Monday, October 24, 2011

AT MENTION OF THE WORD RV……’BLANK STARES’

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TONIGHT’S PHOTOS ARE FROM A WALK IN THE FOREST LATE THIS AFTERNOON   (NIKON D40 WITH A 70-300mm LENS ON BOARD)
We have a steel roof on our place so whenever a hard rain hits us there is generally quite a clatter.  Our clatter for the day began at 4:43 a.m. this morning but that's OK, I was up anyway.  And, because this is October 24th and not December 24th I know that clatter on our rooftop was not the wee hooves of 9 tiny reindeer.  Remember, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid , Donder, Blitzen, and Rudolph.....Ohhhh that Rudolph:))

Ever notice sometimes during certain conversations you may get blank stares.  Sometimes happens when talking to a casual stranger, somebody you just met or maybe an old friend you haven't seen for awhile.  We here in RV Land tend to take our RV lifestyle for granted.  We are all quite familiar with every day words such as RV (Recreational Vehicle), Full Timing, Diesel Pusher, Toad, Fiver, Rig, Slides, Boon Docking, Black Tank, Snow Birding, Brake Buddy, Hitch Pin, Hitch Itch, etc.  These same words however can bring a completely blank stare when talking to someone who is not of, nor is aware of the RVing world.  As strange as that may seem to us, we still have to realize and accept the fact we are in the minority of understandable and socially acceptable lifestyles.  I'm sure all of us at one time or another have found themselves on the defensive end of a conversation trying to explain the RVing lifestyle concept to someone who just doesn't get it.  I have read blogs and talked to folks, who when putting their RV dream plans together told absolutely no one about their intentions.  No friends, no business associates and in some cases, not even family.  I'm sure there are Full Timers on the road who's casual friend's have no idea where they are or where they have disappeared to.  Might even be some family members left wondering too.
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ROCKET DOG  ON THE MOVE
One of the quickest ways to attract criticism in our society is in daring to be different.  Society tends to set a normal style of life…….as for example, working 9 to 5, couple kids in school with a nice house on a nice street in a nice town.  And a nice car in the driveway of course.  Deviate too far from this and eyebrows begin to get nervous.  Whispers can be heard.  To the majority of the norm it is totally inconceivable that someone would sell their precious car and house along with all their worldly possessions to go live in a steel and fibreglass box on wheels.   No roots, no social club, no steadfast daily routines, no same-same friends, no seeing the Grands 3 times a week or eating at your favourite restaurant 4 times a month or being in that same church pew every Sunday morning year after year after year.   How is it possible to live without the daily normalcy of routine.  How can people exist without all their 'stuff' clustered around them.
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I can't remember when it was I first became aware of and interested in the RV world but it was a very long time ago.  I have always had that wanderlust feeling right from early childhood but it was probably in my first days of tent camping that my mind began to formulate the understanding and feasibility of a different kind of realistic lifestyle.  The word 'Gypsy' still did not have a good reputation back when I was a kid so one had to be careful when expressing any kind of interest in living a life other than the accepted norm.  A kid sure didn't want to be associated with those wild Gypsies after all.     Luckily, along with a lot of other old wives tales and myths, the stigma attached to the word Gypsy has long ago gone the way of the Dinosaur.  Well, at least in my sometimes topsy turvey little world it has.   
How fortunate I consider myself to be since making the leap into the Nomadic lifestyle even if it is only half a year at a time.   Our first rig back in the late 90's was a 17' Class C Dodge Centurion and from the time we headed that little RV down the road until now we have never looked back.  Although not Full Timers we do manage to spend 5 or 6 months a year as Snow Birds traveling and living in our Motor Home in America's great Southwest.  Our alternating lifestyles have brought us a far greater understanding of not only our surroundings, but ourselves as well.  Personally, I much prefer our life on the road as opposed to our sitting at home life but that's just the way it has to be right now.  My mind spends time on this problem each and every day trying to figure out a reasonable solution and agreeable compromise on how to better tip the balance in favour of spending less time at home and more time on the open road enjoying all the benefits the RV lifestyle has to offer.  A lifestyle outside the box, a lifestyle outside society's 'norm' and a lifestyle like no other………….10-4:))
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GROANER'S CORNER:(( There was a man who had worked all of his life and had saved all of his money. He was a real miser when it came to his money. He loved money more than just about anything, and just before he died, he said to his wife, "Now listen, when I die, I want you to take all my money and place it in the casket with me. I wanna take my money to the afterlife."
So he got his wife to promise him with all her heart that when he died, she would put all the money in the casket with him.
Well, one day he died. He was stretched out in the casket, the wife was sitting there in black next to her closest friend. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said "Wait just a minute!" she had a shoe box with her, she came over with the box and placed it in the casket.
Then the undertakers locked the casket down and rolled it away.
Her friend said, "I hope you weren't crazy enough to put all that money in the casket."
She said, "Yes, I promised. I'm a good Christian, I can't lie. I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him."
"You mean to tell me you put every cent of his money in the casket with him?"
"I sure did, " said the wife. "I got it all together, put it into my account and I wrote him a check."
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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

16 comments:

  1. Sounds like you are chomping at the bit to git on the road again. Great! Any target date yet for your departure?

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  2. I don't recall ever getting blank stares. Guess I don't think this lifestyle is that bizarre.

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  3. I have two brothers and a sister. One brother and his wife, and my sister all say they would rather go on a cruise, fly and stay in hotels. The other has a nice class A motor home. Each to their own!

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  4. Al, your post really resonates with me right now. I've been reading about some of the emigrants that came to Oregon on the Oregon Trail. Some people referred to them as "pilgrims". (I think John Wayne might have used that term now and then.) They all were willing to leave whatever life they had to head out into a big unknown wilderness. Mostly walking alongside their wagons, they were lucky to make 15 miles a day on a good day. Along the way many had to unload much if not all of their "stuff" and leave it alongside the trail, in order to lighten the load.

    We are so fortunate to be here at this time. There are many "pilgrims" on the highways these days traveling in all directions. Most days we can get much farther than 15 miles.

    Our "stuff" can still hold us up, so often times, lightening the load, is still the only way to go.
    It's great to share our experiences with others and see places we've always wondered about. Enjoying a lifestyle that gives us the very best of all worlds (at least as far as we're concerned) makes for many rewarding experiences.

    The RV lifestyle is a great alternative to the conventional retirement plans for older people, and a wonderful way for younger people to break away from the "normal grind". So happy that we have discovered it, and so glad that you have, too. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. you may get a blank stare when you mention to someone the words of the 'rv vocabulary'..I have gotten more than one strange comment when I talk about my 'bloggin' buddies'..no understanding there either..some think they are all like some weirdo in a Lousianna trailer park sitting naked on a folding chair!!..perfect strangers?..hardly!!

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  6. Al,

    I love your line: "minority of understandable and socially acceptable lifestyles".

    I'm glad to be one of the few that looks forward to living outside the box, and enjoying it too!

    I guess that makes us members of the modern day "Wild Bunch". :c)

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  7. It's funny how completely your life can change if you are open to the opportunity. 7 years ago we didn't know what an RV was, and now can't imagine living any other way.

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  8. From my very early childhood I always realized I was a gypsy, and there are more ways than one to be a gypsy. I think I have done it several ways, according to where I was in my current state of life. The biggest drawback is that a gypsy is never content to "just be". Hitch itch is a perfect example of that.

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  9. I read your blog through Google Reader, so don't read or see comments unless I click through to your actual site.

    I'm just catching up on my blog reading, so didn't even know you had missed some days.

    You might get a lot of info from this blog....
    http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/

    In March 2010 I had 478 blood sugar and switched to eating a low carb diet because diabetes meds made me sick. I quit eating grains at that point. Not only did my blood sugar go back down to a normal 85, but I "accidentally" lost 170 pounds.

    The longer I have been low carb, the better I feel :-) There is sooooooooo much involved that I won't go into details....just know that there is a parallel universe to buying commercial gluten free or wheat free products. Look up recipes for low carb breads and other foods. They taste MUCH better! :-)

    Check out my blog for the before and after pics. I'm still amazed at how much better I am after switching to low carb.

    http://wendyusuallywanders.wordpress.com/

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  10. LOVED the groaner! And you are right, many times when I (Janna) was still working with the folks who were on the fast track to obtain STUFF I would say "we live in a RV in the winter time in Arizona." Blank stares! And sometimes a condescending look--you live in a trailer kind of look.

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  11. I'm lucky I get blank stares when talking about Rving, and when talking about trains.But most of the time people know a little about both.Glad you are almost ready for your trip. I haven't been commenting as much as I have been engrossed in trying to figure which way to go with the fiver, Be safe out there. Sam & Donna..

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  12. Great blog today, Al! As you know, we have crept back a little bit (maybe more than a little bit) to the "normal" life, but it is still in an RV. Seven years, though, total full-timing on the road. But when we discuss our RVing life with strangers, we usually see a wistful expression and hear, "Boy, I'd sure like to do that someday!" And then there come the questions: How do you ..../ Where do you ...? When will you ...?

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  13. It took me 9 months to get rid of all our "stuff", sell the house & my favorite car. But you know what: I don't miss them at all! This RV Life is a blessing, which I'm very thankful for!
    Sounds like you got "Hitch Itch" real bad! It won't be long until you're "on the road again!"
    Hope to see you this winter!
    Kathy & Grant

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  14. I think most of our friends are a bit envious of our Winter trips...My parents had a little travel trailer in their later years..but they just parked it on the river 10 miles from home, because they couldn't leave the cemetery longer than a weekend ( in case there was a funeral). But..I did see how much more "alive" they became when they spent time in that little trailer...It made a huge impression on me and that's why Den and I chose to join the ranks of the "happy campers"..Ya gotta live it to understand it, eh??

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  15. Yep, we're all trailer trash living over at that dump RV park!!!!!!!! Or worse we just pull off the road out in the wilderness and land squat on public lands that don't even belong to us......

    Trailer Trash to be sure!!!

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