Life is a Big Adventure! October 10, 2011
Tying Up Loose Ends Day: October 12, 2011
Odds and Ends of Moving: October 18, 2011
Cleaning, Outback and Real Steel: October 19, 2011
And So It Begins: October 22, 2011
Pride of Ownership: October 23, 2011
Autumn Freedom and Sunny Skies: Oct. 23-28, 2011
And that, my friends, is how it all began. It was hectic, it was exciting, it was funny, it was scary and it was--and is--a complete adventure. We had sorrow (saying good-bye to friends and co-workers, parting with our three wonderful cats--Captain, Rama and Oreo, moving from our beautiful home in Hawaii), pride (our new truck and 5th wheel), joy (seeing family and Oregon friends, starting a new adventure in life), sense of accomplishment (for all we did to get to this point), and wonder (how on earth did we do all that in such a short time??, and look where we are now!).
Captain, Rama and Oreo (our cats in Hawaii who we could not afford to fly to the mainland...they went to the Humane Society):
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| Captain--flame point Siamese |
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| Oreo--feral cat who adopted us as a wee kitten. |
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| Oreo under Christmas tree. |
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| Rama thought all flowers were for her. |
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| Rama, the Princess. This was her spot on the kitchen counter. |
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| Captain--18 lbs. of Siamese. He loved to hang over my shoulder. |
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| Captain packing himself. |
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| Oreo, AKA Harry Potter cat. (See the lightning bolt?) |
Also, a warm welcome to Lisa and Hans from Metamorphosis Road. They love to get out and hike, bike, walk, travel and basically enjoy the outdoor life. Their house sold in July, 2012, and they have been full-timing since September! Drop by and check out these two active folks. (Lisa, do you know about Volksmarching? If not, check out ava.org and click on Locate Walking Events. You can find walks all over the U.S.--cities, parks, festivals, national parks.)
And here are Sunnie and Bowie, our current fur-kids.
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| Bowie ready for a new trip. |
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| Sunnie and Bowie. |
Happy Anniversary! I guess that means I've been following you for a year. You are right that alot has happened in such a short time. Here's to many many more years!
ReplyDeleteYep, a whole year we've been following you two, too.
DeleteSo far it's been a blast...well mostly.
I can't believe how much physical labor you did on your first workamping job. You really got into the thick of it in a gorgeous location. (I'm quite partial to Oregon!)
Thanks for being a loyal reader.
Ha Ha! I was just looking through your posts to figure out when you started full timing and here you are with your one year anniversary post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warm welcome! This lifestyle is awesome in no small part because of folks like you with whom we share the experience!
Lisa
GMTA (Great minds think alike.)
DeleteYou're welcome, Lisa. We have met many awesome folks too, though not as many as we would have liked because we haven't ever been around the campgrounds enough to meet people. We have a tendency to be out doing all day into the evening (until recently, that is). We went hiking with one couple In Yellowstone we enjoy spending time with.
It's so nice to go out with the ladies when I get a chance. I'm sure we'll start meeting more couples one of these years. LOL.
Happy Anniversary! I bet that year went fast. Heres to many more adventures.
ReplyDeleteFlew right by...zoom!
DeleteThank you.
Happy anniversary my friend. You and Bob have experienced more life in the past 2 months than most folks do in a life time. You have learned how to adapt to many situations and you have learned to be flexible. Plus you are a great tour guide.
ReplyDeleteWe pray blessing to you guys and hope to meet some day. We are fairly close to San Antonio but will probably not have a chance to meet before you big trip.
We definitely want to get together with you. We'll be back in San Antone on Dec. 17.
DeleteKeep us posted on your winter workamping gig. We hope you find a good place to land soon.
Susan & Bob
Congratulations on making it through your first year. How sad to have to give your cats to the human society. I hope they got good new homes.
ReplyDeleteNobody hopes that about the kitties more than Bob and I do. It was terribly heartbreaking, especially Rama. She was such a wonderful cat. She was always checking to make sure everything was as it should be in the house.
DeleteCaptain was our watch cat. He snarled if someone was on the street or who came to the door that didn't meet his high human standards. (And it was only some people.)
And Oreo, a teensy little feral kitten who was brave enough to meow at our back door. I fed him and he came in. We had him over a year and he tolerated us, loved it when we played with him, but hid whenever anyone else came over. He got along famously with our other two cats. I felt bad for him because he was terrified quite a bit of the time.
A very happy first anniversary to you both, with wishes for many more years filled with positive adventures!
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary! We just celebrated 4 years on the road Oct 6. It really went by fast. I didn't realize you had to leave 3 cats behind. Not sure I would have been able to do that. Hope you have a good second year!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your four years on the road. Are you still loving it?
DeleteWe had to leave the three cats behind. It would have cost us a fortune to ship them to the mainland, plus it would have been super stressful for the cats. We've heard of animals dying on the flight. Couldn't do it.
Susan, I went back and read all those posts and find it all so interesting. You and Bob are fearless. I can't even imagine doing something so adventuresome and so much dipping into the "what lies ahead is unknown."
ReplyDeleteWhen we were younger we traveled a lot. We, too had an RV, a Jayco. I spent a lot of time in RV parks. We, also traveled throughout Europe BUT and this is a big but...the older I have gotten the more I am reluctant (not sure that is the right word) to be away from my house for any period of time. A week or so is my limit. It's not that I don't like to travel but I like "nesting" in my home, near my kids and grandkids and now I am sounding boring beyond belief, I know. I have lived my life in reserve, I think.
I would have tons of questions for you if we were visiting in person. I find this absolutely fascinating.
Cheryl,
DeleteEveryone has their own feeling for what works for them. It sounds like you got your travel out of your system already. I haven't.
When Bob was younger (in his previous marriage), he and his wife and their four-year-old son traveled and worked around the U.S. for six months in a Dodge van, staying near relatives in most places. They wanted to figure out where to settle down. They decided on Oregon, which is where Bob and I eventually met. They were early workampers!
I've always wanted to do that and Bob has graciously agreed to go on the road. We're in semi-retirement as we can't afford to retire yet.
You can ask me any questions you want. If you want, we can communicate privately. You can send me your email and I won't publish it. I approve all comments before they go up on my blog.
Susan
Happy full-timing anniversary. What a great post; I really enjoyed going back and reading about your beginnings as full-timers.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Colleen. Bob and I had fun going back and re-reading everything. If I hadn't been blogging, we most likely would have forgotten a lot of the stories and humorous stuff.
DeleteHappy Anniversary, Susan, the retrospective was great. I think when I first started following you I did go back track a bit, but not as well as this post. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteI've been enjoying your blogs on Hungary and Austria. Such beautiful areas.
Congratulations! It's been a little over a year if you count when I moved into my 5ver, although not quite a year since I retired and have been on the road. Which one do I go by. Lol
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary to you too! Even if it's a little early.
DeleteHappy One Year Anniversary!!! Be well and safe travels, Ann and Jerry
ReplyDeleteThank you very much.
Delete