A Day In The Fulltimer RV Boonies…..
By those not in the know we sometimes get asked what we DO all day. When I worked in the semiconductor industry I’m not sure I could have answered this as well as I can now. Back then the days often blurred together, and many of my daily activities were often colossal wastes of time. I worked hard, I had moments of great inspiration/achievement and I was paid well (which I’m most definitely grateful for), but what I DID was…well…not really worth blogging about.
Now, give me a DAY in the boonies and I can tell you exactly what I did. Rarely are two days the same out here, and rarely do I feel bored or repetitious. It probably helps that both Paul and I are very much self-motivators, and have a wealth of personal interests, activities and hobbies.
For anyone looking to get into this lifestyle I do think that’s a key part of being able to enjoy the journey. Whether your interests be physical, social, mental or spiritual having ways to stimulate your mind and body are important for any early retiree or fulltime RVer.
So what happened yesterday, for example? We started at the break of dawn because (seriously) I wanted to catch that sunrise, and pooch was already beside herself with excitement at the thought of rabbits possibly bouncing around outside. After a brisk morning walk with views to die for we came home to fresh espresso and a kale, sweet potato, parma ham and sharp cheddar omelette (I’m still drooling). We then whiled away several hours on various intellectual activities. Paul was testing out a new investing model he’d created and charting trend patterns. I read some new research papers on insulin and the brain-gut connection (fascinating stuff! My own interests lie heavily in health and pet science), did some blogging, processed photos and answered posts on my online cat-group (I’ve been running the yahoo FLUTD group for several years now).
With minds and bellies full we seized the beautiful day outside. Onto the bikes to explore our surrounding spot and discover some sights. There’s always local history or geology which makes an area interesting and all it takes is a little outing to figure it out. A few hours around gave us the “lay of the land” and ideas for future places to explore.
Once the expedition was done we headed back into camp and were surprised by a visit. A lovely Canadian gentleman that we met in December boondocking at Ogilby Road just happened to be passing by and spotted our rig. That led to a good long chat, exchanging boondocking news and an update on what he’d been up to. Love those kinds of coincidences!
Afternoon activities ensued with great rapidity. Cats went outside to lounge and explore, Paul practiced his chipping on our personal half-mile golf-course in front of the RV and we had another hike into the hills with pooch. With the light lengthening and warm colors embracing the ground we tipped a couple of wine glasses to the sunset and settled in for an evening of gourmet eating, chat, Scrabble and candle-light.
Oh yeah, it was such a full day we didn’t even get it all done, and we’ve got a ton more experiences planned for today (Sculpture viewing and Geocaching being just a sampling of new items on the agenda) which we probably won’t all manage to get done either.
It was Shakespeare who so eloquently immortalized the words “Why, then the world’s mine oyster/Which I with sword will open”. These days I might update that a tad to say “which I with mind will open”….because honestly with the power of the mind and the force of creativity there is no end of treasured experiences you can achieve in a day. And that baby….is what I DO!
I think you’ve figured “it” out. Whatever “it” is. And only you know what that is, er, what “it” is? (man, that was a waste of key strokes!)
Happy boon-docking!
I totally understand what you mean…the “it” factor is different for everyone and it does take some time to find it 🙂
Nnia
Another great post. You have a way with a phrase; and the photos aren’t bad either.
Thank you 🙂 Nina
Another great post Nina. I too am very interested in nutrition. Your breakfast omelet sounds scrumptous. We have just settled into San Elijo State Beach and are starting our training tomorrow. Hope to meet you both in the near future.
Excellent! Let us know when you’ve found your grove and have time in the schedule to see us. Our calender is fairly open.
Nina
That was very inspiring. Thank you for sharing this. Can’t wait to try it!
You’ll be on the road soon! Nina
Tough day!
Oh it was, it was…thank goodness for wine and Pamero rum 🙂
Nina
Your days sound like a little bit of paradise. I want what ever you are drinking!
Two buck chuck (from Tader Joe’s) and Pampero Anejo Rum….it’s the perfect combo 🙂
Oh and the view helps too of course!
Nina
Geez you guys are in the same spot we were in! Now just keep heading east and come over to the Slabs for a few days.
People always assume we are on vacation. It never occurs to them that we’re actually making a living from paradise. Happy to see you are too.
Oh shucks!! You guys are just inching ahead of us! Unfortunately we’ll probably have to head back to San Diego after this (more appts coming up), but I DO want to vist the Slabs at some point too…..
Nina
Love your day. And I love that during your day, you’re in an almost constant state of learning. AND….I loved Anza-Borrego and can’t wait to return there.
shhhhhh… don’t give away all our secrets…
Nina, it sounds like we have some similar interests (health/pet science!). I owe you a thank you. We started our full-time travels last March. Through your blog I discovered the MetPet cat harness. I introduced to our cat, T’Chat, and it has worked like a charm. She begs to go for her daily walks and sits quietly while I put on her harness. I’ve passed on your recommendation to others.
I also have 2 questions:
1) How do I access your cat forum on Yahoo?
2) I subscribe to the Whole Dog Journal, which does an annual review and recommendation of dog foods. Do you know of anything similar out there for cats?
My husband and I love your blog.
Robin
Hi Robin,
Oh I’m SO happy your baby has taken to the harness! I can’t tell you how much both the cats and I enjoy getting outside each day (yesterday both cats were out for 2 hours just “lounging” around in the sun).
For your questions
1/ My forum is rather specific (for cats with Feline Urinary Tract Disease specifically), but you’re welcome to look it up. The link is here:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/flutd/info
2/ I don’t know of any printed items for cats which are similar to Whole Dog Journal, but I do have a forum recommendation. For cats in general the BEST forum I’ve found is wholecathealth. They are a very knowledgeable group and I’ve used them for kitty health issues many times
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/WholeCatHealth/info
Just checked out your blog. LOVE those HDR shots!!
Nina
Thank you for the tips on your forum and the Whole Cat Health forum. I’ll bookmark both. I can’t take any cred for our blog or photos~that’s all Ross! Cheers!
Posts like this are so inspiring to me on days like today when full-timing seems so far away. Thank you.
Ahhh, the SoCal Deserts….sure do miss them.