I need to start this post out with a couple of retractions.  This is what happens when you are close to the people you are writing about, they have a bit of an issue with creative license and want the record set straight …so instead of burying the mistakes at the bottom like the newspapers do, I will put them front and center.

1.  Daisy (Jim and Barb’s dog) initially did not like my homemade biscuits, but they think she was having an off day.  We tried them again on a second occasion and she found them yummy.  So Daisy (and her owners) are now back in my good graces. (This is of no relevance, due to the incident. – Lee)
2. Kelly said when she felt you had to be committed to read my blog she meant that in a good way.  To be fair she was prepping for her first ever colonoscopy and I am not even sure how much of the conversation she followed. (And that represents the total of what anyone needs to know about that, or any other colonoscopy. – Lee)
3. Cori said she doesn’t read some of my blog because she knows about it anyway because I text her all the time.  That’s fair, but now I am wondering if I should text her less so she can get the full impact of the blog postings…just kidding !!
4. Finally, Deb says she does not think she and Steve can really go 5 weeks on the black tank under regular circumstances, but she is very confident they can go 4 weeks.  Since either number is amazing and she was so adamant about people not having the wrong impression about her and Steve’s poop frequency, I promised to add it here. (And that represents the total of what anyone needs to know about their, or anyone’s poop frequency. – Lee)

So the above proves that I am not perfect in the blog accuracy department.  I do try hard, but occasionally get it wrong and since my poor friends always have to wonder what the heck I will say next about them, I figured the least I could do was fix these mistakes.  I did however like Ellen’s comments the best, “What an excellent job of capturing our day in Mexico together”…yeah,  she’s my new favorite! (I predict an all new retraction in the next post. Some people never learn. – Lee)

With that out of the way I’ll talk about the last few days.  I had the opportunity to do fill our propane tanks (Cori came with me) and empty our black/grey tanks again (Deb came with me) and it not only got easier, but was kind of fun sharing it with a girlfriend.  In particular when Deb and I went to the dump together she said , “You know they will think we are a lesbian couple.”  My immediate response was, “Well I am happy I could get someone as beautiful as you.”  And it may have been coincidence, but that was the one time I went to the sewer dump and the people around didn’t offer unsolicited advice or make comments.  Here’s the thing;  Deb and I have had 7 kids between us, and Deb raised and helped birth show-goats professionally.  I think between the two of us we can definitely handle a little pee and poop.   Cori went with me to get propane for the first time and the guys there were extremely helpful, although they did warn Cori not to smoke in the car with the propane tanks inside.  First off Cori doesn’t smoke and although I appreciated the common sense warning, I did wonder if guys get a similar warning before they pull away.  Overall, from a self-maintenance standpoint, I feel really great.  Repetition and being deliberate seem to be the key and I absolutely feel I can do this myself going forward.

It wasn’t all about the chores though.  Cori, Deb, and I attended a Blogger Meeting that we found on RVillage one day.  George was the ringleader of the group and most of them read each others blogs frequently.  Deb and Cori had heard of a few of them and were glad to meet the folks behind the blog, and I had a wonderful conversation with a woman who lost her husband 3 months ago and through sheer determination has stayed on the road and is teaching herself to do everything.  This always impresses the heck out of me and gives me hope that if the worst happened, I could do this.  I really wish though that the event would have been structured a bit more.  I was excited about talking to other bloggers about their challenges, what works for them, etc but it was a purely social event.  Still it was nice to meet so many full timers still keeping blogs (daily in many cases) after so many years.

George is in the cowboy hat…sweet guy

It also brings up an interesting point, that there are more people out there in the world quietly doing this than I ever would have imagined.  We have met so many people in their 4th or 5th year who have fallen into a rhythm.  Yes, things like the stock market downturn or the weak Canadian dollar can throw them a bit, but they keep doing what they are doing.  Some blog and others do not, but the ones we have gotten to know the best are Steve and Dianne who have had a daily blog for many years called Steve and Dianne’s Excellent Adventure.  Avid ATVers, this is their fourth or fifth winter in Quartzsite and they arranged the 2nd annual RV-Dreamers Gathering.  What a terrific turnout with 39 Dreamers attending and the potluck was absolutely excellent.  It was clear folks pulled out their favorite dishes for this one.  Although many of the folks in Dreamers are retired, there are also a fair amount of us who work on the road and we had a terrific conversation with Les and Sue, Big Boomer on the forum, and their blog is Rambling RV Rat about how they have been doing it for the last 4 years.  What makes RV-Dreams  unique among the RV groups I have been involved in is how it inspires “younger people” to go on the road early.  These folks, like us, have a different set of challenges we face and it’s always a pleasure to have the opportunity to pick their brains, commiserate, and hopefully get some ideas.  

Dianne and Steve are on the left

An excellent pot luck

Red talking to Tom who is a fan of my blog..so nice!

Lots of conversations happening.  Boomer is in the orange hat

Lee talking to Bob and looking a little confused. Coincidentally we have been two steps behind Bob since we left the reunion rally, and it was nice to see him again.

The two people I was most excited to meet in person were Ruth and Dale.  Ruth is a project manager like me and she went on the road 6 months before us.  We bonded over similar personalities, like circumstances, and frankly just going through the same things at the same time.  She was a tremendous support system and friend during the first year, but we had never met since we were mainly on the east coast and she was on the west.  So I was so excited when we finally saw each other in person and gave her a huge hug. (On a quick side note, I can’t believe how much less stressed I am now that the corporate job has gone.  I give all of my corporate working friends huge credit for hanging in there, but wow I haven’t been this stress free since I was a little kid.  Now in all fairness the checks are still rolling in until March and we will see how it goes, but I had layers of stress on me I wasn’t even aware of until I left the job.  Lee even says he can tell I am less stressed because I lose a lot of hair in the shower when things are tough and I have hardly been losing hair at all.  That’s a good thing!!

Dale on the left and Ruth on the right

The other thing I wanted to mention was despite having spent time with other groups since we have been here, I always feel the most at home with family when I am with other Dreamers.  No disrespect to any other group, but there is a kindness and watching out for each other that I feel the most from my fellow Dreamers.  I truly believe this is a direct testament to Howard and Linda’s rally’s and their example and hopefully they are happy to know that whether they are physically with us or not, they are always there in spirit!!

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