WOW: Transforming this Blog into a Book

My fifth and final resolution for 2012 is to write a book. 

When I retired about 8 years ago from the Philippine business landscape, I  wanted to teach some, cook some, paint some, and write some. Well, my report card shows that I passed! I taught in three Seattle learning institutions in 2006-2008, married Bill in 2008 and have cooked  our meals since (I am so glad Bill eats anything!), and have sustained this blog for almost 2 years, satisfying my artistic bent with photography and my literary desires by thumping thousands of keystrokes on my laptop. Looking back, this cruising lifestyle has been just a shade less hectic than my driven years. And, I have 3 options for the future: continue this, truly retire, or try something even bigger!

A bigger idea is to transform this blog into a book! Now that we have some 2 months left in Florida, I might find the time to come to a decision point. After all, I already have about 160 pages written into this blog. I just have to find a good thread that will weave the posts and tie everything together. As I reviewed the books on RVing that are out in bookstores and Amazon, they all fall into 3 types: a compilation of adventures and commentary, a personal story, or a ‘how-to’ book. You cannot depend on me about how-to’s (Bill says my mechanical IQ hovers around 28) so which of the first two will it be?

Just Compile the Posts or Tell the Underlying Story?

There are many things unique about our situation that can be a springboard for good weaving. I am a late-age immigrant from 10,000 miles away here in America in a late-age marriage. We both retired from previously very driven lifestyles into the American RV community that is 95% white with many constraints: cozy living (115 to 350 square foot cozy), few sustained friendships, constant changes, no consistent health care or ministry and the distance of family.

Will a straight compilationof the two different kinds of posts in this blog (1) our lifestyle adventures, OLA, with the vivid descriptions of places, people, and activities and the 2) wonderings on wanderings, WOW, which are candid commentary on the cruising lifestyle be a workable thread? Will our unique perspective prove interesting for the melting pot of an American audience? Judging from the mild reception to this blog, it may not be good enough!

Or would adding the personal story that is going on behind the scenes be a better hook?  Does the excitement of RVing (seeing many interesting sites, learning about history, discovering great institutions, and good products, meeting interesting people, showing our children more of the country) compensate for the constraints of this lifestyle (health issues, immigration problems, emotional and social conflicts, financial constraints)?  Will it make or break our quest for a happily married life?

But even if the personal ups and downs will make the book very exciting, shall our personal problems be too uncomfortable for me to share?  More precisely, will Bill, a very private person, like my accounts of them? Do we have what it takes to write a book about the reality of our ongoing struggles behind the hoopla? The first option is definitely much easier to achieve! Maybe it should be somewhere in between!

Self-Publish or Seek a Publisher?

But the other dilemma is this: should I self-publish or seek out a publisher that will be willing to invest in the idea? Self-publishing will print a book faster but marketing will be more difficult. But then again, I really am not dreaming of producing a best-seller! Seeking a publisher requires patience and determination and may take months or years. But, then again, you get a lot of professional and expert advice and marketing from an established platform will be a lot easier. This is the decision point where I will be more stuck, I believe. It is a hard call to make.

Truly, this is one time that your comments shall be most appreciated! They may just get me unstuck!

WOW: Giving Back

Bill discussing with the volunteers of a Habitat project in an ongoing build site in Ocala, Florida

We have been so fortunate. We are able to retire in relative comfort, our children are all doing very well, and the only thing we need to do is travel and be happy. The universe has conspired to provide us everything we needed as we were struggling to build our families and a life of our own: opportunities, resources, money, people, health, talents, and more. Now it is truly time to give back. This is our fourth resolution.

In the past I devoted my payback efforts towards helping my third world home country. The Philippines has, besides giving me birth, provided me with plenty of opportunities to excel. I also used to think being part of the Philippine Institute for the Deaf, the non-profit school teaching the deaf to speak founded by my mother and sister would be enough. But the school is in good hands now and doing well.

Then Bill and April, my youngest daughter, participated in Seven Fund's competition for projects that would increase livelihood for the Philippines. Bill entered GEM, Go and Experience Manila, a proposal to build a powerful tourism website, and April entered PinoySEEDE, Source for Executives and Educators for the Development of Entrepreneurs in the Philippines. Unfortunately both lost since the contest was primarily looking for livelihood projects.

Bill’s DU friend, Doug Miller, is founder of the EVPA, European Venture Philanthropy Association, and is now Chair of AVPN, the Asia Venture Philanthropy Network. Bill is helping him evaluate BKP, a non-profit setting up small libraries in the Philippines. Perhaps even without winning a grant or utilizing this connection, Bill and I can found a simple nonprofit that will provide a college scholarship grant to an indigent gifted student to help her bring her family out of poverty, much as my mother and I were helped.

But I should really get involved with social problems here in the US, too! We have been thinking about what we can do within our chosen cruising lifestyle. It has to be a cause that does not tie us to a particular place but also gives us the chance to impact the lives of not just a few!  One idea was given to us by Father Jack, Bill's friend and pastor in the West SEattle parish: 1) the study of best Catholic parish practices in reaching out to its community. I have also read about Learning Camps on Wheels. We can also turn our RV into a Soup Kitchen on wheels!

When we were in Americus, Georgia, visitiing the International Headquarters of Habitat for Humanity, (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/11/ola-turning-wounds-into-wisdom-oprah.html), we found out that there is a group called Care-a-Vanners for RV travel with a purpose. We simply have to schedule our volunteer time at a build site in a preferred state. Volunteers park their RVs for a week or two and help build new homes. An ongoing schedule of build sites can be found in http://www.habitat.org/cd/rv/schedule.aspx .

We visited the nearest Habitat build site to our campground, the Ocala Ongoing Build Site. This is an experimental project, helping a low-income mom with a handicapped child rebuild her home. She gave the last of her savings to an unscrupulous contractor tor who was supposed to do all the repairs (her roof had caved in). But he ran away with all of her money without completing anything. The city government gave a small grant to Habitat which, in turn, provided the volunteers to work on her home.

As in every major decision we make, we built decision matrices for these options. We came up with the following criteria to include in our analysis:  required skills, passion for the activity, ease of approach to a community, immediate need, and future impact. We have completed the matrices and the result surprised us…the simpler, the better. So, for the payback in the US, volunteering our efforts to Habitat bested the other two ideas. And for help for the Philippines, a simple scholarship fund would be the best!. 

Thus even without a grant or connection, we may be able to start giving back. Not that we have not been doing tha but this time, it will be a collaboration between Bill and me. Then giving back should be doubly  rewarding!

WOW: Focusing on Health

getting prepped for the procedure

This post about my health issues was bumped off early in December because of Bill’s unexpected heart attack. Back then, superstitions come to my mind. Teresa, the ER nurse, said it is probably because it was a Lunar Eclipse that day (Dec. 8, 2011) and during such times, ERs experience a sharp increase in cases! I said that maybe I shouldn’t have scheduled writing about health issues! Look what happened after!

Stress Management

Well, Bill had his second coronary artery (75% blocked) worked on last Thursday and another stent was inserted. Technically, his heart is now almost as good as new! But through the ordeal, I was so stressed that I fell victim to several health issues right after. He jokingly said I just felt left out because he was getting all the attention!  But stress has always been an issue. That is why I retired from the Philippine business landscape early and why I retired from teaching/counseling in Seattle after only 2 years!

After his first procedure, my sciatic nerve got inflamed and I could scarcely walk for a couple of days, practically leaving Bill to his own recovery. As soon as that was gone, a three week ordeal of hives, affecting different parts of my body, began. I went to four doctors but it still raged. When I stopped taking all that was prescribed, the hives subsided, only to reappear the night before Bill’s second procedure! Again, the culprit appears to be stress!

drinking water after the procedure

Consistent Good Healthcare

But the cruising lifestyle allows us a more relatively stress-free life. However, it also prevents us from getting consistent health care. Bill had to wait for our 6-week Indiana/Ohio leg in August to September before he could have arthroscopic surgery even though it had been recommended by his primary physician before we left for Manila in February! All that time I had several ongoing health issues.

When we were in Manila, I consulted my former cardiologist, stress management doctor, and gastro-enterologist.  After all, health care costs are about a third of those in the US. I was told I had no cardiovascular problems but an endoscopy revealed that I had 3 tiny ulcers resulting in GERD. And my anxiety had everything to do with the very worries about these health issues! But despite the medication, the symptoms never really left.

So now that we are in Florida for several months, I have consulted with the Florida Center for Digestive Health. My medication was quickly changed to a stronger proton pump inhibitor. Dr. Ruderman also scheduled me for an upper right quadrant abdominal ultrasound, an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. Results are all good. Lo and behold, the issues are all gone! Even the lingering hives!

finally getting a much needed rest

Other Necessities

Superstitions and stress aside, Bill and I both just have to continue to eat well and exercise regularly. A national medical system of patient records would also help so a doctor in any state can see the entire history and our primary physician can still exercise overall stewardship. A comprehensive but affordable health insurance will also help me think less of costs.  At 67, Bill already has all of these. I will have to wait 2 more years!

I also would like to become a more enlightened patient so I can discuss my case with doctors and even understand why I need to make necessary lifestyle changes. The PH Miracle (keeping the balance between acidity and alkalinity in our bodies) has opened my eyes to alkaline water, as my friend Jingjing has long suggested. I have also added more alkaline foods like green veggies, gelatin and avocado to my diet and minimized acidic ones like meat and sweets. 

Although Bill agrees, he also thinks that I have to be careful of what I read and be sure there is good science and solid empirical evidence to support the recommendations. He thinks some of the best-selling health books are nothing more than a new version of the legendary “snake oil sales pitch”. Oh the travails of getting old!  But Bill also reminds me that getting old is certainly better than the alternative!

WOW: Slowing Down, Taming our Bucket List

a lovely park model by the sea, an option for Stage 5

When Bill suffered the heart attack (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/12/wow-getting-scared.html), friends cautioned us to slow down. My children who were just here for the holidays also said so!  Bill disagrees.  We are younger than many we meet in the campgrounds and he feels the level of activity and stress will be as great or even greater if we settle into one place (especially with my propensity for boredom). But the arrival of 2012 has nudged us to look down the road and begin to think about Stages 4 and 5 (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/04/going-through-five-stages-of-cruising.html).

trade show goers lining up to inspect a $2 M RV

The choice of settling down in the US or the Philippines is a no-brainer because most of our children, all grandkids, and majority of siblings are here in the US. But it should be in a place where temperatures go only to lows of 60s during the day even in winter months (these old farts don’t do well in the cold)! The following cities make the grade: San Diego, LA, and Palm Springs for California, Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, and Lake Havasu for Arizona, Brownsville and Corpus Christi for Texas, and most cities in Florida!

a brand new Mountain Aire, $500K

To pin down the city, we can use the following criteria: proximity to children, local attractions, quality of healthcare, availability of Thousand Trails campgrounds (all free of charge up to 2022), availability of Ballys Fitness Centers (Bill has a free lifetime membership), proximity to water and/or mountains,  and sales, income, and property tax structure (especially for Stage 5). If we construct a decision matrix, the clear winners are 1) Orlando, Florida, 2) Tucson or Phoenix, Arizona, and 3) San Diego, California.

the interior of the brand new Mountain Aire

This is what emerges as a strategy. For sunbirding in Stage 4, we should opt for Orlando, Florida or, alternatively, San Diego, California because these two have many Thousand Trails campgrounds. Ten years from now, we can proceed to nest in Stage 5 and choose Phoenix or Tucson, Arizona which do not have any. In fact, San Diego may make more sense than Orlando because during Stage 4 we will not be full time residents anyway and therefore not subject to the state’s higher tax structure. California is nearer our children’s homes. 

an Italian villa for European sojourns in Stage 4? 

Stage 4 means rotating among available campgrounds in the sunbirding chosen area as opposed to being permanently in one.  When we nest in Stage 5, we may even choose a condominium complex with the same amenities and activities over a park model in a campground. We went to the Florida RV Trade Association Show at the State Fairgrounds last Saturday to look at options of brand new motorhomes and park models for these 2 stages. We found out that a brand new Mountain Aire would cost us about $500,000 (there was even a $2 M motorhome!) and a modern Net Zero 500 sq. ft. park model would be around $100 K.

an RV Resort for sunbirding in Stage 4?

To choose the specific location for nesting, we shall use the following criteria in another decision matrix: proximity to a supermarket, Ballys or another good exercise facility, a Catholic church, a good hospital, amenities, and activities. Most retirement communities have all these features. In the final analysis, beginning 2013 when we would have finished Stage 3 (sight-seeing/relaxing) in North America and we would be begin our extensive travels in countries abroad, we do have to have a slower schedule here as sunbirds for rest periods, staying around southern California, if not Florida, 3-6 months a year!

a 55+ condominium complex for Stage 5?

We have also decided not to cover countries outside of North America by cruising in an RV. We concede…we are already getting on in years and we need more conveniences in traveling. Besides cruising means a pace, not a specific means of transportation! For instance, renting apartments in central locations in Europe and making them bases for road trips to nearby attractions may be the best way to cruise Europe (even less expensive).

The rest of the world will be through the best hotel/flight deals. We will go out of the country for three months at a time, visit the children and siblings the other three months, and rest the other 6 months. This way we may be able to cover Europe in 2-3 trips, Australasia in another 2-3, Central America and South America, 3-4, and Africa, 1-2. This is how we can slow down and still cover the rest of the world! It will take us all the way to 2022 when we should be able to completely settle down. It is called taming our bucket list!

WOW: Making Resolutions for 2012

2011 has been a great travel year for us. The top 3 destinations where we enjoyed ourselves the most are: 1. HongKong (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/05/ola-getting-excited-in-hongkong-hk.html), 2. Palawan (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/03/ola-marveling-at-palawans-beauty.html) which also won to become one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and 3.  Mt. Rushmore (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/06/saluting-man-made-wonders-of-south.html).  In 2012 we expect to be wowed by: 1. Nova Scotia, 2.Bahamas, and 3. Niagara!!!  But what kind of a travel year will 2012 be?

This year has been predicted by some as a spiritually transformative and apocalyptic year! It will definitely see the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth on February 6 and there will be a total solar eclipse on November 13. It is also a leap year (men beware)! The fastest computers with 10 and 20 petaflops (quadrillion floating point operations per second) will also be launched by Intel and IBM, respectively, within the year.  Many great happenings!

In our little corner of the world, however, the year will be what we make it to be.  So these past 5 days after Christmas, we formulated one resolution each day to set the stage for our next phase of travels. This is how this week’s post got ready for publication, just in time! They are all interconnected and have arisen out of the lessons we have learned from our RV experiences in the past 2 ½ years. Here goes:

Dec. 27, Slow Down

Bill and I have to slow down and look at settling down a couple of years down the road. Let’s face it…we are both spring chicken no more. Bill had his big wake-up call early December (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/12/wow-getting-scared.html) while I have been having issues since last year. We (most especially I) have to learn to remain true to the real definition of the cruising lifestyle (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/03/cruising-as-lifestyle.html)    

Dec. 28, Get Healthy

We have finally established our health care team here in Florida. Hopefully, we can do the same next year in Tucson, Arizona and San Diego, California. This should help us choose the area where we could slow down and even, eventually, settle down. Besides we really have to take better care of ourselves in a more preventive and consistent kind of way.  Obviously, we need more help than just our usual healthy practices of eating well and exercising.

Dec, 29, Focus on Giving Back

We have toyed with various ideas for payback. One that we have sort of begun is a very informal study of best practices in parishes all over the United States (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/01/opening-door-on-bright-new-year.html).  2 other ideas have come up this year: Habitat for humanity and a soup kitchen. Certainly, we should focus more on this. It will be better for our heart and soul Remember the Latin saying, Mens sana in corpore sano?  Helping others will certainly enable us to help ourselves!

Dec. 30, Write a Book

There are already 112 posts in this blog in over 100 or so pages that can be transformed into a book. Only 2 questions remain unanswered: 1) What is the best way of weaving them together and 2) Do I self-publish or look for a publisher? Now that we are in Florida for the winter months, I may be able to wrestle with these questions, decide, and begin!  Hopefully, this activity (which interests me a lot) will not encroach on a truly cruising lifestyle!

Dec. 31, Be with Family More

On December 31, at 12 noon the Aberions arrived from Seattle, Washington and at 8 PM, the Vidallos from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This is our third year of reunions.  2009 was during Thanksgiving in Mexico (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/02/touring-mexico-with-family.html). 2010 was during late fall in Spokane, Washington (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/11/staying-awhile-in-evergreen-state.html). Now we are starting 2012 with a bang! We had only one reunion with Bill’s children so far…in Yellowstone National Park last fall (please see 

http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/06/converging-yellowstone-moving-to-mt.html). Hopefully, we can grow the closeness despite the distance. 

    

That’s it! Five important resolutions to make our cruising lifestyle even better! Each will be written about in more detail in the next posts. Thanks for listening to (reading, technically) my many wonderings on wanderings! Pardon me, but it’s that time of the year! Or better yet, I hope you don’t mind that my emotional side is showing!

WOW: Getting Scared!

undergoing EKG at the ER

This was supposed to be entitled ‘Focusing on Health’ talking about my ongoing health issues.  But events have overtaken that idea. Last Thursday after breakfast, Bill felt severe sharp pains in his chest. Then both arms started to get numb and heavy. Soon after, he felt lightheaded and dizzy. He still had the sense to get and use my blood pressure monitor. It read 166/98 (vs his usual 110/70). That was when we got scared.

his souvennir of the ordeal...

We quickly got into the car and proceeded to the nearest Urgent Care facility only 1 mile from the campground. We were turned away by the doctor who said we had better hurry to the nearest hospital, the Heart of Florida, 12 miles away! (Was I glad we were in Orlando and not some far away nature preserve!) Knowing that I was nervous, with little driving skills, and not really familiar with the roads, Bill drove us to the hospital (he said it was less stressful than watching me try and suffer). 

Bill was supposed to be the healthier of us two! I was the one who was having all sorts of issues.  He kept on reminding me about the promise to give each other at least 30 years even if we had found each other at this late age! We had just celebrated four years of being together.  We had just started this cruising lifestyle 2 ½ years ago. And we have such a looooong bucket list to complete! In fact, we’ve only just begun! 

echocardiogram at the ER

                                                                                                                                                     The ER staff jumped on his case right away. By about 1 pm, Dr. Siddiqui, the cardiologist on call, told me that Bill had had a heart attack, quickly transferred him to the ICU, and ordered a heart catheterization the following morning. My heart sank. That was an invasive procedure! Even if death was rare, there are complications in 1/1000 cases. All sorts of images raced through my mind. But Bill wanted to have it done, because not doing anything may be as deadly, if not more. Besides they do about 200 such procedures in the hospital every month! It is in fact routine. I told him that I was just simply scared.

I could not stay overnight with him in the ICU.That first night alone at the RV was tough. As soon as I got in, the tears fell unabashedly. After a small bowl of hot soup, I reached out to family and friends. I called each of my children, Bill’s sister Rosemary, Dan and Bev, our new camping friends, and Joe and Dottie, camping friends we met in 2009. Their voices calmed my very frayed nerves. I managed to get 4 hours of sleep.  Unfortunately and understandably, Bill had tossed and turned more in his hospital bed.

before the procedure, a whole artery blocked!

The waiting room outside the catheterization lab was not a good place to be that morning. The courtesy TV was at a program that was discussing the stresses of a funeral with some grieving folks. But the procedure was over at noon and the doctor called me in. Bill had 2 blockages, one 100%, the other 75%. The cardiologist had inserted two stents to open the more damaged artery. He said it would have been too much for him to bear the procedure on the other one at the same time. So it has been scheduled for mid-January, to give his heart some time to rest.

The pictures of the before and after the catheterization showed the amazing opening of new blood pathways that are now feeding his weakened heart muscles. I was glad he had it done! We are now home at the RV and I am now an ‘experienced driver’ (I had to go back and forth between the campground and the hospital for three days!).  Bill is a lucky guy...and not only because he is married to me!

the same area, after the procedure...with a full artery now serving the heart muscles...

Bill back to his computer...albeit at the ICU!

                                                                                     We both thank the Lord for giving us this manageable wake-up call and making it a quick recovery. Looking back at possible risk factors, it could not have been about eating bad foods or not exercising regularly. For Bill, they are genetics (his mother and grandmother both had cardiovascular diseases) and yes (now he has to finally admit it) age both of which he can not do anything about!  Plus the few extra pounds (about 15) which he is now determined to lose.

There will definitely be some changes to our lifestyle. Prescription drugs will certainly help steer the course. We hope to continue cruising in our RV, maybe trim our expectations a bit, go a bit more slowly, and settle longer at a place more often. In other words, we may accelerate our progress towards Stage 4 of the cruising lifestyle (please visit http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/04/going-through-five-stages-of-cruising.html). It is, after all, a very good life that we want to continue living for as long as we can!

WOW: Preparing for the Holidays in Florida

our Christmas Star, made of Philippine capiz shells, hanging from our RV dashboard

a fifth wheel spreads Christmas joy at the Resort...

In the Philippines preparations for the Christmas season starts as soon as the months turn into …ber (September through December). But America waits for the completion of another important holiday, Thanksgiving. So now that we are settled in Florida where we will be for another 4 months, I can no longer contain my excitement. My children, sons-in-law, and grandkids are coming on New Year’s Eve! So I have been maximizing what’s left of my brain power (if ever there was any to start with!) and Bill’s wallet to come up with décor fit for an RV, special holiday meals, and longed-for gifts!!! It was Thanksgiving 2009 when we last had a holiday reunion in Mazatlan, Mexico!

a motor home lights up the campground!

another brightly lit motor home at the resort

Décor fit for an RV

There is not a lot of space so my tree is a little one and it now houses our Christmas ornaments from our initial travels, before we shifted to refrigerator magnets. Those Christmas stockings for the surprise stuffers from Mr. and Mrs. Santa are also up!  Little poinsettia plants are adding lots of reds and greens. Then a bit of the Philippines hangs as a bright Christmas star (it is made from Philippine capiz shells). A holly wreath filled with Christmas lights completes our dashboard counter top.

Unlike many of the RVs in this Orlando Thousand Trails Resort, this year all of our decor is inside because we spend Christmas at a Vacation Internationale condo in Tampa from Dec. 20-26. There will be no need to take down big décor outside the RV when we move it for storage and reinstall them for the family when they come for New Year..

another fifth wheel gives it all out for the campground...

Special Holiday Meals

From Seattle will come Trisha and Deejay and their children, Yeye and Kenji (Krishna is not able to join us because of work and school). Claudine and Arnold and their children Ashton, Andre, and Enzo will be flying in from Calgary, Alberta. They will all be staying at the Maingate Lakeside Resort Hotel some 6 miles from the campground. Sadly, April will not be able to fly from Manila this year because she is spending her first Christmas with a new beau.

That makes 11 mouths to feed and the RV kitchen is quite small (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/10/wow-cooking-and-eating-in-rv.html )!!! So for New Year’s Day brunch I will serve a combo of homemade American breakfast of biscuits and sausage gravy and an authentic Filipino breakfast of longganisa, garlic rice and fried eggs plus the left-overs from the New Year’s Eve Party of Christmas ham, queso de bola, and ambrosia. As per Filipino tradition, I should also have 9 different kinds of round fruits for lots of good luck in the coming year (I will cheat a little and just have 9 different kinds of oranges-this is after all, orange country)! Then a standing rib roast and lots of roasted vegetables will grace our table for New Year’s Day dinner!

Christmas Gifts

Since Christmas gifts are placed under the tree, our gifts should all be pretty small (great for the budget, too!)! Kidding aside, we have asked Trisha and Claudine what each child wants. So, as requested, Bill and I will treat all of the kids to the newest theme park in Orlando, Legoland, while their parents do some R&R on their own! Anyway they already have welcome gifts of beige boots, hot wheels set, dinosaur T shirt, and remote control cars that we have collected from our various trips.

Unfortunately, Bill’s children and grandkids will not be able to join us (Suzanne and family in Denver, Colorado, Jim and family in Boise, Idaho, and Cristine and husband in Anchorage, Alaska).  We have been searching on line for items on their wish lists for direct shipment. We are also sending the little items we’ve purchased over the past months as we remembered things they like while we were touring. We hope to watch them open their gifts via SKYPE so that we can share a bit of electric Christmas joy!

our complete Christmas dashboard from the inside...

we now come home to this at night!

But now that the plans are all set, we gleefully transition into the execution phase and spend some real dollars...then come home to a brightly lit M'A!!! Costco and Florida’s awesome flea markets and outlet malls…here we come!!!

  

     

WOW: Classifying Campgrounds

Star and Vino at the Joshua Tree National Park, a nature preserve

RV camping is very much alive in the US. Out of 30 million RVers in almost 9 million households, about 1.3 million are full timers like Bill and me. We all have almost 2,000 campgrounds to choose from. Cost, location, and facilities may be hard to balance. Being members of Thousand Trails, we can stay at any of their campgrounds for three weeks at a time so it is not that hard. But those three weeks should be as enjoyable as possible so there is still a choice to make. I came up with the following system.

3 quadrants: RV Park, country club, RV haven, and nature preserve

 Construct a chart with an x-axis and a y-axis. Let the x-axis stand for the location of the campground from city to country, going from left to right, and let the y-axis represent amenities and activities from basic to special, going from up to down. We can thus subdivide the space into four quadrants. Going counter-clockwise, at the upper left quadrant is the RV Park, lower left quadrant is the Country Club, lower right quadrant is the RV Haven and upper right quadrant is the Nature Preserve.

camping at the Docks' driveway

RV Park
This is an RV campground within or almost within city limits and has basic amenities or activities, often none. An example is The Oaks at Point South which became our jump-off point to Beaufort, Hilton Head, and Savannah for my friend Dittas when she visited us. But the best example of this category is a hotel in Hermosillo, Mexico which allowed RVs to park at their back parking lot. Another great example is the campground which was within walking distance of the French Quarter in New Orleans!

Walmart RV Park

Now Walmart is America’s best known RV Park! It is said that the average “campsite fee” is $45, the amount one spends for one night of stay. So other grocery chains have followed this excellent strategy. Canadian Tire even has dump stations and fresh water. Belonging to the same class are rest areas (a great number is being shut down due to lack of funds), huge truck stops, and even casinos. But the best example is the driveway of the Rosemary (Bill’s sister) and her husband Jack’s home in Pittsburg,

Country Club 

Palm Springs Country Club

Close to a city, this campground also has many amenities and activities! Where we will be next week, Orlando Thousand Trails in Orlando, Florida is of this type. So is Las Vegas Thousand Trails in Las Vegas, Nevada. They are both just a few miles from great tourist spot and have all the musts: amenities like pool and hot tub, fitness center, mini golf, table tennis and billiards, tennis and other outdoor courts and activities like karaoke, dancing, Texas hold ‘em, pot lucks, movie nights with free popcorn, and concerts.

Nature Preserve 

dry camping at the roadside enroute to the Arctic Circle

Far from a city, this campground may not have amenities or activities but there are fantastic views afforded by its special location. A good example is Kirk Creek Campground of the US Forest Service right at the cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Big Sur! State Parks are the same. The campgrounds within well-known national parks of the National Park Service like Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Great Smoky Mountains, the Grand Canyon are perennial favorites but require months in advance to book.

Bill relaxing at our campsite in Green Mountain, an RV haven

RV Haven 
Farther from the city, this type of campground is also well equipped with amenities and activities. At Green Mountain Resort in Lenoir, North Carolina, each campsite has a large deck beside a little stream which makes soothing ‘music’ throughout the day. The park also has a lake for fishing and great hiking trails all around, a tennis court, a 9-hole golf course, a large clubhouse with pool and table tennis tables, and eature great concerts and parties. Because it is near the town of Lenoir, we could also use the community center’s gym and spa.

a nature haven in winter...

The statistics of RVers is up by almost 10 percent from 5 years ago! And although the 2,000 campgrounds may not all be full all year-round (northern ones are busy during summer while southern ones are cramped during winter), given the right time of year, they can be literally buzzing with activity. To maximize enjoyment, we need to choose the campground well. After all, it is our home for the duration of our stay. So I have found this classification system very helpful.

a country club in fall

We like country clubs and RV havens best. But we also take short breaks in nature preserves. M’A can comfortably dry camp only for 4 days max (constraints of fresh, black, and grey water tanks and battery power). On the other hand, RV parks are places we use to rest for a night (or as a jump-off point) as we make our way to our next campground. We usually try to limit RV driving to at most 6 hours a day. Driving longer can become pretty tiring for Bill (and really boring for me)!

We looooove the campground infrastructure in the US but we often wonder how it is in Europe or Australia/New Zealand? Can we RV there as well? Watch for the results of our research!

WOW: Planning and Mapping Itineraries

OUR CURRENT ITINERARY
18 months, Phase 2 from Seattle to Las Vegas, May 2011 to Nov 2012

View Full Size Travel Map at Travellerspoint

OUR PREVIOUS ITINERARY
16 months, Phase 1 from Seattle to Seattle, June 2009 to Sept 2010

View Full Size Travel Map at Travellerspoint

Now that we are staying for a while in Florida, we will not be writing a lot about Our Lifestyle Adventures (OLA). We have covered the state extensively the last time we were here from January to March 2010. So I now write about some thought pieces on this cruising lifestyle in Wonderings on Wanderings (WOW). This particular post is about how we dream, plan, and schedule our cruising, including the attractions we will cover and where we will stay. 

Actually deciding on those things entails many areas for consideration. But, really, after almost 3 years, it has become almost second nature to us!  But Bill says it’s easy for him because I do all the research and planning; he just does all the driving. As for me, I would not want it the other way around. My driving the RV is definitely out of the question…if we both want to live long! Kidding aside, below are the factors we consider in planning and scheduling the trips that fulfill our dreams.

Climate

The number 1 thing to consider is climate. At our ‘young’ (67, 62) age, we have to follow the sun; cold no longer agrees with us (never did with me!)! Winter finds us either in Florida, Arizona, southern California, the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia, or later, Australia/New Zealand. Summer, spring and fall will catch us in the Northwest, Northeast, Canada, Europe or northern Asia.  Hopefully, the white Thanksgiving we experienced in Seattle in 2010 when I had to wait for my naturalization will be the last!

Family

The next thing to consider is visits and reunions with family. At least once a year we have to see each child and his/her family. If we or they really cannot make the visit, then we plan a family reunion at a mutually convenient place and time. My children and I have had reunions in Mazatlan, Mexico, Spokane, Washington, Glacier National Park, and this New Year in Orlando, Florida. We had one reunion with Bill’s children in Yellowstone National Park. 

Friends

We also have to consider visits or reunions with friends. At this time in our lives, relationships are truly number 1! We take particular care in considering reunions with Bill’s beloved high school group, the DUs. First was in Sunriver, Oregon in 2009, then Crested Butte in 2010 and next, Nova Scotia in July 2012. Their 50^th year high school reunion in Pittsburg, Kansas is also in September 2012. However, 2013 or 2014 it will most probably be in Provence.  So we will have to time our European cruise then!

Every time I visit the Philippines, reunions are a matter of course. This year WIT, our Women in Information Technology group, had our first out of the country meeting in Las Vegas with Ann and Jingjing. Next year it will be in April in Atlantic City, NJ. My other group, the Institute of Advanced Computer Technology (I/ACT) had a reunion in Chicago, Illinois near where Loy, Lea, and Watet live. The next one will probably be next year in Toronto where Marissa and Mon live.

Attractions and Fuel Expense

Those three areas pretty much decide which states (or countries) to visit. Now the route we take usually depends on what states or attractions we have not yet visited. And then the final area we consider, given equal alternatives, is which will give us the lowest expenditure in fuel.  Please see our Phase 1 (Seattle to Seattle) when we started up to the time we left for the Philippines last February and Phase 2 (Seattle to Las Vegas)  when we came back last May until next year when we get to Las Vegas  which will be our springboard for foreign travels in the future.

Campground

Now for the final detail, that is, where should we stay?  We are Elite members of Thousand Trails and Resorts of Distinction, giving us 81 and 92 campgrounds, respectively, to choose from for our campground at absolutely no charge! If there are no campgrounds available within those two systems in the areas we will be going to, we choose from Resort Parks International or Enjoy America systems which are much larger but charge $10 a night or 50 % off the first night. As you might have guessed, rarely do we use those! 

Given equal alternatives, we decide the campground based on: 1) how far the attractions we want to visit are relative to its location, 2) which one has a hot tub or sauna, heated pool, fitness room, table tennis, billiards, mini-golf, 3) what activities are held, preferably Texas Hold ‘Em, karaoke, dancing, water aerobics, potlucks, 4) how well the campsites are laid out, preferably pull-thrus with 50 amp electricity, cable TV and wi-fi, with a deck, patio, or nice grass, and lastly,  5) whether our friend RVers will stay there, too.

Vacation Internationale

There are also times when we have used Bill’s Vacation International membership when we want to spoil ourselves a bit or there is no suitable place for a good reunion. Once we stayed at Clock Tower in Whistler, British Columbia. My family had a reunion at Torres Mazatlan in Mexico. This year Bill and I are spending Christmas in Sand Pebble in Tampa, Florida and Valentines at the Newport Resort in South Beach, Miami. When this happens, we use a storage facility for M’A!

Not really a rocket science but there are definitely many things to consider in making sure our trips are comfortable, affordable and loads of fun!

WOW: Cooking (and Eating!) in an RV

Bill likes to eat out!

The draws of campgrounds are many: activities, amenities, nearby attractions. For the Southern Trails Resort where we now are staying in Georgia, the focus is FOOD! Every Tuesday to Saturday morning we can have free all-you-can-eat fluffy pancakes for breakfast! Every Monday they rotate the following all free and all-you-can-eat treats for lunch: cheese platter and wine, sinful funnel cakes, spicy soft tacos, and fresh crisp pizzas. Every other Saturday lunch is potluck! The alternate Saturdays are free all-you-can-eat sherbet ice cream! Shared food certainly makes for a fun family atmosphere!

a Saturday lunch potluck@ Southern Trails

Challenges in RV Cooking and Eating

Thus, I am inspired and compelled to write about RV cooking and eating in this post! At 67 (Bill) and 63 (yes, we admit that we are sexygenaians), our digestive systems and metabolic rates are not quite as efficient or as high as they used to be. We are retired and, although there are a lot of fun things to do around camp, sometimes it is only food that can feed my boredom.  But we are watchful that it does not become an obsession for the consequences are, by experience and observation, usually difficult to shed!

Cooking in an RV can also be very challenging because there is naturally limited space (trust me, the microwave and oven combined in one unit can be a source of disasters and unplanned starvation!), the food supply is constantly changing (grocery outlets stock very differently across the country), and there are minimal utensils to use (you can’t really afford to keep that crepe pan, ice cream scooper, or iced tea maker!). The issues are plenty for a ‘young’ wife trying to make her man happy through his stomach! 

our spacious RV kitchen!

We have to balance healthfulness, taste, freshness, economy, convenience, and variety, all hallmark values for good nourishment.  For healthfulness, we try to reduce salt, fats, and sugar and increase fiber and manage portions. Comfort foods are increasingly becoming our favorites. However, it is quite difficult to achieve this for a couple from Kansas and the Philippines! For economy, we buy bulk to get best values but not so much as to decrease our mpg! We also watch out for farmers’ markets. So to get variety we have compiled a list of favorite dishes and divided them into two categories.

Favorite Foods

Everyday foods are those that are the easiest to prepare but are also healthy. For breakfast, our selection includes: American standards like oatmeal, cereals, grits, bagels, oatmeal cookies, oatmeal muffins, toast, banana bread, egg cups, and Filipino treats like champorado and congee.  For lunches and dinners, we choose from this list: American dishes like grilled dogs and burgers, chicken noodle soup, chicken rice, chicken n dumplings, chicken tortilla soup, chicken macaroni soup, parmesan fish, baked fish fillets, fish poached in white wine, and Filipino/Asian meals like chicken ramen soup, chicken tinola, chicken nilaga, chicken adobo, arroz caldo, Hongkong steamed fish, and fish pinangat.

our dining room...always with a view!

For company foods mean dishes for weekends, holidays, special occasions and, obviously, when we have company! Special breakfast items include hot browns, biscuits and gravy, pancakes (or waffles) and bacon, French toast, scrambled eggs or omelettes. Lunch and dinner choices are: American regulars like beef stew, pot roast, spaghetti, shepherd’s pie, roast chicken, mustard chicken, oven-baked fried chicken, roast pork, grilled pork, and pork barbeque, and Filipino/Asian selections such as bulalo, mechado, kaldereta, Hainanese chicken, chicken afritada, chicken inasal, chicken asado, and chicken teriyaki.

Side dishes for these entrees, whether every day or for company, are any of the following: baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, whole wheat tortillas or bread, or whole corn. Of course, steamed brown rice is always available. Veggies can simply be steamed broccoli, green beans, or asparagus, succotash of green peas, carrots, and whole kernel corn, or simple romaine lettuce greens with an apple cider vinegar with honey and a little mayonnaise dressing.

You will notice that there is enough variety for a 2 ½ week menu without repetition! I have a terrible time dealing with monotony (just ask Bill!). We try to limit each meal to at most 4 ounces of meat with 1 cup of steamed rice or a medium potato or a small corn or 2 slices of bread or 2 tortillas, and as much veggies as possible per person. But when there is free food like we often do here in Southern Trails, we are invited to parties, or when we visit family and friends, we eat with mucho gusto! The sad part is that we pay for it dearly after! But soon we are able to wake up and get back to reality!

he view!

10 Commandments of RV Cooking and Eating

After 2 ½ years of RVing, we have compiled the following 10 Commandments of RV Cooking and Eating: 1) cook for two meals at a time, once left-over is ok, 2) stock up on staples to get best values but just store them in very light but air tight plastic containers, 3) buy from farmers’ markets for fresh in-season produce, 4) learn about spices (plus Better-than-Bouillon) and how they can make food taste better and different but healthy, 5) prepare everything from scratch as much as possible, 6) eat small quantities but frequently , 7) use applesauce or mashed bananas instead of butter or oil for baking, 8) boil, steam, grill, or bake only, 9) drink lots of water or non-caffeine herbal teas, and 10) have the best in ambiance, outdoors when the weather is great or with a great picture window when you have to eat inside!

Hopefully there are some ideas that you can find useful from this! And, remember, don’t ever forget to have loads of fun planning meals and hunting for ingredients, to enjoy cooking and eating with your loved one, to keep healthy and sexy, and to live long and well!

Next: Keeping Georgia on My Mind! 

WOW: Becoming More Than Tourists

colorful murals on old grain elevators off I-80 in Omaha, Nebraska 

We started this cruising lifestyle right after Bill sold his business in February 2009. We went to the Philippines for a 2-month visit, after which we visited Bill's friend in Taiwan for 2 weeks and flirted briefly with the idea of teaching English there! But as soon as we were back in Seattle, we sold most of our belongings in about 3 garage sales and several listings on craigslist and bought Star, our very first RV. Then we had our condo rented out, off we went to become full time tourist!

We have completed these trips: from Seattle to the Arctic Circle and back to Seattle-July to September 2009,  from Seattle through Mexico to Florida-September 2009 to March 2010, and from Florida back to Seattle-April 2010 to February 2011.  On this last trip, we bought our current RV/dinghy, M’A ‘turn. Then we visited the Philippines and HK for 3 months and now we are on the 2nd month of our 4th trip, from Seattle back to Florida (June 2011 to March 2012)...about 50,000 miles among Star, Vino, & M'A'turn!

Our 5th trip will be from Florida to Nova Scotia to Nevada (April to November 2012) , after which we may return to Asia or begin our European tour! You may see the two maps on our left side bar to see our progress! We started out as tourists, armed with a bucket list of 50 states and 88 countries. Thus far we have visited 27 and 5, respectively…certainly a long way yet to go. But now our 2 boards are heavy with  our collection of magnets and are we glad we bought our Nikon SLR!

A tourist is defined as a person who is traveling for pleasure. We have certainly fitted that description! Just look at our last 3 posts which cover the Great Plains. Driving through the I-80 leaving Omaha and going to Council Bluffs, Iowa, we spotted these huge old grain elevators painted with murals! Then, while our RV’s heating/air-conditioning system was being repaired at Camping World, were told there is a unique rotary jail that served as the county jail from 1882-1969!  Yes, that’s right…rotary!

the model of the rotary jail

The jail has 3 floors and looks like…a large bird cage, actually! It is cranked by hand to let any cell open to a fixed door on each floor which has 10 cells. Designed for 2, sometimes 5 were made to fit each one! The ground floor of the shell had tables for free time.  Efficiency, not only in space but in guards (needed only 2), and security were the reasons for the design. It was discontinued when it suffered a slight tilt and people realized that it could be a fire/death trap.

Carol with an inmate

From this place of inhumane conditions, we next found the Grotto of Redemption. The problem was it is about 70 miles from I-35, our route to Minnesota! That meant about a 3 hour diversion and about $65 in gas. But the little ad on the Iowa travel mag said it is considered to be the Eighth Wonder of the World, much like what Filipinos say of the Ifugao Rice Terraces in the Philippines! So we unhooked our ‘turn, left our M’A at a church parking lot in Clear Lake, Iowa and proceeded to West Bend.

frontal view of the Grotto 

Indeed, the Grotto is a very special place. It is a complex of 9 grottos (Garden of Eden, 3 grottos of the Stations of the Cross, Stable of Bethlehem, Jesus'  home in Nazareth, the Trinity, Ten Commandments, and Gethsemane), made from 43 different kinds of gems. The most delicate stones are in the Grotto inside the Christmas Chapel. They were made entirely by the hands of 3 men. Father Dobberstein, who studied geology in Germany before migrating to America and entering the priesthood, offered to build this shrine to the Blessed Virgin for her intercession when he was with pneumonia.

back view of the Grotto

He became a pastor in West Bend in 1898 and started collecting rocks and gems from all over the US with the help of his right hand, Matthew Szerensce. Work on the Grotto officially started in 1912 and upon his death in 1954, about 80 % of the plan was done. 8 years before his death, Rev. L.H. Greving started to assist him in the parish. Together with Matthew, he continued his work after the death of Father Dobberstein until his own passing in 2002.

Grotto of Incarnation
at the Christmas Chapel

Now the Grotto is estimated to be worth over $2M in materials, priceless in labor!  That was, I thought, a true, though little, pilgrimage! A pilgrim is a person who travels, especially over some distance, to a sacred place as an act of devotion. There was a smile of my face…we are probably becoming more than tourists! And that song I have come to love so much, America the Beautiful, took on greater significance. ‘O beautiful for spacious skies…..O beautiful, for pilgrim feet!

The better known first stanza is for America’s natural beauty which we have certainly visited as tourists. But the second is for America’s human beauty which we are also discovering as pilgrims! After all, Bill and his forefathers were pilgrims and I may have just become one! When we visit Wisconsin, we plan to make another little pilgrimage to Holy Hill, suggested to us by our friend, Didi Manarang, Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs in the Philippines. And we will embark on more!