Fairing the Storm

S: Jerry decided to write this week’s blog again.  He’s actually enjoying writing and I believe he’s getting quite good at it.  So, thank you again, for joining us and please enjoy Jerry’s take on our crazy life! 

How to deal with being stuck inside due to weather?

J: Our first Nor-Eastern storm!!! For the last week we have had high winds, thunder lightning, and like Forrest Gump said, “little bitty stinging rain, big ol’ fat rain…Rain that flew in sideways, and sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot, it even rained at night”. One of my all time favorite movies! When the wind was gusting at 40-50 mph, the RV would shake a little, but after a while it didn’t really bother us!

Yes, we have watched movies, and read books! I finally got through more than half of the biography of Ulysses S Grant, an exhaustive treatise of the life and times of one of our greatest generals, and presidents. I am reading, for “entertainment”,  a 22 book series about a game warden and his adventures in the mountains of Wyoming! Yes, being cooped up is boring, but we are warm, dry, and eating healthy and well, thanks to my incredible wife! 

Naps? Yes!😊 Nothing like a comfy nap while reading a book, especially during the crazy weather we have been having. The only challenge is the noise from heavy rain falling on the roof, it sounds like rocks are pounding the roof!  Nothing like living in a RV during a HUGE thunder and lightning storm. (Sorry west coast and all our friends and family in California)

We have had time to reflect on the time we spent in Washington DC. Our time in DC has given us a lot to think about! I know we have been talking about DC for over a month, but we are amazed at the amount of history that has been restored! I am also shocked about not knowing about some of the details of our country’s history! It was a walking classroom for us! I am very proud of the effort and massive amounts of capital to preserve and protect our country’s treasures! It was sad that there were armed guards at all of the museums. I guess it is just the current state of affairs in our country! Since the pandemic started, violent crime has increased!

On Mother’s day, in Virginia Beach, we enjoyed brunch at a beach restaurant with our friends, Kim and Rodger. We were entertained by the raging sea! We toured the Virginia Beach Aquarium and enjoyed the displays of the various sea life. I am looking forward to our next stop, Williamsburg VA! The city where Generals Lee and Grant fought to a stalemate, entrenched behind their massive trenches and bulwarks for a year.  Eventually General Lee surrendered due to lack of supplies, desertion, and the realization that the confederate cause could not win. I hope to visit the battle sites, Appomattox (where Lee accepted the terms of surrender to Grant) . The Civil war was the bloodiest war in the history of America. Amazing how determined people can be! Bet you didn’t expect a history lesson!!

Reactions when we tell people we are full time RVer’s!

This is a continual conversation everywhere we go when we first meet people outside the RV Parks.  

“You do what….Live in your RV full time? Ok but where do you live? No really where do you park your RV? You live in your RV all the time? WOW that’s amazing! I am so envious!” 

What do they really say behind our backs? “Poor people live like they are homeless! Too bad they didn’t have enough money to buy a vacation home!”  HaHaHa! Susan and I like the reactions we get. We know we are very blessed to be living this life.  We look at each other all the time and say, “man are we lucky.”

Full time RV living is not for everyone. Susan and I have a strong relationship making the transition easier! When we first started our adventure Susan realized that I would be home 24/7 with my recent retirement! It was a funny moment!  If you could have seen her face when she realized I was going to be around ALL THE TIME!

We get along well because our relationship is strong! We talk things through with a lot of mutual respect!  We always say, if you have issues with your relationship, this is NOT the lifestyle for you and it certainly won’t fix your issues.

Being around each other 24/7 in a very small home can be challenging, especially when you both worked outside the home in your prior life.  As we have mentioned in the past, we are still working on giving each other space and “alone time”.  It’s a work in progress and we are up for the task as we continue this amazing adventure.

Just One More…Gale wind warning….(we are kinda over the wind)