Bob Dylan asked:

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

I guess it feels like a rolling stone with a rolling home.  We’re houseless, not homeless.

We’re now full-time RVers!  July 31, 2017 was a momentous day.  I could not write about it until everything was finalized and we closed on our house on July 31.

Back in January, Paul lost his job, which he loved.  It was the main reason why we had stayed in Saskatoon for so long.  When he came home that day, he was in despair.  My reaction wasn’t typical.  Though I felt disappointed for him, my eyes opened in wonder, “So does this mean we’re free?  Really free?”  Then, the wheels were set in motion.

We bought our Airstream new back in 2008 with the intention of eventually full-timing.  Because we are too young to retire, Paul kept sending out his resume, much to my disappointment.  It’s really hard to imagine a career cut too short.  Nevertheless, we started selling off our clutter to get the house ready to sell in the spring.

Our house listing with photos went live on May 17 at 10:00 am.  At 10:30, we had a call that there would be a viewing at 3:30.  We picked up the dogs before the viewing and went grocery shopping.  At 4:00 Paul got a job offer and he accepted it.  We decided that if it was a fulfilling job, we could stay in Saskatoon for 5 more years, as was our plan before that fateful day on January 4th.  While we were unpacking groceries, we got another call for a second viewing.  No cooking for us.  We packed up the dogs again and went to dinner.  While we were paying our bill, we got an offer from the first viewer!  What?  How could this be happening so quickly?  What would we do?  Paul had just accepted a job.  We never thought the house would sell in hours.

(Photos by toledo.ca, our agents)

Living room

Basement

So, there we were.  Paul in a new job and a house closing set for July 31.  But, life threw us another twist.  A few days later, my employer sent out a message to everyone in my union that on June 1, they were offering an Incentivized Exit program.  Yes, I could apply for a buy-out.  The applications would be considered and the employee would receive either an acceptance or denial on — which date?  You guessed it!  July 31!

My application was accepted!  So, here we are!

How does it feel?  Amazing!  Let’s call this a “soft retirement.”  I’m still in my late-40s, but I’m ready to change my life path.  Right now, the path is the Trans-Canada highway.  We are heading to visit my parents in the Niagara Region.  They get the pleasure of watching the girls while we head off to Europe on a trip we planned one year ago.

Our “silver” anniversary is on Wednesday November 2.  How can that be when I only feel like I’m 35?

Since the Airstream insurance flips from road insurance to storage insurance tomorrow at midnight, we decided to have an early celebration.  What better way to celebrate our 25th anniversary than in our silver clubhouse!  

Paul turned on the furnace to warm it up while I put together an appetizer plate.  Earlier in the day, we had chilled the wine.  Then, we took the girls outside with us and spent an enjoyable few hours before having a late dinner.  

The wine

  
Years ago, Paul encountered a couple discussing a certain wine in the liquor store.  He asked them about it, and taking their recommendation, bought a bottle.  It was truly the nectar of the gods!  That wine was probably our introduction to good wine, though it wasn’t expensive.  It was back when Wolf Blass wasn’t the commercialized wine it is today. It was back when Chardonnay was “buttery”, not “crisp”, as it is today.  It was a 2002 vintage.  Later, when our liquor store was clearing it out, no doubt for the “crisp” Chardonnays, we bought all that they had.  

We enjoyed all the bottles, but saved one for a special occasion.  However, we kept forgetting about it on each special occasion: when we bought the Airstream, when we celebrated our 20th, when we found a place we wanted to call “home”, etc.  Yesterday, we decided that today would be the day. 

Was it worth the wait?

  
Look at that color!  My tumbler is vintage smoke glass, but you can still see the rich Amber.  The wine was so smooth and rich.  It reeked of caramel and slipped down like butter!

Why is the trend in favour of crisp Chardonnays?  Crisp = sour.  There is nothing like a buttery Chardonnay!

The girls couldn’t care less about the Chardonnay.  They were eager for the nibbles.

On the weekend, it is supposed to be 17C, but sadly, we will not be able to use our silver clubhouse.  

We eagerly await spring.  Till then, have a cozy winter!

“Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery.” — Bill Watterson

What a difference a day makes.  This is what it looked like out my bedroom window yesterday morning:

 
Every one of the trees against the fence is taller than the fence.  The poor tree behind the chair, flattened, is my beloved smoke tree.  It is about 1 foot taller than the fence.  I don’t think it will make it.

Before I left for work, I hastily sent a message out to the membership of our Airstream club — the Free Range Rally was cancelled.  I was filled with deep sadness.  When I got home from work, I called the clubhouse we rented for the event to cancel.  By late afternoon 25 cm had fallen.

As I was calling to cancel everything, I got an email message from Paul.  He had skidded off the road, but was fine.  Never, in all his years of driving, had he lost control.  The snow had been accumulating and blowing, yet there wasn’t a snow plough to be seen. 

While he was waiting to be pulled out by a tow truck, a Toyota Tundra hit the same patch, and ran off the road too, narrowly missing Paul by a few inches.  When he saw the truck heading toward him, he thought he was a goner.  Later, another car lost control near him.

Then, it was time to go outside and shake some trees.  Our Japanese garden is a mess.  Paul has been training a limb on the maple to spread over our patio.  The limb snapped.  

We can usually walk under the limbs of the maple, but only Poppy can fit now.  She’s the only one who found joy in all of this.   
This Evans sour cherry tree may survive; however, it had a shock this year already when we moved it a few feet to the left.  Look at how much snow is on the tops of the lanterns.

A casualty in the front garden:

  
The flamingo tipped over from the weight of the snow.

By this morning, 30 cm had fallen.  We broke a record that was over 100 years old.  It’s still snowing. 

However, the weekend is not a whole loss.  We might not be camping, but we are still going to hold some of our events for the rally for those who are here.  One family will be coming in from Alberta and they are going to have a sleepover at our house!  Mom, dad, 2 boys, and 2 big dogs.  We will have a great time!  Poppy loves her big boyfriend, Chester.  Chester is an enormous Labradoodle.  He looks more like an Irish Wolfhound.  Poppy will be ecstatic to see him.  He was the first friend she ever met when she came to live with us.  She met him at her first Airstream meet about 2 weeks after we got her.  Chester’s sister is 9 years old, but she just came to their family this past May.  I’ve mentioned Chester and Janie before in earlier posts.  Janie is a rescued Golden-doodle (or is it Goldenoodle?) She’s sweet and timid and having the best life imaginable since she found her new family!  Daisy and Janie have a lot in common:  sleeping, getting love, and living out their golden years.

 Daisy and Janie at the Dolls & Dogs campout in August.

There is always a silver lining when you own an Airstream.  I won much more than $1.20 when I met my Airstream friends.

We’ve been fortunate to camp most weekends in September. Unfortunately, I keep forgetting to bring my camera, so I have only a few iPad pictures. 

Two weekends ago, we went to Douglas Provincial Park with our friends, the Krols. There are three of them in a Taylor Coach Bobbie.  It’s only 12 feet long!  Their daughter is almost 11, so she is still willing to sleep on the bunk above mom and dad’s bed. The Bobbie has a rear door, which creates a spacious interior. This little unit even boasts a wet bath!  Taylor Coach is produced in Ontario. 

 This weekend, we came to Pike Lake Provincial Park. The website said that only group camping with power was available, but the water would be shut off, as it was at Douglas. Well, weren’t we surprised to discover that the campground was still open, as well as the shower house!

Site 39 is jinxed. We camped at this site when the Airstream was still new. I had been doing some work at the dinette. My work bag was next to me, and when I looked down, I saw my blue pen had leaked through my bag and onto the cushion!  What a fright. I got the cover off and soaked, and the stain came out. I can’t say my bag faired as well. This morning, the girls were swarming me with excitement as I prepared their breakfast. Poppy was practically doing backflips, and she jumped on the sofa to get a better view, and her tail sent my coffee cup sailing off the table and onto the sofa cushion!  As I was walking to the laundry room, memories of the leaky pen came rushing back. I love our light sofa fabric, but sometimes . . . Anyway, I’m thankful that Airstream chose fabric that doesn’t disintegrate when washing, and I’m thankful the service centre at the campground was still open. 

What wonderful fall weather we are having!  Last night was probably one of the most perfect prairie nights we’ve had all summer. There was no wind, and it was warm. We could start our campfire early. Today, we walked along the lake, did some geocaching, and then walked a nature trail that passed through 3 ecosystems: woodland, wet woodland, and sand dunes. Poppy loves water, so she jumped into a green pond in the wet woodland. She likes a complete experience. Well, back to the lake we went for a romp to clean her coat. 

 Views from my Airstream door:  
As you can see in the bottom left, Poppy’s tail is in perpetual motion: 

Along with forgetting my camera, I also forgot my ukulele. I realized I had forgotten to pack both just as we hit the highway. Since the campground is nearly empty, I could have played it outside without feeling nervous about anyone hearing me.  Imagine my delight when I opened Airstream Life magazine to discover an article on Airstreaming and ukuleles!  My favourite quote: “What could be cooler than camping with your Airstream, admiring your pink flamingos, sipping an adult beverage with an umbrella, and strumming your ukulele?”  What could be cooler indeed!

While I was reading, I heard a cacaphony of geese nearing us. Within moments, about a thousand geese flew overheard in three waves!  Such a sight to see!  Are the geese trying to tell us something?

Next weekend will be our final campout. It’s the Thanksgiving long weekend. I know I’m thankful for all the camping I’ve been able to enjoy this summer. 

    
Shh!  Poppy’s tail isn’t moving. Sleep tight! 

On Friday morning, we participated in the Havre underground tour called “Beneath the Streets.”  It is similar to the tour in Moose Jaw, SK. These were definitely cellar rooms, but the ones in SK are mostly tunnels. The largest room was the brothel. They had some beds set up, but not authentically because they spaced them further apart. On the walls above the beds are the original numbers where “transactions” occurred. There were curtains between the beds. Did the lack of privacy add ambience?
 Here are some more reputable businesses:

  
In the afternoon, we went to Fort Assiniboine.  Our guide was so passionate about local history. I was most fascinated by the Buffalo Soldiers.  They were an all black regiment. Also, there was close cooperation between this fort and the forts in Western Canada. 

We ended the day with this glorious sunset and rainbow. 

On Friday, I was up early with Poppy. Hansen Family Campground is located between Havre and Chinook. They have a little menagerie on the grounds, but also there are neighbouring farms with animals too. These horses came to visit me and Poppy in the morning. 

  
  
The campground has an assortment of ducks, geese, chickens, peacocks, goats, donkeys. The barn that we are using for the dining hall also has a section for the critters to come in. Many of them sleep in inside stalls. Well, the little goats are most curious and most amusing. 

All of the sites are pull-through with full hook-ups, but unfortunately, they don’t have washrooms or a shower house yet. 

We left Walmart early and went to Tim Hortons for breakfast. Our friends, Corla and Randy, left by 7:30. Since we got such an early start, we passed through Climax and got to the border before noon. This was our first time using this border crossing. 

  
Poppy doing yoga in her Thundershirt:

  
   

For our border crossing, we took Daisy out of her kennel, but Poppy squeezed herself in!

 The border guards were such nice men. They were more interested in the dogs and talking about their dogs than ripping our trailer apart. We declared all the food we had, and as we expected, our garden tomatoes had to be thrown out. No problem. We were glad the dogs’ food was in a new sealed bag because they inspected that. The cheese was fine. Phew!  We had gone to the Bulkcheese Warehouse and purchased a  huge variety of  imported specialty cheeses. I swear I would have stood there and eaten all of it.  😀

The border guards had told us about the campground we were heading to and about the new owners. We will have to talk with them about buying an old disused KOA campground. 

It is HOT here. It hit 100 yesterday while they were setting up. Fortunately, it’s only in the 90s today. I love the heat and rolling hills with sagebrush. More about Havre later.

Here is Daisy enjoying the air-conditioning.  
After the dogs were settled, we made a run to stock the fridge. Now this makes a good mix!

Paul couldn’t get today off work, so we had to leave afterwards. I don’t like driving after dark. We thought there was a large animal on the road, but it turned out to be an enormous tumbleweed!  We saw a few others blowing across the highway.  Wind gusts were 40 kph. Fuel mileage was poor. 

 I had a little bit of running around to do this morning, and it was a bad day to be out. Tomorrow school starts, so parents were frantically getting supplies. I also was frantically looking for dog food. Daisy has major allergies, so she can only have a specific limited ingredient diet. I have a large bag of food for her. The problem was that the bag is open. The US requires that the bag be sealed with country of origin clearly printed on it as well as the receipt from the store in which it was purchased. The store where I went only had large bags. However, a worker  called another store for me which had a smaller bag. Phew!

Now why is that story relevant? Well, I packed the food, but forgot to pack food for tonight and tomorrow morning. I can’t open the new bag until we cross the border. Poor girls! When we arrived in Swift Current, Walmart was still open, so I got them Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice. They think it is steak. 

  
Today I hitched up the trailer by myself, and I had Paul inspect it. All is well, and it is still attached to the truck! Now if I could only learn to back it up. 

We have friends meeting us at Walmart tonight. We had hoped to make it as far as Gull Lake so that we could cross the border with a few others who are camping there, just in case there are issues with the dogs. Unfortunately, the Airstreamers camping with us tonight won’t be crossing right away. They are visiting relatives tomorrow morning and arriving later. Oh well. The dogs have their International Health Certificates and immunization records and sealed dog food. I hope I didn’t miss anything. I sure miss the pre-9-11 days. 

Montana, here we come!

Every time we go to a WBCCI rally, people have such cute bags to carry their plates & flatware to the dining hall.  I usually use a cloth grocery bag for mine, but I wanted something more organized, and well, cuter!  This is what I made today for our rally in Montana next weekend.

It’s a reversible bag!  One pocket has a divider for 2 sets of flatware.  The other pocket can fit hand wipes and napkins.  The fabric pattern is by Paige Bridges.  I have purchased some of her art in the past.  I love her style!

I added darts to increase the capacity.  The bag can hold our square or round plates.  I got the bag pattern & tutorial from verypurpleperson.com

 The corduroy side has the divided pocket:  

 I will store the handles of the flatware up.  This will most likely be the inside of the bag.  

I tried my best to match the fabric pattern on the body to the pattern on the pocket:

Not perfect, but good enough.    
And, yes, I made it big enough to fit wine and wine glasses. 🙂 

Now, I hope our truck will be back from the shop, or we might have to take the boler.  Gasp!  

The girls have vet appointments on Friday to get their International Travel certificates.  Montana here we come!

Last week, I went camping with my friend, Mary, and our 4 dogs.  We found a campground that was equidistant to both of us:  Sandy Beach Regional Park.  Mary’s dogs, Chester and Janie had just returned from “puppy camp” to see how Janie reacts to a kennel situation since Mary and her family are going to Australia for 3 weeks.  Janie is a 9-year-old rescued Goldenoodle.  She’s very timid.  She spent her reproductive years as a puppy mill breeder.  Chester developed kennel cough while at “puppy camp.”  Mary phoned her vet to see if he’d pose a threat to Daisy.  The vet was concerned about our little old lady, but so far it doesn’t seem like she contracted it.  All 4 dogs had their kennel cough vaccines.

The weather was incredibly hot, but the lake was refreshing for all of us.  However, Daisy stayed behind in Mary’s air-conditioned trailer.

 Does Mary’s Airstream make my boler look bigger?  
Janie by the boler

Poppy & Daisy    

Chester kept trying to leave our fenced “circle of love,” so he had to be leashed. 

Where am I going to sleep?  The boler is very cozy with 2 dogs.  Fortunately, the nights were cool and the day’s heat had dispersed by bedtime.   
On our last night, we had 2 violent storm systems move through.  Many poplars lost branches in the campground.  This was the red sky in between storms.

Mary gave Poppy Zylkene to reduce her anxiety.  It worked.  She slept through the second storm.  However, we had moved into the boler for the second storm, and then Daisy could hear the thunder and see the lightning, so she was stressed.  I’ll be getting prescriptions for both of them.