Storage space

I debated this title, else it would have been “What the fuck?”. Ever have one of those moments in your life? I hit me tonight as I decided to try sleeping in my car, then corrected myself and said, sleep in your car.

After three great days at Mustang Island, I’ve used up the first half of my ‘overnights’ that my twelve dollar parking pass allots me each month.  The first day was amazing, the last two have been harder.  The yesterday I cleaned out the passenger compartment of my car, examining every inch for storage and other usable space. Today was the trunk. In between were breaks to walk, eat, play radio, install a radio even, permanently now for the digipeater, and to learn more about gold mining.

Making the jump from the campground to the beach was better than the first take off from Jackson.  I did have more space, though a passenger would have had to seriously squeeze in, I could have gotten them to the next exit. Still though, when I got to the beach, I only wanted to set up my tent, not having the time to really ‘spread out’ with my awning, hf radios, etc.  Being a public beach rather than a campground, I wanted to keep everything secure at night inside my car.

In my tent were all my sleeping gear, radio stuff was out (mast, two meter antennas – lots of passerby comments and conversations on that, and my chair – just like the picture from a few days ago. Everything else had to be kept safe at night I felt, just in case.

Also though, I wanted my car to be a usable space, were I could sit and reach things that I need.  Food, water, laptop, phone, ipad, knife, tools, without having to move ten things.  I started up front and just took everything out.  Then, I didn’t pack the car, I loaded it.

I put the things I wanted in placed that suited them, took the time to put like thinks together (paper towels with the food stuff, etc.) While it was empty I took the chance for a few wiring projects including ‘permanently’ mounting my three new flexible solar panels.  One across the hood, one on the roof behind my nmo attennna, and the last across the back glass. If I park facing due north and pop my hood, and park in the open sun all day, I produced six hundred and ninety watt hours of energy, compared to my highest at the campground, nine hundred and sixty.  However, to get that there, I had to sit and watch and turn the panels throughout the day, moving for the shadows, etc.

This now will be zero effort, I’m thinking of getting one more to use as a front windows sunscreen when I’m parked.  I’ve mostly rewired everything I need to run on twelve volts, last piece will be my Alexa Echo, now that I’ve got decent internet service to hook it to.

Once everything was just right inside, there was still a pile outside.  The serious sorting began.  I threw away things I never thought I could. Things I took from Jackson because they were special, because I couldn’t leave them.  Now, they were garbage.  In the trash. Today, the same with the trunk.  Eleven fifty five.

Kent stuck around most the day.  I got my sunset picture! Other camera, will upload later.  I was in my chair clicking at seven nineteen, setting my settings.  He came in, saw me, drove up and parked in front of me!  I shooed him, go go go, now go, he turned his head and saw what was happening – as I sat in my chair with the camera.  And drove another hundred yards with only the word “sunrise”.

Now I know how to pan gold and build a sluice box.  Soon I will buy an underwater metal detector.

I threw away my storage jar.  Took too much space.  A gram of hemp weed lasted three days..

Time to rest.

PS. I threw away things that were garbage, things not helpful to me now, spaces reserved for unwanted things, and even some good memories- ones that were past their prime; I threw out garbage, that once refined.. would/could have been more baggage.  Simply put, some stuff just didn’t earn it’s space in my life right now.