OPINION: Less Stuff, More Life

YOU'VE ALL SEEN US ...

We're the Travellers, the Campers and the Road Trippers, we're the RV'ers and the Overlanders ... 

We drive slowly and we change lanes slowly ... 'cause we hafta'. We're big, long, high and heavy. We're difficult to manoeuver and hard to corner, we're slow to climb hills and slower still to descend them, we're often over-loaded and ... we all trailer or haul TOYS!

This Sure Beats The Snow

Well, Florida is busy BUT it's warm and offers an endless array of outdoor activities - in November!  

We've decided that this life is 'pretty good', living in LOAF - 5 minutes of house cleaning, cozy, music, DVDs, good food, good wine, everything we absolutely need. 

Travelling With Raisins

Our travel companions have provided us with yet another FIRST for this adventure.  

This is the first time we've traveled with Raisins.  For those of you not familiar with the word, it's used here, as a term of endearment referring to people of an, um, ... 'certain age'. Now, okay! - before everyone gets 'politically correct' on me and moves me to their do-not-call (text, Facebook) lists, I did not come up with the term.  My beloved father and his lovely new bride refer to themselves as The Raisins, because, apparently they're under the impression younger people refer to them as such.  First time I've heard it, but what the heck, it is rather catchy and looks cute on them.

To the Sun

Well, this just might be the FIRST winter we completely escape the snow ... as true Sunbirds! 

Heather (ROVN TOAD Navigator & Co-pilot) baked us some very comfy looking LOAFin Around slippers for this trip! ... dontya think?

I've never liked using the word 'Snowbird', to describe folks travelling from snowy to sunny climates. That term should be reserved for Californians and Europeans that travel to the Canadian Rockies in the winter to ski. 'Sunbird' describes what we are heading towards, not from ... and for us, that's a more positive motive. Besides, I'm writing this post, so I can call myself whatever the heck I want to. 

GEAR REVIEW: Garmin RV 760 MLT GPS

My Navigator got some new gear for this trip ... the Garmin RV 760 MLT GPS.

Helen does everything from the truck cab while I  J U S T drive ... my job is actually quite simple ... I keep us between the ditches, dirty side down, that's all of it! She researches our daily route, tracks fuel economy using Fuelly.com, monitors upcoming weather and road conditions, searches for the quietest and most economical camping spots and the best places to eat and is always on the lookout for any available wine tours. 

BASECAMP 11.06.14 ... " We Must Be Crazy "

I've always felt the path our lives follow is defined by the decisions we take at critical junctions. 

And, we all make those same decisions. You know what I mean ... like, where would we be now if I had chosen to take that marine surveying job off Seal Island on Canada's East Coast when I was 24 ... but instead, stayed in Ottawa, didn't find work until several months later and stayed at that same job for 30 years. Where would we be if Helen's father hadn't strongly encouraged us to stay at our jobs when we talked about quitting and tried to justify leaving at age 40 or so ... not sure what our plan was in hind-sight, but I'm sure glad now that we stuck it out - Thanks! Earl. Do we take the right fork or the left fork?