Onward, into the job

Well, well, well…it is well with my soul.  Much, however,  has transpired since the selling of Little Green.  And I need to keep blogging.  Many changes coming our way.  Stay tuned….

 

yes, have a happy ending.

 

We sold Little Green.

We really had to.  We would have had to pay for storage monthly with a credit card, and that’s just silly.  She was an impulse buy, and became a family project.  We learned a lot about working together, and being together without the distractions of telephones, tv and computers.  We had some adventures and some fun.  We ended up having to spend too much money because she kept breaking, however, so realized we really couldn’t afford to keep her just now.  Especially since storage would have been $110. per month.  Just too much for us right now.  But it was a good experience.  A really good one.  No regrets.  We will get another someday when we can afford to better.  But not now.

The guy who bought her lives in Ely, Nevada.  He drives a 1958 ford something or other truck daily for work, so isn’t afraid of a little mechanical work.  He paid cash, more than I expected, but way less than what we bought her for eight weeks back.  That’s ok.  On to the next thing now. 

I am going to be teaching Kindergarten at a Montessori school starting next week.  Talk about art!  Lots to learn and do before then.  But at least we have stopped the bleeding, money-wise that is.  And that feels good.

 

Central Nevada Vacation; Who would have thunk?

After two days at Groves Lake, I was a bit antsy, so we headed out again.  We were not sure where we would stay that night, but knew that we were headed South, probably toward Tonopah again, as we needed to be back in Henderson by Saturday night.  We made it to Carvers for gas on a prayer and fumes, then ate sandwiches at the rest area there.  A group of three archeologists pulled up as we did and we had a nice chat.  Their job was to walk the proposed lines that a company wanted to lay for geothermal power so as to make sure that no ‘archeological findings’ were disturbed.  How cool is that?  The gal was a great story teller, and mentioned the Berlin-Ichthusauraus park west of Austin as being a must see.  She also told us of a place just west of Pioche where there are three beautiful lakes, but we decided against trying to go there as we would have had to drive through about 100 miles of desert with no towns but Rachel, NV.  We were a bit break-down shy, but will go to these places someday, as we are finding that the locals know the best spots. 

I, of course, wanted to go swimming again, so we stopped in Hadley, just down the road from Carvers, for a swim in the community pool.  We also found a beautiful public library there, and spent about an hour browsing and enjoying the air conditioned comfort.  They had a room full of books for sale, so we filled a bag for a dollar.  We eventually made it back to Tonopah and decided to stay there at ‘Joy-land rv park’ for the night.  What a mistake.  I spent about the first hour killing flies.  Never again.  The only other choice was the rv park at the Ramada, which was basically camping in the parking lot.  That would have been a better choice.  Now we know. 

The air conditioner in the cab had also stopped blowing cold air, so the next morning we checked with our mechanic in Tonopah about getting it fixed, but they were booked.  We also stopped at Whitney’s Bookshop before leaving town, and that was a really nice visit.  The owner had been a geologist and retired to Tonopah to open the store.  He held AA meetings there prior to opening in the morning, and we walked in during one.  He allowed us to snoop around in the back of the store until the meeting was over.  The few at the meeting were listening to a preacher from Kentucky who had been through the ringer with drugs and alcohol and who had been saved and squared away by God with the help of AA.  We bought more books, and Timmy bought a nice wooden sail boat, and we were off again.  We stopped in Goldfield at a roadside souvenir stand and chatted with the owner for quite some time.  He and his wife had moved from Grass Valley to Goldfield and were selling the same sort of stuff they’d sold there.  He said most of his sales were European tourists who were crazy for wild west stuff.  He had some funny stories too.  We have found that the best part of this trip is the people we meet and chat with more than the scenery we see.  God so loved the world…the people, that is, not the scenery.  Although, obviously He put alot of thought into the physical world.  And we were glad to have spent some time in Central Nevada because there is beauty there, even in late July. 

We decided to stay in Pahrump that night because I didn’t want to be driving so much desert with no cab air conditioner.  Plus I had heard about an rv park there with a big lake.  It was nice, but sort of like camping at a golf course.  We kayaked and swam, then headed home to Henderson, bone tired and a quite browned.  I’d never been to Pahrump, and was amazed at how high up it is compared to the LV valley.  Coming home over 160 was lovely, and boy was it good to be home again, although none of our trip was as hot as it is here now.  Thank God for air conditioning, home and safe travels, even the unplanned kind.

 

Our Vacation Adventure Continues

We needed a new starter and the shop had one, so by ten we were off again.  We decided to check out the ‘fishing hole’ our tow truck driver had told us about.  Sportsman Park.  Not much to it, but it had trees and water.  I made sandwiches and we feasted there, happy to be on the road and doing the rv thing.  The mechanic mentioned that he had a buddy who was planning to be fishing there also, and, sure enough, he and his son showed up.  They tried to help us with our pitiful cheap fishing pole, but, to no avail.  The fish were biting, but not for us.  We made the best of it, but it was very hot and windy there.  I asked the local guy where we might go to ‘get into some water’ since we had planned to be at a lake in California, but hadn’t made it.  He told us of a place about 70miles away, so we packed it up and were off.  Out, then up HWY 376, then left at Kingston to Groves Lake.  Ten miles of ‘improved road’ next to a rushing stream and we arrived in a beautiful valley filled with a man made lake. The light was lovely just then, so before anything else I took some photos.

Groves Lake, Nevada

We ‘boondocked’ here for two nights.  So quiet it was hard to sleep, but we did.  The water in the lake was ice cold, but we went in.  Ate like kings out in the middle of nowhere, and the kids had a ball exploring.  Didn’t see hardly a soul.  And I couldn’t stop singing “The Sound of Music” songs, as the hills were green and lovely.  The kids were real troopers and we were feeling like we really were on vacation.

 

Man Plans, God Laughs

Today we began our first real trip with Little Green.  Our Maiden Voyage.  A trip to camp at Pinecrest, northwest of Yosemite, with the Oliver clan.  Our first time there with them-this year marks their fiftieth year camping together at Pinecrest.  But it was not meant to be.

We spent Saturday and Sunday getting Her ready, very much hurried and last minute like because we spent some of our preparation week at the Dr, instead.  A routine eye appt. became a visit to a specialist, an MRI, a Catscan, a follow-up with the specialist, and a battery of lab tests, all inconclusive at this point.  But we were cleared to go on our trip, if a bit behind in our pre-trip tasks.  Nevertheless we set out this morning at 5:45, freezer and fridge full of food for a week, and most of the comforts of a little home.  We hummed along, singing road tunes and enjoying our new escape-mobile.  We had no overheating at all, but, once we began to climb a bit, she chugged a little.  Then alot.  Then she died.  Right in the middle of the road, out in the middle of nowhere.  Well, Lida, Nevada, or thereabouts. 

We smiled, then set to executing Plan B.  The first car we flagged down stopped.  A couple from the Netherlands traveling from Idyllwild to Yosemite, the San Francisco and back to L.A.  Soon after, a truck pulled up and asked if we needed help.  I said, “yes, please” so they stopped too.  Soon the men were under the hood, snooping around.  Jumper cables were pulled out, a jump was attempted and failed.  It seemed like our starter had died.  The nearest town was not at all near, and we were just shy of the Lida Summit at 7400 ft.  We backed the car in neutral to the side of the road.  All four of us would not fit in either the car or the truck, so Steve went with the couple in the truck and I rode with the kids with the people from The Netherlands (which, I found out by asking, is only one place, not several as the plural s implies.  The Netherlands are mostly below sea level and nether-lands means low lands. duh.)  We stopped at the first inhabited place we saw which was a farm, of sorts.  The lady of the house looked suspicious until I began to speak in Spanish, in which case we were invited in to use the phone to call AAA.  Eventually (maybe almost 2 two hours later) a huge rig tow truck came to pick us up, and we were off to retrieve Little Green, the broken rig.  The kids snuggled in the air conditioned cab bed, and we enjoyed life in a big rig for another two hours.  Anna Joy even fell asleep for a bit. 

So now here we are in Tonopah, Nevada, the #1 place for Stargazing in the United States.  The tow was quite pricey, but AAA will reimburse for much of it.  The tow truck driver’s brother is the mechanic, and they seem like good people.  Good people helped us earlier, that is for sure.  We could have ended up in the middle of nowhere in 100 degree weather, but it was pleasantly breezy and cool where we landed.  We could have run over the side of the mountain, but did not.

I keep thinking, “this is good.  The kids need to know that one can break down and not have a complete breakdown over it.  That asking for help is ok.  That folks like to help out.  That sometimes plans get changed, but it is all still an adventure.  That the world is not so dangerous when you are trusting God, no matter what happens.  That we are in His very capable hands, and, so, we are glad.  Tired but glad.  And maybe a bit broke.”

We met some older full-timers on our second visit to Camping World who were very friendly. Turns out they blew out their transmission on their first trip.  So things could be worse.  And they are still rving with a smile and a song.  Maybe we will see some shooting stars tonight.  And the beds here are nice and firm.  Thanks God.

 

Buyers remorse

My husband tells me that the emotions I am galloping through right now come from buyers remorse, which is completely normal he also tells me.  Yesterday we noticed that the window in the door into the coach was about an inch lower than it should be.  I removed some screws to see what was going on and discovered that the ‘putty tape’ that holds the window in place was hard and broken in many places.  So we bought some more and can hopefully do the job adequately so that the window doesn’t fall and break.  We also bought a roll of ‘Eternabond’ to the tune of $75.  We need to patch the gray water tank, and it will no doubt come in handy for other issues which require something a bit more permanent than duct tape.

We also took Little Green to a mechanic to have him give her the once over.  The ‘fan clutch’ is broken and the radiator needs to be cleaned out.  And we need new belts and hoses.  And all of this to the tune of over seven hundred dollars.  Ouch.  But she started up just fine after sitting in our driveway for a week.  So there is that.

Interiorially (I can make up my own words if I feel like it), the carpet is torn out.  So now it feels even more old and dirty.  She needs a thorough vacuuming, and then a good scrubbing with some Murphy’s oil soap. Then we will show our ineptitude as we put down linoleum.  God help us.

Plus, I dreamed last night about going on the road for a summer, and woke up horrified, realizing that to take my sensitive, homebody daughter away from her sanctuary, her bedroom where she has her stuff and herself and her quiet and privacy when she wants it would be very cruel indeed.  She would have no privacy, no sanctuary in our little motorhome.  What kind of selfish idiocy would make me (want to) do such a thing?  Maybe it has all just been a diversion of mine, a chance to escape from the dirty dishes and the everyday demands of my father as he recovers from surgery. 

I’m overwhelmed. (This is not an unusual feeling for me). I also found out today that the position I had applied for at the kid’s school will not be filled by me.  I had been banking on that job to help us ‘make bank’ for the motorhome dream(s).  But at least we got our tax-rebate-stimulus-check.  Thanks G.W.  It definitely helps.  And we have finally had a little bit of monsoon rain, which has lowered the temperature considerably.  We’ll be all right.  Just talking through what I’m going through here.

 

First trip-home from Chico where we’d bought her

We drove Little Green home over Saturday and Sunday, boondocking at a rest stop in Tulare.  The kids settled right into their bunks, no problem, but Timmy was very mosquito bitten from being outside last night in Chico.  They slept well; we all did.  At one point a cop drove through the lot, but didn’t bother us.  Nobody did.  Not even the trains that came by several times in the night.  I woke up early, probably around five, but wanted to sleep a bit more.  I kind of wish we’d gotten up then, as driving home to Vegas on the Sunday of the fourth of July was a bit of a mess.  We overheated (nearly) and had to pull over a few times, as there were two accidents that had us in stop and go traffic for over an hour.  Stop and go traffic, going up the Baker grade, coach air conditioner wasn’t working.  Not fun, but not entirely discouraging either.  We will try to do our summer desert driving much earlier from now on.  And we figured out that the air conditioner had tripped a switch…..

Prior to getting into the desert we stopped near Tehachapi at a place called the “National Chavez Center” which is where Cesar Chavez is buried.  There was a nice rose and botanical garden with fountains, but my favorite part was being able to take a small walk to look at the “golden, rolling hills of California”(from either a Bruce Cockburn or an old hippie buddy Jon Sikora song).  I love those hills, usually dotted with California Live Oak trees.  I want my kids to know and love them also, as we really are Californians even though we live in Nevada.

The kids had school Monday morning and popped out of bed no problem.  Good sign.  The trip was refreshing, not exhausting.  Steve and I ventured off to The Oasis RV Park in Vegas to empty our ‘black water’ tank.  It wasn’t hard at all.  So now we know.  I was so proud of us.  We also went to LV RV which is right next to Camping World to see about getting our air conditioner fixed or replaced.  We got a nice guy who finally came out to look inside, and he showed us how the switch had tripped, and gave us a bunch of good advice.  We are finding that rv people are friendly and helpful, so far.  Steve keeps bringing up how we could be fulltimers.  We could.  We’ll see. 

meanwhile, today I put our bumper clothesline on all by myself, as it was quite a simple deal.  Makes me think that I should invent some products to make rving simpler and more like home.  Maybe make some money that way.  Our little wooden folding dining table is finished and ready to go.  I need to see if our chairs are going to fit behind the front seats.  Lots to do and miles to go before we finish…at least we have a vehicle for our dreams now.  We are all very happy with our choice.  And working together to get all the carpet ripped out.  Not as easy as I’d hoped.

The day we met Little Green

At the National Chavez Center

The Golden, Rolling Hills Of California (Near Tehachapi)

 

home with the rig

Amazingly, I feel quite ambivalent towards our home now.  It feels disgustingly large, and I can’t believe we are paying good money to try and keep such a large space cool.  All those years I’ve spent looking through magazines hoping to find the perfect colors and storage ideas to make this place wonderful, beautiful and comfortable seem wasted now.  We are all ready to ditch it and live in our tiny new home that sits on wheels.  Timmy wants to sleep out there in the driveway, but I told him no since we are hovering around 110 degrees these days.  Yes it has a working air conditioner, and a generator to run it, but, no, you need to sleep inside while it is so hot outside.

I started tearing out the thirty year old carpet, but realized I needed a knife to do the job right.  It is way too hot to work, but for early morning or after six.  We also removed the ‘doghouse’ which covers the engine that sits between the two front seats only to find that it is somewhat burnt out (the cover, not the engine) and in need of new insulation.  Spent some time online trying to find what to get, and also found that the engine is very hot because it is missing a heat deflector to channel heat away from the engine (and my leg on the accelerator, which is just a few inches away from the engine while driving).

So we have lots to do, and a new family project, and our heads are full of travel dreams.  She gets about 12 miles to the gallon.  Not bad for an entire house on wheels.

 

that 70′s stuff

I shopped four thrift stores today for towels, tablecloth and napkins, bedding and fabrics to make curtains and quilts for our Little Green.  I love fabric, love the colors, love finding things that work together but not in a matchy-match way.  I got Timmy a striped white, avocado and subdued lime green colored twin sheet, with a solid avocado sheet to match.  I want to make him a simple quilt with the two fabrics, and Anna Joy one also with the pink, orange, gold and avocado colored ones I got her.  Both are poly cotton which means that they will last forever, and from their colors I surmise they have been around since the 70s.  I also got two twin lime green jersey like t-shirt fabric bottom sheets, two flat sheets and two pillow cases of the same color.  So each will have a different, gender specific quilt, but they will coordinate and the sheets will match.  I will use the twin jersey sheets to back the quilt so the stretchy, 100% cotton will be next to their skin.  And I got two nice woven cotton blankets to use as batting.  This is going to be so fun!  I called my friend Donna who quilts to see if she had an idea for a pattern.  She said she’d think on it, but I’m thinking I should just design one myself.  I need to give myself more credit for being able to actually design things that are pleasing.  Esp. things having to do with color and patterns and fabric.  So there.  Only I wish I’d paid more attention when we did a quilt in a day class.  I can’t remember the short cuts.

So I have knitting on the needles, two knitting projects in the cue, and two quilts, plus curtains and cushion covers to make.  Maybe I am creative?  I sure enjoy the planning, execution, problem-solving and usefulness of each piece when finished.  So, get off the computer and get busy with the creating already!