Quality of Life | Live Work Dream | RVing Lifestyle Design Blog

Warm Beer in Hot Weather is No Way to Live

September 4, 2023April 30, 2008 by Rene

Time for another reality check.

Ten years ago, Jim and I moved to Eureka on a whim. I knew it was rainy there, but I thought I could tolerate it, because I’d lived in San Francisco. But after a while, the rain forest was getting to me. The endless cold gray days, coastal winds and thick fog was wearing down my psyche. I constantly griped about what I knew I could not change; the weather.

So I started to have these fantasies about living in the desert. I wanted to feel the warm sun. Munch on chips and hot salsa and wash it down with cold beer. Sit next to a saguaro cactus and play my guitar. Go out at night wearing a summer dress, flip flops and a tan.

I thought that workamping here in T or C would convince Jim that living in the desert was a good idea. But after just one month, I’ve discovered that I’m too much of a wuss for this kind of environment.

Developing the Truth, or Consequences

June 1, 2022April 16, 2008 by Jim

What is up with this town? I just have to ask myself that.

And now, I guess I’m asking you. Not that I expect you to be able to answer that, if you’ve never been here to this little jewel of the Nile.

OK. It’s not the Nile, it is the Rio Grande. And this gem looks more like a lump of coal than a diamond in the rough. But unless something changes – which may happen very soon – that coal might become a diamond before this town ever grows up.

Having lived for ten years in a town where growth is a bad word, I understand how a community can clash over development. But what I don’t get is why there is absolutely none here in Truth or Consequences, NM. The place has obviously seen its day. But it still seemed to have such potential. Then I spoke with a local developer.

Don’t Leave Home without Reading “Road Trip Dream” First

September 4, 2023April 14, 2008 by Rene

â€œThe difference between whether you can make it happen or whether you can’t is not how many obstacles you have, it is how badly do you want to do something totally life-changingâ€”totally for yourself.

We will give you the tools to change your dream into reality, but the implementation is yours to enjoy.”

â€” Phil and Carol White, authors of “Live Your Road Trip Dream”

And enjoy we have. When we first entertained the thought of taking a sabbatical, my search on the topic came up with Phil and Carol White’s book, â€œLive Your Road Trip Dream: Travel for a Year for the Cost of Staying Homeâ€

I bought the book because I wanted to figure out how we could take some time off without going broke, and Road Trip Dream succeeded in helping us do just that. With the release of its second edition, the Whites’ book is as vital as ever when it comes to considering every critical aspect of how to plan, execute and live your own road trip dream. Don’t even think of embarking on a journey without reading and following the advice laid out by these two seasoned road trippers.

Greener Pastures in the Scorching Southwest

March 31, 2008 by Rene

We’ve seen many places in the U.S. where human habitats are completely at odds with the environment. In places like Florida, builders continue battling nature, despite all of the evidence that this is a bad idea. Living there is a constant struggle between the land, the animals, and the humans, and as a result, few things about the place feel natural. There is complete and total disharmony with the environment.

But here in the harsh lands of New Mexico, humans seem to do a better job of working with their surroundings. From the ancient style of adobe buildings that naturally insulate homes, to suburbanites doing xeriscape conversions, people seem to be more willing to work with nature.

From the Blogosphere to Real Life: Meeting Up with Coffeesister and Rhodester

March 20, 2008 by Rene

Who says you can’t build real friendships online? Since hitting the road, Jim and I have been lucky enough to build friendships with some of our favorite Internet superstars, some of whom we’ve actually met in person. Finnegan was the first. Then came Heidi, Matt, Sara and Bella, Sami, The Big Dog, and now Rhodester and Coffeesister.

Finding Nature in the City of Angels

March 20, 2008March 18, 2008 by Rene

In the past, whenever I visited L.A., I’d have a hard time adjusting to the frantic pace, smoggy air and traffic. As much as I like seeing my family, I hated how stressful the city made me. But my visit was different this time. Our sabbatical has changed my attitude toward visiting places that I find undesirable, which makes life a lot more enjoyable. As Jim likes to say, “it is what it is,” and I accept that can’t change that. So this time while visiting the region, I decided to try to see more of the positive things about L.A, and find beautiful things about it, like nature.

Heed warning signs of three.

September 4, 2023March 1, 2008 by Jim

Someone once said the third time is a charm. I say it’s an omen.

The first time we noticed a “Remove Before Flight” flag recently was on the Nomadjik Media Bus. You can see it in RenÃ©’s interview with Flux Rostrum.

Just a few days later, we saw one at the Cathedral of Junk and thought nothing of it. But then we saw one in Luckenbach later that same week.

This third time made us recall the first two and wonder … what does it all mean?

Restoring Our Faith in Humanity Along America’s Backroads

February 4, 2021February 26, 2008 by Rene

Journey along Highway 82 in Louisiana for the best of Acadiana and Cajun country.

Finding Common Ground in the Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish, New Orleans

February 23, 2008 by Rene

One of the best parts about going on the road is having your eyes opened up to the realities that exist beyond your own little corner of the world. So when it came to New Orleans, it was one thing for me to hear secondhand reports about the state of affairs in the city from the comforts of my home. But to walk through the rubble that remains, to talk to those who are trying to piece their community back together, was another thing altogether. This is why we travel.

Flux and Skinny Chef: Two Artists, Living and Creating On the Road and in New Orleans

February 21, 2008 by Rene

As I previously mentioned, artists are flocking to New Orleans. My new artist friend, Skinny Chef (aka Mary Kate), likened the city to a blank slate, a place where great art is rising from the ashes of Katrina. We met Skinny Chef and her partner Flux Rostrum, down on the Bio Liberty compound in Slidell. They are moving to NOLA, to further her art, and expand Flux’s mobile broadcasting studio’s capabilities.

New Orleans: Live Music and Great Art without the Attitude

February 20, 2008 by Rene

I started out this trip behaving like a spoiled little West Coast snot, like a character out of that famous New Yorker drawing that shows a map of the U.S., with the Left Coast and the East Coast, and nothing in the middle. How wrong that is, and what an ignorant turd I was for falling for it.

The middle of this country has the nicest, most down to earth people we’ve met, and some of the most creative. And since arriving in the South, we’ve witnessed more talent, and met more artistic individuals here than anywhere else. Maybe it’s because they’re at arm’s reach here, whereas on the coasts, the artists and musicians I’ve met have gigantic egos, stick to their own kind and don’t make an effort to blend in with the masses, unless it’s to try to make a buck.

From Farmers to Fulltimers: Another Young Couple Hits the Road in their RV

February 13, 2008 by Rene

Younger fulltimers are workamping in parks across America while seeing the country in their RV

The Conclusion: Making a Living as Organic Farmers

March 18, 2022February 6, 2008 by Rene

What we learned as Workampers while living on the oranic farm at White Rabbit Acres, Vero Beach, Florida.

One Good Thing About Florida: The Atlantic

April 22, 2021February 5, 2008 by Rene

Swimming in the Atlantic ocean is one good thing about Fort Lauderdale and Florida.

Itchy Feet, Take Me West

March 3, 2017January 31, 2008 by Rene

It’s five a.m. and I woke up because my feet are itchy. Not because I have athletes foot or anything. No, it’s just that I’m too excited to get on the road again. After almost two months of living on the farm, we are packed up, hitched up, and ready for more of the unknown. We don’t really want to leave, especially in the middle of the season, but we have to, in order to complete our circle of the U.S. by June.