Two Months In

Today marks two months into our adventure. We have successfully survived 60 days of close confinement together, also known affectionately as ‘living in a hallway’ in RV lingo.

We celebrated the end of the first month by finally getting to use our water system, meaning I could enjoy running water. Oh the joys of being able to take a shower right in our coach and not have to trek to the bathhouse.  Even doing dishes was almost fun. I didn’t have to heat the water in our microwave anymore, and I could utilize my whopping 12 inches of counter space by removing the water jug we had kept there. It is still winter here though, so Ty fills our water tank as needed then detaches the hose so it doesn’t freeze and burst or damage our coach. Our tank has enough capacity to last through several showers and household activities, so it isn’t too much of an inconvenience. Once the night temperatures remain above freezing we can leave the hose hooked up.

Ty also utilizes a tip we learned through listening to our favorite podcast, which is choosing a certain day to dump our holding tanks. For us, it’s easy to remember that on Wednesdays, “Hump Day is Dump Day”. Some might think that while in a park with full hookups that one would just leave the valves open, however that can lead to problems. If the fluids were allowed to just trickle out continuously, in freezing weather there is a chance that ice would gradually build up and block the exit and plug up the tanks. Likewise, in warmer weather, we don’t leave our valves open because the slow flow can lead to sediment accumulation, also resulting in a plugged up tank. So according to RV rules, let the tanks fill a bit, then empty them in one big whoosh regularly!

Speaking of podcasts, we would heartily encourage anyone that enjoys RVing to check out our favorite audio show “Living the RV Dream”. Hosts John and Kathy Huggins post a new episode each Friday that is chock full of tips, experiences and encouragement.  Whether you like to spend weekends in your rig or are dreaming of spending more time on the road someday, they have something for everyone. The podcast is free, and is available thru their website at http://livingthervdream.com/ and also thru iTunes. They can also be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/113274598695228/.

In The Beginning ...

I have a delightful job wherein I get to meet many wonderful and interesting people. And often times, their life journey mirrors my own in a way. Seems many folks start tent camping, then move up into a pickup camper or camp trailer. Some then go further and get a motor home or 5^th wheel trailer. And then us really crazy ones start wondering how we can work it out so we stay on the road and don’t have to ‘go home’.

A couple months ago, I saw a commercial on TV featuring a motor home made out of Legos that triggered a childhood memory. I started searching the internet, and was delighted to find this 1970 Barbie Country Camper. I once was a proud owner of one of these! Now I wonder if this is where my nomadic journey really began.

I can only guess at what kinds of adventures my Barbie dolls enjoyed in their coach. There were yellow plastic sleeping bags, and little folding yellow and orange camp stools. The driver’s side of the vehicle opened into a pop-out tent, and the rear was a fold out kitchen. Wow, a “slide out” in 1970! I don’t even have a slide-out in my current motor home.

My parents had a camper that went on our truck, and we would sometimes travel back to New Jersey to visit our family there. I loved lying on the top bunk, looking out the big front window, watching the landscape unfold. I should decline to mention my mother’s stories about shutting my brother and I in the back so they didn’t have to listen to our childhood arguments, but those are part of family journeys too.  I also cherish memories of my Poppop’s pickup camper, parked down in his barn, where my cousin and I spent hours inside playing games and imagining adventures.

I thank my family, friends, and dear readers who are currently sharing my journey.  I’ll keep sharing stories, ideas, tips, and probably even trials as this unfolds.  But for now, it’s time to me to go reminisce of my days with my Barbie camper. See ya down the road!

Catching Up

It has been on my heart for some time to revive my blog, and I’ve procrastinated long enough. It’s time for updates on our life, and on the new journey upon which we embarked on New Year’s Day 2012. Many entries will be forthcoming sharing stories and adventures. But for now, it’s time to catch up.

2011 brought many changes to our life. We found ourselves out of work, which eventually encouraged us to really look at where we were, where we wanted to be, what we wanted to do. Things weren’t coming together for us in our hometown of Craig, CO. We considered work in the cold of North Dakota, and dreamed of being in the tropical climate of Florida. But we kept returning to Grand Junction, CO in our mind and hearts. We lived there once before, and loved the slightly milder climate, the businesses, and job opportunities; all while remaining close enough to our families that we could visit occasionally.

In early December we journeyed there to look into a job for Ty, who planned to investigate a trucking position. We went in our motor home and stayed at the campground we often have visited over the past few years. While in their office, I happened to ask if they had any job openings. Surprisingly, there WAS an opportunity coming available in January. Upon returning to our coach I emailed my resume to the owners, and was delighted when they asked if we could do an interview the following morning. Our visit with them went well, and I was offered a workamping position.

Our new life began, appropriately, on New Year’s Day, when we finished loading essentials and our pets into our motor home and moved to Grand Junction. I began work at Junction West RV Park on January 2nd. In following entries I’ll explain workamping in more detail, and I’ll share all kinds of fun stuff that we are learning about the RV lifestyle, and about each other. I hope you’ll come along with me as our story unfolds.

F.R.O.G.

I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine. Everyone who has met him has asked for further details, and it does make for a good story. So, to quote Al Pacino, “Say hello to my little friend!”

I met “Señor F.R.O.G.” in November 2007 while preparing for my work’s annual Chili Supper & Silent Auction. He was a mixed breed puppy that was donated for the fundraiser. His sister found a home by the evening's end, but the bidding for this little guy fell through. After cleaning up from the event, I had no choice but to take him home for the night, planning to return him to his previous home the next day. That’s when the problems began.

We already had two dogs, our older girl “Chix”, and hubby’s 6 month old mini Dachshund named “D’Artagnan”. Chix has seen other pet siblings come and go, and was unimpressed. Dart, on the other hand, thought I had brought this puppy home just for his own personal pleasure. They bonded immediately, like brothers from another mother.

Then there was the problem of housetraining another puppy. Dart was a challenge, but F.R.O.G. was a good boy from the start. He was happy to sleep in his doggy crate. He seemed smart, obedient, happy to please. And he was too darn cute for his own good. A “chick magnet”, hubby says.

My long-suffering husband offered that maybe F.R.O.G. could stay for the weekend, just to see what he was like. And he conceded that since my cat was very old, and probably not long for this world, that maybe God had brought F.R.O.G. into our lives at just the right time. Mind you, this didn’t mean that hubby liked or really approved of this puppy, but it did mean that F.R.O.G. got to stay.

And then there was the matter of the name. Yes I know Señor Frog’s is a popular tourist bar chain in Mexico. I may (or may not!) admit to dragging my own mother there once. But, really, that’s not where it came from. Did I mention that this puppy always plopped down with his hind legs stretched straight out like a frog? (He still does that to this day.) The puppy’s birth family is of Hispanic descent, and Señor is a Spanish name for Lord. I had recently learned of the acronym F.R.O.G. = Fully Rely On God. And so it all combined and stuck.

Just a couple weeks after this event, my office was destroyed by arson. My life became crazy trying to rebuild our organization and Señor F.R.O.G. often accompanied me as I worked on a new office. I found that every time I called my new puppy’s name, God was gently reminding me to Fully Rely On HIM!

It’s now two years later. The dog named F.R.O.G. is my near constant companion, a furry friend who daily reminds me of God’s love and presence in my life. I hope you can meet him someday!

The Hatching

On Friday I was blessed to watch one of God’s miracles, the hatching of an egg. While feeding my white doves (which are actually white homing pigeons), I checked my pair that was nesting, and noticed that one of their eggs had hatched overnight. Then I saw that their other egg was hatching right then.

A baby bird begins its journey out of the egg by pecking holes around the perimeter of the egg, and yes, they really do break in half much like a plastic Easter egg! I watched, fascinated, as this break in the egg grew wider, then it split apart.

The baby was now nestled in one half of the egg and started struggling to get out. It wiggled around until its bottom cleared the eggshell, and collapsed in exhaustion under the protective feathers of the mama bird.

Parent birds have no choice but to anxiously watch and wait as their little ones are in this process. They are not always willing to let a human have such a ringside seat, so I felt honored to be able to watch and take photos. A few times the mama bird told me my camera phone wasn’t welcome to come any closer, but I was able to get some neat photos anyway. (Click on the above photos to enlarge them.)

After a much needed rest, the baby dove was able to lift its tiny head and start poking around the mother’s feathers. I thought it interesting that although birds cannot feed their young in the manner which mammals do, their young still snuggle to their parent’s breast.

Pigeons are generally very attentive parents. Both parents produce a substance called “pigeon milk” which they will feed to their babies for the first week or two of life. It is produced in their crops (bird talk for stomach), and the babies push their beaks into their parents' mouths to receive the food.

The babies will double their weight everyday for the first week, growing very quickly, until they look just like their parents at only four weeks of age. By six weeks they will be flying around with their flock, ready to begin their own lives.

Thank you for allowing me to share this special event with you. I love watching my birds and their babies, and they always remind me of this verse: “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;” Psalm 91:4

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Autumn Rain

I awakened to the sound of rain tapping out a wet melody upon my roof this morning. It has turned out to be a very gray kind of day. And chilly. We have enjoyed a lovely “Indian Summer” in Colorado this year, but I know it can’t stay that way forever. Maybe this is the beginning of the end. The real end of summer. We had a “freeze warning” issued for last night, but I had already brought in the plants I wanted to save from the deck.

The trees in our area are just starting their transformation into their fall foliage, however the higher mountains are awash in glorious autumn colors. Red, gold, orange, yellow … all look beautiful against the faded grass and dark green conifers.

One week ago I was attending a conference in Buena Vista, CO. It was a beautiful place, nestled among a string of mountain peaks that we call “14ers”, meaning they are over 14,000 feet. Last Sunday there was a fresh dusting of snow upon those peaks, leaving them looking like God had sprinkled them with powdered sugar.

I know that God will soon decorate the mountains surrounding my valley similarly. And as usual, being a “stranded beach bunny”, I will mourn summer’s passing. So for today, I will enjoy this autumn rain. I will focus on the fact that is it bringing much needed moisture to our lawns and pastures, and lessening the wildfire risk. I will choose to enjoy this season, this day in my life.