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December 9, 2009, a Wednesday
Elephant Butte Lake State Park (South Monticello), New Mexico, USA
— Installed some pipe insulation and watched Anatomy For Beginners
Had my normal breakfast. J started to make a pot roast in the crock pot. Worked up a blog entry. Did some computer work. I left at 10:25 by myself and ...
Went for a walk. There was a group of Gambel's quail in the southwest part of the campground. I went to the overlook just north of the boat ramp, then bushwhacked down to the boat ramp. As I was walking back up the boat ramp, a v-formation of 15 sandhill cranes flew over heading south. That wasn't too unusual, but the two snow geese at the end of one side of the same formation sure was! As I was heading back through the campground, I saw J walking on the other side of the loop.
I returned to the RV around 11:10 and did more computer work. J returned around 11:25.
I had lunch around 11:55 of Genoa salami and Swiss on rye. J joined me for lunch at the dinette. Usually, we just eat lunch at our desks, but I had decided to take a break during lunch. It was nice to sit and chat a bit while enjoying the view out over Elephant Butte Lake.
I went outside at 12:45 to install some pipe insulation over the exposed pipes that run from the main living area of the RV to the separate enclosure for the hot water heater. The pipes are exposed for about an inch and a half, and the water tends to freeze in them when the outside temperature drops to 14°F (-10°C) for a while. In order to gain access to the area, I first had to lower the spare tire. No big deal you say, but the tube, where one would usually insert a crank to lower the spare, is bent and it's not possible to insert the crank. So, I used a pair of Bernard Pliers (the jaws open parallel to each other) to rotate the winch post by clamping onto the T-like fitting where the regular crack is supposed to attach.
The pipes weren't fully exposed, so it wasn't possible to just wrap the pipe insulation around them. The pipes come out of a hole in the floor of the RV tangent with the wall of the hot water heater compartment. I used two pieces of pipe insulation, stacked to create more thickness, and secured them against the corner using two screws through a Sliding Door Guide Riser, to act as a long washer, on both the top and bottom. Then I put the spare tire back up.
I came back in the RV at 2:20 and did more computer work.
Our friend Andy Baird came over for dinner around 6:00. We had crock pot pot roast with carrots, onions, and potatoes and Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. The meat was very tender and tasty. J and Andy talked about the iPhone Apps they like while we had dessert of the rest of Andy's blackberry cheesecake — mmm.
We watched the first 50-minute segment of Anatomy For Beginners on DVD. In it, Gunther von Hagens, the inventor of plastination and the director of Body Worlds, performed a public autopsy that was documented by Channel 4 of the UK. It was fascinating! The first segment was on movement, and dealt mostly with muscles and a little bit about nerves. As Andy commented after we finished watching the segment, it was very similar to cutting up a chicken with subcutaneous fat, muscle, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. We'll watch the remaining segments (circulation, digestion, and reproduction) later.
Andy left around 9:10. I called my mother who had called while Andy was over. We talked for a while, then I started to work up a blog entry.
Went for a walk. There was a group of Gambel's quail in the southwest part of the campground. I went to the overlook just north of the boat ramp, then bushwhacked down to the boat ramp. As I was walking back up the boat ramp, a v-formation of 15 sandhill cranes flew over heading south. That wasn't too unusual, but the two snow geese at the end of one side of the same formation sure was! As I was heading back through the campground, I saw J walking on the other side of the loop.
I returned to the RV around 11:10 and did more computer work. J returned around 11:25.
I had lunch around 11:55 of Genoa salami and Swiss on rye. J joined me for lunch at the dinette. Usually, we just eat lunch at our desks, but I had decided to take a break during lunch. It was nice to sit and chat a bit while enjoying the view out over Elephant Butte Lake.
I went outside at 12:45 to install some pipe insulation over the exposed pipes that run from the main living area of the RV to the separate enclosure for the hot water heater. The pipes are exposed for about an inch and a half, and the water tends to freeze in them when the outside temperature drops to 14°F (-10°C) for a while. In order to gain access to the area, I first had to lower the spare tire. No big deal you say, but the tube, where one would usually insert a crank to lower the spare, is bent and it's not possible to insert the crank. So, I used a pair of Bernard Pliers (the jaws open parallel to each other) to rotate the winch post by clamping onto the T-like fitting where the regular crack is supposed to attach.
The pipes weren't fully exposed, so it wasn't possible to just wrap the pipe insulation around them. The pipes come out of a hole in the floor of the RV tangent with the wall of the hot water heater compartment. I used two pieces of pipe insulation, stacked to create more thickness, and secured them against the corner using two screws through a Sliding Door Guide Riser, to act as a long washer, on both the top and bottom. Then I put the spare tire back up.
I came back in the RV at 2:20 and did more computer work.
Our friend Andy Baird came over for dinner around 6:00. We had crock pot pot roast with carrots, onions, and potatoes and Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. The meat was very tender and tasty. J and Andy talked about the iPhone Apps they like while we had dessert of the rest of Andy's blackberry cheesecake — mmm.
We watched the first 50-minute segment of Anatomy For Beginners on DVD. In it, Gunther von Hagens, the inventor of plastination and the director of Body Worlds, performed a public autopsy that was documented by Channel 4 of the UK. It was fascinating! The first segment was on movement, and dealt mostly with muscles and a little bit about nerves. As Andy commented after we finished watching the segment, it was very similar to cutting up a chicken with subcutaneous fat, muscle, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. We'll watch the remaining segments (circulation, digestion, and reproduction) later.
Andy left around 9:10. I called my mother who had called while Andy was over. We talked for a while, then I started to work up a blog entry.