Author: sandcastle

iPad app: Numbers

For three years I have been using the free office software suite Open Office, http://www.openoffice.org/, on my MacBook Pro to make spreadsheets containing information about places to go and things to see all over the U.S. I have one spread sheet for each state and most of them have hundreds of entries.

I wanted all this data on my iPad but the iPad does not run Open Office so Dave suggested I check out Numbers, http://www.apple.com/ipad/from-the-app-store/numbers.html. It’s $9.99 through the iTunes store.

The learning curve on this one is fairly high. I have an advantage in that Dave already uses it on his laptop so he could give me tips and teach me tricks to lower that curve. So, I bought the laptop version, too. I can now make that do pretty much anything I could do in Open office or, prior to that, MS Excel.

It turns out the iPad version of Numbers can read the Excel format so those of you already using Excel do not need to buy Numbers for the laptop and those of you using Open Office can just save your data sheets as Excel documents without buying Numbers for the laptop–just the one for the iPad. You will loose some formatting in the transfer, like font changes plus headers being turned into data rows which you can change back after the sync, but I have not missed anything critical.

This screen shot is not the best; sorry about that but I wanted you to have some idea of what my spreadsheets look like.


Entering data on the iPad itself can be done but is still frustrating for me so I do the work on my laptop then sync the data sheets to the iPad.

For those of you hoping the iPad can replace your computer, may I remind you the iPad is not a computer so, plan to keep your laptop or desktop computer and use the sync function to transfer data to your iPad. That’s the easiest way I’ve found to get some of my data into the iPad which I plan to talk about in a future post.

But having all my state spreadsheets right at my fingertips while traveling instead of having only whatever I managed to fit into the current print out, assuming I remembered to make a current printout, is wonderful! So, I like this app.

TTYL,

Linda

Summer Camp, Part 2

We have arrived at Mississippi Riverwood. Many years ago this place was a KOA. Now it is a co-op RV park.

Here’s our site, #310. On the right you can see the green power pole where our water, sewer, and electrical hookups are. To the left of that is a concrete patio with a picnic table. We are to park between the power pole and the patio. Behind our parking spot is the shed that belongs to this property with its pile of firewood we have permission to use. Between the shed and the picnic table you can very faintly see a concrete fire pit. At the very far left of the picture you can see the site number post with its welcome sign and just past it the very end of our driveway/parking area which we think will hold three cars.

This is our neighbor to the north with our car in our driveway:

And this is our neighbor to the south:

This is Dave’s view of the Mississippi River from his chair:

Here are some detail shots:

The picnic table. It could use some rehabilitating.

The upper level fire ring.

The lower level fire ring.

It is, too, there. Look just to the right of the tree.

OK, so we need to wait for the river to go down a bit before we can use that one. At least we are unlikely to get flooded out of our campsite this year unlike last year when we camped along side the Minnesota River.

Our nearest neighbors. The ones we are hoping don’t move inside with us.

And our neighbors across the street.

Behind them you can see the sound barrier wall that separates us from Hwy 101. We still hear the traffic there but we don’t mind that. And, no, there are no railroad trains blowing their whistles on the other side of that highway. The trains are across the river.

TTYL,

Linda

The Mother Ship

We’ve spent nearly a week at the Winnebago factory having various repairs done to our RV.  There can be enormous advantages to returning here to have them done. Here’s a few of those from this trip.

Months ago we drove too close to a tree and scratched the side of our RV. The crew here not only knows precisely how to buff out those scratches they have in stock the decals that needed to be replaced.

You remember the toilet that floods? And the last place we had it “fixed” where they just cleaned and lubricated some parts then sold us some lubricant so we could do that, too? I personally think a fix should last longer than a week so we put that back on our fix-it list do be done again. The crew here found a broken part, when they went to  replace that part they found a second broken part. They didn’t have the second one in stock so they gave us a brand new toilet. Yes, they gave it to us because their records showed we had this fixed while still under warranty yet it was still broken.

Plus, when we bought our RV the arm of the Euro chair was broken so the dealer “fixed” it before we took delivery. But, it didn’t stay fixed either. So another shop “fixed” it again. Still broken. Here they sent it over to their Stitchcraft department where they make Winnebago’s furniture. Winnebago did not make our Euro chair but on this trip, they disassembled that broken arm and repaired in from the inside out. I think it is really fixed this time.

They did all those things in one day. So why were we here so long? They needed to order a part to fix our awning. Winnebago does not make the awning. They ordered that part Friday afternoon so it wasn’t shipped until Monday morning. It arrived Tuesday morning and Winnebago installed it Tuesday afternoon.

In the meantime, we have been camped on their property with a free electrical hookup and a nearby place to dump and fill. It really pays to return to the Mother Ship to have work done on a Winnebago RV.

TTYL,

Linda

Another View of Our World

I’m taking this opportunity to introduce you to a brand new blog I am enjoying reading and I hope you will, too

For many years, this fantastic young woman (OK young to me but maybe not to some of you)  has enjoyed learning sustainable life skills. After much prompting from friends she has begun sharing her thoughts about those skills with others. I remember, for instance, her once telling me that when you hang laundry outside in the wintertime don’t bring it in until it gets soft. If it is hard, that means there’s still frozen water in the clothes. Tidbits like that fascinate me. If they interest you, too, you will find her at http://ivegoneforawalk.blogspot.com/.

This is a woman who walks the walk before she talks the talk with all of us. I think we can all learn from her.

TTYL,

Linda

New Tool

What is it?

An iPad.

With its standards applications.

And the ones I’ve added to it.

More about those apps in later posts.

I also bought a leather cover that can open to become a low stand for typing on the iPad.

Or turned to hold it upright for a different view of it.

Which works OK as long as the surface on which it is sitting doesn’t move.

But, since one of the apps I bought is a GPS program I also bought the Loop. https://store.griffintechnology.com/loop

This handy little iPad holder does not slide around nor does the iPad slide within its grip when our RV moves. As long as I use it in this position:

Not this one:

The Loop was designed to hold an iPad securely in this position but I bought an iPad 2 which has different dimensions that the original iPad. The leather cover I bought helps hold the iPad 2 upright as long as nothing moves anywhere in the RV but any motion will send it tumbling.

For now, it all sits on this unstable table…

… which I have to hold down for any bumps or sharp turns or sudden stops of the RV. I’m looking at options for a better table.

So this is my new tool I have been very busy learning how to use. Mine. The inscription says so.

TTYL,

Linda