Traveling at the speed of art!

Here in south Texas, I found an 'interactive art studio' where you do more than paint.  Tonight, was a sushi-making class!  It was easier than I thought--nori, sticky rice, some veggies, cream cheese and 'faux' crab all rolled together. Good stuff!
It might have been easier and tasted better if I had done as the others did--bring wine. But I didn't have a designated driver!

After the sushi, we moved over to the painting area, where a canvas and paints were set up for each of us. We painted in a background and then stensiled on the Japanese symbols for 'Live, Laugh, Love'.

This is a picture of my attempt!

It was a nice evening with 3 couples who were hospitable and fun to be around. I'm looking forward to, at least, one more class---AND thinking that I may have to try this on a smaller scale with a few friends.

Who's up for it?

Traveling at the speed of sleep.

Maybe it's Daylight Savings Time--no, that's not it.  Maybe it's rainy days. Maybe it's staying up until midnight---NO---wait a second---I think I have it!
The reason I can't wake up early when we're at an RV park is because of tryptophan! The RV park owners have all conspired to keep us here past 11 AM so we'll have to pay for another night!   Now I see their plan AND the purpose for the guard shack!  As you drive into the park, they spray tryptophan into your truck or motorhome.
That's got to be it!  I don't sleep in when we're parked at a Walmart. I don't sleep past 7 or 8 when we're at home---well,  not usually. Except for the last few months and that's because it's been cold. I NEVER sleep late in the summer time--unless the AC is set too low... or the room is dark... or I don't have a busy day planned.
It's only when we're in an RV park that I sleep late, so it can't be me. It's MUST be a conspiracy. It must be...
Never mind....I'm going back to bed!

Traveling at the speed of tumbling barbeque grills!

If the RV is rocking...we must be in south Texas!
[I wrote this several years ago. Well, I'm back in south Texas and the wind is the same. So I thought I would share this again--for your amusement! The only reason the wind hasn't blown my barbecue pit over this trip is that I don't have one! But, I think I see my neighbor's pit rolling down the street. Excuse me while I try to catch a pork chop!]
The wind here is always blowing. (I guess it would be or they wouldn't call it 'wind'!)  There are days when it's too windy.
"Wanna go for a bike ride?"
"Naw, it's too windy"
"Wanna go play golf?"
"Naw, it's too windy."
But yesterday was something else. Yesterday, the neighbor told me it was too windy for her to take the dog for a walk! It seems they didn't want their 10-pound pooch to become a kite.
Supper at the Italian place down the road was great and we walked out into the still night air, looked up at the moon and came to a screeching halt! "What happened to the wind?" Not a leaf stirred! "Well, it's a beautiful night after all."
When we got back to the RV park, we noticed that the wind had not left.
"Wanna move the coach down to the Italian-place?"
"Naw, it's too windy."
Then we snuggled down for a long-night's nap.
A doctor on a TV health show I had watched earlier in the day said that if you have trouble going to sleep, it might be helpful to put a hammock in your bedroom.  The swinging/rocking motion is just as soothing to adults as it is to babies. So going to sleep was easy---being gently swayed by the wind. Then the swaying turned into rocking and the rocking to buffeted! The "CRASH" at 3 in the morning brought hubby and me to an upright position. I went searching. The bikes? No, they fell about noon. The lawn chairs? No, they were still tucked away from 2 days ago. Then I saw it--the tumbling barbecue grill!
(Please note that I am NOT outside--just investigating from the safety (?) of the coach--looking out the windows.)
Hubby likes to cook outside and so he bought a grill that is about 2 feet by 1 foot--about 30 pounds of stainless steel--that sits on 6-inch legs on the folding table that we carry just for that purpose. A couple of days ago, after fighting the breeze all morning, he gave up.  "Can't cook outside. The wind keeps blowing out the fire."
But THIS was a first for us.  The wind was so strong it had blown the grill off of the table--mystery solved.
"Wanna go back to bed?"
"Naw, it's too windy."

Traveling at the speed of...time

Well, here we go again!  Another Spring and another chance to SEE THE WORLD!  Or probably just the grandkids!!  Who needs to see Yellowstone when you can see your granddaughter learn to run? Who needs time at the beach when you can take your grandsons fishing?  The Bible says that there is a time for everything---and I am thankful that I have this time to spend with family.
The Washington Monument has been standing there for...well...a long time and not once did it need me to hold it or read to it.  It will probably be there for another hundred years or so without ever wanting to 'sleep in the RV'. But our grandkids cherish the times they can be with us. That maybe why grandkids are so special--they WANT to be with us, while our kids just endured us until they could move out!  :)
There are many places I would like to see--but it's the faces that mean the most to me. The time I spent and, hopefully, will spend watching our kids and grandkids play, listening to their laughter and sweet songs is priceless. And treasured forever...
And we can get there for only $4 a gallon!! What a bargain!!

Traveling at the speed of clothes!

They're everywhere! They're everywhere! I think the ugly ones are multiplying!

When we packed the RV, I left most of what filled my closet on the sidewalk. (No need to throw them away. If you leave it, they will come.) It seemed reasonable to have 2 pair of nice slacks, a few blouses to go with them, a nice jacket, 2 dresses, several pairs of jeans and lots of t-shirts in various colors. Oops--almost forgot the work out clothes, bathing suits and pajamas. And I've gotta have a coat or 2 or 3. Of course, hubby is packing his side of the closet, too. More clothes!

But everything fit.

A week later, we added 2 little boys and, of course, their clothes! "But, it's temporary," I told myself. "I'll just stack them here for now." By this time, we also had DIRTY clothes. I told myself, "I could put them in the washing machine while we're traveling." No, the washing machine was full of clean, but WET clothes! Okay, let's move these clothes, put a hamper here and put DIRTY clothes in it.

Then we parked for a week and clothes began to appear on the bed and the backs of chairs. "What's that doing there? Why isn't it in the dirty clothes?" I'm going to wear it again. It's not really dirty.

So...now...we have CLEAN clothes in the closet, DIRTY clothes in the hamper, WET clothes in the washer, TO-BE-FOLDED clothes in the dryer and NOT-SO-DIRTY clothes hanging here, there and yonder. When I want to go to bed, I have to move clothes from the bed to...somewhere else, take off my DIRTY (or NOT-SO DIRTY) clothes, find a place to throw them and look thru all the other clothes to find my NIGHT clothes.

When we traveled up north last fall, we needed different clothes, sweat shirts, etc. So, to our list of CLEAN clothes, DIRTY clothes, NOT-SO dirty clothes, WET clothes and TO-BE-FOLDED clothes, we now have WARM clothes. Since many of our clothes are SHRINKING clothes, we have had to add BIG clothes!

Somewhere along the road, we established a rule: If you buy something, you have to get rid of something else. But that hasn't seemed to help in the area of clothes. I have thrown out most of the NICE clothes. We don't go anywhere nice enough to need them. I have thrown out some of the SHRINKING clothes. Yet, the closet is full, the drawers are stuffed, I'm wearing some and still the bedroom is over-run with clothes.

Now that we are on the beach, COOL clothes have invaded the bedroom, the bathroom and the folding chairs outside. Where do they all come from?

As I said, I think when we turn off the lights, they multiply. Now, if I could just convince them to produce PRETTY, WRINKLE-RESISTANT clothes that put themselves away...

Traveling at the speed of cleaning!

Joan Rivers won me over when she said, "What's the point of cleaning house? You mop, you dust, you wash dishes---6 months, you have to do it all over again!"

Well, I gave it up for longer than that. Some 20 years ago, I was able to hire someone(s), to do the difficult housework for me. I have been blessed to not have to clean toilets and mop. The cooking and washing dishes is the easy part.

THEN, we packed up the RV and hit the road. It never occurred to me that Merry Maids would not be coming with me! And, though we have traveled thru half of the US, I haven't found an RV cleaning service--not for the inside anyway! Sure, near almost every truck stop there is a truck wash where you can drive thru and 3 or 4 little men (well, they look little from where I'm sitting) come out and wash the OUTSIDE! It probably wouldn't be good for the TV if I had them bring their high-pressure hoses inside.

So... I am back to cleaning the toilet, mopping, dusting, etc. My goal is to spend one day a week cleaning and today happens to be that day. Of course, it seemed more important to write about it than to actually get up and get it done. But it's small, right? How long can it take? One bed to make, one bathroom to clean, two rooms to vacuum/mop, a few dishes and a small countertop to clean---"what's the problem?", you say.

I say, "You don't have to wash the windshield or the steering wheel or the gas pedal when YOU clean house! You don't have to move the driver's seat so you can clean the little gauge covers and cupholders. You probably don't even HAVE a dashboard that needs scrubbing in YOUR house."

Oh well, at least, I don't have to wipe down the walls and dust the pictures---I don't HAVE any!!! My walls are all covered with cabinets--wooden ones that need to be oiled--or mirrors so big Dolly Parton could see both of her boobs at once--or windows with cute little red handles next to the sticker that says 'Emergency EXIT Only'. Like I might jump out the window even if the RV is NOT on fire!!

At this rate, it may take me six months to get it all done. I wonder if Joan Rivers ever lived in an RV.

Traveling at the speed of maintenance...

Here we are--back home in Indiana. Not that WE are from Indiana, but "Coach" is. So we brought him home to have his folks (the Newmar factory) check him out. After a few days here, we will be on the road again--up to Michigan to see the other side of the family! The Spartan plant will check out (and do necessary repairs) on the chassis.

The yearly trip is relatively (pun intended) easy for us and helpful to keep "Coach" going! Once we are sure he's okay, we'll go back south to Cincinnati to spend most of the summer there enjoying time with the grandkids. They love "Coach" as much as we do!

See you down the road...