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Borrego Springs, CA

Monday, February 1, 2010

Life and technology marches on!

I was up at 5:30 this morning to make sure my oldest son, Daniel, and his wife, Crystal, got up in time to get to the airport for their flight back to Denver.  You never stop being a mother, you know.  :)  After that, the two granddaughters kept us on a roll for the remainder of the day.  Since I have been here, Phoebe has decided to improve her night time sleeping which has resulted in her mother getting more rest.  It couldn't have happened at a better time.  I think it was Friday that she finally slept through the night for the first time.  It has been a joy for me to be with Phoebe and her older sister, Avery, each day.

After the girls were bundled off to bed this evening, I asked Dennis if we could try the Skype connection again.  I've heard of Skype, but didn't know exactly how it worked.  Dennis had picked up a Logitech  Web cam for me a couple of days ago, but our first attempt to get it operational was a flop.  Then we were too busy to give it a second try until tonight.

This is the little web cam that allows you to call others like a phone call, but you are also able to see who you are talking to.  Of course, both parties have to have internet access and one of these web cams.

It rests right on top of your computer screen, aimed at you, and transmits a live video of you to the person you are calling.

The true test came tonight when we tried to call Daniel in Denver.  None of us knew if it would work using my Sprint Air Card.  It took about an hour to work the kinks out, but eventually we (Robyn, Dennis, and myself) were able to see and talk to Daniel and Crystal.  I felt like a kid in a candy shop when it worked.  What a great way to keep in touch with family!  I think it's especially nice for fulltime RVers.  You can be a visual presence so those young grandchildren remember who you are.

Boy, oh boy, it's mind boggling to think of all the advancements in technology in my lifetime.  And to think that I can take and use most of those advancements on the road with me!  All it took was about $50 (and the help of a techy son-in-law) to get me out of the 20th Century.  ;)

Tomorrow, I'll leave the cold and snow behind as I fly back to Texas.  I'm ready for some blue skies and warmer temperatures!

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy

3 comments:

  1. My neice turned my wife and I onto skype,she is really a computer genius and lives near Gulfport Ms, Donna & I are in Dardenne Praire MO, anyway I sent off on e-bay for a webcam for $11.99, microphone and all and it took two minutes for the computer to find it after I plugged it in, we both were like you, amazed at technology,remenber Dick Tracy's wrist radio. I am definately an anolog guy in a digital world. Hope you enjoy it we will be joining you fulltiming in a few months, Cheers,Sam & Donna.

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  2. My son is in the Air Force and spent 2 years in Guam and 7 years in England. We had this same kind of set up to talk and see each other. My grandson was always happy to "see" me.

    I remember one time when he was 7, his birthday was coming up and I asked him what he wanted for his birthday. He started telling me he wanted some crystals. I had no idea exactly what he was talking about, so he said, "Wait a minute, Granny" and ran away from the camera. He came back with a book about gems and minerals and showed me some crystals in the book.

    So I said, "wait a minute" and went and got some crystals I had. His eyes lit up! I was always amazed at the fact that I could be sitting in my RV in who knows where, and he could in England, and we could see and talk to each other so easily.

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  3. Sam and Donna, I hope I'm the first to welcome you to the fulltime life! What an adventure it is!

    Karen, I'm hoping I'll be able to use skype here at Balcones, but it didn't work tonight. I have to use my trucker's antenna and amplifier for an internet connection here. I'm hoping when the fog lifts and the clouds move on that reception will improve. It is amazing, when it works.

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