Pick me! Pick me!

You might want to pour a cup of something and settle in as this is a bit lengthy.

I am a member of a number of Facebook pages that are involved with RVing and a frequent newbie question is: How did you pick your rig? What made you choose a Class A vs. a fifth-wheel or travel trailer? Many would chime in with their suggestions and advice but the overriding theme was that each person needed to make the choice that suited them best. There is no simple, one-size-fits-all answer.

The first time I recall seriously wondering if I could do this was in 2008. I had two big questions that needed an answer before I could move forward. The first question had to do with my claustrophobia and the second with my safety. When the RV show was held at the Fairplex in Pomona, I attended with the intention of finding these answers. 

The Fairplex show is held in the parking lot off White Avenue and it was packed with RVs of every variety. I wore comfortable shoes and carried essentials in the pockets of my jeans so I wouldn’t have to haul the big purse I usually carry. As soon as I entered I was handed a large, reusable shopping bag full of information so I was very happy I had left the purse at home. The program listed a number of seminars that were taking place so I made sure to attend one that looked to answer a lot of questions. It was directed at potential full-time RVers and dealt with doing the homework required before you made the plunge. During that seminar, the question was raised concerning women and safety and the couple making the presentation had a number of good suggestions. 

First, they made note of the fact that as a demographic, RVers have a very low crime rate and are one of the safest groups anywhere. Second, they pointed out that there are huge numbers of single women out on the road in their own rigs, capable of driving and maintaining them on their own. And third, they felt that a Class A motor home was the safest style as one could start up and pull away if things should get dicey. Hoses and cords can be replaced; getting out of a trailer to hook it up to your truck might involve a level of risk few would want to deal with. And driving off, leaving your home behind and vulnerable to theft, was also not the best option.

That made sense to me so off I went to climb into and out of everything until I had an idea of what would work for me. In addition to the full Class A motor home, there were a number of other drivable rigs. Class B resembled a beefed up van to my eyes and a Class C appeared to me to be a mini-motor home. The towables such as the fifth-wheel, travel trailers, toy haulers, etc. were not on my radar at all during this trip. One would think that would leave plenty of time to check all the drivable rigs but it took several hours to get through all of them. 

Still, I managed to delete the Class B units rather quickly. Stepping inside and having my head nearly touch the ceiling usually had me backing out very quickly. In some configurations I could make it all the way in, but seeing how small the driving area was pretty much had me hyperventilating and scurrying for the door. 

The Class C vehicles were much better and I generally was able to spend time checking out the kitchen and living area pretty thoroughly, which gave me some idea as to where I would put things if I chose that particular unit. But the bedrooms were a deal-breaker, often consisting of a double bed surrounded on three and a half sides by walls. Once again the panic would set it and I’d turn and run. Also, having made beds at home that were up against a wall, I knew what a workout that could be.

I should mention that I was living in a condo at the time. It was small at 872 sf but included a detached garage and a rather large yard for a condo. So, given the fact of my claustrophobia and the space I was accustomed to, being able to live comfortably in an RV had me leaning toward the large Class A motor homes at that time.  

So my questions were answered. Upon arriving home, I went through all the brochures and flyers accumulated during my day, and settled in the read a book authored by the seminar speakers that explained all the homework necessary to make a wise choice. In reading that book, I quickly determined that it was not a choice for me at that time.

Fast-forward to 2013: My son Evan had moved to Colorado and it had become clear that he would not be returning home to California. After he turned 21 and was making his own choices in life, I resolved not to follow him around the country until, as I put it, grandchildren were involved. Evan had met a wonderful girl who has an equally wonderful daughter so I could see the writing on the wall. Colorado, it appeared, would be my new home at some point in the future.

But something else was going on that got me to thinking. A number of my peers had lost one or both of their parents. As tragic as that one event is, it was often immediately followed by the necessary process of dealing with what was left behind. Paperwork, homes, cars and stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. I saw friends who were grief-stricken also have to spend weekends or vacations taking care of everything, sometimes having to give up time with their own families, and spend money to travel to distant locations. 

It occurred to me that Evan would be the only one to do that in the event I was to pass on. So, I resolved to do it for him. I would, I figured, have to do a lot of downsizing before I could move anyway and I was pretty sure a move to Colorado was in my future. 

Another key point involved selling my condo. I wanted to pick the best time to do that and since time was on my side, I watched the market and talked to various experts and waited. In early 2014, the time to sell was good, so I listed with a friend and customer I had met a few years ago in my networking groups.

The plan I envisioned at that point was that I would downsize into an RV but live locally so that I could continue to go to work until I decided to retire. Then once I traveled around a bit and finally got to Colorado, I would stay in the RV until deciding where to settle and what to settle in. Ready to tackle some serious planning, I again attended the big RV show at the Fairplex as well as visited local RV superstores. I would carry a large bag with me that held various items such as Tupperware containers and other household items to see how they would fit in an RV. 

At the beginning of this process, one of the first RVs I got to spend time in was a Class A with three slides. There were two in the living area and one in the bedroom. The bathroom was the same size as the main bathroom in my condo. The bedroom had drawers and closets galore. There was storage everywhere, including sliding shelves below the living area that could hold several large plastic bins. It could sleep 12. There was an outdoor kitchen and an incredible seven television screens. Seven! Two in the living area, one in the bedroom, one that also worked as a backup camera, one over each bunk bed and one outside! To contrast, I had one in the condo. 

I was more impressed with all the room and all the storage but, while waiting for the salesman to return, I found the price list for that unit. $247,900!! To be honest, it was marked down to $197,500. When the salesman returned, he saw what I was reading and quickly said that price was not set in stone. I replied that it was not set in reality either! 

Another rig I looked at was a Class A Toy Hauler with a double bed over the driving area, living quarters, and a door that led to the back room that had been converted to an office and storage area. It looked to be perfect! I could have a separate living quarters yet still have a dedicated office and room for all my business products. But the owner never responded to my inquiry.

So, whenever I had the opportunity, I would visit RV stores and see what they had. I had resolved that I would be looking for something used given the crazy high prices of the brand new units. Also, as I was learning by reading the different Facebook pages, values dropped rapidly and a gently-used unit would likely have all the ‘kinks’ worked out. While at home, I would imagine life in a smaller space. Where would I put my desk? How would I store groceries? What about seasonal décor? How much clothing would I need? I recall standing in a rig with a sizeable living space thinking it would be like hauling my whole condo around. It sunk in that most of the rigs I was looking at were just too big.

I then heard that friends from church were planning to sell their Class A so I called them to check it out. I knew them to be good caretakers of their possessions and that was evident in their rig as well. It had no slides, so at first it seemed too small. But I thought and prayed about it and decided it would work with a little bit of renovation. The price was right. The owners would be helpful as far as the renovations were concerned. I would have the opportunity to learn from them gradually rather than get a one-time orientation if I had purchased from a dealer. 

Over the years I’ve developed the practice of collecting information until a choice is clear. I did that and so was able to recognize what this rig was saying.

Pick me! Pick me!

And so I did.

Sunny Side Up! Meals in a Motor Home

There is quite the learning curve when it comes to cooking in a motor home. For one thing, my refrigerator is taking some getting used to. For some odd reason, it trends to run cold. Very cold. Elsa would love it in there. The freezer works perfectly but the refrigerator apparently also wants to be a freezer. It could be an omen of some sort. Some cosmic entity could be telling me to go on the Ice Cream Diet. If that's the case, that cosmic entity doesn't know me very well or it would know better than to direct me to ice cream! Consequently I've taken to putting things in the refrigerator that aren't hurt if they freeze. Cheese works. Carrots and celery? Not so much. I'm keeping track of what it's doing to review with an electrician so hopefully a fix is in the works.

The microwave gets a workout when I’m plugged into electricity and works well enough, although not as powerfully as the microwave that was in the condo. And I need a refresher in ‘Popcorn.’ I love to air pop it in the microwave, then spray it with olive oil and add a little sea salt. Yum! Currently I'm not getting quite the same results in the same time. Something else to figure out, but I'm sure I will.

The stove top works well, too, although most of the time I keep the cover over the burners because I need the counter space. It runs on propane, as does the oven, which I haven’t even tried so far, other than to store things.

That said, I’m still able to do quite a bit of cooking. I don’t have a BBQ or a hibachi and there is no need for briquettes, lighter fluid, matches, or even propane!  As you might have guessed from the title of this segment, I'm using the sun!

Recently I learned of a great invention. It’s called the GoSun Solar Stove and it allows me to cook many, many foods in the sun. It could be zero outside, and it was in the 20s in early January, and I am able to use this stove as long as the sun is up. Learning how to cook with sunshine takes priority over using the propane stove at this point. It’s fast, too, and doesn’t heat up the inside of the motor home. 

So far I’ve made Sweet Italian Sausage and chicken and both were delicious! I’ve also heated up leftovers the day after a great dinner with my very helpful neighbors here in Menifee. As my proficiency and recipe repertoire grows, I’ll share more about this stove with you. In the meantime, here is a video and a link you can use to learn more about it.

<a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=576342&u=1053873&m=52143&urllink=&afftrack=">GoSun Stove</a>

Downsizing: The 'Stuff' of Life

When I came to California in January of 1991, I brought with me all the Christmas wrapping paper that I had saved for years. You just never know when you will have to wrap a box just the size of that scrap of paper, right? It just seemed wasteful to toss it in the trash and it really didn't take up all that much space. Over time, years and years of time, that thinking applied to more than just Christmas wrap. 

Many have asked how I could just get rid of stuff so readily. Honestly, a few short months before I started the process, I was sure I never could. Getting to that decision was a process.
Part of the process was realizing how much space I would have, or not have, in an RV. Part was determining how much of what I owned actually had value measurable in more important ways than how it 'worked' in my current home. My mother's china? Keep! That cute blue vase that exactly matched the blue in my bathroom? Let it go. Isn't it sweet that Disney wrote a theme song for my summer?

Knowing my abysmal luck with garage sales, it was evident that I would need help. I called my realtor, the subject of a future post, and was directed to Little Miss Clutter Busters in Glendora, CA. Susan and her staff were beyond wonderful as they gently and compassionately encouraged a quick decision as to whether or not they would sell a particular item. I have no regrets.
Well, maybe one. But it's not so much a regret as a recollection of a difficult moment. I had decided that the swing in the backyard would go. Now this swing was similar to those that are set up in the summer months in front of the big hardware stores. Mine was a three-seater in a wicker material with a cushion to sit on and a canopy for shade and privacy. The canopy had blown away in a wind storm so I had taken to using picnic table covers instead. When I first brought it home and began to assemble it, the instructions strongly stated that certain sections required two people. Not having a second person handy, I used scotch tape on the opposite end and worked really fast. It worked as that swing was my favorite place to read, nap or just enjoy my little garden for close to thirteen years. It wasn't something that belonged to anyone else in my family. My son was rarely home to use it. It was mine, and I felt heartbroken when it was carried out of the yard. 

On the other hand, I found this process to be very freeing. Things were being sold or donated to people who were thrilled to get them, the condo was showing well, things were moving forward. You'll likely hear this often but Psalm 23 resonated on so many levels. In this case, the verse "He restores my soul" would come to mind frequently. In my Project Home/Tomboy Tools business, we sometimes discuss painting or drywall or furniture refinishing so I'm aware that restoration often involves some 'taking away'. Dirt, broken pieces, old finishes are removed so that the 'new' will show through. 

It did, and that continues to be true.

New Year! Nu Life!

Hello and Happy New Year!
As most of you are aware, my 'new' life actually began in 2013. And my 'nu' life started in October.
Allow me to explain:
For a few years now I've known that my son would not be returning to California to live. That meant that at some point I would likely be moving closer so that a visit would no longer be a major expense in terms of time and money. 

Around the same time, several friends lost a parent. Sometimes two. I began to notice that in addition to the heartbreak and loss, they also had the added issue of dealing with the aftermath in terms of paperwork and possessions. In many cases that involved time, travel, and lost time at work or, more importantly, with family.
And I realized that if, or when, something happened to me, that Evan would have to deal with all that on his own.

Putting two and two together, I decided to do the work for him. I would list my condo when the market was favorable, downsize and store all the important, valuable and nostalgic things in one place near him in Colorado. And I would live in an RV until I knew where in Colorado I would settle. By September, all of that had taken place and by October, I was in my RV.
Hence, the 'nu'. 

According to the definition in their facebook group, NuRVer.com is a group for the next wave of RVers. The NüRVer breaks the mold of the traditional RVer stereotype. We set out on the road to fun & adventure in a slightly different way. Many of us have found Nü and inventive ways to make a living while living our dream.
NüRVers describes more of the spirit and less of a specific thing. The NüRVer is bold, adventurous, not afraid to do things that others don't find "normal".

Several of my friends have suggested I blog about this new, nu life, so here it is.
My intention is to title each entry clearly enough to allow the reader to move on if the subject is not of interest to him or her as I don't wish to bore anyone. 

Let's see how, or shall I say where, that goes.