Living Large in a Mini Van
It used to take me the better part of an hour to scope out a van-camping spot, before finally settling on what felt like “the perfect one.” In the early days, I stayed mostly at provincial parks, and even if I were the only one there, I would race around in a panic, sure someone … Continue reading Letting Go of Perfect
At first glance, I’m challenged to find the obvious tie that binds the 8000 or so souls gathering each year at the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR) and Womens’ RTR (WRTR) in the Sonoran desert of Arizona. A survey of the parked vehicles suggests membership probably isn’t defined by rig-choice or economics. Large, newer-model, Class A … Continue reading The Nomad’s Front Porch
Today we made our way south through Pennsylvania, into West Virginia and are now just north of Virginia. I was poky (according to the trip summary below) because I had to do important things like: A) STOP TO REMOVE MY DOWN JACKET, and B) Go for a long walk by a creek WITHOUT MY DOWN … Continue reading How We Roll
It’s not quite dawn and I’m sitting in the van around the corner from my sisters’ house in Oshawa, where I slept last night. Pippa is wondering why we have stopped so soon. I’m waiting for a text from either of my sisters, telling me what I’ve forgotten at their house. I always forget something, … Continue reading All I Need
I went fishing with a friend in Arizona this winter. Words would have made noise in the quiet beauty of that desert lake. No fish were biting, but I contentedly watched as he rhythmically casted, again and again. There was a lovely whirrrrrrr, and the line would hit the water some distance away. If he … Continue reading Day 4: Waiting for a Bite
I’m pretty tired of food rules, so I won’t be following many on this trip. I’m just setting off with the basic premise that plants and animals constitute potential human food sources, and if they are grown, raised or foraged within about 100 km of where I am, I will consider them “home grown” or … Continue reading Day 2: Confessions of a Serial Food Dater
Here are some ways I’ve tackled fears about “letting go of things” that I wrote about in my last post: “Downsizing for Vanlife: Naked & Afraid.” 1. Our things represent “who we are.” This may be true, but we are not our things; we’re so much more. During downsizing, it helped to think in … Continue reading Thriving In Downsizing
If you’ve been following my Sedona “mini-series” you know I worked on “letting Sedona come to me” rather than curating the experience; letting go of expectations for that Sedona energy thing. I need to finish my story now. Because, although it took a bit of time, Sedona did arrive. For three days I stayed in … Continue reading This Vantastic Life: The Accidental Vortex
Because Sedona is commonly referred to as a very special and unique place, I’m tempted to grow all kinds of expectations around being here. Hopes for what I might see, feel and experience. Being a spiritually curious person, I might even be tempted to hope for a life-changing revelation or an out-of-body experience. Maybe I’m … Continue reading This Vantastic Life: My Sedona
I’ve been an hour away from Sedona for three days, while recuperating from a throat infection. I chose not to come here while I rested, because I wanted my energy to be good when I arrived. I’ve been looking forward to this, like a first date, apparently! How can I show up to meet Sedona, … Continue reading This Vantastic Life: A Blind Date with Sedona