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A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: RV living

Back on the Road – Our Nomadic Lifestyle Resumes

October 29, 2020 / / 68 Comments

Six months. That’s how long Mark, Maya, and I lived in “our room above the garage” at my in-laws’ condo in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Apart from a one-month stint further up New England in June, when we helped family with home renovations and visited a couple of friends. Six months! It’s the longest Mark and I have ever remained in one place, since becoming a couple in 2004. Impressive… Or not?

The Pros of Room Life

I am the first to admit that I actually enjoyed being in a “stable environment” for a little while. Life on the road is challenging and exhausting. This break was timely and welcome. I savored every shower and good night’s sleep; the unlimited electricity and comfortable desk. Even our noisy, inefficient “easy-bake oven” and unreliable college fridge (that barely held produce without some falling out each time we opened the door) had their charms. The sofa bed displayed two big indents from our bodies and pained my back, but we could sit up in it! Our dishwashing routine in the bathroom became familiar. We just had to remember it or teeth brushing was in jeopardy.

We helped Mark’s parents wherever we could. People, in general, wore masks when out and about. I was productive with my book. Mark had a decent job with the US Census. Maya was comfortable. Our six months here weren’t too bad at all; a nice change from what we are used to. And, we managed to hang out with good friends one more time, before leaving.

(As always, hover over the photos to read captions or click to enlarge.)

Sangria on an Indian Summer day
Kevin, Holly, and cute Ginger
BBQ at our friends’ house
Good friends Ryan and Denise out on a rainy fall hike with us
Maya sniffing something on a fall hike in Massachusetts

The Pros of Vanlife

But travel is in our blood. We are nomads after all! So, albeit with mixed feelings and not much of a plan, the three of us hit the road again in our 19ft camper van the day before my father-in-law turned ninety, on Saturday, October 17th. We’d head south first. Then, turn west.

Back on the road

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IWSG Writing Update February 2019 – My Road to Publication Step 1: The Book Proposal

February 6, 2019 / / 68 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For February, the question is: “Besides writing, what other creative outlets do you have?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Raimey Gallant, Natalie Aguirre, CV Grehan, and Michelle Wallace. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.

My answer to the question (Besides writing, what other creative outlets do you have?)

None. Writing is all I do, every day. My memoir, articles, blog posts, notes, comments, emails, diaries. When I don’t write, I edit or translate, which could be called writing as well. During the weekend, I aim to go for walks/hikes or relax, during which times I always talk or think about… writing.

My walking and talking partner, husband Mark
Empty desert roads to walk and talk on
One of the walks we did around here in early January

My book progress

I want to thank you all again for your input last month, in regards to the title, subtitle, summaries, and tweets for my Work in Progress (WIP), a travel memoir about my thirties, navigating the ups and downs of love, adventure, and the unknown aboard a 35ft sailboat in the tropics. For now, I have settled on the title Plunge – Riding the Waves of a Life Less Ordinary. We will see what happens with that one. As you know, I have tons of alternatives. ????

The last two months, I have been working diligently on creating a book proposal for my non-fiction manuscript. Continue reading

IWSG Writing Update December 2018 – Monterey Moments

December 5, 2018 / / 54 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For December, the question is: “What are five objects we’d find in your writing space?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are  J.H. Moncrieff, Tonja Drecker, Patsy Collins, and Chrys Fey. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.

Answer to the question (“What are five objects we’d find in your writing space?”)

Probably the same items you find in other writers’ writing space – a laptop, a mouse, a glass of water (or cup of tea), a strong light, and a desk – with the major difference that everything but the laptop and the mouse changes whenever we move houses to take care of people’s animals.

My trusted computer goes everywhere with me

Book Progress

What was I thinking when Mark and I moved into our camper van Zesty indefinitely, at the end of July? That I’d be able to combine daily errands, sightseeing, driving, hiking, and translation jobs with writing/editing my memoir? Ha! And, it’s not that I didn’t know better, after running our own business from a sailboat in the middle of nowhere and from a couple of campers for years. Combining work, life and leisure on the road (or the water) is tough, leading to the insane and the impossible! Yes, Mark and I are good at making a challenging lifestyle just a tad more challenging.

Enough about my wishful thinking, my naivety despite experience, and my conviction that “it might work out this time.” It didn’t. I can’t concentrate hours on end to work on my book when: 1) my laptop’s battery only lasts three hours, 2) we have limited data on our cell phone acting as a hotspot; the same cell phone Mark uses for navigation when he goes on bike rides, 3) two people occupy the same 10 square feet and one stowable table simultaneously, 4) a paid job pops up each time I attempt to pick up that memoir again, and 5) we stay in all these amazing places full of discovery and adventure.

My office at our current house sit in Ojai, CA – Can you spot two of the three dogs?
Yay! Time to work on my book again.

So, Mark and I are house sitting again for the time being. Continue reading

IWSG Writing Update November 2018 – No Progress

November 7, 2018 / / 52 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For November, the question is: “How has your creativity in life evolved since you began writing?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are  Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor JQ Rose Ann V. Friend and Elizabeth Seckman. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.

My answer to the question (How has your creativity in life evolved since you began writing?)

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IWSG Writing Update October 2018 – Hurrah for Rain!

October 1, 2018 / / 34 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For October, the question is: “How do major life events affect your writing? Has writing ever helped you through something?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Dolorah @ Book Lover,Christopher D. Votey,Tanya Miranda, and Chemist Ken. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.

My answer to the question (How do major life events affect your writing? Has writing ever helped you through something?)

This month’s question is a personal one. As long as I remember, I’ve written a diary, every day, for almost 30 years. I wouldn’t know whether this helped me through certain episodes, because of its daily occurrence, but I do know that the urge of writing has always been there, especially during major life events. What certainly has helped me through the years, are emails to my best friend Rosie. So, it might not have been with books or articles, blogs or diary entries, but communicating via the written word certainly is one of the best remedies for me during emotional times.

From the moment we arrived in Canada, it started raining. 🙂
Rainy walk in the city center
Queen Elizabeth Park

My (slow) book progress

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IWSG Writing Update September 2018 – Beta Reader Feedback

September 5, 2018 / / 59 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For September, the question is: “What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are  Toi Thomas,T. Powell Coltrin, M.J. Fifield, and Tara Tyler. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.

My answer to the question (What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?)

While I realize you can never plan too far ahead when it comes to the writing path, thinking about publishing my memoir while I haven’t touched the manuscript in months feels a bit presumptuous.  That being said, I have read about the pros and cons about traditional publishing and self-publishing. Author Jane Friedman has a ton of valuable articles about this topic on her website, with this blog post being all-encompassing.

In general, the indie way seems to offer most benefits in regards to publishing quickly, being able to print on demand (which is also cost-effective), and more freedom with the title, content and cover art. Yet, there is that one big (mis)belief about a higher success and accomplishment rate when an author manages to snatch a (renowned) publishing house. Going the traditional route, however, means creating a non-fiction book proposal, which is an entire project in itself. While the verdict is still out, I ought to start with rewriting parts of my memoir!

My book progress and why there has been none…

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Two-week RV Trip, Part 3 – Boondocking/Free Camping

June 28, 2018 / / 45 Comments

To most of you, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that Mark and I are frugal people. It’s not that we don’t have any money, or that we don’t make any money; we choose to only spend what is needed to live comfortably and eat healthy. This allows us to work jobs we enjoy (generally speaking), where the wages are inferior to our flexibility and satisfaction. The less money you spend, the less you have to make, and therefore work. ????

Our past house-sitting lifestyle guaranteed we never paid for rent or utilities. Our biggest expenses this year involved our camper van Zesty. Setting him up to live off the grid (we still have to work more towards that) and travel full-time will provide savings in the future. We prefer boondocking (“dry” camping for free, usually without facilities and preferably in nature) to RV parks and official campgrounds. I compare it to anchoring on our sailboat, as opposed to staying in marinas, which we rarely did, for similar reasons. We prefer privacy, natural surroundings, and spending no money on camping (or mooring). In the year we have owned Zesty, we have paid twice for a “bare bones” campground without hook-ups, but with toilets, trash receptacles and a dump station. Once in Zion National Park last October, and once on this two-week RV trip.

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