I first had to deal with a dripping kitchen faucet, so I went to YouTube on my MacBook Pro and looked up "how to fix a dripping faucet", mainly because I couldn't figure out what was the name of the fitting with mesh that is in the spigot; I was hoping that replacing it would solve the problem. (Memo to myself: it's called an "aerator".) I went to the local Ace hardware store here in Overton and, now that armed with the name, purchased one, took it back to Discovery -- and discovered that it was still dripping (albeit a slow drip) after putting it on. So now that means I'll have to replace the washers in the hot and cold water handles. Back to YouTube today to see a video on how to do THAT... And I made my first enquiries about solar panels, as I'm seriously considering getting them for the trailer, mainly to increase my chances for "boondocking" in the future. I chatted on Facebook with my friend Robi Hunter, who is advertising director at
Slab City (click on the name to get the link to their website), which is a free (and free-wheeling, if you've ever seen the movie "Into The Wild") area for camping and RVing in the desert near the Salton Sea, and found out she has solar panels, and there is a guy there nicknamed "Solar Mike" who installs entire solar kits for RVs. There is much to consider when Going Solar such as what appliances you plan on powering (for instance, microwaves are a big drain no matter where you get power from, at around 1500 watts, same with toaster ovens) so this will require some researching before buying the equipment. I also had time to chat with Vicki Wendt, the woman who runs office here at the mobile home park, about the possibility of doing a slide show on birds for either the park residents -- or for Overton in general, perhaps asking the Overton library to borrow one of their rooms. I've lugged a projector and viewing screen along with me for the trip with the intent of doing presentations, hooking up my laptop to a projector and showing photos I burned onto DVDs, and staying here for 2 months, combined with having a great wildlife area just down the street for getting local birds, is giving me the first real opportunity to do that. A presentation is tentative for now, but I put the idea to Vicki and she was enthusiastic. So, to get more material for for my bird "collection", I spent the late afternoon back at the Overton Wildlife Management Area. An interesting incident occurred while I was driving down one of the dirt roads there. A van with a local internet service logo came up from behind -- what were they doing on a dirt road in a wildlife area? -- and pulled up to my truck. They asked me if a was missing a dog. I said no, then asked "What KIND of dog is it?" out of curiosity, and their reply was "a golden retriever". Hmmm....a NICE dog. But...nah, I can't have a dog in the trailer, especially a long-haired one. The woman in the van said they' have to give it to the pound if they couldn't find the owner. Actually, if I were ever in the market for a dog, it would have to be a smaller one, and short-haired...I drove down to one of the huge "ponds" there, Pintail Pond, and walked the road between Pintail and Wilson ponds. Spring has sprung here, at least where the birds are concerned; I saw dozens of Northern Rough-winged Swallows (where there had only been a few just the day before), Yellow-rumped Warblers, Northern Flickers -- and the young Vermilion Flycatcher in his customary area --
And when walking back to the truck I saw a female Northern Harrier on a branch perch out in the open; another female Harrier knocked the other off the perch, then proceeded to scan the surrounding area --
There were plenty of ducks at both Pintail and Wilson ponds, though they're still very skittish after being shot at during hunting season, which ended a little over a week ago. Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Cinnamon Teals, Green-winged Teals, a few Mallards, Ruddy Duck, Gadwall, Bufflehead -- and of course the ever-present huge flock of American Coot. There was a Tundra Swan seen at Paranaghat Wildlife Refuge about 100 miles NW of here about a week ago, and it's not a stretch to hope that it might find its way down here. The day ended with a store-bought frozen pizza and spinach salad, and now it's another day in Travels of Discovery...
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