Once again we found ourselves wrestling with that now familiar question: Shall we go camping this weekend? This week, we went back and forth. We wanted to go, and the weekend forecast called for rain.
To that, we said: "So what?"
Our answer to our own question came quickly. "Like, it's not ever going to rain while we're fulltiming?"
Yeah, right!
Now we're eager to have a practice run with Bullwinkle in the rain. It all sounds very cozy: raindrops falling on the roof while we enjoy football, chili, our cats and a good book or two.
And, with the switch back to Standard Time, we get an extra hour of all that good stuff.
We can't wait.
Ready to Tow
When we bought our motorhome, the thought of towing the Jeep behind seemed like a very far-off to-do. After all, maneuvering a 32-foot box on wheels was enough of a challenge for a couple of newbies. The idea of pulling another 8 feet or so of toad was lots more than we could handle. We pacified our need for added transport by adding a bike rack to the back. With our bikes in tow, that'd keep our need to get serious about towing at bay. Until today.
It's official. We are seriously ready to tow.
Having the Jeep around this weekend was great fun. It made wine tasting and geocaching a breeze. We shopped for groceries after we set up camp. It was definitely a treat to have an extra set of wheels.
Because we've yet to set up Rocky to be our toad, we caravaned there and back. Leading the way with the Jeep, Natasha spent 90 minutes or so each way driving with her focus and attention in the rear view mirror. And, while Boris had a friend on board on the way up, the drive back was a lonely one.
As we strolled around the campground this weekend, we eyeballed various towing setups. This morning Boris asked the captain of a Class A gasser about Bullwinkle's size about his experience towing his Jeep that looked a lot like our Rocky.
"We practically forget it's there," he said. "We don't go anywhere without it."
We have a feeling we won't go anywhere without ours, too. Soon. Very soon.
It's official. We are seriously ready to tow.
Having the Jeep around this weekend was great fun. It made wine tasting and geocaching a breeze. We shopped for groceries after we set up camp. It was definitely a treat to have an extra set of wheels.
Because we've yet to set up Rocky to be our toad, we caravaned there and back. Leading the way with the Jeep, Natasha spent 90 minutes or so each way driving with her focus and attention in the rear view mirror. And, while Boris had a friend on board on the way up, the drive back was a lonely one.
As we strolled around the campground this weekend, we eyeballed various towing setups. This morning Boris asked the captain of a Class A gasser about Bullwinkle's size about his experience towing his Jeep that looked a lot like our Rocky.
"We practically forget it's there," he said. "We don't go anywhere without it."
We have a feeling we won't go anywhere without ours, too. Soon. Very soon.
Calistog-aaah!
Today has been the perfect blend of business and pleasure. We had a fun business "thing" we had to do in Napa Valley today. So, we decided to book a site at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga and make it a weekend in wine country.
We caravaned in Bullwinkle and our trusty Jeep and toad-to-be Rocky. A co-worker rode along with Boris and the moose, and Natasha led the way in the Jeep. We checked into our spot and then headed off to our event, about 10 miles away. Hours later, the party was over. Our colleagues readied themselves for an hour or so drive back to the city. And, we happily made the 15-minute trek back to our home away from home.
So, here we sit on the eve of a weekend in wine country. We're camped, fed and watered. The stress of the week is far behind us. It's definitely time to chill. Ahhh!
Happy weekend!
We caravaned in Bullwinkle and our trusty Jeep and toad-to-be Rocky. A co-worker rode along with Boris and the moose, and Natasha led the way in the Jeep. We checked into our spot and then headed off to our event, about 10 miles away. Hours later, the party was over. Our colleagues readied themselves for an hour or so drive back to the city. And, we happily made the 15-minute trek back to our home away from home.
So, here we sit on the eve of a weekend in wine country. We're camped, fed and watered. The stress of the week is far behind us. It's definitely time to chill. Ahhh!
Happy weekend!
Snapped
Lunch time today revealed yet one more sign that it's time for us to hit the road.
Boris snapped.
We were dining in at a hole-in-the-wall deli near our offices this afternoon when we were approached by a panhandler in the restaurant. Now, understand that we work in a neighborhood where panhandling is common place. We've learned to ignore it, and realize in doing so it probably happens more than we realize. Usually, all this takes place on the street. It's a rare occurence to happen inside a dining establishment.
The panhandler approached us and asked for money. Natasha looked up from her lunch at him and said, "No."
The panhandler responded by calling Natasha something that would have anybody's mother reaching for a big bar of soap.
Boris simply reacted. He jumped up and chased the guy out of the restaurant and into traffic on a busy downtown street.
With no harm done, and the foul-mouthed panhandler at bay, we went back to munching our lunch. Once our collective blood pressures returned to something resembling normal, we shared a collective sigh and said together:
"We are so outta' here."
Boris snapped.
We were dining in at a hole-in-the-wall deli near our offices this afternoon when we were approached by a panhandler in the restaurant. Now, understand that we work in a neighborhood where panhandling is common place. We've learned to ignore it, and realize in doing so it probably happens more than we realize. Usually, all this takes place on the street. It's a rare occurence to happen inside a dining establishment.
The panhandler approached us and asked for money. Natasha looked up from her lunch at him and said, "No."
The panhandler responded by calling Natasha something that would have anybody's mother reaching for a big bar of soap.
Boris simply reacted. He jumped up and chased the guy out of the restaurant and into traffic on a busy downtown street.
With no harm done, and the foul-mouthed panhandler at bay, we went back to munching our lunch. Once our collective blood pressures returned to something resembling normal, we shared a collective sigh and said together:
"We are so outta' here."
Stash
While playing domestic goddess this weekend - with all that baking and quilting - I spent some time thinking about how these two activities might - or might not - fit into our fulltiming plans.
Baking requires time, space and tools. The time, I'll have. The space will be considerably reduced. The biggest tool is my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer with the mighty dough hook. And, guess what? It doesn't just take up space. It's heavy!
Truth is, I bake mountains of dinner rolls a couple of times a year. Other than that, the Kitchen Aid is idle. So, if I'm being realistic, this trusty tool doesn't make the fulltiming cut. We can buy mighty tasty dinner rolls on the road. That said, I have an emotional connection to my Kitchen Aid. After all, Boris gave it to me many years ago. And, my interest in it was inspired by my roll baking mother-in-law. Today, I'm the one the family counts on to make these crusty bits of heaven for a big holiday. While this mixer won't be joining us on the road, it will be placed in storage. I am ready to part with every stick of furniture in this house. But, I simply will not part with my Kitchen Aid. That's final.
Oh my! I can see how this is all going to go.
With the rolls freshly baked this weekend, I readied myself to make some progress on the quilt that's been four years in the making. As I assembled the tools for this project, I began to wonder what - if anything - might accompany us on the road.
I quilt a little more often than I bake. But, I can see myself spending a rainy afternoon sewing away at our spacious dinette table. I've read about other fulltimers who quilt. So, I wouldn't be alone. And, I can imagine poking my head into quilting shops across North America. Plus, there's a perfect storage in the moose for my machine, which probably weighs less than the mighty Kitchen Aid. So, it might come along, or spend time in storage. We'll figure it out. That's really not the issue. The real issue is all the stuff that comes along with it.
That's right. I'm talking about my stash.
If you quilt or knit, or have some other crafty hobby, you know what I'm talking about. Every quilter has perfectly folded squares of fabric stashed away for that "someday" project. And, I'm no exception. But as stashes go, mine is small. It all fits into a four-drawer rolling container...sort of. And, I'll confess, after sorting quickly through my stacks of fabric, I came to the conclusion that I'll give most - if not all - of it to a quilting friend. (Whew! That's a relief.)
The portion of my stash I decided I won't part with, though, is my notions. (I had to explain to Boris what "notions" are: they're my sewing tools.) Over the years, I have acquired a nice assortment of rulers, cutters, scissors, seam rippers, cutting mats and such. And, you know what? I like 'em. It took years - and many dollars - to find just the right tools. Whether I take them on the road with us or not, I want to keep them.
Really, just about everything else in our house I will happily part with. But, when it comes to mixers, sewing machines and notions, I think I'll keep 'em.
Baking requires time, space and tools. The time, I'll have. The space will be considerably reduced. The biggest tool is my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer with the mighty dough hook. And, guess what? It doesn't just take up space. It's heavy!
Truth is, I bake mountains of dinner rolls a couple of times a year. Other than that, the Kitchen Aid is idle. So, if I'm being realistic, this trusty tool doesn't make the fulltiming cut. We can buy mighty tasty dinner rolls on the road. That said, I have an emotional connection to my Kitchen Aid. After all, Boris gave it to me many years ago. And, my interest in it was inspired by my roll baking mother-in-law. Today, I'm the one the family counts on to make these crusty bits of heaven for a big holiday. While this mixer won't be joining us on the road, it will be placed in storage. I am ready to part with every stick of furniture in this house. But, I simply will not part with my Kitchen Aid. That's final.
Oh my! I can see how this is all going to go.
With the rolls freshly baked this weekend, I readied myself to make some progress on the quilt that's been four years in the making. As I assembled the tools for this project, I began to wonder what - if anything - might accompany us on the road.
I quilt a little more often than I bake. But, I can see myself spending a rainy afternoon sewing away at our spacious dinette table. I've read about other fulltimers who quilt. So, I wouldn't be alone. And, I can imagine poking my head into quilting shops across North America. Plus, there's a perfect storage in the moose for my machine, which probably weighs less than the mighty Kitchen Aid. So, it might come along, or spend time in storage. We'll figure it out. That's really not the issue. The real issue is all the stuff that comes along with it.
That's right. I'm talking about my stash.
If you quilt or knit, or have some other crafty hobby, you know what I'm talking about. Every quilter has perfectly folded squares of fabric stashed away for that "someday" project. And, I'm no exception. But as stashes go, mine is small. It all fits into a four-drawer rolling container...sort of. And, I'll confess, after sorting quickly through my stacks of fabric, I came to the conclusion that I'll give most - if not all - of it to a quilting friend. (Whew! That's a relief.)
The portion of my stash I decided I won't part with, though, is my notions. (I had to explain to Boris what "notions" are: they're my sewing tools.) Over the years, I have acquired a nice assortment of rulers, cutters, scissors, seam rippers, cutting mats and such. And, you know what? I like 'em. It took years - and many dollars - to find just the right tools. Whether I take them on the road with us or not, I want to keep them.
Really, just about everything else in our house I will happily part with. But, when it comes to mixers, sewing machines and notions, I think I'll keep 'em.
Busy at Home
We're wrapping up what proved to be a very busy weekend here at home, and one that was well worth the sacrifice of a camping weekend. So, yeah for us.
Boris took advantage of two beautiful days and went for a couple of long bike rides in preparation of a bike outing planned for later this week. I took advantage of a Saturday at home to bake 10 dozen dinner rolls and freeze them for two upcoming holiday RV trips. And, if that's not domestic enough, today I made some significant progress on a queen-size quilt top that's been nearly four years in the making. (Completing it is one of my pre-fulltiming to-dos.) We caught up on laundry, which Boris pointed out could've been done in a campground laundry in 90-minutes or so. That has us longing for our fulltime journey! While dreaming of fulltiming, we also purged the closet in our den of a trash can full of stuff and purchased Quicken, which we haven't used for years, to help us get a handle on budgeting for life on the road.
We're getting there.
Boris took advantage of two beautiful days and went for a couple of long bike rides in preparation of a bike outing planned for later this week. I took advantage of a Saturday at home to bake 10 dozen dinner rolls and freeze them for two upcoming holiday RV trips. And, if that's not domestic enough, today I made some significant progress on a queen-size quilt top that's been nearly four years in the making. (Completing it is one of my pre-fulltiming to-dos.) We caught up on laundry, which Boris pointed out could've been done in a campground laundry in 90-minutes or so. That has us longing for our fulltime journey! While dreaming of fulltiming, we also purged the closet in our den of a trash can full of stuff and purchased Quicken, which we haven't used for years, to help us get a handle on budgeting for life on the road.
We're getting there.
Micro Escape
It's not yet happy hour on Friday and we're already back from our weekend outing with Bullwinkle.
Camping is playing second choice to purging and stuff around home this weekend. But, our moose is in need of an oil change before we head south for the Thanksgiving holiday. So, we took care of that today.
Our dealership closed recently. (So glad we incorporated their great service reputation into our buying decision.) And, the nearest Winnie dealership is an hour or so away. So, we went looking for alternatives and found Camping World. We called them up and booked an appointment for our first oil change this afternoon.
We called it a half of a day at work around noon and headed out to meet the moose and drive the 30 minutes or so to CW. While Bullwinkle was getting drained and refilled, we grabbed lunch nearby then picked up a few odds and ends at CW we couldn't live without. With our business done, we headed home from this micro escape.
We felt like salmon swimming upstream. On the other side of the highway we saw motorhomes, fivers and travel trailers heading out for a weekend of fun. And, us? We were going home. As sad as it is to pull into our storage spot on a Sunday, it's almost a tragedy to park it there on a sunny Friday afternoon.
We'd better get a lot done this weekend! That'll make it worth the sacrifice.
Happy Friday!
Camping is playing second choice to purging and stuff around home this weekend. But, our moose is in need of an oil change before we head south for the Thanksgiving holiday. So, we took care of that today.
Our dealership closed recently. (So glad we incorporated their great service reputation into our buying decision.) And, the nearest Winnie dealership is an hour or so away. So, we went looking for alternatives and found Camping World. We called them up and booked an appointment for our first oil change this afternoon.
We called it a half of a day at work around noon and headed out to meet the moose and drive the 30 minutes or so to CW. While Bullwinkle was getting drained and refilled, we grabbed lunch nearby then picked up a few odds and ends at CW we couldn't live without. With our business done, we headed home from this micro escape.
We felt like salmon swimming upstream. On the other side of the highway we saw motorhomes, fivers and travel trailers heading out for a weekend of fun. And, us? We were going home. As sad as it is to pull into our storage spot on a Sunday, it's almost a tragedy to park it there on a sunny Friday afternoon.
We'd better get a lot done this weekend! That'll make it worth the sacrifice.
Happy Friday!
We've Got It...Bad
It's time for true confessions about our obsession. When it comes to thinking, planning, reading and learning about fulltiming, we've got it bad. Real bad.
We read blogs and forums before we leave for work, and we check in on a forum or two while we're there. (For some unknown reason we've made blogs off-limits for ourselves at work.) And, as I've mentioned before, we continue to play Spot the RV from our respective offices. Once we're home, we check back in with our blogging friends, peek in on a forum or two and at last call it a day.
Earlier this week, Natasha raised a question: "What is it that we're looking for as we peruse volumes of data about this lifestyle we're moving toward?" The answer, it seems, remains a mystery. If we're looking for permission to go now instead of later, we've certainly found that. Everywhere we look fulltimers say their only regret, even in these stressful economic times, is that they didn't hit the road sooner. If we're looking for support, we've found that, too - in spades. We think it's the connection we need. It's encouraging and energizing to connect with our soon-to-be clan. Even though the connection is virtual, it's very powerful.
Another question we've been asking ourselves is "Are we TOO obsessed?" We've joked about checking in with a mental health professional to see if we have some kind of shared disorder. But, we nixed that idea.
Instead, we want to ask you.
We know we have a few current and future fulltimers who pass by these parts. Most of you are the shy, quiet type. But, we'd love to hear from you on this one.
Here's your question: On a scale of 1 to 10 - 10 being the highest - how obsessed were/are you about the lifestyle with months to go before you reach(ed) your goal?
Of course, any additional light you'd like to shed on this subject will be most appreciated.
Right now, we're at a 10. How about you?
We read blogs and forums before we leave for work, and we check in on a forum or two while we're there. (For some unknown reason we've made blogs off-limits for ourselves at work.) And, as I've mentioned before, we continue to play Spot the RV from our respective offices. Once we're home, we check back in with our blogging friends, peek in on a forum or two and at last call it a day.
Earlier this week, Natasha raised a question: "What is it that we're looking for as we peruse volumes of data about this lifestyle we're moving toward?" The answer, it seems, remains a mystery. If we're looking for permission to go now instead of later, we've certainly found that. Everywhere we look fulltimers say their only regret, even in these stressful economic times, is that they didn't hit the road sooner. If we're looking for support, we've found that, too - in spades. We think it's the connection we need. It's encouraging and energizing to connect with our soon-to-be clan. Even though the connection is virtual, it's very powerful.
Another question we've been asking ourselves is "Are we TOO obsessed?" We've joked about checking in with a mental health professional to see if we have some kind of shared disorder. But, we nixed that idea.
Instead, we want to ask you.
We know we have a few current and future fulltimers who pass by these parts. Most of you are the shy, quiet type. But, we'd love to hear from you on this one.
Here's your question: On a scale of 1 to 10 - 10 being the highest - how obsessed were/are you about the lifestyle with months to go before you reach(ed) your goal?
Of course, any additional light you'd like to shed on this subject will be most appreciated.
Right now, we're at a 10. How about you?
Meandering
We recently happened across a couple of new fulltimers who are up to what we are planning. Suzanne and Brad are passing through our state on a one-year break from the working world as they travel the country in their travel trailer.
Sounds like big time fun to us.
In an email exchange, they explained that they are meandering in the general direction of south through the state, with no particular place to go until Dec. 1.
Now, that sounds like bigger fun!
Meandering. What a great word.
We looked it up. It means: To follow a winding and turning course; or To move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction.
It dawned on us. We've never meandered. And, that's sad. We've almost always had to be in a certain place at a certain time and spent most of our energy getting from here to there. We've had neither the time or space to meander. But, we absolutely LOVE the idea.
Meandering. We can't wait to give that a try!
(Meanwhile, best wishes for safe and happy meandering for Suzanne and Brad and all of the happy fulltimers out there.)
Sounds like big time fun to us.
In an email exchange, they explained that they are meandering in the general direction of south through the state, with no particular place to go until Dec. 1.
Now, that sounds like bigger fun!
Meandering. What a great word.
We looked it up. It means: To follow a winding and turning course; or To move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction.
It dawned on us. We've never meandered. And, that's sad. We've almost always had to be in a certain place at a certain time and spent most of our energy getting from here to there. We've had neither the time or space to meander. But, we absolutely LOVE the idea.
Meandering. We can't wait to give that a try!
(Meanwhile, best wishes for safe and happy meandering for Suzanne and Brad and all of the happy fulltimers out there.)
Torn
What to do this weekend? That is the question.
Natasha had plans to head out of town this weekend. So, that meant no camping for us and our cats. But, the plans have fallen through and we're asking ourselves if we want to go to head out with Bullwinkle this weekend.
We're mulling it over.
The forecast calls for sunny skies and warm temps during the day with cool nights. Yep. That's one of the reasons we live in Northern California. We live for weekends like this. That said, we've both been dealing with cold bugs and it might do us well to spend a weekend at home to rest up and purge away.
Oh! We don't know.
We're sure to work things out by Friday. Meanwhile, we remain torn.
What a great problem to have!
Natasha had plans to head out of town this weekend. So, that meant no camping for us and our cats. But, the plans have fallen through and we're asking ourselves if we want to go to head out with Bullwinkle this weekend.
We're mulling it over.
The forecast calls for sunny skies and warm temps during the day with cool nights. Yep. That's one of the reasons we live in Northern California. We live for weekends like this. That said, we've both been dealing with cold bugs and it might do us well to spend a weekend at home to rest up and purge away.
Oh! We don't know.
We're sure to work things out by Friday. Meanwhile, we remain torn.
What a great problem to have!
We Love It!
Memory Foam, that is.
With all the kitty hubbub this weekend, we didn't have a chance to mention how well we slept on our new memory foam topper. Aaaaah!
Our biggest concern was heat. Reports we've read are that while memory foam can make it feel like you're sleeping on a cloud, you're likely to roast and toast in the process. We sleep warm enough as it is, thank you very much. This particular topper claimed to be of the "cool" variety. And, turns out, it was. We detected a temp increase of a degree or two, but it wasn't anything to get heated about. The heat pump was set on 65 degrees. We had a sheet, blanket, flannel quilt and a couple of furry cats and we were cozy as could be.
The topper makes the bed 3 inches taller, so we have a new problem. Our queen size flat sheet we use on the bottom (or between us and the mattress pad) is now so narrow we can't tuck the ends in. It's well worth the sacrifice, though.
The taller bed is firmer to the touch. But, once you lay (or lie?) down, you sink into a sumptuous sea of magic stuff that conforms to your body and lulls you to sleep. On night number two, Natasha was catching serious zz's within three minutes, and literally didn't move for almost seven hours!
The downside of this wonderous addition is that it adds more pounds than we thought. It shouldn't have a big impact on our cargo capacity, but when you pull the bed up to reveal the storage underneath, it now needs an extra hand to stay lifted. Again, well worth the sacrifice!
All in all, a good choice and a welcome addition indeed.
With all the kitty hubbub this weekend, we didn't have a chance to mention how well we slept on our new memory foam topper. Aaaaah!
Our biggest concern was heat. Reports we've read are that while memory foam can make it feel like you're sleeping on a cloud, you're likely to roast and toast in the process. We sleep warm enough as it is, thank you very much. This particular topper claimed to be of the "cool" variety. And, turns out, it was. We detected a temp increase of a degree or two, but it wasn't anything to get heated about. The heat pump was set on 65 degrees. We had a sheet, blanket, flannel quilt and a couple of furry cats and we were cozy as could be.
The topper makes the bed 3 inches taller, so we have a new problem. Our queen size flat sheet we use on the bottom (or between us and the mattress pad) is now so narrow we can't tuck the ends in. It's well worth the sacrifice, though.
The taller bed is firmer to the touch. But, once you lay (or lie?) down, you sink into a sumptuous sea of magic stuff that conforms to your body and lulls you to sleep. On night number two, Natasha was catching serious zz's within three minutes, and literally didn't move for almost seven hours!
The downside of this wonderous addition is that it adds more pounds than we thought. It shouldn't have a big impact on our cargo capacity, but when you pull the bed up to reveal the storage underneath, it now needs an extra hand to stay lifted. Again, well worth the sacrifice!
All in all, a good choice and a welcome addition indeed.
Pivotal Trip
After that last post, we feel a real need to let you know that we - and both of our cats - all made it home safely.
On our road to fulltiming, this was indeed a pivotal trip. Taking our cats along was a true test of the reality of our fulltiming dream.
So, how'd they do? Great!
With the exception of the Friday night hide-n-freak incident, the cats' maiden voyage actually went much better than we could have ever expected. They rode just fine in their carriers to the campground. (One was more vocal than the other, but they were both safe and secure.) Once we were settled and they were released, they sniffed and poked around until they felt comfortable. On Saturday, our girl kitty was obviously more at home in this home away from home than her brother. Just as we were convinced that fulltiming might not be for him, he snapped to life on Saturday night (just after he FINALLY decided to use the litterbox). With that, he became the delightful kitty we know and love. Saturday night we slept with everything in its proper spot and the bedroom door wide open with the kitties free to roam our motorhome.
Sunday morning, these two actually acted like they do at home. One peered out the window and the other lazed in bed as long as possible. It was then we both realized our fulltiming dream can become a reality. After all, the "kids" are on board.
Now, there's absolutely nothing stopping us.
On our road to fulltiming, this was indeed a pivotal trip. Taking our cats along was a true test of the reality of our fulltiming dream.
So, how'd they do? Great!
With the exception of the Friday night hide-n-freak incident, the cats' maiden voyage actually went much better than we could have ever expected. They rode just fine in their carriers to the campground. (One was more vocal than the other, but they were both safe and secure.) Once we were settled and they were released, they sniffed and poked around until they felt comfortable. On Saturday, our girl kitty was obviously more at home in this home away from home than her brother. Just as we were convinced that fulltiming might not be for him, he snapped to life on Saturday night (just after he FINALLY decided to use the litterbox). With that, he became the delightful kitty we know and love. Saturday night we slept with everything in its proper spot and the bedroom door wide open with the kitties free to roam our motorhome.
Sunday morning, these two actually acted like they do at home. One peered out the window and the other lazed in bed as long as possible. It was then we both realized our fulltiming dream can become a reality. After all, the "kids" are on board.
Now, there's absolutely nothing stopping us.
Hide-n-Seek
We've done lots of research about how to travel and live in a motorhome with cats. It was all very helpful! One of the consistent pieces of advice warned that cats are experts at finding mysterious hiding spots in an RV. On our pre-cat travels, we did our best to size up spots where our furbabies might hide. Our biggest concerns were the footwells. So, we stuffed the driver's side with leftover memory foam, and the passenger side with a pillow. With that, we were set.
Under the driver's seat was the first hiding spot of choice. Both cats took turns savoring that safe and secure spot. Then, moments after finishing yesterday's post - while we were basking in the joy of successful cat travels - we heard a scurrying sound behind the glove box. And, sure enough, our boy kitty was out of sight. In the blink of an eye, he managed to squeeze his 16-pound frame in between the pillow and the 4-inch tall passenger side footwell. From there, he wiggled his way up into a hidey hole that was impossible to reach.
To say we freaked out would be an understatement.
In the few not-so-fleeting minutes of sheer panic that followed, we tried to coax him from his hiding spot and became increasingly concerned that he wouldn't be able to come out the way he came in. Visions of googling "how to dismantle a Winnebago dashboard" filled our heads. Finally, Boris contorted his over-six-foot frame into the not-a-lot-of-legroom passenger floor and reached an arm through the maze behind the dash. At his fingertips, he felt fur. With more coaxing and a stretch, he was able to get a hand on the kitty and ease him out of the space.
The cat was free. The dashboard was saved. The tears of a grateful kitty mom flowed. And, we stuffed a much bigger pillow in the space.
Once the excitement of the night subsided, we got ready for bed. We put cats, litterbox and water dish in the bedroom with us and closed the door. With everyone safely confined, we crossed our fingers and managed to get a little sleep.
We're pleased to report both cats are present and accounted for...right now, at least.
Under the driver's seat was the first hiding spot of choice. Both cats took turns savoring that safe and secure spot. Then, moments after finishing yesterday's post - while we were basking in the joy of successful cat travels - we heard a scurrying sound behind the glove box. And, sure enough, our boy kitty was out of sight. In the blink of an eye, he managed to squeeze his 16-pound frame in between the pillow and the 4-inch tall passenger side footwell. From there, he wiggled his way up into a hidey hole that was impossible to reach.
To say we freaked out would be an understatement.
In the few not-so-fleeting minutes of sheer panic that followed, we tried to coax him from his hiding spot and became increasingly concerned that he wouldn't be able to come out the way he came in. Visions of googling "how to dismantle a Winnebago dashboard" filled our heads. Finally, Boris contorted his over-six-foot frame into the not-a-lot-of-legroom passenger floor and reached an arm through the maze behind the dash. At his fingertips, he felt fur. With more coaxing and a stretch, he was able to get a hand on the kitty and ease him out of the space.
The cat was free. The dashboard was saved. The tears of a grateful kitty mom flowed. And, we stuffed a much bigger pillow in the space.
Once the excitement of the night subsided, we got ready for bed. We put cats, litterbox and water dish in the bedroom with us and closed the door. With everyone safely confined, we crossed our fingers and managed to get a little sleep.
We're pleased to report both cats are present and accounted for...right now, at least.
Camping with Cats
Getting the cats on the road with us is a key step on our road to fulltiming. They embarked on their maiden voyage this afternoon. And, we are so pleased to report they are doing great!
We're just 1 1/2 hours or so from home, hanging out at the Stockton Delta KOA. It's the perfect spot for us to chill, enjoy the weekend, acclimate the cats and celebrate a milestone!
Pictures and more to come at www.bullwinklestravels.blogspot.com. But, for our current and future fulltiming friends, we're raising a toast to how well the furry members of our family have traveled so far. It's soooooo nice to have them with us. It's official: Now, we're traveling as a family.
Happy Friday to all!
We're just 1 1/2 hours or so from home, hanging out at the Stockton Delta KOA. It's the perfect spot for us to chill, enjoy the weekend, acclimate the cats and celebrate a milestone!
Pictures and more to come at www.bullwinklestravels.blogspot.com. But, for our current and future fulltiming friends, we're raising a toast to how well the furry members of our family have traveled so far. It's soooooo nice to have them with us. It's official: Now, we're traveling as a family.
Happy Friday to all!
O.J.
O.J. has been in the news a bit lately. And, we have something to say about that.
First, a quick update.
It's "camping eve" for our two cats. Tomorrow, like it or not, they become RVing kitties. It should be very exciting.
In preparation of this much anticipated and potentially stressful outing, we've taken extra steps to make tomorrow extra smooth. Tonight, we loaded up the Jeep with stuff (including our shiny new grill) and headed out to see Bullwinkle. Thankfully, all was safe and sound. We had several to-dos to bring order to the place. We trimmed up the mattress topper and put on freshly washed sheets. We stocked the drawers with clothes, the bathroom with towels and the pantry with non-perishables for the weekend. We even exercised the genset just a bit. With all of our to-dos done, we packed the new grill inside the cabin and locked everything up. Bullwinkle is ready to go. All we need now is a cooler and a couple of cats. Our fingers are crossed that all will go smoothly tomorrow.
So, what do we have to say about O.J.?
It ferments.
Early this morning we retrieved our tub of RV non-perishables from the garage. It had been sitting there for six weeks or so since our last trip. A quick pop of the top was met with a most disturbing smell. In the corner of the tub sat two small plastic bottles of orange juice. One of them was a color not usually associated with Florida sunshine. The other was empty - its smelly contents lined the bottom of the tub. It soaked a couple of tubes of Pringles, corroded a can of soup or two beyond the safety point and made a big mess. All the contents found their way to the trash except an unopened bag of Peet's coffee beans. (Thank God for small favors!) Hot water and lots of soap brought the tub back to life, ready to be restocked.
And, for the record, we have now categorized O.J. as a perishable. Hey, we're still newbies!
Next post will be from the road with our furry friends. Stay tuned.
First, a quick update.
It's "camping eve" for our two cats. Tomorrow, like it or not, they become RVing kitties. It should be very exciting.
In preparation of this much anticipated and potentially stressful outing, we've taken extra steps to make tomorrow extra smooth. Tonight, we loaded up the Jeep with stuff (including our shiny new grill) and headed out to see Bullwinkle. Thankfully, all was safe and sound. We had several to-dos to bring order to the place. We trimmed up the mattress topper and put on freshly washed sheets. We stocked the drawers with clothes, the bathroom with towels and the pantry with non-perishables for the weekend. We even exercised the genset just a bit. With all of our to-dos done, we packed the new grill inside the cabin and locked everything up. Bullwinkle is ready to go. All we need now is a cooler and a couple of cats. Our fingers are crossed that all will go smoothly tomorrow.
So, what do we have to say about O.J.?
It ferments.
Early this morning we retrieved our tub of RV non-perishables from the garage. It had been sitting there for six weeks or so since our last trip. A quick pop of the top was met with a most disturbing smell. In the corner of the tub sat two small plastic bottles of orange juice. One of them was a color not usually associated with Florida sunshine. The other was empty - its smelly contents lined the bottom of the tub. It soaked a couple of tubes of Pringles, corroded a can of soup or two beyond the safety point and made a big mess. All the contents found their way to the trash except an unopened bag of Peet's coffee beans. (Thank God for small favors!) Hot water and lots of soap brought the tub back to life, ready to be restocked.
And, for the record, we have now categorized O.J. as a perishable. Hey, we're still newbies!
Next post will be from the road with our furry friends. Stay tuned.
Boris is Brilliant!
We're gearing up for a camping weekend - the first in a long time - so, the mood around our house is getting increasingly lighter. And, that's all good!
That said, watching the markets take a tumble has left one of us (the principal writer here) wondering and worrying, just a little. My biggest concern, of course, is that this most recent bust will put a crimp in our fulltiming plans. After all, we are fiercely determined to make this dream real. I don't want no stinkin' stock market to delay our plans.
"No worries," Boris said. "Remember our ladder."
Oh yeah. I wrote about that ladder Boris bought a couple of months back: a bunch of zero coupon bonds that are keeping two years of our estimated fulltiming expenses safe and secure. They'll be ready and waiting for us, beginning in February.
I supported the idea back then. Today, I think it's simply brilliant!
That said, watching the markets take a tumble has left one of us (the principal writer here) wondering and worrying, just a little. My biggest concern, of course, is that this most recent bust will put a crimp in our fulltiming plans. After all, we are fiercely determined to make this dream real. I don't want no stinkin' stock market to delay our plans.
"No worries," Boris said. "Remember our ladder."
Oh yeah. I wrote about that ladder Boris bought a couple of months back: a bunch of zero coupon bonds that are keeping two years of our estimated fulltiming expenses safe and secure. They'll be ready and waiting for us, beginning in February.
I supported the idea back then. Today, I think it's simply brilliant!
Low Energy
We had plans to accomplish much around the house this weekend. But, Boris is recovering from a cold and Natasha is fighting one off. Plus, the way the weekend got started - discovering the theft of our grill and stuff at the storage facility - we quickly shifted our expectations to "low."
A police report has been filed. (Not that it will really matter.) And, the stolen stuff has been reordered. (That was TONS of fun.) We managed to muster enough energy to do a wee bit of purging today. We gotta' keep things moving.
We shopped around a bit for a new storage facility. The jury is still out on that.
We had dinner with long-time friends last night and shared our fulltiming plans with them. They say we're nuts. We think they might be just a wee bit jealous.
And, to top everything off, one of our cats piddled where he shouldn't. We're chalking it up to the stress of the box change and are hoping everything works out OK.
Bottom line: We're keeping our eye on the prize. Today marks five months before Boris is vested in his retirement plan. That's the day we will, at last, be "cleared" to hit the road. When we actually go is yet to be determined, but even on a low energy weekend, we can put our hands together for that.
Plus, we're "camping" on Friday.
Yahoo!!!
A police report has been filed. (Not that it will really matter.) And, the stolen stuff has been reordered. (That was TONS of fun.) We managed to muster enough energy to do a wee bit of purging today. We gotta' keep things moving.
We shopped around a bit for a new storage facility. The jury is still out on that.
We had dinner with long-time friends last night and shared our fulltiming plans with them. They say we're nuts. We think they might be just a wee bit jealous.
And, to top everything off, one of our cats piddled where he shouldn't. We're chalking it up to the stress of the box change and are hoping everything works out OK.
Bottom line: We're keeping our eye on the prize. Today marks five months before Boris is vested in his retirement plan. That's the day we will, at last, be "cleared" to hit the road. When we actually go is yet to be determined, but even on a low energy weekend, we can put our hands together for that.
Plus, we're "camping" on Friday.
Yahoo!!!
Pisser
No, this post doesn't have anything to do with the new litterboxes. Everything in that department is moving just fine, thanks.
This afternoon we ducked out of the office early and made a run to the RV to drop off the new memory foam topper. When we pulled up to Bullwinkle, we noticed the latches on two of the basement doors were pulled up. (Boris, you see, is fastidious about making sure each bay is latched and locked.) The doors were still locked, but something wasn't right. We opened the big curbside bay and made the disturbing discovery.
Our new Weber Q is gone.
See what we mean? Pisser.
Also vanished is the grill cover and brush, and a box that contained four bottles of propane and one bottle of distilled water. Everything else in the basement and inside was fine. We went to the office of this "safe and secure" storage facility. They offered little help. And, we got the feeling this wasn't the first time this sort of thing has happened.
Thankfully, Bullwinkle wasn't damaged in this caper. And, nobody was hurt. Another lucky break was that we spotted it was missing before we arrived at a campground ready to grill a couple of steaks. It could have been much worse.
So, we'll be shopping for a new Q soon - and perhaps a new storage facility, too. We'll store the Q safely inside the rig until we hit the road fulltime.
That can't happen soon enough.
This afternoon we ducked out of the office early and made a run to the RV to drop off the new memory foam topper. When we pulled up to Bullwinkle, we noticed the latches on two of the basement doors were pulled up. (Boris, you see, is fastidious about making sure each bay is latched and locked.) The doors were still locked, but something wasn't right. We opened the big curbside bay and made the disturbing discovery.
Our new Weber Q is gone.
See what we mean? Pisser.
Also vanished is the grill cover and brush, and a box that contained four bottles of propane and one bottle of distilled water. Everything else in the basement and inside was fine. We went to the office of this "safe and secure" storage facility. They offered little help. And, we got the feeling this wasn't the first time this sort of thing has happened.
Thankfully, Bullwinkle wasn't damaged in this caper. And, nobody was hurt. Another lucky break was that we spotted it was missing before we arrived at a campground ready to grill a couple of steaks. It could have been much worse.
So, we'll be shopping for a new Q soon - and perhaps a new storage facility, too. We'll store the Q safely inside the rig until we hit the road fulltime.
That can't happen soon enough.
Meow Meow
It's a new month, and time for a new project on our pre-fulltiming list. October is the month of the cats. They don't know it yet, (or so we think) but our two felines are in for some big changes this month as we do our best to get them ready for life on the road.
Our goal: to have them accompany us on our 10-day Thanksgiving trip.
We've done some preliminary training: taken them on short Jeep rides and attempted to go for walks wearing a harness and leash. They're not crazy about either, but both are mildly tolerable. It's time to turn up the intensity on those efforts. Sometime this month we'll hit the road in the moose for a night or two close to home. We'll bring them along and see how it goes. We're sure to learn lots.
Another project for "cat month" is introducing a litter system that's designed to be much more RV friendly. The Tidy Cat Breeze System proclaims to eliminate a lot of the muss and fuss of this aspect of cat life. (The video explaining it all is funny: "This is where the pee is conquered.") It's very different than what our cats are used to. And, cats don't exactly have a reputation as agents of change. So, we're following the "transition" instructions closely, and we'll see how it goes.
It should be an interesting month. We'll keep you posted.
Our goal: to have them accompany us on our 10-day Thanksgiving trip.
We've done some preliminary training: taken them on short Jeep rides and attempted to go for walks wearing a harness and leash. They're not crazy about either, but both are mildly tolerable. It's time to turn up the intensity on those efforts. Sometime this month we'll hit the road in the moose for a night or two close to home. We'll bring them along and see how it goes. We're sure to learn lots.
Another project for "cat month" is introducing a litter system that's designed to be much more RV friendly. The Tidy Cat Breeze System proclaims to eliminate a lot of the muss and fuss of this aspect of cat life. (The video explaining it all is funny: "This is where the pee is conquered.") It's very different than what our cats are used to. And, cats don't exactly have a reputation as agents of change. So, we're following the "transition" instructions closely, and we'll see how it goes.
It should be an interesting month. We'll keep you posted.
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