November Island Trip – Day 1, Part 2

There were few ferry shenanigans. We were 15-minutes late leaving and I was the 6^th to last off a very full boat. I arrived at the property 45-minutes later than I’d hoped. This made for a fast setup at light here is not at a premium in mid-November.

I am concerned that there is a propane leak at the tanks. Last time I was here, I turned them on and got a whiff of propane. This time, after being away from the coach for 20-minutes, there was still a whiff of propane. They are turned off, and I’ll ask the Amazing Neighbor what he thinks tomorrow. The only difference is the weather. I will heat water for tea in the microwave in the morning. I am thankful the water heater runs on electricity as well as gas! Did I mention Stella has a microwave?? Such luxuries!

My other grumble is the SIM chip experiment isn’t working out so far. I started with the iPad, and the chip wants a PIN. This was not discussed yesterday. I tried two obvious numbers. They didn’t work. I have three tries and almost zero cell service. Hopefully I can get this sorted out tomorrow.

I brought two small oscillating heaters with me. The sort with a fan and safety features. The kind I couldn’t find on the Island last month. One is deployed and I find the heat more immediate than the electric oil heater, which is five times the size. I am also discovering that hanging out in a trailer in November, in the evening takes a little more temperature management than camping in October! I’ve closed the blinds (Stella has blinds!) and curtains to retain heat, and am cozied up under a thick fleece banket with its coordinating woodsy piece of flannel. The two shall turn into one when I get time to break out the sewing machine.

The most important accomplishment this afternoon has been to deploy the new mattress. It was restrained as an 18” cylinder in a remarkable amount of plastic, fitting in the extended cab of the truck. I thought it might take some amount of time to ‘inflate.’ Within 2.5 minutes it was a very comfy, ready to be made bed. I’ve never seen such a thing! Super cool!! Our air mattress is rolled up, ready to return home.

The first thing that caught my eye upon arriving were the ravens ‘playing’ in an area we don’t usually see them. They are HUGE and beautiful. The next thing I saw was that the Amazing Neighbor had started trenching, and the ravens were in and out of the trench! It’s got to be bugs or rodents. I’ll find out tomorrow what has them so happy. Mom loved the ravens. She would leave them pieces of, possibly questionable, meat or leftovers out on the fence posts closest to the entry door. I’m pretty sure they loved her too.