In the past I have really looked forward to writing my annual update posts, but since the last year has been different to be honest I didn’t even think about it until late in the month. Since we are still living fulltime in an RV I will recap this year, but as it was all in one place I am going to change this up a little bit. For those who don’t know we have been in Los Angeles the entire year waiting for the writer’s and actor’s strikes to be over so Lee can see if he can get a start in film or narrative TV. No one knew the strike length would be historically long but we have hung in there in the chance it could end at any time. Now that it finally has the really search begins. Here’s a map of the city and mostly we have been staying in Northridge. Those little areas are neighborhoods, not cities or towns.

Because we have been in one place I am not going to share my financial this year or get that much into the numbers. The purpose of that information was to help people who were trying to budget this lifestyle and since we have spent a year in one of the most expensive places in the country those numbers would be severely skewed to the point of being meaningless. I will say we have only pulled the RV twice for relatively short distances in that time period and all the miles we have put on the truck have been city miles. To put the cost of living in LA in context see the following:

1. Our monthly RV park fees – $1350+electric, and no other options within a minimum 60 min drive.
2. Diesel $6.50 a gallon on average
3. Lunch $80 minimum for any sit down meal
4. Ceramics $181 a month for studio time plus clay is extra

That’s just what things cost here and either you pay it or not. Thankfully we can afford to pay it. Since we got here we also got backed into by another RV and although we received a $5K check from their insurance we have some damage to our RV cap and our jacks which we have not fixed yet. The only major projects we did this year was remove the closet doors (which were cracked) and replace them with a nice curtain which I actually love and replace all the AC units which could not keep up with the LA heat and in all fairness were at the end stages of their life anyway.

Now that we have dealt with the numbers let’s talk abut the emotional arc. It’s been a tough year emotionally for a variety of reasons, but it started out with me getting sicker than I have even been in my life. When we first arrived here I had a kidney stone, that turned into a bladder/kidney infection and ultimately I felt like I might have been edging towards sepsis. I will say this, I was not in my right mind and absolutely terrified of going to a hospital in LA. Thankfully a good ER doctor ordered me some Cipro and I made my way out of it but it was terrible way to be introduced to a new city.

Lee, on the other hand, felt like he had come home. He has been dreaming about LA his entire life and this was the only major city in the US we had not visited. Issues like traffic, weather, crowds, and homelessness that have driven him completely crazy in other parts of the country didn’t even phase him and he was transported by the history and magic of the place. He is not alone in that. There is no place else like Los Angeles, and the people who settle here love it despite all its flaws. The post “Settling” in LA does a nice job of explaining his feelings (and mine) about the city.

Although we were in one place this city has so many things to do that we had plenty to keep us busy this year. We completed studio tours, saw many museums and other iconic Hollywood places. In addition I went on my first international work trip to India (fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine) and flew back to Charleston to celebrate Oliver’s fourth birthday. I even got to spend a week in Sedona with my Mom which proves you can stay in one place and still travel and see people and new things. Lee spent a few weeks working with his previous employer in various cities, and a little bit of work here and there in Hollywood.

One of the great things about doing this post is it reminds me of how much I have done in a year even if it doesn’t feel that way. The last year certainly hasn’t had the same pace as many other years of our travel, but we have still managed to see more than we ever did in any year of our non fulltiming life and particularly important to me we checked two more National Parks (Channel Islands and Pinnacles) off our list.

Still for me at least it feels somewhat less than other years although in all fairness that might just be grass is greener thinking on my part. Since the major way I judge my life is through my end of year pictures, let’s take a look at the top 10 moments and we can all decide how they stack up. As always thanks for following along and we will see how next year pans out.

Top 10 Things We Saw in no particular order

This year I would like to add two more to celebrate a couple of amazing moments. First was my trip to India which was truly life changing for a variety of reasons. The absolute best part of that trip was spending time in the real Pune with people who lived there and I will never forget it.

And absolutely nothing beats the look on Oliver’s face after I let him fill up a shopping cart full of toys for his birthday. That moment of all of them was priceless.

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

• You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
• You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperback version on Amazon or buy the Apple version on Itunes

Since we have been sitting still for so long I wanted to take a moment and write about having hobbies while full timing. Working full time, going to school, and raising three kids didn’t give me much time for hobbies although trying glassblowing is what ultimately led us to being on the road. For that story read here.

So when we started out I was excited about trying a hobby. Unfortunately lack of space and a constantly moving lifestyle can make hobbies a bit challenging, but I made several people along the way who made it work. The serious hobbyists I met often had toy haulers and I knew several people with ATV’s and in one case radio controlled planes who used that space for their toys.

Others pursued hobbies where less space was required and I knew two people who spent a ton of time making bead jewelry and many others who crotched. I think I was the most impressed by the sewers/quilters who dedicated a whole are in their RVs for sewing machines. But for me none of these seems of interest and although I have a small cross stitch box and I have made blankets for my grandkids and a few items for my daughters inside crafts didn’t really interest me. We were in beautiful places after all and I wanted to be out there.

Which brings me to outside hobbies such as hiking (not a fan unless there is a waterfall at the end of it) and kayaking (we tried but it was never our thing) and of course fishing. Fishing is hugely popular and if you don’t mind the hassle of getting licenses wherever you visit its a popular pastime. Lee spent his childhood fishing though and for a variety of reasons is not a fan which left us with photography. Lee has always been an amateur photographer but wildlife photography was new to me and after investing around $1K in gear I tried it out.

Turns out I loved landscape and wildlife photography and we were lucky enough to be in many places where I could practice. Over the years my skillset has improved, although never risen to the level of Lee’s, and I loved that moment when you got a lucky shot or saw something really special through the lens even if you didn’t capture it. Turns out though that I am a bit of a purist when it comes to enhancing pictures and although I will occasionally punch up the colors a bit I don’t do any major changes to them. Still for me it fulfilled a creative need my younger self didn’t even know I had until we hit LA.

There are green spaces in LA but compared to other places we have been its just so so and frankly with the threat of homeless encounter always looming I am just not comfortable in those spaces especially not without Lee. So for the first time in years I found myself with the time for creativity but no good outlet.

When it became clear we were going to be here for awhile I started looking for an outlet and looked into ballroom dancing, dance classes, and ultimately pottery. I have talked about it here but pottery really does something for me and the combination of relaxation, incredibly nice people, and the tactile sensation is terrific. I am going 3-4 times a week now and getting better with every visit.

One of the cool things abut pottery is its variety. You can work on a wheel, hand build, or use molds and the possibilities are endless. Ah and the glazing ..which can create different colors every time for a variety of reason is always a surprise at the end. For a person who likes to try different things it allows for nearly endless possibilities.

That being said I am fully aware that this will be a difficult hobby to take on the road if we start traveling again. If we are in a place for awhile and if they had a studio I could pick it up again in another town but to carry it with me will be tough. They do have pottery wheels I could purchase but I would need an outside throwing space with power and that is definitely weather dependent. Firing the pieces though is the big challenge because despite lots of research I haven’t yet found a traveling kiln that would work for me. They are big, they are expensive, and most require a dedicated circuit all of which is tough in an RV.

Actually for the first time I kind of wish we had a toy hauler so I could make myself a studio. Even if I could though there is a reason we RVers stay away from breakables in our rigs because they are a pain in the ass to wrap up every time you move and no matter how careful you are a shaky house tends to break things.

I’ll keep thinking on it though and either way I feel like I will find a way to keep this in my life long term even if I need to take breaks from it now and then. For now it is absolutely the best part of staying in one place for so long (11 months and counting) and I know pursuit of hobbies is one reason some people travel less and stay in place more. Now I get it.

Speaking of staying, as of this writing the actors strike is still in force. There is a solid offer on the table but AI is still a sticking point. Because the out of work crews have flooded the ancillary work opportunities it has been tough for Lee to gain any traction. Our deal is we wait until the strike is done so he has a fair shot at pursuing his dream and e will see what happens. I’ll just say waiting around is not my strong suit and I am really grateful for pottery for giving me something to throw all that restless energy into. Here’s some pictures of my work. I am getting better!

Supporting our Blog

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

• As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Search Amazon Here
• You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
• You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperback version on Amazon or buy the Apple version on Itunes.

We have been in LA for over 11 months now and although Lee has connected with many of his old colleagues, I really miss seeing my friends. So I was pleasantly surprised when a woman I went to high school with reached out and arranged a meeting when she came to Temecula for a work event. Unfortunately it was a crazy long drive, but it was worth it because I haven’t seen Leah in over 20 years. It’s funny how with some people you pick up right where you left off and that’s how it was.

That seemed to open something up, because next we got a call from our long time friends Georgia and Jim who were coming down to Santa Barbara from Salem, OR. We spent a nice day exploring Santa Barbara (Georgia used to live there and gave us lots of cool history) and had an awesome lunch at a long time Italian restaurant in the area. They also got a gift of some pottery I have made and although my skills still aren’t that great they seemed to appreciate it.

Next Deb and Steve made the effort to see us by coming through LA on their way to Arizona. We really appreciated their extra effort and they stayed at the Elks Lodge in Burbank which is where we stayed when we first came here. We treated them to Elks Taco Tuesday one night and then the next night Deb made some fantastic lasagna. And on a side note they got some cool pottery as well as a parting gift.

One other thing I want to mention about Deb and Steve is that although we have spent more consecutive days with other friends we have had some of our most memorable experiences with them. Since 2014 when they first went on the road and visited us in Keene (experiencing the great pumpkin riots of 2014) they have always gone out of their way to see us.

I counted it up and we have seen them at least 13 times including an epic Grizzly Bear sighting in Glacier National Park, Deb helping me empty our poo tanks in Quartszite, an awesome April Fools joke at Lost Dutchman State Park, visiting the Bridges of Madison County in Iowa, exploring Bryce Canyon National Park, and Goblin Valley. Seriously when I look back on the series of images from the last nine years they are a huge part of it and I have seen and explored many things I never would have without Deb’s recommendations. We are really grateful for their friendship.

After Deb and Steve’s visit I went to Sedona with my Mom (next post) and then when I came back we met up with Sherrie inLong Beach. We met Sherrie at our very first RV-Dreams rally and have remained friends ever since. Although we have only seen her once in her old home in Cottonwood, AZ she and Lee are two peas in a pod and have a wonderful connection. We were thrilled to learn she was relocating to the LA area to be closer to her daughter and our lunch was the first of what I hope will be many visits.

And of course she got some pottery. Are you noticing a theme here? Yes, LA is hard to get to, and yes, it’s expensive, but if you come visit you will definitely get some pottery!!! It was really nice seeing all these people and I hope more folks come to visit soon.

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

• You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
• You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperback version on Amazon or buy the Apple version on Itunes

I don’t know about you but my life seems to go along pretty stable (which is why I haven’t written in awhile) and then BAM! everything happens at once. That’s what happened this last weekend, so I thought I would share.

It all started with the need to move the RV. In the LA area all of the RV parks make you physically move out of the property for two days once you hit 6 months. This is to stop you from being able to legally claim resident status which is a protected class different from “occupant”. They told us upfront that this would be required but unfortunately ours fell on Labor Day weekend so months in advance I booked a site at Pinnacles National Park and took three days of vacation because we actually needed to move during the week.

Two reasons for the during the week move. I could only get reservations Weds-Fri, and more importantly since I have no idea what site we would be coming back to (if any) I wanted the extra time just in case. You may be wondering why I didn’t know the site, well this park does not tell you if you can come back, or what your new site will be until you are off property. Since I personally witnessed a pretty ugly confrontation regarding staying here where the police were called I get why they do it, but as someone with limited options of places to stay and a fulltime job it was incredibly stressful.

To relieve some of that stress Lee personally visited every other possibility (there weren’t many) in a 50 mile radius and in every one of them the wait lists were long, and because we have a 40 foot RV our options were nil. This really put the pressure on, but we knew as a last resort our home is on wheels and we could leave the area completely but we only would do that as a last resort.

To add to that my company went through a round of cuts and my boss was suddenly let go and replaced by someone I didn’t know. Under the best of circumstances getting a new boss is tough (especially explaining our lifestyle to them) and this was not the best of circumstances. My brain was in overdrive trying to grapple with my new set of circumstances and the move was looming. Normally I would ask for an extension, but we had already got one the month before when Lee was working out of town so we simply had to move. There is no laxity in these policies, for legal reasons.

Then my mouth started hurting. At first I just thought it was stress related, but the pain was pretty intense feeling like I had a raw nerve. Turns out I had a really tough cavity filled over a month ago and the dentist said I might eventually need a root canal. Unfortunately it got worse and worse and the weekend before we needed to leave I went to see the dentist. He called in a favor and got me with a specialist but that guy said he could only complete half of the job. Well I had no idea if I would be able to come back here at all and I wasn’t thrilled about going through it twice, so he managed to squeeze me in first thing the morning of our departure. Not great but I honestly didn’t know what else to do and although the procedure itself went OK driving 6 hours with a swollen face was not great.

We finally made it to the National Park though and although I am going to write a separate post on that experience something in me simply loosened. No light pollution, hardly any people, and a break from the oppressive heat we have been experiencing. Jack lit up with all the new smells and things to see and I simply relaxed for what felt like the first time in months.

I simply relaxed.

When Lee called the park and found out we would be allowed back in I would love to say that made me feel great, but instead I was filled with a mild sense of dread. I was relieved sure that we had an option, but I was also pretty sure I wouldn’t like our site. Our rig is on the big side for this particular park and there were limited spaces, but it is also not full so I was hoping they could put me towards the back where the road noise would be less.

When we returned we learned that our site was right in the front with my desk window facing the street. Even with double paned windows the road noise is pretty constant and the occasional siren or screeching car is pretty unpleasant. On the plus side it is a HUGE level site and we only have one neighbor. I will just have to get used to the road noise. Plus they gave us a nice 22% discount off the monthly rate for being a good customer which we appreciated so that helps keep the costs down a little.

Many of you who either know me or have read this blog for years are probably wondering why on earth are we doing this. The answer to that is simple. Lee is trying to see if he can fulfill a dream and I am trying to support him in that. It’s not his fault the strike has been going for over 100 days or there are such limited choices for places to stay in LA. More importantly as his wife I want to support his career aspirations just like he has supported mine in the past.

Yes, as we get older it feels like time is getting short, but it’s also true that this lifestyle (for us) has been a marathon and not a sprint. And on the plus side (and yes I always try to look on the plus side) I can go to the nice dentist I found and get the crown put in and hopefully I can get a membership spot at the ceramics place I have been going to.

No its not perfect and frankly this is not a place I would normally choose to be in but sometimes that’s just how it goes.

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

• You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
• You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperback version on Amazon or buy the Apple version on Itunes

I know everyone is dealing with heat this summer, but in Northridge , CA its been over 105 several days in a row. It’s weird because once you leave the valley the temps drop between 10-20 degrees, but where we are its been insane. Unfortunately our site has no tree cover and even with two air conditioners running constantly at times we were reaching 97 degrees inside the RV. Then the worst happened. The bedroom AC froze up and we couldn’t turn it back on.

In all fairness we’ve never had to replace an air conditioner so they are around 10 years old and we’ve definitely got our money’s worth from them. The bad news was that it happened two days before Lee left for a two week out of town work gig which left me dealing with it alone. Thankfully Lee was able to get a good repair tech to come out on Friday and we decided to replace them both while he was gone. The costs came in at a whopping $3712, but since the parts themselves are $1350 (total for two $2700 + Tax) I was willing to pay it.

But the parts weren’t available until Monday morning, so it was a long hot weekend for me dealing with the heat. If I didn’t have Jack I would have been able to just leave for long stretches of a time but instead I just tried for as little inside movement as possible and prayed the remaining AC would last through the weekend. Thankfully it did and as of this writing the repair tech is here and on the roof starting the work.

Replacing AC units can be done with just one person (our friend Bill has done it alone twice), but it requires a ladder and ropes to pull the boxed AC units up to the roof. Don’t unbox them before trying to get them up because the boxes provide some extra protection getting them on the roof. And really it should be a two person job. One of the roof pulling and another down below steadying the box. It’s also not something to be done lightly because you could seriously hurt yourself wrestling with these things.

To be honest even if Lee wasn’t going out of town I wouldn’t want him to do it. First off chances are you are doing this repair when its crazy hot, and secondly it would be done under pressure. Those factors aren’t a great combination for a non-professional even if it does same on the repair cost. IF we couldn’t find someone to do it though (which has often been the case with needed RV repairs) Lee would have done it and I would have had to help in whatever way I could. The boxes aren’t that heavy in the grand scheme of things but they are bulky. Plus you have to get the old ones down and since they aren’t boxed that can be tricky also although you don’t have to worry about damage. Still it’s not like you can just throw them off the roof.

As far as hooking the new ones up since Lee isn’t doing it I am not even going to attempt to explain how its done. My understanding is it isn’t that difficult and thankfully the repair person hasn’t made me turn off the power in the RV while he’s doing the work. We are turning off each AC in turn as he removes them but the main power so far has stayed on and I can run the front one as he replaces the bedroom. Since it doesn’t take long for the RV to heat up I am very grateful for that.

Lastly by hiring a repair person disposal of the unit is included in the cost. Old AC units should be taken to special recycling centers and that’s one more thing we don’t have to worry about. As much as the cost hurts I am grateful that we found someone good to get it done and Lee’s work will more than cover the cost. As always I choose to be grateful for how much worse this could have been (happened after Lee left, the second one stopped over the weekend and I had to get a hotel room, etc) and I always think in these situations that if I owned a house it would have been much more expensive!

Oh and a quick side note. I work for an HVAC company and they offer employees rebates when we buy their units. Turns out 20 years ago my company made Dometic products but the brand split off and is now its own company. It’s interesting though that the warehouse that probably made these units is across the street from our plant in Kansas. Small world. As much as I hate the heat and worry about global warning, it’s not the worst time to be in the HVAC field. Our stock prices have jumped considerably over the last two weeks as people and governments are coming to the realization that these temps are probably the new norm.

And hooray I have two brand new AC units and wow does it make a difference!!! I slept great over night and upgrading from the 1350 to the 1500 size really makes a big difference. For the first time in forever I am putting the fan speed on low and it actually feels cool in the house when I walk the dog. Yes it was pricey but totally worth it!!

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

• You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
• You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperback version on Amazon or buy the Apple version on Itunes