Rene | Live Work Dream

Those Dems Can Play! VA Governors Jam Bluegrass at the Floyd Country Store

September 4, 2023November 3, 2007 by Rene

I’ve always wanted to visit Appalachia, and when I found out that we were within spittin’ distance to the Floyd Country Store music venue in Virginia, it was a given we’d make it to their legendary Friday Night Jamboree.

And what a lucky night for us; we were graced with the presence of the governor of Virginia, Tim Kaine, and the past governor Mark Warner. They were there campaigning for local Dems, but they weren’t there just to give stump speeches; they actually play banjo, harmonica and guitar, and joined in with Blacksburg’s own Jugbusters!

Live Work Dream Expenses October 2007

September 14, 2015November 3, 2007 by Rene

A summary of our RV road trip budget living expenses for the month of October 2007

The DeFazios – A 67 Year Partnership

October 30, 2007October 29, 2007 by Rene

For over 10 years, Jim and I have lived and worked out of a home office. Our last place was a 100-year old Victorian in Eureka, CA, with two separate flats; one for home, one for work. We were like old timey shopkeepers, living above the business. Now we live and work out of our 200 sq. ft. trailer. People often asked us, “Don’t you guys drive each other nuts? How do you stand it?”

That was easy. The perks of never having to get a real job and doing a freeway commute every day, always outweighed the challenge of putting up with each other’s idiosyncrasies on a daily basis.

While in Troy, New York, we met another married business couple. Only they have a really, really long history together. And a special secret to getting along…

Agoraphobia in the Atlantic

September 4, 2023October 27, 2007 by Rene

The last couple of days of driving on New Jersey roads has been some of the most intense driving we’ve ever done.

L.A. traffic has nothing on this place. It’s a lot of narrow roads, fast street-level freeways with cars pulling into and out of driveways, and the most aggressive drivers outside of Manhattan. Jim’s hauling the rig like a seasoned pro, but I just grip the seat and clench my jaw. At least yesterday we got our own escort to get us out of New York.

Tugboat Tim Keeps Margot Tugging

October 27, 2007October 25, 2007 by Rene

Our brother in law, Tim, is a tugboat engineer, and he’s currently living his own live/work dream. He spends half of his time in the engine hull of Tugboat Margot, running cargo up and down East Coast waterways. The other half of the time, he manages his company, NYS Marine Highway Transportation Company, from where he lives in nearby Troy, New York.

We got a tour of Tim’s latest addition to the fleet – Tug Margot – while we were visiting him and Jim’s sister Barb.

Ringing Up the Dead in Forest Park Cemetery, Brunswick NY

October 23, 2007October 22, 2007 by Rene

Down the road from Jim’s sister’s house in Troy, lies Forest Park Cemetery, one of the most haunted cemeteries in the U.S. With it being October and all, and us being the ghoul loving, dia de los muertos revelers that we are, we just had to see this place for ourselves.

Why I Don’t Want to Be a Homeowner (for now)

October 19, 2007October 18, 2007 by Rene

There are lots of good reasons to own a home. You don’t have to worry about being kicked out of your place without warning. You don’t have to write a check to some fat cat landlord every month. And you can paint your walls whatever colors you damn well please.

But there are twice as many reasons why owning a home sucks. Property taxes. Insurance. Yard work. Wet basements. Ceilings that fall down without warning.

This week, Jim and I have been reminded about why we decided to cut the shackles of homeownership.

Living Lightly in a Grease Powered RV

October 16, 2007October 16, 2007 by Rene

For the last few years, a discussion forum I visit almost daily, is Simple Living, an incredible resource for anyone contemplating ways in which they can simplify their lives.

A few months ago on SL, I read about Sara, Matt and their 3-year old daughter Bella, who were planning to travel around the country in a grease powered RV. It was great to see another young couple selling all their stuff, and hitting the road to teach others how to tread lightly on the planet!

Sara and I have been chatting back and forth as we each embarked on our respective journeys. We even crossed paths in Minnesota, but missed eachother by a day when we each went through Brainerd. Last week, we finally got to meet up in Albany over coffee. What a hoot!

Meet the Farmer: Teleion Holon CSA Farm in Manchester, Vermont

October 14, 2007 by Rene

The farmer of the Teleion Holon CSA organic farm in Vermont discusses the good and bad reality about running a Community Supported Agriculture farm.

Life as a Campground Owner; Never Underestimate the Entertainment Factor

October 12, 2007 by Rene

Come September, scenes like this put a wide smile on campground owner’s faces.

We have often considered buying a campground when this trip is over. So whenever we can find an owner who has time to chat about what it’s like to run one, we love to listen and hear about what it’s really like. When we arrived at one resort in Maine, it was a quiet weekday, and the owner was happy to share some advice about the realities of running a campground.

On a Budget? Build Your Own RV!

April 15, 2008October 8, 2007 by Rene

Tips, Plans, Patterns, Resources and Video for building your own RV, Van, Camper or Fifth Wheel Travel Trailer.

Watch Out for The Mansons

October 7, 2007October 6, 2007 by Rene

When you’re roaming about the countryside, be careful who you tell your story to, or you could end up as a member of the latest Manson Clan.

Yesterday while shopping at one of the last Farmer’s Markets of the season here in Vermont, we stopped to admire some homemade bread being sold by vendors who appeared to be typical Vermont farmers. We sampled the breads they had, and they were so good. They were “heavenly.” Even though bread looked as dense as bricks, each sample we tasted was light and tasty. So we were blown away when the farmer told us that the breads were wheat free, and made with spelt flour. Spelt?

Isn’t spelt some some earthy, nasty ingredient that hippies bake with to snake out their colons or something? Ick! Now we’d eaten it!

Chasing Down Biodiesel

October 30, 2007October 5, 2007 by Rene

When we picked out our Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck, one of our requirements was that it had to have a diesel engine, so that we could run biodiesel or straight veggie oil (SVO) in it. We wanted to offset our footprint by buying such a large vehicle. So we took a class on Making Your Own Biodiesel, learned the ins and outs of producing and buying it, and set off on this trip with the hope that we would find it in lots of places. Eventually, we’ll make our own, but for now, we have to rely on Biodiesel.org to tell us who’s selling it and where.

Spontaneous Gardening in Our National Parks

February 5, 2020October 4, 2007 by Rene

People often ask us, “What do you do without a TV?” Well, sometimes, the best entertainment is just people watching in the campground.

For instance, last week at Acadia National Park in Maine, we watched in shock as our neighbor tried to get his 35′ fifth wheel out of the campground. This was a very tall rig. Nothing wrong with that, but as many of you know, many government campgrounds aren’t often designed for today’s RVs.

The Numbers: September 2007 Budget Figures

September 14, 2015October 4, 2007 by Rene

Ideas, tips and worksheet for creating a road trip budget forecast plan.