Thu., 24 Jan 13

Like most days after an adventure - today will be a day to rest and recover. Charlotte cut strawberries to top our Cheerios for breakfast. We are enjoying the flat of strawberries we bought at the flea market on Monday. They are holding up really well. We had to turn the heat on for a few minutes. It dropped to the low 3o's last night. Today will warm up to the high 6o's F with little wind and a few clouds. It will work its way up to above 8oF by the beginning of next week.

I spent time setting up the new GPS. So far I am impressed. Compared to the Garmin, the Rand-McNally RVND 7720 has about twice the information on the screen. If the description (internet, manufacturer, etc.) would have been more informative I would have got this unit before the Garmin. Until I downloaded and opened the manual I did not realize it has a line-out connection for a speaker/earphone and a connection for an exterior antenna. These are two features I desired. The line-out means I can use an earphone and hear the instructions even if the radio is on or the wind noise is high. I can also connect it to my radio (speakers) or CB Speaker in the RV. The antenna is something that may be beneficial in the motorhome where it is located over 2 feet from the windshield and may loose the satellite feed. It may not be needed as it seems very sensitive. It picked up the GPS satellites inside the RV with the curtains closed.

I installed the screen protector which is also anti-glare. I also installed the sunshade to help viewing. I downloaded the Rand-McNally Dock which connects the GPS to the computer. Using this I was able to update the computer and add additional POI's from the internet (e.g. Diners, Drive-ins and Dive sites) It features lifetime free map updates which is also a nice feature that will save $$.

I will pass on the traffic feature (antenna optional - $$) as I don't feel I will make use of this feature on a regular basis. Other neat features include being able to connect a backup camera and connect to Wi-Fi for weather reports. It also has an SD slot for added memory for future use. So far - so good - although there will be a lot to learn.

I also purchase the hard cover protective case. I will use it for storage when I remove it from the car when I park. A lot of things "disappear" in metropolitan Florida areas (people and things). The nightly news is full of shootings and robberies on a daily basis.

A park resident knocked on the RV door earlier this morning to collect a $ donation. This is hospice week in the park and there are a lot of fund raising events. While we were doing our laundry last week another resident explained this event was coming up. She mentioned that last year the park had raised $40,000 last year - Wow!

As she waited for me to get my $ she backed away from the door. She was concerned about our "Beware of Dog" sign. I told her we do not have a dog. The sign is there as a "Security Device". We are Canadian and don't carry guns. (Florida allows residents to arm themselves). I also explained that the two "Police" ball caps in the front windshield are also part of our security system. I figure if someone sees these they will assume there is a cop inside and will leave us alone. I also think, on occasion, it has gotten us through international customs or Border Patrol (illegal immigrant) checkpoints, a little quicker.

Charlotte made toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch. They were a treat as we hadn't had these since we departed home after Christmas.

Charlotte continued working on her quilt. I downloaded and printed out our "CSI Diplomas" from the CSI Experience that came in by e-­mail. We watched TV, off and on, as we did some organizing in the RV.

I did more compartment organizing. I moved some inside stuff into the outside storage bays. We always take more than we need. While outside some folks (Ron and Bobbie) stopped to chat. This is one of the wonderful things about RVing - people are not afraid to be friendly. Try talking to a complete strange in a big city and you would probably get a funny look as they hurried away. Besides, I wouldn't feel safe walking down many big city streets.

Charlotte made tuna sandwiches for supper - another tasty treat that we haven't had since departing home.

TV tonight didn't disappoint. "Person of Interest" had a new episode - part 2 of 2. Reese, et al , managed to free Harold from the clutches of a "mad" female computer whiz. She escaped so I'm betting we will see her again in future episodes.

It was a good day to relax.