We are enjoying a nice weekend at our RV lot in Cedar Blue, Sulphur, OK. It's Saturday morning and I'm sitting on our porch with my girls and my coffee enjoying the sun and listening to the birds. My camera is ready for that great shot. I have seen woodpeckers, cardinals and blue birds along with the usual doves.
Last night we enjoyed visiting with some friends we hadn't seen in several weeks. They brought their dog over so the girls had fun playing with her. We ending the evening by going to sleep with the sound of a nice steady gentle rain. What a sweet sound.
We arrived yesterday about 10 am and worked on projects most of the day. Our first project was to head down the road to Ardmore to pick up our waverunner. We left it for the winter with a place that paints and repairs them. Since we bought it used it was a bit banged up so we had them fix all the cracks and dings on the hull and paint the top front of it burgundy instead of the green it was. We just hope there is water in the lakes this summer so we can have some fun with it. Then we worked on screwing hurricane straps onto the roofing joints of our canopy that covers are RV, deck and boat. That will probably take 2-3 weekends to complete. There are a ton of joints to get to with these. I got the bird feeders all filled up and the knockout rose bushes are trimmed.
There are always projects, especially after a long winter. Today I think I will work on putting up a few more hurricane straps and killing all the weeds in the driveway area. The pontoon boat needs a major scrubbing but I think I'll save that for another weekend. Not sure there is much point in that task unless we will actually have a lake deep enough to launch it this year.
Well that's enough rambling for today. I want to wish everybody a Happy Easter and encourage you to attend Easter service tomorrow to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. What a glorious day.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Moving into the RV
We have often been asked how we went about moving into the RV. Believe me, moving to a different house is probably much easier than having to get rid of everything and down sizing to about 350 square feet. Selling the house was no different than what anybody else goes through and then the hard work sets in. The big plus was for our kids -- they don't have to get rid of a bunch of our stuff when we are gone. At least not right now!
Believe it or not our Sunday School class and many of our friends bought all the furniture we had for sale. I saved some of the older stuff for one of my kids when he was ready to get his own place as well as much of the kitchen stuff I wasn't taking so that part was easy. We setup all the other stuff on shelves and tables in the garage and let folks come by and get what they wanted. I hate garage sales - too much work - so didn't have an official garage sale. Unfortunately, very few of those items were taken off our hands. But low and behold one of our friend's church was having a garage sale to raise funds for a youth activity so we donated all the stuff in the garage and got ourselves a tax receipt. Sweet.
Now for the items we weren't quite ready to get rid of. We had some things that were family items or had a lot of sentimental value. Only a couple of pieces of furniture and the rest were all items that could be boxed up. So we rented a small storage facility near the house and put all the items we were keeping or giving to our son into that facility to get them out of the way. In the meantime we built a large storage shed on our RV lot in Sulphur with a full loft. When that was done we moved the items we were keeping to the loft in that storage unit and we were then able to get rid of the storage unit near the house.
We downsized our clothes as well. First we got rid of anything we didn't use or didn't fit and donated them to the church's care center. Then we had to look seriously at what was left and pare those down as well to just what we really needed. Closet and drawer space in the bedroom is at a premium - especially closets. We store the out of season clothes in the storage bays under the motorhome which gives us more space. So lots of shoes had to go. Just the basics got to stay. It will be nice when we are completely retired and can get rid of 'work' clothes!
The last big items we had to deal with were books and photo albums, both of which are way too heavy and take up way too much space to take with us. We sold some books to a local book store and donated some to the local library and I purchased a Kindle. I can store lots of books on that! The photo albums were stored in a friend's garage - bless them - while I take time to go through them and scan the photos we want to keep.
We found a great RV park to live in between Blanchard and Newcastle for the next five years and I'll tell you more about it shortly.
On moving day we pulled the motorhome up to the house and got to work. I told John that he could start loading his electronic stuff (which I thought he had also pared down). I started in with all the inside stuff. It wasn't long and John informed me that he was done but that all his stuff took up every single storage bay underneath! NO WAY was my reaction. He agreed that apparently he still had too much stuff and agreed to go through it all again. Over the next few months he actually got all his electronics down to one storage bay. Wahoo! The motorhome was already well outfitted with dishes, kitchen stuff, etc since we used it so much. So I was only trading out a few kitchen and bathroom things for better items but most of the items getting moved were clothes, electronics, pet stuff, and so on. In a day we had it loaded and organized. We then headed for our new location in the RV park.
We had searched and searched for a decent RV park as we didn't like the ones located in the city. The little gem we found is down in a wooded valley at the intersection of two highways and is lovely. It is not really a vacation RV park. The majority of the folks that are here are contract workers who move from job site to job site. Just a small handfull live there and probably have no intention of leaving. Several full-timers or retired folks stop here for a few days to a few weeks while passing through the area to visit friends and relatives. The rent is about half of what everybody pays by the month in town and includes most of the electricity which is amazing. There is a huge tornado shelter that everybody can fit in. It's the box from an old semi sunk into the side of a hill. Yes - we were in it twice in our first year here. Most of the time the tornadoes seem to follow one of the highways by us and go around us. It also has a nice clean laundry and areas to walk the dogs.
When we first checked out this park we noticed there were four metal canopies in the park so discussed having one built for us to protect our RV from snow, ice and hail. Since we told him we were here for 5-6 years he agreed to build one and the cost of rent with the cover was still very affordable to we are parked under a great cover. The two cars, motorcycle and room for other storage all fit as well. We have a large propane tank that we can connect to and only need to fill it about 3 times a year. The propane guy comes through the park every Wednesday during the cold months and we just leave a message at the office if we need the big tank or the one on board filled. It's awesome service! They just leave a bill on the door. We are able to have container gardens and bird feeders. So far I have seen six different wild bird species AND six very large turkeys (5 females and 1 male) landed outside the window last week. John suggested dinner! We have excellent security here and can actually leave everything unlocked if we want to. We also have an RV mechanic who owns his own RV sales/service place that makes house calls. Ahhhh - life is so good!
We have been here since September 2011 so we are finishing up our second winter and love it. Our new RV that we purchased in January 2013 has double pane windows and a fireplace so we are always quite cozy on those really cold days.
Believe it or not our Sunday School class and many of our friends bought all the furniture we had for sale. I saved some of the older stuff for one of my kids when he was ready to get his own place as well as much of the kitchen stuff I wasn't taking so that part was easy. We setup all the other stuff on shelves and tables in the garage and let folks come by and get what they wanted. I hate garage sales - too much work - so didn't have an official garage sale. Unfortunately, very few of those items were taken off our hands. But low and behold one of our friend's church was having a garage sale to raise funds for a youth activity so we donated all the stuff in the garage and got ourselves a tax receipt. Sweet.
Now for the items we weren't quite ready to get rid of. We had some things that were family items or had a lot of sentimental value. Only a couple of pieces of furniture and the rest were all items that could be boxed up. So we rented a small storage facility near the house and put all the items we were keeping or giving to our son into that facility to get them out of the way. In the meantime we built a large storage shed on our RV lot in Sulphur with a full loft. When that was done we moved the items we were keeping to the loft in that storage unit and we were then able to get rid of the storage unit near the house.
We downsized our clothes as well. First we got rid of anything we didn't use or didn't fit and donated them to the church's care center. Then we had to look seriously at what was left and pare those down as well to just what we really needed. Closet and drawer space in the bedroom is at a premium - especially closets. We store the out of season clothes in the storage bays under the motorhome which gives us more space. So lots of shoes had to go. Just the basics got to stay. It will be nice when we are completely retired and can get rid of 'work' clothes!
The last big items we had to deal with were books and photo albums, both of which are way too heavy and take up way too much space to take with us. We sold some books to a local book store and donated some to the local library and I purchased a Kindle. I can store lots of books on that! The photo albums were stored in a friend's garage - bless them - while I take time to go through them and scan the photos we want to keep.
We found a great RV park to live in between Blanchard and Newcastle for the next five years and I'll tell you more about it shortly.
On moving day we pulled the motorhome up to the house and got to work. I told John that he could start loading his electronic stuff (which I thought he had also pared down). I started in with all the inside stuff. It wasn't long and John informed me that he was done but that all his stuff took up every single storage bay underneath! NO WAY was my reaction. He agreed that apparently he still had too much stuff and agreed to go through it all again. Over the next few months he actually got all his electronics down to one storage bay. Wahoo! The motorhome was already well outfitted with dishes, kitchen stuff, etc since we used it so much. So I was only trading out a few kitchen and bathroom things for better items but most of the items getting moved were clothes, electronics, pet stuff, and so on. In a day we had it loaded and organized. We then headed for our new location in the RV park.
We had searched and searched for a decent RV park as we didn't like the ones located in the city. The little gem we found is down in a wooded valley at the intersection of two highways and is lovely. It is not really a vacation RV park. The majority of the folks that are here are contract workers who move from job site to job site. Just a small handfull live there and probably have no intention of leaving. Several full-timers or retired folks stop here for a few days to a few weeks while passing through the area to visit friends and relatives. The rent is about half of what everybody pays by the month in town and includes most of the electricity which is amazing. There is a huge tornado shelter that everybody can fit in. It's the box from an old semi sunk into the side of a hill. Yes - we were in it twice in our first year here. Most of the time the tornadoes seem to follow one of the highways by us and go around us. It also has a nice clean laundry and areas to walk the dogs.
When we first checked out this park we noticed there were four metal canopies in the park so discussed having one built for us to protect our RV from snow, ice and hail. Since we told him we were here for 5-6 years he agreed to build one and the cost of rent with the cover was still very affordable to we are parked under a great cover. The two cars, motorcycle and room for other storage all fit as well. We have a large propane tank that we can connect to and only need to fill it about 3 times a year. The propane guy comes through the park every Wednesday during the cold months and we just leave a message at the office if we need the big tank or the one on board filled. It's awesome service! They just leave a bill on the door. We are able to have container gardens and bird feeders. So far I have seen six different wild bird species AND six very large turkeys (5 females and 1 male) landed outside the window last week. John suggested dinner! We have excellent security here and can actually leave everything unlocked if we want to. We also have an RV mechanic who owns his own RV sales/service place that makes house calls. Ahhhh - life is so good!
We have been here since September 2011 so we are finishing up our second winter and love it. Our new RV that we purchased in January 2013 has double pane windows and a fireplace so we are always quite cozy on those really cold days.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Our Introduction
Hi from Oklahoma. We are John and Maggie (JAM) along with our dogs, Bailey and April (the girls) and we live in our RV full-time. I thought it would be fun to blog about our adventures as we are heading into retirement. Not only will this provide us with a diary but hopefully will keep our family informed about us and help others in the RV world.
John is semi-retired and works as an orthotist (bracing for existing limbs). I retired from the University of Oklahoma HSC in June 2012 after 27 wonderful years. Our dogs are morkies (Maltese/Yorkie cross). Bailey will be 3 the end of April and April is almost 7 months old. Bailey is also a certified therapy dog. Our RV is a 2013 37' Thor Challenger with 3 slides.
So a little bit about how we got into the RV life. Back in 1998 we decided to purchase a 5th wheel after years of tent camping. We were getting tired of the work involved in the Oklahoma heat with tenting. So we found a low-end 5th wheel and a used truck and we were off an running. Yes, we have tons of stories about traveling down the road and everything that can go wrong - an they do - but I'll tell some of those stories later. Needless to say, we fell in love with the RV lifestyle. Since we had a boat and pulling both of those was not going to happen we found a little bit of heaven south of Sulphur, OK in a private RV park called Cedar Blue which is near Lake Arbuckle. We purchased a great empty lot there and over the years have developed it into a great weekend get away. We planted trees, built a large storage shed and had a large canopy built which we park our RV and boat under and have a deck under it as well. We enjoy the birds and other critters along with campfires, boating and swimming on Lake Arbuckle.
As we talked about retirement we both decided that we wanted to sell our house when we retired and get into a class A motorhome in order to hit the road. We discussed this for several years but never intended to do this until we both retired. In 2008 John was diagnosed with cancer and although it was caught early and was not labeled a terminal cancer for him, we both agreed to speed up our plans. So we searched for just the right used motorhome and in 2009 we found it in the middle of winter in Rochester, MN! Yep lots of snow and ice and we were not able to test drive it. We just trusted God and purchased it and returned in April to pick it up. It was also a Thor Challenger.
Over time we both finally reached the same conclusion that it was time to sell the house and move into the RV full-time even though we were both working. It probably took a year for us to mentally and emotionally get to the point to get rid of all our stuff. The housing market was starting to go down and our neighborhood was starting to turn into rental homes so we felt the time was right. In 2011 we sold our home, got rid of almost everything and moved into our motorhome.
We round a great RV park between Newcastle and Blanchard, OK in the country that was just perfect and the price was incredible. In addition to that the owner built us a 40' x 30' metal canopy on our lot since we committed to 5 years there. We can park our RV, two cars and a motorcycle under cover which is great in the winter and hail storms. We have a beautiful view from our windows of the park and it's so peaceful and safe here.
In June 2012 I retired and in August 2012 John started to work part-time so we have 3-day weekends together every weekend. John has to work about 3-4 more years before he can retire so in the meantime we plan to take 1-2 trips a year and spend lots of time at our lake lot. We leave an older vehicle at the lake so we can just drive our RV there on Thursday nights after he gets home or Friday mornings and not have to bother taking a car. Initially, when we started doing this it just seemed so strange to hit the road and not have to pack. John often would say "I hope you brought......" and then he would remember we have the house with us!
So while I am waiting for John to retire I returned to my old job 12 hours a week to help with training and projects. This makes up for the Social Security check I am too young to collect!! One half day a week Bailey and I visit inpatients at a local hospital for pet therapy. We focus on cancer and trauma patients and some long-term medicine patients. We also visit residents at a local nursing/skilled nursing home. We enjoy our visits and hope that we bring a bit of joy to the patients and residents we see. I also use my days for all those things I used to have to do at night or on weekends when I was working - grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning the RV and so on. I am also trying to get all the family photo albums scanned as they are way too heavy to load into the RV. The girls also keep me very very busy as they have to be walked a lot.
So yes we live in about 350 square feet but have all the amenities of home. We have a sleep number bed, central heat and air, a 4-door refrigerator/freezer, 3 TVs, a fireplace and comfy seating. We get a lot of walking in which is great - even in the dead of winter. It's probably a good thing we have dogs that need walking or we might not get that exercise in.
So that is a quick introduction to us. I hope to share various stories about the RV lifestyle and even the transition from the house to the RV over time. We would love to hear from you as well as we continue through our retirement.
John is semi-retired and works as an orthotist (bracing for existing limbs). I retired from the University of Oklahoma HSC in June 2012 after 27 wonderful years. Our dogs are morkies (Maltese/Yorkie cross). Bailey will be 3 the end of April and April is almost 7 months old. Bailey is also a certified therapy dog. Our RV is a 2013 37' Thor Challenger with 3 slides.
So a little bit about how we got into the RV life. Back in 1998 we decided to purchase a 5th wheel after years of tent camping. We were getting tired of the work involved in the Oklahoma heat with tenting. So we found a low-end 5th wheel and a used truck and we were off an running. Yes, we have tons of stories about traveling down the road and everything that can go wrong - an they do - but I'll tell some of those stories later. Needless to say, we fell in love with the RV lifestyle. Since we had a boat and pulling both of those was not going to happen we found a little bit of heaven south of Sulphur, OK in a private RV park called Cedar Blue which is near Lake Arbuckle. We purchased a great empty lot there and over the years have developed it into a great weekend get away. We planted trees, built a large storage shed and had a large canopy built which we park our RV and boat under and have a deck under it as well. We enjoy the birds and other critters along with campfires, boating and swimming on Lake Arbuckle.
As we talked about retirement we both decided that we wanted to sell our house when we retired and get into a class A motorhome in order to hit the road. We discussed this for several years but never intended to do this until we both retired. In 2008 John was diagnosed with cancer and although it was caught early and was not labeled a terminal cancer for him, we both agreed to speed up our plans. So we searched for just the right used motorhome and in 2009 we found it in the middle of winter in Rochester, MN! Yep lots of snow and ice and we were not able to test drive it. We just trusted God and purchased it and returned in April to pick it up. It was also a Thor Challenger.
Over time we both finally reached the same conclusion that it was time to sell the house and move into the RV full-time even though we were both working. It probably took a year for us to mentally and emotionally get to the point to get rid of all our stuff. The housing market was starting to go down and our neighborhood was starting to turn into rental homes so we felt the time was right. In 2011 we sold our home, got rid of almost everything and moved into our motorhome.
We round a great RV park between Newcastle and Blanchard, OK in the country that was just perfect and the price was incredible. In addition to that the owner built us a 40' x 30' metal canopy on our lot since we committed to 5 years there. We can park our RV, two cars and a motorcycle under cover which is great in the winter and hail storms. We have a beautiful view from our windows of the park and it's so peaceful and safe here.
In June 2012 I retired and in August 2012 John started to work part-time so we have 3-day weekends together every weekend. John has to work about 3-4 more years before he can retire so in the meantime we plan to take 1-2 trips a year and spend lots of time at our lake lot. We leave an older vehicle at the lake so we can just drive our RV there on Thursday nights after he gets home or Friday mornings and not have to bother taking a car. Initially, when we started doing this it just seemed so strange to hit the road and not have to pack. John often would say "I hope you brought......" and then he would remember we have the house with us!
So while I am waiting for John to retire I returned to my old job 12 hours a week to help with training and projects. This makes up for the Social Security check I am too young to collect!! One half day a week Bailey and I visit inpatients at a local hospital for pet therapy. We focus on cancer and trauma patients and some long-term medicine patients. We also visit residents at a local nursing/skilled nursing home. We enjoy our visits and hope that we bring a bit of joy to the patients and residents we see. I also use my days for all those things I used to have to do at night or on weekends when I was working - grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning the RV and so on. I am also trying to get all the family photo albums scanned as they are way too heavy to load into the RV. The girls also keep me very very busy as they have to be walked a lot.
So yes we live in about 350 square feet but have all the amenities of home. We have a sleep number bed, central heat and air, a 4-door refrigerator/freezer, 3 TVs, a fireplace and comfy seating. We get a lot of walking in which is great - even in the dead of winter. It's probably a good thing we have dogs that need walking or we might not get that exercise in.
So that is a quick introduction to us. I hope to share various stories about the RV lifestyle and even the transition from the house to the RV over time. We would love to hear from you as well as we continue through our retirement.
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