RV Recap

It started in 2009 when I bought an A-Frame travel trailer like the one below.  No bathroom, but otherwise surprisingly comfortable for 2 people.  The top triangular part folded down for road travel, could be expanded to full size in 2 minutes.  It was a trial balloon to see if I liked RVing.  I most definitely did - and still do.  Trish and I got together shortly after I got the rig.  She already had RV experience, having lived in a fifth wheel for several months.

Next up was a 21' EDGE travel trailer, purchased in 2010.  We towed that puppy all over, including Alaska and Nova Scotia.  It had all the basics but some irritating design flaws.  The bathroom door opened in, which was asinine, took up most of the floor space, had to sidle around it to get in and out.  It should have opened outward; or been a slider.  And, the light above the lavatory wasn't above the lavatory; it was in the middle of the ceiling.  I shave my face, not the back of my head.  Hold a flashlight in my teeth so I don't cut myself to ribbons?

We upgraded to a 30' Cougar fifth wheel in 2013.  Cougars are low-end rigs with all the basics but few amenities - so we added several: plumbing and lighting fixtures, light-filtering and blackout shades, several more.  We would have gladly kept the rig for many more years, had I not bought a new truck in 2017; it's side rails were too high to fit under the trailer overhang.  Oops!

  So, off we went to Vegas to buy a new 5W, the Reflection, which we still have.  It's a high-end rig, which doesn't mean much: quality control was definitely lacking.  We've had to replace numerous parts at numerous places around the country.  Pain in the butt.

Park Model

 A Park Model (PM) is a tiny home, no more than 400 SF, a tad larger than our RV with slides extended.  It's similar to a mobile home in that it comes with wheels, but once placed on a site, it's seldom if ever moved.  The one below is a stock photo; the decking and steps are add-ons, not part of the basic unit.

Here are 2 more stock photos, showing typical interiors.

And here is the floor plan of the unit we're buying to place on our RV Resort lot near Usk, WA. Website: http://skookumrendezvous.com/

PMs have several advantages over RVs.  Household appliances are a biggie: RV appliances take a lot of abuse on bumpy roads and there's no lack of bumpy roads.  Some RV appliances are also dual/triple-powered to run on AC, DC and/or propane, meaning many more things to go haywire. 

Furnishing a PM is like furnishing any house.  You select your own stuff and place it wherever you want.  You can - and I have - modified and upgraded our RVs over the years but only a few things can be modified.

RVs have holding tanks for fresh water, gray water and black water, with fill-level gauges that never work.  Both the gray and the black can stink to high heaven if not carefully treated and monitored.  PMs have no holding tanks: everything goes down the sewer, so no stink. 

Home Sweet Home, Part 2

The pictures in my previous 2 blog posts did not include 'the big picture' - meaning no view of the entire lot, no perspective.  This post takes care of that oversight.

                                           Above and below, views from the rear of the lot.

                                            Below: 2 views from the street side.

                                                          My work here is done.

Home Sweet Home

Yup, our home away from home - from mid-May to mid-September - is pretty sweet now.  Trish has her She Shed (STUDIO, she insists on calling it) all finished and furnished.  I wish.  I know darn well she'll get more stuff to assemble and install.

And, I have my Man Cave - which, as befits such a manly enclosure is unfinished, rough and crude - much like myself.  The STUDIO is 10' x 20'.  The Man Cave is 18" by 36".  

The LHC pickleball gang lobbied the Resort board to build 2 pickleball courts - and donated $20K for the construction thereof.  The courts are finished and they're a 5-minute walk from our lot.

Still Life With Turtles

Looking out the large back window of our RV, there's an idyllic view.  That's not real grass in the foreground.  We're done with labor-intensive landscaping, have been since we moved from Oregon.  Yup, AZ weaned us off of grass in short order.  Now, it's gravel, faux grass and pavers.

The body of water, generously named 'Lake' Guinevere, wouldn't qualify as a lake in my home state of Minnesota.  It's 2 or 3 acres, depending on the amount of rain and time of year.

Our neighbor, a professional timber cutter, built this 'island' in front of his RV.  Turtles, ducks, cormorants and herons hang out there every day.

Kids vs Dogs

Young couples would do well to weigh the pros and cons of having children - as opposed to getting a dog or two.  Let's take a lighthearted look at the objective and subjective aspects.  The objective items, how long it takes, are not WAGs; I researched each one.  Your results may differ.  

Be aware: I've not sired any kids, so I may be prejudiced. 

Objective.  How long it takes to 

Toilet/house train: Kids: 18-30 months  Dogs: 4-6 months

Be able to feed themselves: Kids: 8-12 months  Dogs: 8 weeks

Follow simple instructions: Kids: 10-24 months  Dogs: 2-6 months

Safely leave alone in the house for 6 hours: Kids: 13-15 years  Dogs: 1 year

Get them fully trained: Kids: 18 years?  Dogs: 1 year

Winner: dogs.  However, given their short lifespans, you have to start over every 12-15 years.

Subjective.

1.  Responsible owners have their dogs spayed or neutered.   Spaying and neutering one's kids is virtually unheard of - although a few parents wish they had.  More importantly, it would deny the grandparents the opportunity to spoil them while in their care - and chortle when their parents retrieve them.  Advantage: kids.

2.  Dogs are excited when their owners return home.  Kids, maybe.  If they're hungry.  Advantage: dogs.

3.  Dogs alert you to strange noises and defend their turf.  Kids, hardly ever.  Advantage: dogs.

4.  Dogs are warm and fuzzy and cuddly.  Kids also, in their early years.  But those teenage years, OMG!  Most kids grow up to become helpful, enjoyable adults.  Advantage: kids.

5.  Once potty trained, kids take care of their own business.  I've never heard of a dog that could use the WC and flush afterwards - or use a baggie to pick up the business.  Advantage: kids.

Winner: kids.

 

The Kissing Tone

 WLS (World's Largest Station) was a rock and roll AM radio station in Chicago.  Broadcasting with 50,000 watts, the signal reached several Midwest states.  It came in clearly at night in northern Minnesota, where I grew up. 

I acquired my first transistor radio when I was 15.  It had an earphone jack and a single earpiece, no stereo.  Much enjoyed listening to it in bed at night.

KOMO was another 50K watt station, broadcasting out of Oklahoma City.  It too, came in clearly at night. KOMO featured The Kissing Tone, which was very helpful to naive teenagers like myself.

Shortly after getting my driver's license, I asked a girl out on a date.  An older girl, no less.  After the movie, of course, I wanted to park somewhere and make out.  Problem was, I was too shy to ask her if she was interested, and too timid to just park, slide across the seat and clamp a lip lock on her.  Instead, I tuned the radio in to KOMO, and drove around town, waiting for The Kissing Tone.  

Finally, 40 minutes later, The Tone came on, a 15-second hum.  I pulled over to the side of the road, put the car in park, leaned over and kissed her.  Then, I took her home.  That pretty much sums up my wild escapades with high school girls.  Pathetic.