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Today we're staying in a trailer park in southern Wichita that is conveniently situated in between a busy freeway and some railroad tracks. It's home to lots of rusting trailers nestled beneath giant oak trees, and, with the exception of the freight trains that pass by every 20 minutes, it's a pretty quiet place.
We aren't scheduled to do another YMCA session for a couple days so I've been using this down time to get caught up on work, as well as continue to ponder more deep thoughts about my life.
I'm aware that I've done my fair share of whining over the past few weeks about life in the RV, but I'm happy to report that I think I've turned a corner. I feel like I am finally getting the hang of things, like doing domestic chores in impossibly small spaces. I'm also not nearly as claustrophobic as I once was. Good to know in case I am ever incarcerated.
Below are a few interesting observations I thought I'd share on RV living:
-RV kitchens are so tiny, I've discovered that I can bake a meatloaf, boil pasta, stir a sauce, wash dishes, dry dishes, put away silverware and clean the sink all while never moving my feet.
-With a single paper towel and a squirt of Windex I can wash the entire kitchen floor.
-Most RV/trailer parks have coin operated washers and dryers near the main office for guests to use...and some of these RV parks have a pool. I've discovered that hanging out by the pool in between cycles is a great way to catch a few rays, and read/send e
mails from my phone while the clothes get clean. I've also discovered that if I bring a margarita to the pool with me at the same time, all this work just becomes much more fun.-I've discovered that using duct tape to secure dishes in the cupboards is a handy way to keep them from rattling while driving.
-I've discovered that if I string a clothesline across the bathrooom, I can air-dry all my lingerie and have the bathroom to myself for as long as I want. (It makes Gunnar too uncomfortable to go in there.)
Talk about personal growth. I may be on my way to becoming an RV domestic goddess. Who knows.
***
July 24, 2009
Now that the weather has cooled off, Gunnar didn't leave the RV until nearly 7:00am this morning. As usual, I stayed behind to start working until I got the call to come out and give him a rest. It was a grey and overcast morning, and the smell of rain was in the air. A good soaking would be a welcome relief from the insufferable heat and dryness of Oklahoma...unless, of course, you are Gunnar out on the roads without an umbrella in his CamelBak.
Sure enough, by 9:00am the raindrops started to fall and the call came in to go pick Gunnar up. I quickly sprang into action, unhooked the RV and in record-time I was rolling out of the park and manuevering my way through the mid-morning Wichita traffic. (It's been brought to my attention that I had been getting slower and slower each day I made my pick-ups, so I'm working hard at tightening up my time performance. Bear with me, Gunnar.)
In addition to getting better at living in an RV, I should also mention that I am getting much better at driving an RV, as well. Piloting this beast used to make me incredibly nervous, even on an empty road! However, today, while cruising west down Pawnee Road on my way to get Gunnar, I spotted a donut shop up ahead. In one beautifully choreographed move I locked up the brakes, hung a wide left turn into the parking lot, swung in for a quick Bismark and was back on the road in record time. Nice!
Within 20 minutes, I met up with Gunnar waiting at a gas station. He came inside and took a little break while we waited for the weather to clear a bit, and then he went back out and headed off towards the next camp ground.
***
Another story from the
"Oklahomans Are So Friendly" file:
When I left Minnestoa, I promised my daughters Daisy and Coco that I would send them a present from every state I traveled through during the 10-week trip. This has proved to be a very effective way to help them focus less on my absense and more on what supris
e is on its way. Every night when I talk to them the conversation always begins with "did you send our present today?"So I took the cowboy hats that I bought at the Territory western wear store in Stillwater (as well as a few scenic Oklahoma postcards) over to a nearby FedEx to mail to the girls. As I was decorating the two big boxes with their names, Terrence, the FedEx guy waiting on me, liked the idea of helping my kids learn more about each state so he created some cute cartoons of Oklahoma buffalo to throw in the box as well.
Now that I think of it, I've never actually seen any buffalo in Oklah
oma, but if Terrence says so, they must be around here somewhere.The report from home a few days later was that the girls LOVE their new hats...as well as their buffalo cartoons from Terrence!
Have I mentioned that Oklahoma people are really friendly? I will miss that place.
July 22, 2009
By early afternoon, Gunnar had made it to Ponca City, Oklahoma where we were sc
heduled to do an afternoon session with about 100 kids at the Ponca City YMCA. In preparation, he took an hour-long nap in the RV so by the 3:45pm showtime he had all 106 kids (a new record!) in the palm of his hand.The guy is amazing!
Stay tuned....
Love, Dina
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