Sundays at home have become "bin filling" days. With Monday being trash day, we do our best to fill our garbage and recycling bins to the brim with stuff that we won't need as fulltimers. (Actually, we don't need any of it now!)
Today we gave our shredder a workout, freeing ourselves of papers that, once upon a time, seemed important enough to keep. But, not anymore. Along with the shredding, Boris parted with a pile of old class materials. We've started to take in the magnitude of this purging project. There's so much to get rid of!!!
We'll just keep moving one bin at a time.
New Q
We love to grill.
(A bit of a detour here. In Boris' world there is a distinct distinction between grillin' and barbeque. Barbeque involves a tomato-y sauce. Grillin' is cookin' over open flame with charcoal or gas.)
We've toted our vintage Weber Smoky Joe for years. It has gone above and beyond the call of duty. After many miles of faithful service, it's on its last leg. It's loaded in Bullwinkle's basement, but we've been shopping for a replacement.
Click, click, click and a replacement was found today.
We're Weber fans from way back. So, we were particularly interested in their line of portable gas grills...the Qs. There's a Baby Q and a full-size Q. And, they seem to be in the middle of a brand transformation, because there's also a Q100 and Q200 and Q300. We did our research and decided the Q220 was for us. It's big enough for tri-tips, pork roasts and turkey breasts, which are among our favorites.
We had a few gift certificates built up at amazon.com. We went there and found the Q220 at a nice price that was even nicer after we applied the gift certificates. So, we bought a cover, too. It'll be here Tuesday.
We can't wait to put our new Q to use.
(A bit of a detour here. In Boris' world there is a distinct distinction between grillin' and barbeque. Barbeque involves a tomato-y sauce. Grillin' is cookin' over open flame with charcoal or gas.)
We've toted our vintage Weber Smoky Joe for years. It has gone above and beyond the call of duty. After many miles of faithful service, it's on its last leg. It's loaded in Bullwinkle's basement, but we've been shopping for a replacement.
Click, click, click and a replacement was found today.
We're Weber fans from way back. So, we were particularly interested in their line of portable gas grills...the Qs. There's a Baby Q and a full-size Q. And, they seem to be in the middle of a brand transformation, because there's also a Q100 and Q200 and Q300. We did our research and decided the Q220 was for us. It's big enough for tri-tips, pork roasts and turkey breasts, which are among our favorites.
We had a few gift certificates built up at amazon.com. We went there and found the Q220 at a nice price that was even nicer after we applied the gift certificates. So, we bought a cover, too. It'll be here Tuesday.
We can't wait to put our new Q to use.
Accelerating?
On this most auspicious day (08-08-08) we're reflecting on yesterday, when it seemed just about everyone was encouraging us to accelerate our plans to become fulltimers.
Boris had lunch planned with a friend. With pictures of Bullwinkle and our latest adventures in hand, he shared the news of the latest addition to our family and our plans for the future.
I spent time with my hairstylist yesterday. And, as every woman knows, the best hairstylists also provide a listening ear and sage advice.
Back home, Boris and I shared stories of our outings. We were surprised to hear that the friend and the hairstylist had exactly the same thing to say:
"What's keeping you here?"
We both answered that we didn't know for sure. So, being the dutiful friend and stylist, they asked a few more questions and listened attentively to the answers. Then, we reported to each other, they came to the same answer of the big question they had asked:
"Nothing!"
We talked about it together, and agreed that our therapists du jour were absolutely correct. Really, truly, there is nothing keeping us here. (Heck, one of my sticking points was indeed my hairstylist. I told her I wasn't sure what to do about my hair on the road. She had an answer for that, too! So, now it's really nothing!)
Today we are seriously thinking about accelerating our plans. We're not ready to declare a new departure date just yet. But, we might soon. So, stay tuned!
Boris had lunch planned with a friend. With pictures of Bullwinkle and our latest adventures in hand, he shared the news of the latest addition to our family and our plans for the future.
I spent time with my hairstylist yesterday. And, as every woman knows, the best hairstylists also provide a listening ear and sage advice.
Back home, Boris and I shared stories of our outings. We were surprised to hear that the friend and the hairstylist had exactly the same thing to say:
"What's keeping you here?"
We both answered that we didn't know for sure. So, being the dutiful friend and stylist, they asked a few more questions and listened attentively to the answers. Then, we reported to each other, they came to the same answer of the big question they had asked:
"Nothing!"
We talked about it together, and agreed that our therapists du jour were absolutely correct. Really, truly, there is nothing keeping us here. (Heck, one of my sticking points was indeed my hairstylist. I told her I wasn't sure what to do about my hair on the road. She had an answer for that, too! So, now it's really nothing!)
Today we are seriously thinking about accelerating our plans. We're not ready to declare a new departure date just yet. But, we might soon. So, stay tuned!
Card Carrying
We feel so official. Our new cards are here.
One of the inspirations sparked from our initial mini-escapes resulted in creating our own "calling cards." Already we've met so many wonderful people. We've exchanged email addresses with a few, and wished we had been able to do that with others. The morning we left our July 4th campsite in Plymouth, we were so pleased that one of our new friends left her business card on our picnic table. She had scribbled personal contact info on the back. With that, we could keep touch. Without it, we never would have connected with them again for a fun weekend in Duncans Mills.
Not wanting to distribute our business cards for a bunch of reasons, we opted to create our own very non-business cards. All it took was a few clicks at Vista Print, a couple of bucks and a relatively short wait for the US Mail. The card includes our names, email address and the web address for Bullwinkle's Travels. We also included Bullwinkle's name, make and model, of course. They look good. We're pleased with the result.
We look forward to using these classy little cards to stay connected with the friends we make on the road.
Guess that makes us "card carrying" RVers. Now, we are official!
One of the inspirations sparked from our initial mini-escapes resulted in creating our own "calling cards." Already we've met so many wonderful people. We've exchanged email addresses with a few, and wished we had been able to do that with others. The morning we left our July 4th campsite in Plymouth, we were so pleased that one of our new friends left her business card on our picnic table. She had scribbled personal contact info on the back. With that, we could keep touch. Without it, we never would have connected with them again for a fun weekend in Duncans Mills.
Not wanting to distribute our business cards for a bunch of reasons, we opted to create our own very non-business cards. All it took was a few clicks at Vista Print, a couple of bucks and a relatively short wait for the US Mail. The card includes our names, email address and the web address for Bullwinkle's Travels. We also included Bullwinkle's name, make and model, of course. They look good. We're pleased with the result.
We look forward to using these classy little cards to stay connected with the friends we make on the road.
Guess that makes us "card carrying" RVers. Now, we are official!
Joining
Now that we've been out with two RV groups, we're facing this question: What to join?
We are joiners, no doubt about it. Like I said, we're both extraverts and love meeting people. As it turns out, it seems just about most people enjoy meeting us, too. So, it's easy for us to join any and every group that comes our way. And, once we join our old friend overwhelm is not far behind. We find ourselves overcommitted, busy and tired...even if what we're up to is "fun". So, we're taking this business of joining an RV club (or two) seriously.
Since we're planning to be fulltiming in a bit, we're concentrating first on which national clubs to join. Then, we'll pick our "local" chapters of those groups. Our current choices are the Winnebago-Itasca Travelers Club and the Family Motor Coach Association. With the WIT group, there are resident experts on our brand of motorhome. Plus, it's great fun hanging out with people who love Winnebagos. Every FMCA'er we've met on the road has been friendly and helpful. It feels like a real community. And, the chapter we hung out with last weekend was loads of fun. Another local FMCA chapter is hosting a rally over Thanksgiving. We're thinking about checking them out then.
We're also considering the Escapees. Their name most closely represents what we're up to! Plus, they have "classes" of fulltimers who are comparing notes about getting ready to hit the road. I just read through the Class of 2009 thread. Even though we're probably more realistically the Class of 2010, it's inspiring and comforting to read what these future fulltimers are up to.
Of course, we've already joined other RV-related "clubs" that are less about joining and more about saving. We plunked down our bucks to join the KOA campers club on our first night out on the Grand Canyon trip. Then we joined Good Sam. And, of course, we joined Camping World on our first trip there. That membership paid for itself in one quick scan of a barcode!
We sure to join something. Meanwhile, we'll enjoy shopping around.
We are joiners, no doubt about it. Like I said, we're both extraverts and love meeting people. As it turns out, it seems just about most people enjoy meeting us, too. So, it's easy for us to join any and every group that comes our way. And, once we join our old friend overwhelm is not far behind. We find ourselves overcommitted, busy and tired...even if what we're up to is "fun". So, we're taking this business of joining an RV club (or two) seriously.
Since we're planning to be fulltiming in a bit, we're concentrating first on which national clubs to join. Then, we'll pick our "local" chapters of those groups. Our current choices are the Winnebago-Itasca Travelers Club and the Family Motor Coach Association. With the WIT group, there are resident experts on our brand of motorhome. Plus, it's great fun hanging out with people who love Winnebagos. Every FMCA'er we've met on the road has been friendly and helpful. It feels like a real community. And, the chapter we hung out with last weekend was loads of fun. Another local FMCA chapter is hosting a rally over Thanksgiving. We're thinking about checking them out then.
We're also considering the Escapees. Their name most closely represents what we're up to! Plus, they have "classes" of fulltimers who are comparing notes about getting ready to hit the road. I just read through the Class of 2009 thread. Even though we're probably more realistically the Class of 2010, it's inspiring and comforting to read what these future fulltimers are up to.
Of course, we've already joined other RV-related "clubs" that are less about joining and more about saving. We plunked down our bucks to join the KOA campers club on our first night out on the Grand Canyon trip. Then we joined Good Sam. And, of course, we joined Camping World on our first trip there. That membership paid for itself in one quick scan of a barcode!
We sure to join something. Meanwhile, we'll enjoy shopping around.
Oh Give Us A Home
A Home Campground, that is.
This weekend's mini-escape just 30-miles or so away has us in serious search mode for a place we can make an easy escape to anytime we want. We're thinking of it as our home campground.
The place we visited last weekend was fine, but gale force winds and lots of highway noise were the norm. Not exactly what we're looking for.
We made reservations yesterday at another spot in the area that was recommended to us by a couple we met in Plymouth. It's their home campground. We're hopeful that it might just become ours, too.
We'll see.
This weekend's mini-escape just 30-miles or so away has us in serious search mode for a place we can make an easy escape to anytime we want. We're thinking of it as our home campground.
The place we visited last weekend was fine, but gale force winds and lots of highway noise were the norm. Not exactly what we're looking for.
We made reservations yesterday at another spot in the area that was recommended to us by a couple we met in Plymouth. It's their home campground. We're hopeful that it might just become ours, too.
We'll see.
In A Group vs. On Our Own
We're home again, and already looking forward to our next mini-escape. Such is the life of a future fulltimer.
With this trip behind us, we've now spent 10 nights in Bullwinkle. That's exactly equal to the number of nights we spent in our rented trusty Tioga when we went to the big ditch and back in April. (True, the nights in the Tioga were spread over 11 days...in Bullwinkle we've done it in just about a month.) We're looking forward to our next trip when Bullwinkle will represent the majority of our nights on the road.
Of our 10 nights in the new moose, we've noticed that we've spent a mere four enjoying a quiet dinner alone. That's one of the things we love the most about this lifestyle. Already, our extravert tendencies have taken the lead: six nights have been spent happily enjoying dinner in the company of others -- Winnebago groups we've met in the campground, friends we've met along the way, and an FMCA group that invited us to join them for a rally.
That leads us to an important question: How much do we do with groups vs. going out on our own?
With groups, we love meeting new people, the camaraderie, the conversation, the food, fun and good times. With ourselves we love, well, being by ourselves.
Right now, we're missing enjoying time alone with our moose. So 40/60 isn't balanced enough for us. Maybe we'll shoot for something closer to 50/50 or 60/40.
Next outing, we're definitely on our own.
With this trip behind us, we've now spent 10 nights in Bullwinkle. That's exactly equal to the number of nights we spent in our rented trusty Tioga when we went to the big ditch and back in April. (True, the nights in the Tioga were spread over 11 days...in Bullwinkle we've done it in just about a month.) We're looking forward to our next trip when Bullwinkle will represent the majority of our nights on the road.
Of our 10 nights in the new moose, we've noticed that we've spent a mere four enjoying a quiet dinner alone. That's one of the things we love the most about this lifestyle. Already, our extravert tendencies have taken the lead: six nights have been spent happily enjoying dinner in the company of others -- Winnebago groups we've met in the campground, friends we've met along the way, and an FMCA group that invited us to join them for a rally.
That leads us to an important question: How much do we do with groups vs. going out on our own?
With groups, we love meeting new people, the camaraderie, the conversation, the food, fun and good times. With ourselves we love, well, being by ourselves.
Right now, we're missing enjoying time alone with our moose. So 40/60 isn't balanced enough for us. Maybe we'll shoot for something closer to 50/50 or 60/40.
Next outing, we're definitely on our own.
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