One Year Houseless!

Well it's hard to believe, but as of April 1 it is one year since the sale of our house closed escrow. So, it has been one year that we have been houseless. I considered us full time RVers seven months before that, because we were indeed living in our RV full time.

I feel like I should write a special post about how I feel and what our future plans are. 

I can honestly say that I have absolutely no regrets. I loved our house in the Santa Cruz mountains, but I knew we could not comfortably travel for months at a time and still keep it up.  

I really like our Alfa motorhome. It is our home, and it is just right for us. Not too small, not bigger than we need, not too old, and not too fancy.  

But to be honest there are a few things I do miss. I miss my treadmill.  I miss having a really separate bathroom, with a really good exhaust fan to control odors. I miss my large double Electrolux Ovens.  I miss the quality of our land line telephones. I miss getting mail or UPS and FedEx deliveries to the door without extra effort. I miss the libraries. And finally I miss knowing where everything is located at the grocery stores, and where to get some of the special things we like.

But I would never want to go back.

I've never been much of a housekeeper, and I wondered how I would do in the limited space of an RV. I am delighted to say that keeping things neat is far easier in the RV than in a house. Because everything has to be stowed away before driving, everything has to have a place. Since storage is limited, the amount of stuff has to be limited too. Less stuff = less mess. 

I'm quite proud of the way we keep the tiny kitchen area clean.  At the house, Craig would sometimes clear the dishes and help empty the dishwasher but I was pretty much responsible for the rest, and after cooking the meal, it was easy to  leave some dishes undone and a few pots and pans soaking.  I would just turn the light out and go into the living room for the evening. The kitchen was seldom really clean.

But in the RV, with only four large plates, four small plates, two cups, two coffee mugs, and a limited selection of bowls, we have to do the dishes right after a meal, or we would have nothing to use for the next one. And, with the kitchen sort of part of the living room, we don't want to look at a full sink or a messy countertop.  

I think Craig and I have both made some big compromises in how we relate to each other, and they have not always come easily. When I first started reading blogs I got the impression that everyone who lived full time in an RV had a perfect mate. Just like the perfect families with perfect parents and perfect children in the 60s TV sit-coms. I wasn't sure how we would do because I knew we sure weren't perfect.

I think we have learned to fight with each other, but we have also learned to let our differences go. Our biggest problem is we both want to be right all of the time. If anything, this year has taught us that change is possible, so maybe by this time next year we will find that being right isn't always necessary. Maybe...

Living in 300+ square feet, 24/7, has in fact caused us to be more flexible.  We each have our own jobs, but at the same time help the other, and accept having the other check what we have done. We depend on each other far more than we did at the house. In the past we were individuals first and a couple second. Now we are a couple first. I have always wanted us to be equal partners. I feel we are coming closer to that as a reality. Slowly ... almost ...

We have traveled to many new places in this first year. Some were bullet-list places like Niagara Falls and the Florida Keys, but most were pleasant finds as we went. Some were wonderful and a few were not. But, we quickly learned that once the blinds were pulled in the evening, most places are much the same. Noise is the one thing that can become intrusive, but most loud road noise dies down late at night, and we have made the mournful hoot of a train something to laugh about. We have many places we still want to see, but don't want to dash around so fast that we miss the hidden treasures, or get tired of the new.

With all of this in mind, I don't see us hanging up the keys anytime soon. We know this can change quite quickly for many reasons, and we will deal with whatever comes. For now our exit plan is fuzzy and far in the future. 

The next year? We have a general plan and I have made several reservations in places that it might be difficult to get into at the last minute, but they can be changed. 

A perfectly smooth ride would be boring, so hang on and bounce along with us over the bumps!

Note: I have added a new page to my sidebar listing current, future, and some of our past locations. If you want to know Where we are, where we are going, or are in the same area and want to meet, check it out.

Keeping warm at sunset in San Diego