Family Time

May 31 - June 10, 2013

We said good-bye to Lubbock on Friday, May 31.  The Gypsy was in the way and we couldn't get a picture of it in our rearview mirror like the song says, but we did get a couple of good ones in the side mirror.

 

 

 

Karen and Greg fixed us up a spot to park the Gypsy any time we want to come by and stay for a while.  Can't get much better than that when it comes to moochdocking!  And what a beautiful spot it is.  We have affectionately named it the "IC Heaven RV Spot". 

 

 

 

 

"IC" for Indian Creek.

"Heaven" because it's heaven on earth.

"Spot" because it's one of a kind. 

 

The week went by quickly with time spent with family, cooking out, babysitting the grand nieces and nephews, doing some maintenance work on the Gypsy, and tending to the sheep and bottle feeding the orphans.

 



Fun in the "hot pool", as Tommy and Sunny call it.

Three little orphan babies get a bottle three times a day.

 



Terry and Ranita are building a new house there on the old home place. 
Here they are pouring concrete for some of the porches.




And then over the weekend, it was Richmon Reunion time at Lake Brownwood.  Always good times!

Some good ol' fashioned ping pong...

Tubing wars...

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of good food, of course.

 



Nap times and relaxing for those of all ages.

Uncle Jack, since you didn't have a blankie like Sunny with your name on it, we gave you the next best thing with the materials at hand.  Did you ever know we were messing with you?  :)

Max and baby Lynlee

 

"The Aunts"--Nancy, Geneva and Frances--and Karen, tending to the reunion business.

 

It was a grand week and very hard to leave it all behind.  But off for the next adventure we go!  We'll be back.  Don't let those babies forget us!



This Moving Stuff is WORK!

May 17-24, 2013
 
We finally officially moved into the Turtle on Friday, May 17.  My birthday.  Gonna make it easy to remember our full-timing anniversary!  It was a fun albeit stressful day.  I think I held my breath most of the day as we were unpacking, hoping we were going to find holes for all of the "stuff" we wanted to bring along.  It all worked out though.  That's not to say we don't have some things in funny places...but at least it's in here!  In one of Max's "past lives", he worked for a moving company, so he is quite the packer extraordinaire.  When I couldn't make everything fit, I called in the expert.  He never fails me!

Monday, May 20, was official moving day out of our house.  Byron Cowling Moving and Self-Storage showed up on Monday promptly at 8:30.  Justin and Logan were fabulous.  Justin has been with Byron Cowling for 11 years, since he graduated from high school.  Logan was a newbie with only 3 weeks under his belt.  Together, they made a great team.  Lots of youth.  Lots of energy.  Lots of muscle.  All things Max and I were running short of. 

 

 

Justin was just incredible.  He had been doing it for so long, you could just see him looking at what we had and figuring out how it needed to be loaded on that truck and then ultimately into the storage building.  Eleven hours later...a 10x20 by about 12 feet high...stacked from one end to the other and all the way to the ceiling...

I just couldn't see how they were going to get that last load in, but Justin could.  He said no need to pay more each month for another overflow unit; they could make it work.  And they did just that.  (He said he plays Tetrus in his spare time.  I'll bet he's very good at it.  Then again, having all our worldly possessions reduced to a Tetrus game is a bit humbling...)
 
I wasn't really prepared to clean the house that day but quickly decided they only needed one supervisor, and Max was the man.  So as they emptied rooms, I went behind them cleaning up and scrubbing from ceiling to floor in preparation for the new renters.  It worked out quite well and saved us an extra day or two at the house doing follow-up chores.
 
Tuesday morning I had a follow-up appointment with the orthodontist.  Sadly, they had to make me a new retainer and I am to wear it full-time for another 6-8 weeks.  Probably all those Tootsie Roles I've been eating, making up for the past 18 months, threw them out of whack again.  :) 
 
We spent time Tuesday afternoon organizing our "basement" (storage area underneath the Gypsy).  I had seen an organizing tip somewhere to use the see-through tubs and to make "labels" for each, listing the contents on a piece of paper and putting it inside each so you can see it when you open the basement door.  It worked out quite handily!
 
Wednesday we went to Sam's and bought new batteries for the Gypsy.  The lights have been cycling quite a bit--going dim and then brightening again when the converter kicks on.   Not only was it annoying and made it hard to see sometimes, but it was worrisome in anticipation of boondocking.  Max has been saying for quite a while he wanted to replace the one 12-volt battery we had with two 6-volt golf cart batteries, giving us more power for a longer period of time.  So we decided just to go ahead and bite the bullet and get it done while we had the time and a convenient Sam's nearby.  It seems to have fixed our problem.
 
Later that evening as I was preparing dinner for us and a friend who came to visit, Max opened the door and said, "Do you want to see what a trailer looks like that has a busted water line?"  Sadly, our very nice neighbors next door had water pouring out of their basement area.  A DPS officer, his wife and two children are staying in that trailer while their new house is being built.  Just as Max discovered the disaster, the wife and children drove up.  (The husband was at work.)  Max helped her shut the water off and start the draining process.  Unfortunately, they had not put any kind of water pressure regulator on their line, and for some reason it seems the park's water pressure spiked and their lines just couldn't take it.  We had an extra regulator and Max loaned it to them.  What a sickening thing to come home to.  The good news was it didn't get their battery wet so it didn't short out their electrical, and it didn't get into the living quarters upstairs.  It could have been a whole lot worse.  Thank the Lord for the blessings that come!

Later the same evening our neighbor on the other side of us experienced the same thing.  Yikes!  Maybe we should use a couple of those regulators just to be safe??!!

Yesterday we finally got my car sold.  Woohoo!  Big day.  Big relief.  Big blessing.

Today we were back at the house with the carpet cleaners, spent some time with Max's mom helping her get some things taken care of before we leave town, Max had a doctor's appointment, we ran more errands, came back to the Gypsy and took a little nap, and then evening and dinner was upon us.  Where does the time go?

We have things pretty much where we want them now, though, and that's a nice feeling.  We'll hit the road next Friday for Brownwood to spend about 10 days with immediate family and to attend a family reunion at Lake Brownwood.  Then it will be off to Port Aransas!

Note to everyone out there:  When I deleted my work email from my iPhone, it also deleted all my contacts and phone numbers.  That was a bad day.  If you have my number and you haven't heard from me this month, I would love a text from you giving me yours just to make sure I have it.  Thank you, and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

It's Been a Whirlwind!

It's been a whirlwind of a week.  I "retired" a week ago.  We haven't stopped since.  We signed a lease on the house April 30.  Woohoo--that was a big day! 

We had a reservation to move the Gypsy Turtle out to the Mesa Verde RV Park in Wolfforth on May 1 so we could run the slides out and pack it up.  The day before, we decided to give her a good bath and shine her up.  It was Max's first time to wash the roof.  What an experience THAT was.  It's a rubberized roof and pretty slick under normal circumstances.  Add Spic and Span and water and you have the makin's for some real excitement.

And then God decided to add an additional little twist...

Rain, sandstorm, winds 25-40 mph.  Poor Gypsy Turtle--she was turning brown again as fast as we could wash her off.  God is having so much fun with us...and the fun has only just begun!  Nevertheless, we got it done, she spent the last night at the storage place, and then Wednesday morning we moved her out to Mesa Verde. 

Since then we've actually spent very little time out there.  The majority of our time has been spent at the house packing up, sorting, throwing away, giving away and selling "stuff".  (Like the refrigerator last Saturday.  We were glad to get a buyer but boy have we missed it!).  But make do we have done.  

The house is a total wreck, but the biggest part is finished.  Those who know me will not be surprised to read that packing my books, my clothes and my kitchen have been the hardest days for me.  Books and clothes--it was all about making decisions.  Kitchen--yes, the decisions were a little hard to make, but packing away those dishes from Mom and Grandmas Richmon and Thomas also meant a lot of memories, and that day brought a few tears.  Arghhhhh--they told me there would be days like that, and they were right.  But...I shall take the memories with me.  And some day we'll have a new home for all those treasures.  All will be good.  There are many people who embark on this "full-timing" thing and get rid of everything they own that won't fit in their trailer.  That kind of deal is just not for me.  I'm too married to all those memories!  :)

We've had a few moments of, "Are you keeping that?" but not too many.  Mostly it's Max asking me.  He doesn't seem to be too attached to much.  (Except me.  I hope.  :))  After about the fifth time he asks that same question about something, I begin to realize he's not just forgetful, but rather he really, really wishes I would say no.  Sometimes by the fifth time I give in.  But sometimes I just say, "Y.E.S.--I am keeping that."  Thank goodness that's generally the end of the discussion.

Happy wife...happy life.  I keep reminding him.

We had our trailer weighed when we were at the rally in New Mexico in March, and we can only load on about 1200 pounds of "stuff".  That will leave us about a 600-pound cushion to load on water for boondocking (camping without hook-ups).  At first that sounded like a lot of stuff to me--until I heard that most full-timers carry about 2500-3000 pounds.  Gulp.  Max looks at the pile we've made so far to move out to the trailer and feels we're still on the safe side.  We hope, we hope.  We'll definitely have to get it weighed again when we're fully loaded to see how well we did. 

OK, off to bed.  It's midnight.  I used to NEVER be up this late.  Max said, "Welcome to retirement."  I guess.  And tomorrow is another big day.  The washer and dryer go out the door.  Gonna miss that washer and dryer. Then next week we move out the Gypsy Turtle!

Elephant Butte, NM

March 16 - 24, 2013

This week was our first long trip in the Gypsy Turtle - to Elephant Butte, NM.  We attended an RV-Dreams rally for most of the week.  Met a lot of wonderfully nice people, learned a lot about full-time RV-ing, and got to spend some quality time in our new home.  Prior to this, we had spent a total of three nights in our rig so every day was a learning experience.

We hit the mountains outside Capitan, NM on Saturday.  Our first chance to see how she would do in the mountains.  She didn't disappoint us!

We spent Saturday night at Mama Bear's RV Park in Capitan.  If you've never been to Capitan, it's a tiny place.  We asked where the restaurants were.  "Well, we only have one.  It's right there."  We asked where the grocery was.  "Well, it's a block that way."  So....even as strangers from out of town, we could find our way around!  :)

All went well in the setup except...no hot water.  Our hot water heater has four...yes FOUR...different switches on it.  Some for propane.  Some for electric.  We tried every one of them.  In every possible combination.  In every order we could think of.  Even went so far as to pull out the manual and try to follow the instructions.  No luck.  No hot water.  Finally I said that's ok, I've taken a cold shower before.  At least we HAVE water.  And electricity.  Life is good!

What I wasn't counting on was that cold water the next morning being from a cold mountain stream.  Woohoo!  Gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "brain freeze", let me tell ya!

When we came back from breakfast (at the one cafe...that was "right there"), our nice neighbor Vernon came over for a chat.  Max told him of our water heater problems.  Being the typical nice RV neighbor, he offered to take a look at it.  Hit a switch.  The thing fired right off.  Really??!!

We made the rest of the drive to Elephant Butte that morning with no incident.  Along the way we passed through the Valley of Fire outside Capitan.  All lava rock.  Interesting!

Arrived at the Elephant Butte Lake RV Resort right at 12:00.  We had arranged with Howard and Linda of RV-Dreams to weigh our rig when we got there.  They do weighing for the RV Safety and Education Foundation.  They can weigh your truck and your rig, tire by tire.  It's the best way to determine if you're within safe limits based on your truck and trailer specifications, and if you're balanced.  Thankfully, we are both.  Of some concern is that it doesn't sound like it's going to take too much more for us to hit our weight limits.  Wait, wait--I've still got a lot of packin' in to do!  This is going to get interesting...

Here we are, all set up and listening to the wind blow.  Could be Lubbock...except no dust.  Nice!  Elephant Butte, in our opinion, doesn't have just a whole lot going for it.  But the RV Resort is fabulous!

Monday was a free day for us before the rally started.  We spent much of the day getting to know our new home and doing some maintenance things we haven't had a chance to do.  Where we are parked in Lubbock at the storage place, we can't run all our slides out because the neighbor rigs are too close.  Makes doing any kind of working on it or packing it up a bit difficult.  That's ok.  There's always a Plan B!

The rally started Tuesday afternoon with registration, and then a catered welcome dinner and icebreaker activities.  Linda entertained us with a song.  That lady can sing!  One of their favorite songs -- "Free" by the Zac Brown Band.  Love it!  Yep--that's what this is all about.

The educational seminars started bright and early Wednesday morning.  Howard and Linda's mission is sharing their experiences and their knowledge of this full-timing lifestyle with anyone who is interested.  They lay it all out on their website www.rv-dreams.com, and they share it in their seminars.  Topics included:

• Emotional aspects of leaving your family and friends for this new adventure on the road
• Financial considerations and budgeting
• Working on the road
• Selecting a "home base"
• Insurance
• Weight and tire safety
• Driving, parking, towing, hitching, unhitching
• Utilities, tanks, RV systems, safety, checklists
• Batteries, appliances, generators, axles, plumbing, propane systems
• Internet on the road
• Boondocking and solar
• Choosing campgrounds and RV parks
• And one of the funnest activites--RV walk-throughs.  Those attendees who are willing open their homes for others to visit.  It's a great way to see layouts, modifications that people have made, organization and packing, etc., etc., etc.  Not to mention just a great social time! 

One of my show-off items.  Thanks, Buddie!  And thanks, Sis, for your beautiful handiwork!

By Saturday night our brains were full.  And Howard and Linda were no doubt tired!  So it was time to kick back and enjoy a night of good food and good times with new friends.  Southwestern Mexican Fiesta, of course!  Just a few of the great people we met--

Dan and Deb.  Our neighbors behind us.
Deb is taking her sewing machine on the road with her.
No ifs, ands or buts about it!

George and Lisa from Colorado Springs. 
Our neighbors across the street and a fabulous couple!

Jeff and Shilo.  Jeff is a policeman in Golden, CO.



Mary Beth, retired teacher from the
Houston area, running "solo" with her own Class A.
Terrific lady!

Harvey and Jayne
Harvey is a policeman in Houston.

James and Carol
They had the fanciest Class A motorhome there-- 
the one everybody else oohed and aahed over!

Shad and Tracie, also from Lubbock

Of course our wonderful hosts - Howard and Linda...

And yours truly...

One of Howard and Linda's signature songs and the last song of the night -- "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts.  Give it a listen.  From Max and I to all of you, too....  :)

Sunday morning we pulled out early for the trip home.  From Elephant Butte to Lubbock - about a 10-hour drive.  Whew.  We were worn out.  Now we know why most of those full-timers put a limit of about 4 hours a day on driving.  After about 4, you're done in.  Max did great, though.  Got us home safe and sound, even after having to make a stop at the Border Patrol station outside White Sands Missile Range.  I hear these stops are pretty common around the border areas, but for us it was a first. 

Officer - "Are you both US citizens?" 
Max - "Yes, Sir."
Officer - "Anybody in the trailer?"
In his most serious tone and with his most honest face - "No, Sir."
Officer - "Okay, you can go."
Me - "Whew..."
Max - "Do you have a restroom we can use?"
:)

Stay tuned.  The next two months are going to be busy!

Gearing Up to Gear Up!

Things are starting to gear up around here!  If only we could get all these decisions...decisions...decisions made.  We're making progress, though, and we're feeling good about it.  Max retires April 5, and my last day at work is April 30.  Max will spend April sprucing up the house and doing the myriad of things he constantly finds to do to get ready for our journey.  May will be spent packing the house, moving things into storage, moving our "must have's" into the Gypsy Turtle, leasing or selling the house (one of those many decisions we have yet to make), etc., etc., etc.  And then...LIFT-OFF! 

A few pics of our Turtle:

It's Ours!

Thanks for coming along on this ride with us, dear friends and family.  We're going to love the company!