Posted By Rae on September 1, 2010

Purchasing a new main computer was not on my list of priorities for 2010. I was going to start considering it in 2011 and buy late in that year, or early in 2012. After all, I bought a brand new 24″ iMac in 2007, a computer I expected to serve me well for at least four years, which I then supplemented with a good notebook.

Without going into all the details, my iMac is slowing down; the fan went on the notebook needs replacing; having a notebook and a desktop computer and an iPod Touch is redundant; I finally conceded that a desktop computer does not fit in with my vision of the ideal RVing life; and my dream computer fell into my lap, albeit under sad circumstances.

So, here’s Angus, which should arrive within the week:

2009 17″ Macbook Pro

Going from a 24″ to a 17″ screen is probably going to be a shock, and the trackpad is going be an adjustment, but otherwise the change is a major upgrade and is especially sweet since I would never have been able to justify the purchase of 17″ model under any other circumstances.

This week, I’ve cleared the Powerbook and put it up on eBay and I’m now working at tidying up the iMac to make the transfer easier. I don’t want to use Migration Assistant since the iMac is experiencing some conflicts, so I’m making lists to aid in the manual transfer of files, apps, and preferences. I can’t believe how messy and cluttered the iMac is! I have gotten sloppy in my digital filing since moving to Macs since they have such a good search function.

Once everything is moved over to the Macbook Pro, I’ll clear out the iMac and put it up for sale. If I manage to sell both the iMac and the Powerbook, I should recoup at least two thirds of the cost of purchasing the Macbook Pro, which would definitely reduce the hit on my budget.

It’s going to be awesome to RV my way south this fall with my primary computer accessible at all times and internet access wherever there is cell service!

Category: Communications & Electronics, Computer, Internet, Technical, iPod Touch | 4 Comments »
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Posted By Rae on August 29, 2010

Hop over to Technomadia for a series of posts about common excuses to full-time travel and answers to them. From pets to dealing with your stuff to frank talk about the notion of security, this series of posts will serve well anyone reading my blog who wishes, as I did while reading others’ blogs, that they could do this, too.

Category: RVers, Friends, and Other Nice People, Social | No Comments »
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Posted By Rae on August 28, 2010

Smithsonian magazine has published an article celebrating RVing’s 100th anniversary.

Two of the things to take away from it are that RVing has survived several economic depressions and wars and it has also always been a way to travel with the luxuries of the day.

Reading this overview of a century of RVing makes me think that like all things RVing will continue to evolve, and that it’s here to stay.

Category: RVers, Friends, and Other Nice People, Social | 4 Comments »
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Posted By Rae on August 27, 2010

Dawson is an awesome place to work on decluttering projects since it is so easy to dispose of items: just take them to the free store. I’ve been on a decluttering frenzy this summer, ruthlessly piling into a basket anything I haven’t used in two years, like extra linens, clothes, kitchen items, and books. Yesterday, the basket was spilling over, so I decided it was time to take everything to the dump. While there, I did some quick browsing, but I really wasn’t there to shop. I did get a couple of coffee makers for work and two sweaters for myself, then was about to head out when something told me to open a box.

I did and hit the jackpot:

It’s a working, clean, rice cooker!

I’ve been hankering to try one of these since the first time I tried to cook rice on the RV stove. It just doesn’t work because there’s too much heat. I’ve always ended up with spillover messes. The microwave wasn’t much better. So, I’ve probably had rice only about once a month since hitting the road, which is a shame since it’s my favourite carb! But I didn’t want to invest in a rice cooker until I knew if I would like having one or not.

I gave the machine a quick wipe and then added rice and water in the proportions I would use on the stove (2 of water to 1 of rice), latched the lid, and turned on the machine. The result, only a few minutes later:

Not a bad first attempt! I would have needed a bit more water and also to spray the bowl with non-stick spray seeing as I got a lot of stickage. But I’m definitely a convert! I’ll be able to make a full pot of it once a week and have rice for several meals. A friend told me that the tray at the top with the holes is for putting veggies and even fish. I think I need to read up on what can be made in a rice cooker!

There’s another wonder appliance I love, the breadmaker. I’ve had one for almost ten years and wouldn’t be without it. I can go for months-long stretches without making my own bread and then go on a homemade bread frenzy. Unfortunately, mine was dying a slow death and didn’t bake reliably anymore.

Not a problem, a friend brought me back this from the free store a little while ago:

As the title says, I love the free store!!!

Category: Appliances, Canada, Dawson City, Finances, Shopping, Stove, Technical, Travel, Yukon | 6 Comments »
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Posted By Rae on August 25, 2010

Fall crept up on the Klondike while I was in Inuvik. We’ve had beautiful, hot, afternoons, but the nights are cold and the mornings cool. It feels like mid-October in western Quebec.

I started work early this morning, so it was a real pleasure to be done for the day at 2. I went to town for lunch, then came back and tackled some housework. Just when I needed a break, there was a knock at my door. It was a friend/colleague heading out for a walk with her dog. She’d been wanting to show me her ‘secret spot’ for two summers now, but the timing was never right until today. I was glad to have an excuse to go out.

She took me down a road I’d always assumed was a private driveway and down a path that led to a solidly constructed bridge. I’m trying to figure out who spent the money for such a nice bridge there! It spans Bonanza Creek shortly before the creek spills over into the Klondike River.

When I came back, I collected my next handful of ripe tomatoes. I’m probably going to lose what’s left because we’re starting to get frost at night and there’s no place in the rig where I can bring them in and have them safe from the cats. I’m just glad that I’ve been able to enjoy the dozen or so that ripened on time. This bunch wasn’t quite as flavourful, so I decided to cook them:

I didn’t have enough to make a pot of sauce, so I mixed them with a can of condensed tomato soup and water, then added basil, garlic, salt, pepper, and vegetarian ground. The vegetarian ground makes the sauce into almost a stew that is especially nice over spaghetti (I like the multigrain variety).

Speaking of vegetarian ground:

I love this ‘substitute for ground beef’ that has so much flavour and texture. I put it in spaghetti sauce, stews, tacos… But the price has crept up over the years. I remember buying it for $2.99 a package, regular price. Now, regular price is anywhere from $4.99 to $5.99 a package down south. In Dawson, it’s $8.99 a package, which makes it a frivolous luxury. I do eat chicken now, but was a vegetarian for so long that I still have cravings for favourite foods and meals from that time in my life. In Dawson, I can eat all my favourite bean dishes, but anything like ‘mock meat’ or tofu is off limits because beans and chicken are so much cheaper. One of the first things I plan to make when I get to Whitehorse next month is a big pan of scrambled tofu!!!

Back to the vegetarian ground, I was treasure hunting at the General Store yesterday and found seven briefly outdated packages on sale for $1.99 each. I bought them all! They’ll keep up to three months in the freezer, but I doubt they’ll last that long!

Somehow, the day as crept up to 10PM already. It’s quite dark out and will be fully dark by the end of the hour. I’m going to go do the supper dishes (yes, I eat late!) and then rummage around for dessert. Yoghurt sounds good.

Hard to believe we’re already at the end of August. Departure from Dawson is schedule for the 14th of September. I’m reeling with shock at how quickly this summer passed and how little I feel I got accomplished!

Category: Canada, Cats, Cooking, Dawson City, Finances, Gardening, Homemaking, Personal, RVers, Friends, and Other Nice People, Shopping, Social, Travel, Weather, Yukon | 7 Comments »
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