Our Story

Welcome to our site! We are Joanne & Steve. After 20+ years working for a city school department and police department, we sold almost everything, bought an RV, and started living on the road with our three children. Joanne homeschools and works online.
What we have chosen is to live life as unencumbered as we possibly can and to spend time with our family, for our family, and as a family.
This website is a record of our travels. But, we also hope to educate, entertain, and inform others about RVing, roadschooling, and the great places we visit in this country.


Tuesday, April 26, 2011

"Hallin'" Away the Trash

So, Spring is here and we are in full purge mode.  The dumpster was delivered today, and in a few weeks time, it should be filled with remnants of a past life that are no longer applicable.  What's sentimental will be saved; 
what's useable will be sold or passed on; 
what's junk will be dumped.

Along with the plethora of items we are sending away to be trashed will be a roof's-worth of shingles and other roofing paraphernalia.  A new roof will grace the house for the first time since it was built.  If the weather holds out, it should happen sooner than later.  

Ready to Fill

Saturday, April 16, 2011

When the wind blows...

Seeing the devastation in the Southern states after this latest tornado has me thinking about the weather we may encounter while on the road in Eagle.  Like having a fire escape plan at home, I think we need to begin to research the necessary steps we'll need to take for a chance encounter with a twister, or, perhaps, an earthquake.  

The cb radio we have hopefully will have alerts of dangerous weather...will be checking into that soon.  So, once we know of a possible whirling vortex of death coming towards us, where does one hide in an RV?  Outrunning it may be out of the question as the rig probably won't be able to get over 70mph.  And taking turns quickly could be just as dangerous as being sucked up 40 feet into the air and slammed back down onto the hard ground.  Well, almost as dangerous.

According to alltraveltips.com...It's a Twister...

It's a Twister...
In the Southern states, peak tornado season is March through May. Northern states are more likely to be hit with tornadoes during the summer. People know that during a tornado warning they should move to an interior room with no windows, or in a basement. When camping, that’s not a viable option. Experts suggest retreating to a ditch or other low area, get as low to the ground as possible and cover your head from possible debris. “Do not seek shelter under an overpass; they act as wind tunnels during a tornado,” Weaver warns.

Author Brad Herzog and wife Amy of Pacific Grove, Calif., have been camping for nearly eight years. During their first trip, Brad authored “States of Mind,” a book, which chronicles their experience. One night, while camping in Mississippi, they encountered severe weather. “There were late-night tornado warnings and we were able to track the warnings by keeping tuned to a local station,” Herzog explains. They were aware of the warnings in advance and took precautions in case of a tornado strike. Fortunately the storm passed without any tornados touching down.




I think my biggest fear is that I may actually not run from it.  I mean, what an opportunity to see Mother Nature at such an elevated level of PMS!  



Friday, April 8, 2011

Breaking out from the Ice

Well, so, I have taken quite the sabbatical from this blog.  The horrifically long and arduous winter numbed my brain to hibernation mode.  Now that the days are a tad bit longer, and the sun is peeking out a bit more, I am finally starting to feel a slight surge of mental energy...although, not much so be patient.

The nibbles on the property and house have been few, however, since we hadn't planned to place it onto the market until Spring, and actually did so in October, we aren't really bugged by the lack of offers.  But, we need to see some soon.

The next big projects will be a full-house painting, and a new roof.  April vacation will be chock-full of home improvements, sans injury we hope.

Steve is still recovering form a knee reconstruction surgery in early February.  He is doing well though and enjoying the retirement he took since just before the surgery.  He is now a full-time stay-at-home dad.

The Eagle has sat, silent, snow-covered, and is beckoning to us to pull her from the mud and begin the trek across the USA.  Steve is currently installing new slide-out motors as one has already fried, and the company sent us 3 new to replace all.  Have to say that Jayco has come through.  They also sent new wall boards and doors...really what we needed was new door moldings...as some moisture got into the rig and warped the wood.  Door moldings are coming.

Winter is over and Spring is here.  Wishing for a summer that sets us on a new path.