I CAN FIX ABOUT ANYTHING, LOL

Maybe even a broken heart with a hug? I brought over some of my heavy duty tools for the computer geeks to take pictures of me. I had my 3' pipe wrench, 3/4" drive socket wrench, & a 15" adjustable wrench. I have LOTS OF TOOLS!!! 3 electric drills, 2 electric saws, electric sander, Dremel tool, wrenches galore, weed eater, leaf vacuum/blower, chain saw, axe, come along, etc., PLUS plenty of nuts & bolts, rope, ties, & COAT HANGER WIRE, LOL. Today I fixed it up to filter the veggie oil faster. I took a little round elecric grill. Separated the electric rod & dipped it down into the oil, heating it from 80 to ONE TIME, 175. Oil filters faster when it is hot. Mostly I had the oil around 140 degrees.
There is a story behind the HUG THERAPIST shirt. A female friend who I did a favor for gave me a red one saying "HUG THERAPIST". Since I am a hugger, it went over well at PWP, (Parents Without Partners). I was dancing with a gal when another gal came dancing by & said, "IT DOESN'T SAY HUG THERAPIST, IT SAYS HUG THE RAPIST". Well been a lot of laughs over that, plus have gotten some good hugs also.
Inside the "GEEKS" motor home, they have 2 computers, ONLINE ALL THE TIME. But I noticed this BIG CLAW. It is a REAL LOBSTER CLAW. Jim said it was a LITTLE SCARY GRABBING IT. Jim is a scuba diver.
Notice I also have my hand on the dog, "Odie". I petted him or quite awhile. Nice to pet the dogs & then leave, not having the responsibility or costs.
On the left is Debbie, the campground manager helping a camper go through bones & shark's teeth that came from the Peace River here. I've dug from the river myself also. There are snakes & alligators in the river there, so not my favorite place to be. I'd rather stay inside a boat. The water is so low now from such a dry spell. We are supposed to get some rain this coming week though & hopefully get us out of the fire danger code. Also by Friday, it is supposed to be back up to 88.
Standing on the right is "JIM, THE GEEK", who sells & installs Hughes Net satellite dishes for Internet. Wish I could afford one. His customers on the left. They look really happy with their new dish. I think she could be a TV saleslady the way she is posed with the dish.

It is now dark outside, BUT THE BLUE LIGHTED DISHES TELL A STORY! It is an Internet dish. Getting to be more & more of them. I am sure glad to have met Jim & Chris, as they have taught me a lot. They had classes here to teach, plus Jim was here in the adult lounge several times a week to help people with their PC problems, FREE. They have now left here for the season. I hope to see them again next winter. They have a blog also & a website, which is http://www.geeksontour.com/ They have some useful tips there & more, so it is worth it to go see.
HAVE A NICE DAY,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ron

WILL WORK FOR FOOD

Today the vegetable stand comes into the campground. So I bought some bananas & tangerines. Then I told them I'd trade pictures for food if they liked, which they said "SURE". So I started taking pictures.
After taking a few pictures & they were free from the rush of customers they had, I got to know them a little better. On the left is Janet, "THE BOSS"; her Dad next to her named Jesse; And Janet's sister, Nancy. Jesse is 87 years old & just as spry as me. MAYBE MORE SPRY. They all come from Pennsylvania. So I got their pictures e-mailed to them & showed Nancy the e-mail with 13 pictures.
Then I picked out what I wanted: Corn-on-the-cob, potatoes, tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, strawberries, & A ONION. Now I thought it might be a hot onion, but I was informed it isn't hot. Jesse eats them like apples. They are grown in a field with strawberries. Jesse also brought me around a sample of a pear that really was sweet too.
Now this is Janet's license plate, but I can tell you, all 3 of this family is; "DAMN GOOD" I might end up doing a 5 generation family picture from this one little job of trading pictures for food.

Yesterday I took a picture of this turtle. Not only does it have it's own shell, it has the roof of motor home over it. They are a protected species. I saw on TV where there is new road construction here somewhere in Florida & they are having to hold up construction because of these turtles. I think that is going a little too far. Maybe the ones that can be found they should be relocated. Weather is beautiful here today, with sun & in the lower 70's with low humidity. I'm going to Karaoke tonight & then on back to Peace River campgrounds tomorrow. Have a nice day, Ron

Cool Rides & Golf

I am always finding something different to photograph. This morning as I was eating breakfast, I saw this guy riding on his Harley Davidson leaving the campground with his pipe in his mouth. I used to smoke, but not anymore. I always hated cigar smokers, but like the smell of pipe tobacco. Always heard a pipe smoker was a relaxed person. So I caught him on the way back in. Notice the bus in the background.
Next thing I notice is a BICYCLE FOR TWO. I hopped on my scooter & chased them down. After I took their picture, I headed back to the bus. As I was riding along I saw the back side of a CD, so I picked it up & turned it over, to discover it is an "OLDIES" Vol 2-Disc 2. It is pretty clean, so I'll download it to my computer. Saturday night I have volunteered my time to DJ at the Peace River campground. I see some songs on it to play. "HAVING A PARTY"; "UNCHAINED MELODY"; "POOR LITTLE FOOL"; "MOTHER-IN-LAW; "UNDER THE BOARDWALK"; "ALLEY-OOP"; "TEEN ANGEL" & more making 25 songs. In case you never heard it "SENIOR CITIZENS" are sometimes referred to as "RECYCLED TEENAGERS", which there are a lot of them here in this resort.

I made a video slide show of the woman & her daughter & put it to music, "BICYCLE BUILT FOR TWO". Then as I went to there campsite down by the lake, they had left, so I went over to the sandy beach & sat on the bench for awhile. 10 minutes & they hadn't returned, so I looked at some small fishes, about 1" or less long in the edge of the water. Then I saw an aluminum can someone had thrown down. I saw a trash can less than 25' from where the can was, so I went over to pick up the can to throw it away. "SURPRISE!", it was a full unopened can of pink lemonade. Must be my "LUCKY DAY". I've found 2 items today. Maybe someone will drop a $100 bill before the day is over for me to find :) So the PINK LEMONADE is now in my refrigerator.
All my luck today made me to decide to do some golfing on the 3 hole course here. I lost all my luck on the 1st ball! LINE DRIVE RIGHT INTO THE WATER, at the edge. So I got my ball retriever out to try to get it out of the water. COULDN'T EVEN SEE IT, so I had went from 11 to 10 balls in my bag that quick.
Then I returned to my bag & returned the ball retriever to the bag. Turned around & there were these 2 Cranes coming over to the pond to get a drink, so I had to wait for them to get out of the way. See the flag stick in the background I was shooting for? It was like they INTENTIONALLY was holding me up :) After they left I hit the other 10 balls I had in my bag, with 2 more going into the water :) So then time to go gather the ones I hit. 2 went closer to the other green than the one I was shooting for; 1 crossed the creek & hit a Pine tree in the top, which a guy was sitting not too far away & he told me where to find my ball. Other balls went left/right/short/long. Only 1 rolled across the green to the backside.
But I did find all the balls I hit, other than the ones that went into the water!!! So as you can see, I'M NOT A VERY GOOD GOLFER :) But not to worry. As you can see I have a 5 gallon bucket almost full of golf balls. On top I saw one ball that is really cut bad, so next time, I'll be sure to use it:) You'd be surprised at all the STUFF I carry aound in my bus:) I made one more trip to the lake, but the people weren't there, but I stopped at the driving range, where you drive the balls into a net. Another guy was there saying something, so I went over there & he was talking about a turtle under a motor home, so I took a picture of it, about 1' long, but couldn't attach it here.
So now this afternoon I am in the air conditioning to keep cool. Supposed to get down to 49 here Easter morning. I hear some of you will have frosty Easter mornings also. Happy Easter. Ron

GREEN EGGS & HAM?

My favorite breakfast meal, eggs fluffed up in blender, plus ingredients of ham, onions, green bell peppers, cheese, etc. Then I microwave them until they about done. WELL, LAST SPRING ONE TIME, I USED TOO MUCH GREEN BELL PEPPER!!! So my eggs ended up GREEN!!! That was the 1st time I heard "GREEN EGGS & HAM". I didn't understand until I was told there was a children's book by Dr. Seuss called, "GREEN EGGS & HAM". Day before yesterday I made pickled eggs with beet juice & sent out the blog picture & several people said they liked deviled eggs, so today I made deviled eggs with my pickled eggs. They tasted so good. I took them out on the picnic table to photograph them. A neighbor with about 6 people sitting there chatting asked me what I was taking a picture of. When I told them what they were, they told me to bring them over & they'd sample them :). Well, I share a lot, but I wouldn't have gotten to eat any of them if I shared these beauties. I actually added more olives before I ate them. Now they are ALL GONE!!!
This morning I just had toast & OJ for breakfast. I really hadn't planned to eat any dinner, BUT, I was here in the lounge on the computer & people started coming in here with HOT DOGS, FREE HOT DOGS!!! So they told me to go get mine. A RV dealer trying to see campers was giving out the free hot dogs, so I went & got mine.

The weather has been beautiful here today. This afternoon got some more oil filtered & a hinge repaired. I also got the DVD recorder figured out & am now recording the new movie, "DUKES OF HAZARD". A little over a week ago I got Direct TV, which has the satellite box with a hard drive recorder in it. I also got free HBO & Cinemax for 3 months, so I am working hard to record movies & shows so I can cut the free channels off at the end of 3 months.

I never got around to playing golf today. Maybe tomorrow or Friday. Hope your day went smooth, Ron

PICKLED EGGS

Last night I boiled some eggs & put them in a peanut butter jar with beet juice. Sure looks nice to me, but had to add some mayo to eat them as they were a little dry. But at least it is something different to eat. I like deviled eggs also.

I have had a problem with gmail, but now think I have the problem solved. I had downloaded a 2 sided firewall & when I brought it up on desktop, it said it was blocking some outgoing e-mail.

I worked on the bus today trying to get the diesel side operating easier, but didn't finish the job today. Got to take a pump off & blow trash out of it. Tuesday I move back up to Orlando. Both campgrounds have their advantage. Maybe I'll get the golf clubs out & play there on the campgrounds course & driving course, which is a net you drive your ball into. 2 swimming pools there also. They play pool volleyball in the afternoons.

I'm watching the college basketball playoff game on TV. I'd like for Ohio to win, but doesn't look good. Still 72F degrees here at 10:25PM. Ron

Svetlana is the blond in all of these pictures. She sent me these 2 pictures today of her & her friends in their dance costumes.

She wrote: "There is a tradition at each university of Russia. We have competitions between faculties which we call ╚The Student's Spring╩. Each faculty prepares for 1,5-2 hour concert choosing any theme. There should be the script, songs, dances, and verses in each concert. We prepared for the concert during March. I met many creative students: actors, singers, dancers, musicians. I participated in dances. We had 3 dances: classical, modern and Indian. I sent you my favourite photos!

I took lots of pictures of the Russian girls. As soon as they understood I was a professional photographer & doing it for fun & also for them to e-mail pictures back to Russia, they willingly posed, sometimes coming to me to take their picture. They, as well as I had access to wireless internet through our boss, Jamie Skerbeck of Skerbeck Carnival. I took lots of pictures of them on rides, but all of us worked in games. They wanted a picture with me in it, so here it is. I think I can name them left to right & tell you what game they worked. L-R is: Tanya, who worked in the BUST 3 game beside me in a trailer; the other Svetlana, who worked in the INFLATE BOOTH, (aka duck pond); me; Anna, also inflate booth; and last Svetlana who worked the LONG SHOT basketball game.
In the last picture, here is Svetlana across the midway almost 75' from me. She had no idea I had taken her picture. Looks like a portrait, but it wasn't posed, JUST HAPPENED THAT WAY. Actually, I liked it so well, I showed it to Tanya in trailer next to me & the other 2 Russian girls before we showed it to her. Jamie, our boss liked it also. I have had e-mails from Tanya also. I hope to be friends with them for a long time.

Even though Jamie has requested me to come back to work in the carnival this coming summer, I'm not going back to work. Just too hard on me working & the travel schedule with my bus. It has been fun & a new experience for me. I plan to stay in Florida this summer to camp, swim, take pictures, & other activities. Ron

How the bus runs on "VEGGIE OIL"

Or if you prefer, "USED FRENCH FRY GREASE". 1st of all some people think I go to McDonald's to get it, but not true. Oil is easier to get & cleaner from individual Chinese restaurants.
The 1st picture shows the 150 gallon tank on top of the bus. It is painted black so the oil inside warms up & thins making it easier to filter the oil. There are several hoses connected to it. I use a gear pump to pump the oil into the top, a clear looking hose. Looking closely at the picture, at the back of the tank is a hose that is dark. It is oil coming out & has 2 valves to bring oil down to the filter. On the bottom of the tank is another hose that I can drain water or bad oil from the tank. On the right back is a small tube that is a sight tube to see how full the tank is.
About 2-3' below the tank is the funnel with (side boards? :) ) to hold the filter to let the oil run into. Oil can be filtered as I drive down the road. I was given 4 "cubies" of oil Friday. Each of them hold 4 & 1/2 gallons when full. I was able to get about 11 gallons filtered yesterday after driving 80-90 miles.

This is the 1 micron bag filter inside the funnel. The fuller the oil is to the top & hotter, the faster it filters as there is more area filtering oil & thinner. The more oil it filters, the more it plugs up & actually filters to finer than 1 micron.
Out of the funnel into a 55 gallon barrel is clean oil. Excuse me, but 'THE BLOG" isn't allowing me to put the text next to the picture. On the left side of the picture, you see a small tube that is clear, except dark in the lower half. That is the fuel gauge for the clean oil. In the lower right hand corner of the barrel, you see a round shiny item with several hoses into it. It is an Artic Fox heater. The 2 black hoses are heater hoses that come from the engine back. It is stainless steel. The oil & water swirl in separate tubes heating the oil to thin it so it will go through the diesel injectors.
Last picture: These heater hoses, out & return go to the front of the bus, black as you can see. Also there is a red electric wire which goes to the pusher pump 3/4ths of the way back. Also see metal tube, which is 3/8" brake line, which has clear braided hose attached to that. All of those hoses are inside the gray electrical conduit pipe to keep the heat inside so the heat transfers to the veggie oil. Then the oil goes to a switch. The bus is started on diesel fuel & shut down on diesel also, so driving down the road, when the engine gets warm, I flip a switch to go on veggie. In warm weather, 2 miles is enough on diesel. So with a plentiful supply of veggie oil & drivers, I could drive from Florida to California for $1 of diesel fuel :), plus less than $3 for filter bags that are good for 100-200 gallons, depending on how clean the oil is you collect.

Hope I didn't bore you with details, but several people have been asking me for details & one person said I should put this on my blog. I am actually sitting in the bus watching TV. The bus is parked close enough to the club house that I am picking up the wireless Internet.

There is also another blog posting that most of you didn't see with a picture of me in the clubhouse at the campground at Orlando. It is close enough to be able to hear the fireworks at night from Disney World, or you can go down to the lake & see them over the tops of the trees. Maybe some night I'll try my camera out on fireworks.

83 degrees here now & mostly sunny. Ron