It's a relief to be homeless. I say that tongue in cheek, because I know just how lucky I am. In the span of two months, we sold our house, stashed our stuff in storage, and moved into a 38-foot Redwood fifth-wheel RV. We're what the RV community calls "Full-timers."
This blog will chronicle our life over the next year. It's all new and shiny now, but I know it will not always be easy. I will miss the day-t0-day interaction with my friends. I will miss my church community. I won't miss the traffic noise behind my former house, the barking dogs next door, or a house-full of chores.
As a child, my favorite book series was "The Boxcar Children" by Gertrude Chandler Warner. In it, four orphaned siblings create a home in a boxcar in an effort to stay together.
To me, there is something so wonderfully appealing in the idea of creating a little home with a neat little kitchen, a sleeping area and shared chores for all. I always wanted to live in a boxcar, and now, with a modern twist, I get the chance. Granted, it's not an abandoned boxcar. The Alden children in Warner's classic would have marveled at the woodwork, the Corian counters, the high-definition TVs. I would have to agree, and add that it is wonderfully cozy. The brochure boasts the 6-4-2 Baby Boomer Rule for Entertaining: 6 for cocktails, 4 for dinner, 2 for sleep. As Benjamin Franklin said, "A place for everything, and everything in its place." It's the perfect scenario for a person with mild OCD.
Full-timers are quick to point out that even though they may reside in an "RV Resort," they are not on vacation. There are still the mundane tasks of life to do: grocery shopping, paying bills, laundry, etc. Larry continues to fly his regular schedule Southwest Airlines.
I found out the hard way that there are some additional chores that must be done regularly. Namely, the tanks need to be dumped. There are three tanks: the galley tank which is "grey tank 1," the shower tank, which is "grey tank 2," and the aptly named "black tank," which I'm sure you can figure out. If you don't drain the tanks regularly, you'll get rising water in an unsubtle way. Now I check the tanks regularly and dump as needed.
For the most part, my chores are anything inside the trailer, Larry's are the jobs that happen on the outside. Also, I don't drive the truck that pulls the trailer. It's just better that way...
So I hope I will have something interesting to say about being a full-timer. One thing is certain: I'm excited to make our way across the country and spend a little time in a few of the unique communities that make up this wonderful country.
