“ON THE ROAD AGAIN…”
(in a little while)
I ventured into Hobby Lobby the other day, and they’d filled their shelves with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas décor. Trust me, if you can’t find what you’re looking for in there—it hasn’t been created yet. HA!!
Normally, I don’t fuss with decoration in the smaller space of the RV, but this year Christmas will look a little different. We’ll be able to decorate as much as we want now that we have a bigger place.
But we’ll still be “ON THE ROAD AGAIN…” come April. And in this month’s newsletter, I want to show you our RVs since the day we said, “I Do.” over forty years ago. And as always, I have stories to tell you about each one.
This photo was taken in 1983 of our camper/panel truck combination. And boy did we have asperation for both. After we bought them and filled each with all of our belongings, we traveled to our destination of Tulsa, Oklahoma, for Ray to attend ORU.
However, fifteen miles from where we’d taken off, Ray’s brother (he’s following us) passed us and pulled over. We followed him, and he came up to the window and said, “No. No. No. No. Your camper was airborne after you hit the last bump.”
Ray determined we’d not distributed the load evenly. Too heavy in the back. We unloaded all of our belongings into a rental truck and left our panel truck and camper in Colorado for his brother to sell. So much for that hair-brained idea.
Throughout the late 80s and early 90s, we owned an array of campers. They ranged from fifteen to eighteen footers. Small, but lots of fun to take into the mountains. On one trip, my niece and nephew came along in our fifteen footer. Cozy, to say the least.
We parked, and unbeknownst to me, Ray had forgotten to hook the gas line back up to the stove. I smoked back then, and when I tried to light the cigarette from one of the burners, I’m here to tell you a flame shot clear across the camper. Not sure if any hair got singed, but Ray’s backside was a tad thinner.
But, in 1993, we graduated to a Class A Bounder. If I let Ray tell the story, he says, “She took me to an RV dealership one too many times.” So, yes, we walked out owning the RV, but we had a blast traveling with friends and family.
And speaking of family, one weekend, we took my parents to Cripple Creek, Colorado. Side Note to the story: The closest my folks got to camping was going to an RV Show in Wichita. So, I’m a little leery about us using this mode of transportation for the weekend, but Mom and Dad were game.
We packed everything into the RV, and we got on I-25. All of a sudden, my mother stood up and said, “Now, this is my way of camping.” She sat down and buckled in with a huge smile on her face. Our time with my parents that weekend is a memory I cherish.
Fast forward to our time in Houston. We never owned a camper in those twelve years in the 4th Largest City but always talked about full-time RVing when we retired. And when the time came, we went shopping.
I don’t know if you’ve heard this saying, but it goes like this, “Buy your third RV first.” What that means is: you buy the one you think you’ll want down the road—not the one with all the bells and whistles for your first one.
Who listens to old sayings? We don’t, and in 2013 we took off in our 5th wheel and dually truck and officially was on the road again. The Fiver worked, had plenty of room, but caused my already gray hair to turn grayer because it was HUGE. It also had hydraulic problems—too many issues for newbies.
Next came the Minnie Winnie. I’ve written stories in previous newsletters about our time in Winnie B, but our trip to Tionesta State Park stands out as our most favorite. I was writing Book #2 in the Early Birds series, and I told Ray, “Park it, and you and Maggie go fish or something.”
I finished Southbound Birds and still had time to spend with my hubby and pooch. We met a daughter and mom at the park, who came to celebrate the mom’s birthday every year. They pulled in next to us, and we became fast friends. They even took us to their secret fishing hole. Such sweet people!!!
After three and a half years in the Minnie Winnie, it was time to move up to a bigger one. We soon found out that having a slide mattered more than we thought. When it’s out, Ray and I avoid bumping into each other when we move around.
And our home on wheels awaits our return to it for more travels in the Spring, but for right now, we’re in our ‘new’ place. And we’re loving the extra space.
So, there you have our forty years of our on the road adventures. More to come in the future. How about your campers? Share pics and stories about your time RVing.
WRITING NEWS:
I’m continuing to write on my latest book, but I have to tell you – it’s on my NEW, NEW desk (see pictures below). If you ask Ray, he will tell you I bought it for him (which I did). But after getting it home, I had to renege on the offer and take it as my own. And, for the last two weeks, I’ve been working on it. I love it!!!
Until next time…
PS: Last Tuesday, our RV got broken into in storage at our new house. They ransacked the place after breaking the locks to get inside. Thankfully, we’d cleared out anything of value. Nothing was stolen or damaged. Thank You, Lord.
Blessings!
PS: Last Tuesday, our RV got broken into in storage at our new house. They ransacked the place after breaking the locks to get inside. Thankfully, we’d cleared out anything of value. Nothing was stolen or damaged. Thank You, Lord.
Blessings!
Janetta Fudge Messmer - Author of Christian Comedy/Romance
“Turning Life Into Comedy”
E-mail: janettafudgemessmer@gmail.com
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