Freedom in a Can: Adventures with Hamlet

Lost Between Two "Fins" The boat slowly pulls out of the marina and blasts a quick toot of the horn, as much for the tourists and tradition as to alert other boats.  We motor past the breakwater and slowly pick up speed, cutting a clean V line through the calm morning sea.  Within seconds we're cruising, taking in the tree covered isles of the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve , from our seats in the stern.   Suddenly, the boat slows and everyone, even the children, jump up, fingers pointing, and scream, " FOCK! FOCK ! FOCK!"    “Did they just say…?” The boat isn't sinking, we haven’t hit a submerged ledge, no, all the excitement comes from the small group of harbor seals, “phoque,” which now surround the boat.  The French word for seal sounds exactly like the word that escapes my mouth when I bash my head into a low hanging branch... happens more than it should, really.   Now why didn’t my five years of French study cover s...

Escapade -- A Wicked Good Time! As I walked up to the microphone, I was sweating through my toes and wondering if I would remember any of the lyrics. I've played my guitar and sang for lots of folks, but it had been a LONG time in front of a crowd like this.  I looked out across a packed house, from a real stage with a huge sound system and blinked into those bright lights. I was the first act to go, and other than the hasty cram sessions, I hadn't picked up my guitar in months.  What was I doing?  I leaned into the mic, blabbed some nonsense until I could hear my guitar from the monitor and I struck the first chord.  No going back... It's a curious thing for two people who chose to live in a tiny rolling home, happiest when they're on a deserted road, parked in a quiet place next to a bubbling brook for the night, to suddenly find themselves in a very large crowd of people who all love to do similar things.  Wait, we like to be alone, but we also like to be tog...

  Want to GO SOLAR with your RV?    To celebrate Renogy's SWEET 16th Birthday, w e are GIVING AWAY  a Complete Renogy RV Solar Solution Kit to ONE lucky winner…AND helping you install it!    RV Solution Kit is worth $2750 retail, and fits perfectly on a large van, medium-sized travel trailer or truck camper, or small 5th wheel, skoolie, or Class C.  YOUR investment is around $300-$500 for additional materials.   OUR labor is completely FREE.   Please read ALL details below before responding.   Contact us immediately via email at freedominacan1957@gmail.com to be considered.   Winner will be chosen THIS Saturday, June 13!   We know this sounds too good to be true, but we’re FOR REALS, y’all!   Renogy  3.84Kw RV Solar Solution Kit  includes: 2 x 200W ShadowFlux Panel 1 x 50A DC to DC Charger with MPPT 1 x 300Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery 1 x Battery Shunt with 500A Monitor 1 x Renogy ONE Core Wireless...

Golf cart battery replacement doesn't have to be a nightmare, or cost you a fortune every 3 to 5 years.  In addition to getting you and your golf bag around the course faster than walking, these behemoths used to be the gold standard in off-grid RV living.  While many off-grid RVers back-in-the-day recommended that we invest in these beasts, these heavy batteries simply weren’t a good option for our small, vintage RV.  Weighing in at 80 pounds each, and needing to be watered regularly, a set of 4 can displace the same weight as your golfing buddy, Gary.   As a time tested technology, the older lead acid batteries perform just as they have for the past 50 years – but perhaps there’s a way to get your golf cart into the swing of the 21st century?  Now 4 of these batteries can be replaced by just 1 Lithium Iron Phosphate 48V Battery Kit which includes everything you need to get started! It all began with a family visit to my brother’s Bob’s cottage in Marylan...

Too Busy, Too Late. When we started Freedom in a Can, LLC as a business in 2021, we adopted the mantra “our lifestyle has to drive the business, not the other way around.” Our self-appointed “almost monthly” caveat gives us an out when life gets a little too crazy or when we are simply having too much fun.  April dished out plenty of the first, a little of the second . We hope you enjoy our April/May edition, chock full of insight...and fun news to boot! Oh, and don’t skip the next section because we’re giving away an ICECO 12V Fridge Freezer – the very same kind we installed 5 years ago...and absolutely LOVE! There’s this moment in “The Karate Kid,” when Daniel (all fresh-faced and satisfied) announces to his teacher, Mr. Miyagi, that he’s almost done painting the fence. Miyagi slowly sweeps his arm and Daniel’s gaze across the vastness of his backyard and replies, “whole fence.”  While recently cleaning out my Aunt’s house, her residence for 36 years, my cousin asked us...

The End of the Tour...For Now.  The television monitor flashed between fires, floods, a talking head,  missiles fired from naval warships, and explosions.    What was going on?    Oh, it’s just the nightly local news show, “Good Night L.A.” hovering above our head as we waited to board our red-eye flight back to North Carolina.    It took a bit of self-control to look away.   We  shuffled onto the plane, hoping to get some sleep, and wondered if there might be a better way to tuck the denizens of greater Los Angeles into bed without visions of disaster dancing in their heads. After a steady diet of news, it's no wonder why we don't all throw up our hands and say, "F@%K IT! Let's just go camping!"  Because fear sells, or so the nightly news assumes, and it’s in no short supply.  To paraphrase New Yorker cartoonist, David Sipress, our desire to stay informed is often in direct conflict with our desire to stay sane.  So, when...