assailant’s hands. The Marine retrieved the firearm, chambered a first round, shot Skinner and then shot Skinner again. He then moved to the other side of the room where Everette and the other Marine struggled. The Marine resident shot Everette once and then shot Everette again.

The trailer already had a built-in entertainment CD/DVD/Radio device (see the inset in the clickable image). The original installation only brought out the AV connections (RCA jacks) even though the DVD player has HDMI available. Moreover, the length of the AV cable is insufficient to reach the TV should we want to place it on the dinette table, across from the couch in the pop-out. By placing the TV on the dinette seat (as shown) the AV cables reach the connections, so I was able to test out the DVD player in AV mode today.

We will not have sufficient time before the excursion to have the dealer replace the AV cables with an HDMI cable of sufficient length to reach the TV when placed on the table. When we get back, I will list the cable along with a couple of other minor gripes and make an appointment to have the dealer do the work.

The Better Half took this photo of a NAVTEQ spy mobile which was taking pictures of us (I presume) this afternoon as we passed the intersection of US60 and SR74 in Morristown, AZ. If they were taking pictures on “Carefree Highway,” as it is locally called, they got a bunch of gorgeous saguaro forest scenery. The camera rig sure is a weird-looking thing. Clickable image.

I looked up NAVTEQ on-line and found that they’re a Chicago-based (not to trust, of course) cartography outfit. Looking on-line at their maps, it seems that they are behind the curve for aerial views of our little corner of the desert (as compared to MapQuest, Google, Yahoo and Bing.