Rocking the RV Life

So I've been living in Gertie for 49 days. It has been glorious and a challenge as well. There have been snafus, let downs, tantrums, realizations, aha moments, cuteness overload, and just plain joy. Here are some bits and pieces of RV Life.

I bought a second hand bicycle over a week ago from a social worker of all things, and just love it. It's blue and I have installed a basket on the front for carrying stuff. I like the cruiser style more than a mountain bike or a ten speed. It has narrow tires for city riding, and curved handlebars for my comfort. I don't want to lean over that much, I want to sightsee along the way! I thought it might be hard to get back into riding and that I would be sore all over, but so far it hasn't been too bad. My assbones are a bit sore, but my legs are great, and I haven't gotten very winded at all. And oh how I love those gliding moments down a sloping hill. I brake often as I get a little terrified....in any case, the bike has been a great investment. I bike pretty much every single day. That's more exercise than I've had in a decade. The only issue is where to lock up and store my bike when not in use. I have locked it to signs next to Gertie, and then some asshole stole my bicycle seat. My own bloody fault. I had two locks on the bike, a u-bolt on the front tire and a thick covered cable lock on the the frame and back tire to whatever anchor I have. I forgot about the quick release seat. So I got up one morning and it was gone - and they had left their own crotch killer seat behind. Asshole. Off I went to the bike shop for a new seat. Then I started locking it to the RV, but that can be problematic when you forget that it is attached to the RV as you start driving...I only dragged it about 10-15 feet, thankfully. I need a bike rack on the back post haste, but they are a bit pricey so I'm on the hunt for a used one. 

Getting things settled in the best space for their purpose has been an ongoing thing in an RV. When living in such a small space, the onboard storage is not always easily accessible. I don't have any loose furniture other than a camp chair for sitting around a campfire or just outside the RV. I haven't been able to hang outside the RV much though as the trick to curbside camping is to not look like you are camping as it is frowned upon and restricted under city bylaws. So I can't just set up a patio on the nature strip...My clothes have been the biggest challenge as I have to admit, I'm a bit of a clothes hog. I don't go for designer clothes in the least - I shop mostly at Old Navy and import shops for clothes from Nepal. Cheap and comfortable cotton and linen is what I am after. Old Navy is certainly cheap when they have a good sale on but it awakens in me the need for more clothing when tank tops are $3. In any event, I have dozens of sleeveless tops, mostly because I was living in a hot climate (Australia) and I arrived in Canada as summer was coming on, so hit a bunch of sales. Without a full closet or a dresser, my clothes is split around the RV. I have two cabinets over my bed that hold my t-shirts, leggings, shorts, cotton pants, and tank tops. They are stogged full. Then I have a small short closet with a very short closet rod, so not that practical, so I just cram my big chunky sweaters in there. I have another longer closet with a rod, but again, not very wide so not useful for hanging clothes, so I have a storage shelf that hangs with all my sarongs that I am not using, larger scarves, thinner sweaters, and a couple of hats. Then I have the shower where someone thoughtfully installed a closet rod to use the shower as a big closet, so I have all my jackets, dresses, and skirts hung up. I put a second closet rod below for short skirts to add more room. I haven't used the shower yet though so I will find out what a pain it is to move the clothing out for a shower. It just doesn't seem practical to not use that space as I need it for clothes for 98% of the time, and only a few moments at a time as a shower. Then I have those fabric cube storage bins - one for shoes, one for my head scarves and bandannas, one for my winter accessories (mittens, scarves, hats, etc) and then I have a wooden box that used to belong to my father, stashed up in the loft bed with my undergarments inside. I have to stand on the sofabed to reach the box, which is fine, no problem, except yesterday I got up there to get something while getting dressed, forgetting that my bottom was wearing only underpants as I rooted in the box, also forgetting that I had yanked the privacy curtain across to access the box...therefore exposing my underpants to the block...hopefully no one was looking! 

So I have moved and shifted my belongings around and think I have found the best space for most of it, however I'm sure things will change over time. I have tons of storage space left as well, which is unusual, but welcome. The storage cabinet under the sofabed is completely empty. There is room in almost all of the other cabinets not housing clothes for tons more stuff. I had originally stored my sewing machine and fabirc under the bed, but that cabinet is tough to get to so I moved that stuff out under my bench seat instead. I've put my extra batteries that are going to be hooked up to the solar panels in that space instead. I had originally planned to put them in the generator compartment outside but it's far bigger than I need, isn't real secure, nor is it real protected from the weather. I bought battery boxes to store the batteries in, and will have them strapped down to be secure. They will be out of sight, and secure. I mounted the controller in my bed chamber on the wall of the closet. Then I ran the wires up over the fridge through the top cabinet to where the inverter sits on a shelf. We are putting the solar panels on today I hope, and their wires will come down into the cabinet in my bedroom. Then I will be able to plug anything I want in, as long as I get some sun every few days. I'll be able to use my television, sewing machine, iron, printer, laminator, and toaster oven. Yahoo! Let the creating begin.

I've been quite cozy in the RV. The furnace takes the morning chill off quite nicely, and the sun is still warm enough during the day to keep things warm until bedtime for the most part, depending on whether I had the windows open that day. I spent the bulk of my time in the RV either at the table on my bench seat, or on the sofa lounging with the kitty, reading or watching something on my iPad. I do look forward to the change of scenery in going to a different space for bed, which was a big reason I wanted a separate sleeping chamber with a curtain so I can close off the messy bed if I don't feel like making it. I love hearing the rain on the roof, so far anyhow...three months into a rainy winter and I could be feeling rather differently about that. I've cooked up big meals such as Thanksgiving dinner while camping in the woods, and I've baked cookies, pies, cakes, brownies, etc in my oven and it all went rather well. It is a bit of a challenge to cook in a limited space, but I made it work, and I can use the table as extra prep space, so that's where I roll out my pie dough and cool anything on a rack. 

I've been working on more seaweed art, and have several pieces framed and another bunch drying. I'm hoping to get in on a market sale this fall for Christmas and see how they sell. I am just waiting for my solar power so I can run my printer to print off some labels for the back with an artist bio and my pic. I also need to print off some business cards as well. Once I have more power I can also get back to sewing. I have a few ideas I want to try out and see if they can sell online. 

Sometimes when I get up in the morning I have to look out to see where I parked as I can't always remember. I've been up and down this one street most of the time when I haven't been out of town camping. I'm allowed to park here as the RV is registered to an address on this street, however parking an RV is not quite like parking a little Honda Civic...I need some space, so I can't always get where I want to but that's ok. I wish I could get somewhere for the winter, but both RV parks in town are full already and I didn't want to park until late November. But whatever, it only takes a few minutes to pack up and hit the road so I often just go spend the day at the beach, overlooking the ocean. That's where I collect my seaweed. Nash just loves it as there are birds galore to watch. 

Nash has his favorite spots as well. He has a cozy kitty bed up on top of the box my undergarments are in as it sits next to a window in the loft bed. He likes the front seat when it's sunny. He likes the floor of the cab when I'm driving as it warms up. Sometimes he curls up in the safe under the passenger seat. He also likes sleeping on the bench cushions, or just about anywhere on the sofabed. He does sleep in my bed with me most of the time, but when he isn't, he is usually in the loft kitty bed. His favorite place to watch the world is the front windows of the cab though and he sits on the dash or the steering wheel. People see him all the time and I hear them call out to him. Funny little guy, he is so cute but growing fast!

So I must pack up and get the dishes cleared up and hit the road. I'm off to Shaw to see what they can help me with. My friend just ordered the cheapest cable package and it comes with access to Shaw Open hotspots all over the place. Bell has something similar, but only Ontario and east. So I'm about to dump Bell and their overpriced services. Shaw doesn't do mobiles though so I have to find a new provider.