Living on the Road

with Jim and Gayle

September, 2009

We returned to Richland to get ready to fish.  There is a small, but nice group of people playing pickleball once a week.  I was able to play twice.

We had to return to Richland earlier than normal this year so that we could get an autopilot installed on the boat.  We have wanted one for sometime, but had a hard time justifying it.  Last year, however, after steering the boat all fishing season, Jim had to have hand surgery.  This year, we got the autopilot.  It is really nice and well worth the expense.  We should have gotten it years ago!

The salmon run was early this year and since we were early too, we started fishing a week earlier than normal.  Every year, we say we shouldn't put the boat in the water until October 1.  Every year, however, we start fishing earlier than that.  This year, we have had a very good early season.

When we are not in Indio, we get our television via the antenna.  With the advent of digital TV, our reception of television stations has gone way down.  For the time at Desert Aire, Jim tried building a bigger antenna.  That didn't work.  Then he found on the web the design for a "director" that was supposed to increase the reception.  As strange as it looks (duct tape, wood sticks covered with metallic tape, a piece of fiberglass), it works.  Without it, we could get ABC and NBC some of the time.  With it, we now get ABC, NBC, FOX, and NWPBS, all quite well.