First, it is mounted very high and unless you like watching TV standing up, it’s a bit of a bear to watch unless you’re half reclined in a zero gravity chair pointing half at the sky!. That location also lends itself to be very susceptible to glare from sun making it difficult to watch anytime but at night. Second, its a fixed mount, which means unless you are sitting directly in front of it it can be a bit difficult to see if you are at any angle.  These are not huge problems and to be honest if this was a big job to fix or one that required a large investment we probably wouldn’t have even bothered fixing but some things fell into place for us that we’ll explain below.

We were at the Entegra Oktoberfest Rally in Las Vegas in 2016 and got to see quite a few coaches from a variety of years. New for 2017 was an articulating outdoor TV arm that tilted down for easier viewing. Nice! Just what we wanted but… I had a pretty good feeling that if I called Entegra and asked for the part I would have paid well north of 250.00 to buy the parts from them.. That is where our friend’s from Great-Escape.us come in!

Now i’ve installed quite a few of these over the years being in IT. Our clients frequently have us mount TV’s or large monitors in offices so I can tell you first hand that there are BAD mounts and GOOD mounts that vary greatly in price and quality. Glenn from Great Escape had done quite a bit or research as his 2016 Entegra Anthem has an arm installed but not the “tilt” feature to point the TV down towards a more acceptable viewing angle. Glenn  called Entegra and found that they were purchasing their tilting TV arms from a manufacturer called Crimson who claimed to make the world’s thinnest TV mounting arm that tilted. In fact he had one in his coach that was left over from his research! Score for LivinLite! We’ll take it!

I took one look at the TV arm and knew the quality was good. It was well built and suitable for automotive applications. The TV mount has plenty of resistance to ensure it wouldn’t be swinging back and forth in the wind banging into our coach or rattling itself to deal while we were driving down the road. We also really like that it had a locking feature meaning it locked into the flat position which would come in quite handy when stowed for driving.

Installation

The installation was pretty straight forward. I won’t bore folks with a lengthy written explanation of the install since it is all detailed out in the video at the top of this post. We’ve included a material list below as well as Amazon links to all of the tools and items mentioned in the video. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please feel free to post them here!

Tools & Materials:

• Cordless/cord drill with drill bits – (you may want to consider the stepper bit set mentioned below and in the video)
• Screw Driver Bit Set – Complete with security bits for Entegra factory screw removal. (see below link under Amazon links)
• 15”-18” piece of 2×4 or other suitable wood to strengthen mounting plate backing
• Cable ties for wire management
• Flat black spray paint for matching trim behind TV
• A helper! (much easier with 2 people)

Amazon Links:

• Crimson World’s Thinest TV Mount for up to 42″ tv: http://amzn.to/2funD3X
• Crimson World’s Thinest TV Mount for up to 65″ tv: http://amzn.to/2esdHny
• Neiko Titanium Step Drill Bit Set: http://amzn.to/2eS5SI7
• Neiko Safety Bit Set: http://amzn.to/2f3cCDA
• Flat Black Spray Paint: http://amzn.to/2fnVg8e
• Cable Ties (We love these one because they are reusable): http://amzn.to/2f1RMXI

Thanks so much for checking out our post. If you have any questions, comments or questions you can post them here. If you like the article please share it with friends on Facebook or other social media using the links below!

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Campground(s) We Stayed

We stayed at the Stone Mountain Park Campground for one week during the month of February. The campground was beautiful and allowed us to relax and enjoy the massive lake that was right next to our RV site. It has a total of 431 campsites, 202 of them are RV full hook ups and 189 are partial hook-ups (water/electric). All campsites included fire rings & picnic tables and some sites have a small deck complete with gas grills overlooking the lake. A few other amenities include; heated comforts stations, laundry facility, a swimming pool, free wifi and cable, along with a discount for passes to other attractions within the park.

Things To Do

Confederate Memorial Carving – The Civil War can be a touchy subject but for history buffs the Confederate Memorial Carving is chock full of American History. The carving is the largest relief carving in the world measuring 3 acres in size and is larger than a football field. In the summer the carving is highlighted by a massive Lasershow Spectacular provided in “Mountainvision” which we think is a fancy way of saying “with really really big lights and projectors”.  We were not there to witness the laser show since we visited off season but the pictures on the website and the reviews we read all say it is quite the experience.

Adventure Pass – If you have a family and/or want to visit more than one attraction then pickup an “Adventure Pass.” This give you access to all the attractions (depending on the season). We visited in the winter, our attractions included; Stone Mountain Museum at Memorial Hall, 4-D movie experience, the SnowZone, Tube Runers, Avalanche Alley and more.

Summit Sky Ride – A high-speed Swiss cable car takes you to the top of Stone Mountain providing great views of the Confederate Memorial Carving locate on the side of Stone Mountain. Once you get to the top there are amazing views of the park and the Atlanta skyline. Watch the video above to check out our Sky Ride experience!

Recreation and Golf – Hiking trails are located all throughout the mountain and park, along with places to have picnics while enjoying nature. If you like golf there is also a 18 hole golf course along the base of the mountain.

And More… check out the Stone Mountain Park website to see all the fun things you can do at the park!

Places We Ate

1910 Public House – During our brief stay we took a drive into Lilburn, GA where we had a great dinner at 1910 Public House. We started off with the Diavolo Mussels and Roasted Beet and Spinach Salad. Followed by the Seared Sea Scallops and Pork Chops for mains. The food was great and hit the spot after a long day of work.

Overall Opinion

We were not able to stay at this location as long as we normally do but overall we had a great time at the park. Stone Mountain and Stone Mountain Park is a beautiful place to visit any time of the year, with tons of activities for people of all ages. It is definitely geared towards families but there is more than enough for everyone, especially if you include what is available in Atlanta.  The campground is very nice with amazing views and unique sites. We were there in the winter and not a lot of people were around but I’m sure this park is very popular in the summer due to the lake and laser light show.

Would We Recommend

Yes, we would recommend going to Stone Mountain Park in Stone Mountain, GA to enjoy nature and to stay at a beautiful campground.

The post Exploring Stone Mountain Georgia appeared first on LivinLite.net.

We attended their 13^th annual “Spicy Celebration” on Sunday, August 23^rd where we got to try a 1 0unce cup of each vendor’s chili, both in the amateur and professional divisions! That doesn’t sound like a lot until you try 40 chilis and realize you had 40 ounces of chili!  The event also had craft vendors, where we purchased some really tasty BBQ sauce and seasoning, additional food & beverages for purchase, and a live concert (cost including within admission) by Rosemary Baby Blues.

Where we stayed:

During our time in New Hampshire we stayed at Sandy Beach RV Resort and Campground. It’s an Encore property located in Contoocook. It’s about a 15-minute drive to Concord, New Hampshire’s state capital, and about a 10-minute drive to Pats Peak. This is a beautiful park with sites large enought o accomidate our large 45 foot rig (call ahead they dont have too many that big). The campground is located on a secluded private lake with only a few houses on it and no power boats; great for paddle boarding or just for a dip!

If camping isn’t your thing then check out the Colby Hill Inn, an amazing bed & breakfast in the area. Make sure to stay for dinner, the restaurant is amazing!

About the Area:

Southern New Hampshire is a well traveled destination for locals, but many tourists haven’t found it yet (we love that!). Henniker New Hampshire is the home to New England College, the college that Erik’s father went to. That is when Erik’s father fell in love with the area and decided to settle down in the town next door, Hillsborough, NH. There is a bit of a debate on how to spell Hillsborough, the sign on way into town says Hillsboro, others say Hillsborough… we’ll let you be the judge!

Just a few miles away is the Franklin Pierce Homestead, the childhood home of the 14th U.S. President.  You’ll also find tons of hiking, ATV & snowmobile trails, skiing and sales tax free shopping! If boating or the beach is your thing check out Franklin Pierce Lake, a powerboat and swimming friendly lake that offers spectacular views and the best nature has to offer.

Attend the Chili Festival & Other Great Local Events

Next year’s chili festival is on Sunday, August 21^st 2016. If you like to eat or make chili mark your calendar because you can attend to eat or enter your chili to win. Check out the Chili New Hampshire link for additional event information and to see the 2015 winners!

Happy Chili Eating!

The post Chili, Chili & More Chili – Henniker, NH 2015 Chili Festival! appeared first on LivinLite.net.

Name: Lone Pine Campsites – Vermont

Location: 52 Sunset View Rd. – Mallets Bay, Colchester, VT 05446

Type: RV Park

Website: http://lonepinecampsites.com/

Overview

The Campground is located right on the shoreline of Lake Champlain next to Mallets Bay. It’s a quick 20 minutes drive to downtown Burlington, VT and about 40 minutes from the Canadian border. Check out our area review of downtown Burlington here. 

The grounds are well groomed and the park has great security. We arrived after hours and their security crew was extremely nice and helped us find our site in the dark, ensuring we were all set for the evening. They have a total of 265 spots ranging from tent sites to 3-point/50 amp/pull through RV sites.

Their office with store is fully stocked with all kinds of items from soft serve ice cream to fire wood to clothes to RV needs. They are also known to be “Vermont’s Favorite Family Campground” and during our two-week stay I could definitely see why, with playgrounds, two swimming pools, pedal bike rentals and a weekly ride on their vintage fire truck, what a fun place to be a kid!

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Additional Features:

• Good Sam discounts
• Clean bathrooms
• Mini golf course
• Laundry facility
• Propane refills
• Additional dump stations
• Pet friendly

What we liked

• Friendly and Accommodating Staff
  • The staff was so friendly and helpful. We decided to extend our stay and while they didn’t have the same spot available they placed us in an overflow spot. On our move day an employee came over to ensure we had everything we needed included a picnic table and dropped of a portable fire pit.

• Exceptionally Clean
  • From the bathrooms to the grounds to the office and pool everything was clean and organized.

• Great Wifi
  • Having a good wifi connection is also a major plus for us.

• Big Rig Friendly
  • We loved that they had spacious sites along with pull-throughs. It always makes coming and going a little bit easier in our 45-footer.

What we didn’t like

• Close to the highway
  • While we didn’t really have anything we didn’t like about this campground our one ‘this could have been better moment’ was the close proximity to a major highway and the directions off the highway to the campground were a little confusing. A few more signs on the way in would have been helpful.

Overall Opinion

Overall this campground was great. With a packed calendar of events, well maintained grounds, good Wifi, and friendly staff it was a very pleasant experience all around.

Would we stay again?

Yes, we would stay again!

LivinLite.net Ratings (10 max)

Accessibility – 7

Connectivity – 9

Cleanliness – 10

Staff – 10

Surroundings (local attractions) – 8.5

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Burlington Vermont is located right on coast of Lake Champlain. It is the largest city in Vermont and it is also home to the University of Vermont. It is 45 miles south of the Canadian border, located between the Adirondacks and Green Mountains. The city has a historic yet contemporary vibe with tons of recreational activities from boating to skiing to biking. If you what to shop, browse or be entertained there is tons of shopping, tours and events to choose from.

Campground(s) We Stayed

Lone Pine Campsites in Colchester, VT is a 15 minutes drive from downtown Burlington and 5 minutes from Malletts Bay, Lake Champlain. It is a privately owned campground with 265 campsites, providing a large variety of camping sites from 3-point hook ups to tent camping. They also hold weekly activities starting in May and ending in November. When we were there they had a classic car show in the main pavilion which was really cool.  You can checkout our full campground review here. 

Things to Do

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival – While we didn’t plan this we just so happened to be in Vermont for the 32^nd annual Discover Jazz Festival. It took place from June 5^th – 14th with a great educational cause – “To broaden awareness and appreciation of jazz through quality live performances of national and regional scope; present educational activities that illuminate the art form for students of all ages and backgrounds; showcase Vermont and regional jazz artists, including students; and create a vital city-wide community festival that contributes to the national jazz dialogue” Discover Jazz Mission.

Venues are located throughout the downtown area focused around Main and Church street. You have the ability to walk around and plan your own day of free Jazz listening events or if you want a more traditional show experience tickets are available for sale. We purchased two sets of tickets, one to see the Spanish Harlem Orchestra on the Flynn Mainstage and the second, Wadada Leo Smith’s Golden Quartet at Fynn Space. Both performances, while very different, were excellent. The Spanish Harlem Orchestra was upbeat and fun with people dancing at their seat while the Golden Quartet was deep and touching. We really enjoyed both shows as it opened our eyes to the great range of Jazz music. Next years festival is from June 3-12, 2016. We definitely suggest you plan a trip.

Church Street Marketplace – The Jazz festival definitely made our Church Street Marketplace visit a little more interesting than the average day, this outdoor pedestrian mall was filled will all kinds of shops, restaurants and outdoor entertainment. A few shops we enjoyed was… Kiss the Cook, a locally owned gourmet Kitchen store. We purchased a really nice salt and pepper grinder (gotta season our food in style). Keep Vermont Weird Clothing store, where Erik purchased a hat, and Bluebird Coffee shop a really neat coffee place that was an old ticket booth converted into a coffee and pastry shop. So Fun!

Burlington Bike Path – Per trip advisor this is the number one thing to do in Vermont and they are right! The Burlington Bike Path is a Rehabilitation Project that started back in 2013. It is now an 8-mile multi-use path in downtown Burlington that runs along the Lake Champlain waterfront. It has amazing scenic view of the lake with a paved path providing associability for both road and mountain bikes. It also has room on each side for a walking path. Don’t have a bike? No problem, there are several places to rent bike on Main Street. We went to North Start Sports, they were extremely friendly and knowledgeable with a wide range of rental bikes to choose from and only a few minute ride to the start of the path.

Lake Champlain, Malletts Bay – If you like the water than Lake Champlain is a must visit destination. It is 120 miles long and 435 square miles with tons of summer and a few winter water activities. You can rent all kinds of boats, kayaks or canoes. We were very lucky to have friends in the area with a boat – Oh yeah! We spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon in June hanging out on the lake. While it was a bit too cold for a swim it was definitely hot! Don’t forget the sunscreen!

Don’t have a friend with a boat? While we didn’t personally use any of the below here are a few lake activities you can check out:

• Northern Lights – Lake Champlain Cruises
• Let’s Go Sailing – Sunset Cruises and day sails
• Apple Island Marina – Pontoon boat, kayaks (doubles & singles), canoes & rowboats, and Pedal Boat Rentals

Places We Ate

The Farmhouse Tap & Grill … has a great atmosphere with several beers on tap and simple but yummy menu. We came for dinner and enjoyed a few of their craft beers on tap their house charcuterie board for an appetizer. Followed by their cast iron seared Faroe Island salmon and LaPlatte River angus farm beef burger for mains. The meals were great and the grilled red hen bread with the charcuterie was delish!

Citizen Cider … I am definitely a bit of a cider lover, so when one of our friends recommend going to the tasting room at Citizen Cider we had to give it a try. We got a flight just so we could taste a bunch of the ciders and one of their signature cocktails called the ‘Dirty Mayor.’ I also strongly recommend getting their citizen burger – dressed. Their motto of “Cider Loves Food” couldn’t be more on key because the cider and burger combo was amazing!!!

The Scuffer … The location was great but the food was just OK. We sat outside to watch one of the bands play for the Jazz Festival. We got the Salmon and the Surf and Turf both were just ok. We would definitely come back here for a few drinks and the outdoor seating but probably pass on a meal.

Overall Opinion

We didn’t get to experience everything Burlington has to offer such as the Burlington Brew tours, wineries, Ben and Jerry Ice Cream factory or the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory to name a few. Overall it was a great town filled with a little something everyone would like.

Would we Recommend?

Yes, we recommend visiting Burlington, VT especially in the summer. We also loved our stay stay at Lone Pine Campgrounds. We’d be happy to answer any questions you may have, simply comment below!

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