Embarking with Bear and Roger: About That Living In The Tour (October 1

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello from Tucson, Arizona! We are into our second week at Davis Monthan Air Force Base. It is like coming home because this is where we began our full time RVing adventure almost 6 months ago.

Roger started back to work this week. As most of you know he has had a 12 year partnership with our son, Michael and is turning their business over to him this year. Roger's retirement agreement with Michael centered around us being in the Tucson area for quarterly reviews in July and October. Let me assure you that it is much more fun to be in Tucson in October than July.

We have received questions about what it is like to live in our Tour after selling our "dream" home and I thought I would give you an idea about our lifestyle in 400 square feet of living space. If you had told me two years ago that I would sell my home, give away possessions (think furniture, Waterford crystal, oriental rugs for example) of a 40 year marriage and move around in a bus that contained 400 square feet of living space, I would have told you that you were crazy. I had found the perfect place to live, Tucson. Our younger son and daughter-in-law lived here and we had great friends and a very active lifestyle. Wasn't this something that I had dreamed of in our twenty eight years of military service where we moved 18 times??? All I can tell you is that dreams change!

On April 22, we began our life in the RV and this month, we will have been on the road for 6 months. Through it all, I have loved it. The places we have seen and the people we have met have made it entirely worthwhile. More than anything, this has been fun.

Our day begins with one of us (usually Roger) taking Bear out for a quick walk around the area. I make the bed and have my first cup of tea. After an early breakfast and a quick check of the news, we head out on a bike ride or hike. No doubt you have seen some gorgeous shots of these events in the different places I have blogged. Both Roger and I are long time fitness fanatics and a day without exercise is hard for us. So it is rare that we do not have some kind of work out in the morning.

Often we find ourselves coming back from the workout and heading out to do some sightseeing.

Lunch is usually back at the coach with another Bear walk. We both like to use our computers and iPads so sometime each day is spent on line. We use our own MiFi card or sometimes find great internet access at the RV park where we stay. We love to read and easily can read 1 - 2 books a week. Those books are on our iPads so we can save space inside the coach.

There is always an afternoon activity whether it is sightseeing, hiking or errands in town. Bear usually goes with us.

Cocktail hour is at five and we catch the news again. We have three televisions in our RV, one is on the outside, one in the bedroom and one in the living room. We use dish network with a satellite receiver on top of the coach so it is rare that we do not see the network news or catch our favorite shows.

Dinner is usually in the coach. I have a microwave / convection oven, crockpot, gas burners (supplied by a propane gas tank located on the outside of the coach) and an electric skillet in which I prepare several recipes that are super easy to make. Those of you that know me well KNOW that I am not someone who loves to spend time in the kitchen. Fortunately I am married to a man who is easy to please. Roger thinks cereal or popcorn for dinner is great. I do have a dishwasher and use it almost every night. I know, RVing is rough! Roger is our barbecuing chef. He uses a Holland Grill and has been very happy with the results. Our refrigerator is a residential Maytag, so there is plenty of room for already prepared meals. We have enough kitchen cabinetry to store about two weeks worth of food before it is time to go to the grocery store. Our table can expand to seat four people and this space also makes a great computer table. The extra chairs are stored in a compartment under the Tour. There is a saying in RV speak that goes something like this: "Six for cocktails, four for dinner and two for bed." We can sleep two more people with a sofa bed. We cannot wait until we have our grandchildren for sleepovers with Mimi and Grandad!

There are two bathrooms (1 1/2) in the Tour. My bathroom has the stacked washer and dryer that are used every two days. This is a huge convenience though the RV parks where we stay have laundry rooms. My washer and dryer are designed for RV life and work very well.

Our clothes are stored in the three small closets, overhead bins and drawers in our bedroom. We did donate most of our clothes before we left Tucson in May. RVing calls for casual clothes!

The living area has an electric fireplace that we have grown to love. There is just enough heat to take the chill off in the morning. I don't think that we will use it in Tucson, but we have turned it on in other places. There is plenty of comfy seating with an L shaped sofa, and three chairs.

The three slides (walls that move out to create more space when we are at an RV park) are what makes living in a small area doable. One slide has an awning that creates inviting seating outside. We have four folding chairs (two for us and two for new friends). RVers are a very friendly group and love to come visit.

We stay at RV parks designed for big rigs. 50 amp electrical hookups, water, and sewer are important to us. Because our RV is over 42 feet long, we need level spots and prefer drive through access. This rules out many sites in national and state parks. Fortunately there are plenty of RV parks that accommodate big rigs. The Tour is 42 plus feet long and with our "toad,"we measure 65 feet. The Tour weighs approximately 38,000 pounds.

Hopefully the above helps you understand how we are spending our days in the Tour. We stay busier than I ever thought we would.

This has been a great week spent cycling with friends (Sandy, Annette and Dave), and having dinner with Susan and Steve. Roger worked Monday through Thursday, but left on Friday for a weekend in Wichita at his 45th high school reunion. Bear and I stayed behind and had fun with Michael and Bridget on Friday. On Saturday, I got to walk in our old neighborhood with Marla and spend the rest of the day with Deb. Our wonderful to get to see family and friends!