As I sit here, reflecting on my career, it occurred to me that tomorrow is my last full day of teaching.  It sure is bitter sweet.  I can remember my first few days in the classroom at the NC School for the Deaf.  I was hired to teach graphic arts and printing where I would eventually take the reins from the main printing teacher, Mr. Harold Brown.  I learned a lot from him about the ways of running a print shop.  He told me that I brought new ideas for new technology to him so we shared skills.  We had our ups and downs.  He was set in his ways and I was the newbie but we over came it all.

I don't miss all those endless days and nights in the lab, working on publications and yearbooks.  It was common to teach all day, take 30 mins at the end of school for food and then work until 11pm plus most nights and even on the weekends.  I was in the shop more than I was ever at home.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed getting to be creative and use my college skills.  It was challenging but as I look back, I miss parts of it.  I still think my body is in a marinade from all the chemicals we used on the printing presses or in the darkrooms.  We published 8 or the 9 yearbooks in house while I was there, all on the presses in the lab.  Tedious work but so worth it when you saw the faces light up on yearbook dedication day.  You see, unlike most school yearbooks today, we kept the entire book a big secret.  No one was allowed to view or share.  It was great and I miss those parts of the job.

Being at NCSD was an experience of a lifetime.  I have many fond memories of students and staff.  We were closer than any faculty than I have been a part of since.  Being a part of a larger school had benefits but so much was lost of staff cohesiveness.

I have many great memories but I won't grading papers or projects or attending meetings and doing paperwork.  It seems like each of those has increased by 200% since I began.  And once you feel like you've gotten a handle of it, they change it up, add more steps and requirements.

That leads me to working at East Burke High teaching Cisco network engineering.  We were tasked early on with wiring the entire campus.  The best part was working side by side with my students as they learned with on the job training.  We spent the better part of a year and half climbing in ceilings and pulling cables through walls.  Sometimes we were wiring classrooms while students were sitting in their desks as we were on ladders above them.  It was great marketing for the program.  When I still walk through the buildings, I look around to see our remaining work.  I don't miss climbing around the ceilings but do feel a sense of pride of all the money we saved the school.

I'm not going to miss the first days of school each semester.  Trying to learn new faces and names.  I know as some read this, they will snicker because you'll remember that I was lucky to remember full names by midterm.  But I will remember all the faces.  I wish I had kept track of all the students I have taught.  I still cross paths with many on occasion and still enjoy stopping to see how they are and what they are doing.  I hope that never ends.

This graphic sums it up pretty closely for me.  I have never been afraid of change but skeptical about it.  I am one who is stuck in my ways.  I have a daily routine that could be scheduled almost to the minute throughout the day.  I eat the same things, watch the same shows, etc.  Change is good and I am looking forward in pushing myself into new beginnings.
My family, most importantly my wife has been very supportive in this process.  She is always one to question my ideas and add to them.  I am very appreciative to her and love her for everything she has done.  The "R" word isn't something that I entertain likely but know that what I am doing isn't truly that.  Yes, teaching found me, I didn't go looking for it.  I am very thankful to have taught a full career.  I didn't train or go to school to become a teacher and if you would have asked me in the 8th grade what I would do when I grew up, I probably would have said a professional camper or a fireman.
Teaching was a blessing in disguise.  I found my way, met many new colleagues that became friends through the years and truly loved being in the classroom with students whom were there mostly to learn and pick my brain for new knowledge.  I wouldn't change a thing.  I have enjoyed every aspect of my teaching career and all the many different subjects taught along the way.  Stay tuned for more reflections as I approach my new beginning.

Preparing for solar is nothing short of a root canal.  Now I've never had a root canal so I am just going off of others.  Solar prep is hard to plan, can be painful to the pocket and if done incorrectly can leave you stranded without power.  So far, that's all I've learned, not really but that's how it seems.
After purchasing our camper, I started researching the vast solar world in RVing.  Everyone has an opinion.  One person will tell you it's all about the watts, another will tell you it's all about the amps.  Others will tell you to put panels on every square inch of the camper while someone else will tell you it's all about the controllers and batteries.  And then there is the discussion of wiring, which I could write a novel about. 
Brands of panels I have come to understand doesn't really matter much.  Yes, reputable brands will give you 25 year warranties and others will have invaluable customer service and support.  Some, but not all, will have tons of information listed on their websites for easy learning while others won't.  It takes a lot of reading between the lines to get a grasp of it all. 
I have a rather extensive understanding of electricity and wiring.  I've had some in college classes and I have taught electrical engineering for many years.  I know the difference from series and parallel circuits which is a plus but reading some of these articles and blogs can make your head spin. 
I finally settled on getting a couple of panels and controller with a bluetooth output.  Took a run to the store to pick up a couple of 6 volt golf cart batteries (I'll be adding 2 more in the near future).  So far, I haven't really put any load on the system but from doing multiple readings of voltage and amps, it seems to be working like a charm.  Yes, I did a power audit before ordering but you never know til you get started if it will work.  I tried to mount the controller out of the way but accessible and the batteries are all tucked away.  I stilll have to mount a vent since I bought flooded batteries, it's all the rage to purchase decades old tech.  I couldn't justify the added cost of AGM or Lithium cells and if I maintain what I have correctly, what I got should last a long time.
I know I didn't write about which brands or any specifics in this post but I just wanted to let you know where my mindset was to start with.  I will post more specific information on my setup and photos to help others.

Is it spring yet?  After I buttoned up the camper for the winter months I started reading and
researching any and everything I could get my hands/eyes on.  Places to visit, where to park for this, where to find that.  It's been fun for the most part learning as much as I can about RV life and the in's and out's of living on the road.
After I closed up the camper, I started making lists of things I wanted to do to fix it up.  Things I wanted to improve upon or just plain repair.  The list has been reworked several times.  Moving around the priority order and adding and removing various things.  Reading all the blogs and forums as not helped finalize the list in any way.  I would read one post about boondocking and they realize I needed a bigger batter.  Read another and begin thinking about having an over the air antenna.
All these ideas and many more intrigue me and make me wonder if I will ever get back on the road and the weather isn't helping.  Today as I write this, it's gonna be in the 70's but just last week, we barely made it out of the 30"s.  The warm weather sure does make you want to pack up and hit the road but this is NC and our biggest storms hit in March.  But today does give me a chance to go start working on my list.
I guess I am just anxious to start exploring and trying all this newly learned knowledge to see how it goes.  You can only join so many forums and websites and after awhile, the information and opinions start to run together in your brain.  With that being said, I do enjoy some of the postings about camper modifications and and seeing what others are doing to enhance their experiences.  But that just leads to more things added to the list.  Mr. Groundhog, I'd like a recount on your 6 more weeks of winter so I can hit the road.

Having grown up a boy scout and living in the woods, I thought I would be prepared for RV life too.  Yes, I cook at home and know my way around the kitchen thanks entirely to my mom when I was growing up.  In recent years, we have become such a busy family that the convenience or inconvenience of eating food on the go has become expensive and very unhealthy for me and my family.
When I started researching everything that I should have in my camper, I kept running across this pot that people would always put near the top of their lists as must haves.  So being the connected guy that I am, I added it to my amazon Christmas wish list along with many others things steaming from the basics to the really wished for.  So Christmas arrives and low and behold, I've got my very own Instant Pot. 
Now what should I do with it?  From first glance, it looks kinda complicated and scary.  I remember watching my mom and grandmother using a pressure cooker when I was younger and all the stories that told me about how dangerous it was.  I also remember the time my grandmother needed help removing the cooker lid that was now part of her kitchen ceiling.  I started looking up recipes and reading articles of the best way to use it becoming aware that I should start practicing on my family and experimenting.
I have found several recipes that we all enjoy and have also adapted a few of my own in the little time that I have had the pot. I have found that this little gem can not only steam cook a meal but you can also use it to prepare other meals or just use it to brown meat or cook bacon with very little splatter.
Over all in just a few weeks, I give it 2 thumbs up but lets see how it does in a few months when we take it on our first trip.  Stay tuned...