First Time Boondocking

Yeah, I boondocked (no hook ups for electric, sewer or water). it was also my first time of 'Now What Do I Do.'   I am quite sure there will be more of this as time goes on.

On Sunday night, I went to a friend's farm to boondock because I was using Miss Kitty as my show and tell for our group meeting.  I also wanted to avoid driving in rush hour traffic to get there to set up, etc.  Her driveway is a mile and a half long, one lane, gravel, up and down little hills,  and low branches.  I told her that if I had gone down the wrong driveway, I was going to ask the owners to just let me spend the night because I was not going back that night.  When I set up in front of her house,  the circular driveway looked level, however, I just could not get the hydraulic jacks to level my home.  The next morning, my daughter, TeAntae called BlgFoot ,the makers of the leveling system, and told them that only the back jacks was coming down.  He told us that the jacks had bottomed out and could not go higher so the fronts were not able to do anything,  we would need to move Miss Kitty to a place a little more level.  TeAntae backed her into an area on the side of the house and the jacks worked perfectly.    A lesson learned if that ever happens again.

Yesterday, Monday, was our Assemblage group meeting that meets once a month at different homes.  The group consist of women artist of any medium.  We talk about what we are working on, get advice if we are stuck on a project, talk about lectures or events that we are part of, etc.  For instance, one lady is a high end jewelry maker and she has been hired by the World Bank to assess the needs of  the village women of Uganda to make and market their jewelry to tourist, as well  as set up instruction.  Another lady just won first place for her photography.  I tell you that she is the best photographer I have ever seen.  Her work is phenomenal.   Another lady in the group is a printer, I am going to the eastern shore this weekend and will take plenty of pictures to send her so she can make RV cards (business size cards that I can hand out to other RVers that I meet that want to stay  in touch )  and note cards.  The photo will also be the new heading for this blog.

I received 26 red roses from State Farm for 26 years of service.  Because they came to my daughter, by the time I got them, they were almost dead so I only got a couple of days to see them pretty.








I really must start taking pictures of Miss Kitty in different surroundings,  I just get overwhelmed and forget.  She looked so pretty at the home I boondocked at and I did not take a picture. Here is Miss Kitty dressed in her sun gear.

I also wanted you to see a little of the campground here at Mountain Creek Campground.  I have a question, how do you keep the RV floors clean?  I know I am sitting on grass and dirt but I have to mop everyday.  

I really wonder how far this rig had to go.  I saw it at the dump station and could not stop laughing.

I spend a lot of time on the Women RV forum, the forum is just women but a lot are married, this is just a place for us to get together,  Lori and her husband, Ernie, are at a Conewago RV campground 15 miles away in a town called Biglerville,  so they invited me for lunch.   They are full timers and also sponsoring the get together at  a campground in Liverpool, PA at the end of the month.  I have booked for a week at that campground to get to know some of the people that I talk to on the forum.  She has reserved 10 spots for us.  Can't wait.....This is also a good time to check out another campground.  I simply loved Old Mill Stream but you paid for it. There is nothing wrong with this one, the owner and staff or just lovely, I just want to stay at another one.  If I can get into RV driving school on July 19 at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, PA, I will need to stay in the area and start the great adventure after that time.

Arrived at the campground at 11:30AM, Ernie's directions were perfect.  This campground is really out of the way with no cell service no matter what carrier you have and no wi-fi.

The three of us having a great time.

After a lot of chit chat, tour of their RV, and doing a lot of craft envy looking at Lori's portrait counted cross stitch projects,  Ernie showing me what to get because I will be in a lot of areas that leveling will be a problem, we got down to the main and important thing...food

While Ernie went to get the mail, Lorie took me on a tour of the campground if I wanted to switch to theirs

I really enjoyed myself and can hardly wait to see them again at the end of the month.  They gave me a list of things that I need to pickup for the RV so I will make a Walmart run tomorrow or the next day.  Before leaving, I stopped at Ernie's father to say goodbye.

What a perfect day and such wonderful new friends.  If this is the hospitality and the type of people I will meet on my travels...what a fantastic life I am going to have.

The Christening Of Miss Kitty

                                               Today was truly a special day...

The beginning of my new life

Surrounded by new acquaintances

Miss Kitty was christen

I attended the 15th anniversary of the RVing Women MidAtlantic Chapter Spring get together at Old Mill Stream Campground.   Fun was the name of the game, we roasted hot dogs, watched fire works, went on hikes and had our black and white dinner on Saturday.

Yes we ate very, very well.  The lady that won first prize for most original outfit  was Beverly in her black and white clown costume.

We also had a social hour on Friday with even more food, the theme was Mexican with make your own tacos.

Since we are on the subject of food, my daughter and I cut out from the group and went to a fabulous little restaurant in downtown Lancaster, PA, called On Orange.  The menu was small and very delicious.  I think I really liked the touch of giving you your check on a saucer with a cookie for each person at the table.  I highly recommend this restaurant.

I forgot to tell you, the get together of RVing Women was held at the Old Mill Stream Campground, Lancaster, PA.   The grounds are very well maintained, very good wi-fi,  cable,  excellent security, good water pressure, the sites are not huge but comfortable distance from the next rig so that you can put out your awnings and slides and still be a comfortable distance,   a very friendly and helpful staff.  I would come back here again with no problem.

On Saturday, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, the Amish Pie wagon comes full of wonderful treats to buy like homemade pies, cookies, bread, jellies and also eggs.   My daughter twisted my arm so badly that I brought oatmeal raisin cookies, snickerdoodles and some wheat bread.  The funny thing is that I only eat bread in a sandwich but it looked so good.

You do realize I have been retired for two days. Two beautiful, wonderful days.

I leave this campground tomorrow and go back to the one I am staying at until the end of the month. 

 Next Monday, I will be hosting our women artist groups in Miss Kitty, I hope to have lots of pictures then.

Meet Miss Kitty

I went to pick up my RV on April 15, my daughter's birthday.  However, things did not go as planned.

Before I begin the story, I wanted to explain why I named the RV Miss Kitty.  My mother's name was Margaret but my father called her Kitty.   In fact, I thought that was her name all my childhood life.  Everyone called her Kitty or Miss Kitty.  My parents were marvelous and I wanted to honor them.  Both of them went to RV shows with me since I was  about 20 and always said that I would get one someday.

When we arrived at Nexus, I was told that the RV was not ready and had not come back from paint.  We were told to go to a hotel and they would pay for it.   The next day, the same thing.   I had rented a car so we went to buy things for the RV but this really got me off schedule.

Me doing my happy dance the first time I saw Miss Kitty and she did not even have all the decals on.

 On Wednesday, a storm was coming so everyone there with RV's was pulled inside the plant, another day lost.  This did give us time to check things out, we had discovered doing the walk through that they had put in a microwave and not a Microwave convection oven, also I did not want to put a TV in bedroom and had to have the doors changed.  Everything worked but it meant that I did not have time to go to the nearby campground to do a full hookup we were at Nexus in their camping space the entire time.  We also discovered that the blowup mattress had a leak.  Unfortunately, the company that made the sofa had sent all the mattresses full size instead of queen so Nexus will have to send us another one.

On Friday as we were ready to pull out to go home, my son-in-law, Bryan discovered that the exhaust pipe on the generator had been broken off.   This must have occurred when the workman was pulling the RV out of the plant to take it back to its spot.  Another delay while they had to fix this.  We finally got on the road much later than I thought.  Karen at Nexus said that she would get the rental car back for me so I could get on the road.  I let my son-in-law drive until we got to the highway but then I took over.  It felt weird at first and then I began to love to drive her.  I found myself passing slow trucks, going through tunnels, driving along concrete barriers with no fear.  We spent the night at a campground that I would never had stayed at but we did not have time to search for a better one and it was very late.

When we got to the campground I am keeping her at until about the end of June, I had to immediately leave and meet the lady that was buying one of my looms, pack and hit the road to go work in Chicago.

These are pictures my daughter took because she, my son, and son-in-law had to finish everything.  The first picture is of the RV nice and grey but we found that the RV picks up colors of its surroundings and in the sun it appears gold.



My daughter took pictures of the floorcloth and pillows in place.  On the wall beside the sofa will be the sculptures that my daughter is making.

  

Also, here is some pictures of my workstation/dinette.  I can stand to cut fabric or felt and there is plenty of storage.

This picture shows workstation set up so I can use my laptop or eat.

 In this picture, I can sit four for dinner or sit my sewing machine, serger or felting machine.

  

Now here it is in travel mode.  There are clips under the table to keep table in place while traveling and my plugs are on the front of the cabinet so I do not have to lean down.

  

The only other picture I have so far is the bathroom sink.  I had asked for a vessel sink because I have always wanted a sink that sit on top of the counter.   Nexus found one which was also part of the delay because it did not come in until Wednesday and they had ordered it three weeks before. 

Well this is Miss Kitty....I hope to be going back to her soon so that I can complete all the decorating plans I have, learn all the operations of her, take some mini trips before I hook up RT, that is my tow car that will be named after my father, and hit the road to start the Adventures of the real Geritol Gypsy.

Am I happy, you darn tooting.