The Radio Girl

And Even MORE RV Renos

Me and Home Depot.

Clearly we have a little 'thing' going cause I can't seem to stay away from that place.  I had another brainstorm a few days ago to spice up the bare wall in the kitchen of JohnnyDisco.

Before

And after

We covered the wall with back splash paneling that's stamped to look like tin, but it's actually heavy duty plastic. It's very light weight and easy to wipe clean. 

The panels are supposed to be attached to the wall with special trim, but after calculating the cost of all the trim we'd need, I decided to buy gold colored screws instead.  The screws compliment the color of the panels and the project looks even better than I expected.  

The total cost was about $86 for all 4 panels, plus the screws.  And it looks so rich we might even do the wall space above the counter too, which is what this paneling was actually made for. 

Our little place is really coming together...

Thanks to My Handsome Construction worker, the brawn behind our little operation.

I bribed him to smile by telling him I'd call him handsome in this post  :)

More RV Renos

We've parked JohnnyDisco just outside Vegas for a week or two.

Our little family is slowly heading north to Canada as the weather continues to warm up and another post about our road trip home is in the works.  In the meantime, the RV office reno is almost complete, including the new window covers.

I've used this window privacy film from Home Depot on several former house renos where I wanted both natural light and privacy.  Wasn't sure how well it would work on the RV windows and I actually had to put it on a piece of plexiglass for the left window (the slider) but it worked.

We can still use the screen for air circulation ... and the sun shining through the faux stained glass is gorgeous.

The office space is almost done except for a few odds and ends - like the table legs needed for the desk top.  Turns out we won't be able to buy those until we get to California.  

Everything in the shelf area is stable and ready for travel.  The only thing we'll have to move when JohnnyDisco is on the highway is the file box on the center shelf.

Even the rolling chair will be held in place with a bungee cord and two heavy duty anchor plates that My Fella screwed into the shelf.

Stable furniture.  Just one of the many things you have to think about when your house has wheels...

On the Road In Arizona

First day of our road trip (heading home to Canada) was a long one.

It started at 4:45am when my inner alarm clock went off.  Rarely have I ever set an alarm to wake up at a certain time.  I'm one of those freaky freaks that can decide what time I'm waking up the next day and then just do it, within about 10 minutes either way.  Weird, I know.

We had JohnnyDisco at the RV shop by 7am and Norman was at the vet at 8:00 for his very first rabies shot.  He was totally composed on the vets table.  

Course at this point, he had no idea he would be getting a needle in his butt.  Pretty nasty way to start the day.

Shelbert was just along for the ride this time, so she was cool as a cucumber.  Note Exhibit A:

Doesn't she look like Bono?

After the vet appointment, we ran a few other errands and then picked up JohnnyDisco at 11am.  By noon, we were heading northbound on the highway and waving goodbye to Tucson.

It took 5 hours to get to our first stop, 3 Dreamers RV Park just outside of Salome, Arizona.  A one night stay with water/power/sewer cost $18 bucks with our Passport America discount.  The park was pretty average and a little out of the way, but a good spot for an overnight stay:  gravel sites, clean/quiet and a strong, fast wifi connection.

We have no RV park pics but here are some shots from the Arizona highway.

Desert cactus and highway construction were the main themes for this drive.  

Most of the road work took no time at all to navigate...

But a few spots took forever to get through...

At least we had the convenience of bringing our home (JohnnyDisco) with us ... for important stuff like snacks and potty breaks.

And naps.  And bone chewing.

More road trips pics coming tomorrow, but before I forget...  If you're ever in southern Arizona and need RV repairs, parts, maintenance, etc. bring your rig into Lance's RV Center just off the I-10 in Tucson.  The shop rates are much cheaper than any of the local dealers and Lance's customer service (and work ethic) is top notch.  True story.

JohnnyDisco Is On the Move

We're in transit for the next couple days so here's an RV office update.

We only added one more shelf for now since I may install a cabinet with doors at the very bottom.

The desk isn't quite finished cause we can't find individual aluminum table legs in any local stores.  It looks like we'll need to order them online from IKEA since we're not passing by any stores during our travels.

In this shot, the desk top is just resting on a rolling cart but when it's finished it will be sitting on 3 round aluminum legs.

We still have to take down the ugly window treatment and I have a brainstorm for covering the window panes.  It's still in the planning stages but I'll post some pics when we're done.

And just a reminder of what we started with:

The space has come a long way.

Just When My Fella Thought It Was Safe To Put Down His Toolbelt

... I've devised yet another DIY project for us.

When you have two mature (???  :)  adults sharing the same living teeny weeny living space, you better have some 'projects' up your sleeve or things could get ugly. Especially if one of the aforementioned adults is only employed for half the year.  Trust me... I know of what I speak.

We are a very very lucky couple.  Passive dividend income covers our living expenses and retirement savings.  I still put in a few hours a day on my stock stuff 'cause I love reading the biz news and researching companies.  Plus I have a wee bit of an old man crush on BNN's Howard Green.

My Fella isn't interested in stocks or investing.  His passion is sports and he works full-time during the golf season (April to Oct) at a small BC resort course.  My guy would like to continue working when we head south for the winter, but legally he can't accept a job in either Mexico or the USA.   

So I create new projects to keep him out of my hair us busy and productive.  Like motorhome renos.

When we first bought JohnnyDisco I had a funky vision for the office space.  But the plan had to be flexible since we didn't know what was hiding under the bunk beds (wires, steel bars, etc).

The first reno (bunk beds into home office) looked like this:

It was a great set-up, except for my desk chair lurking smack dab in the middle of the hallway.  Major obstacle course and a HUGE Pain in the Butt (or more likely a bruised knee) for anyone trying to sneak past that chair into the bathroom.  My five-legged rolling monster chair also had to be moved for constant rounds of Squeak Fetch with Shelbert. 

When I first envisioned the RV office, I wanted it completely in the slide that once-upon-a-time held the bunk beds.  The space is large enough for a small desk, bookshelves, a printer and the evil shin busting chair.  But My Fella and I were virgin RV-ers and ripping everything out of the slide made us both nervous.  

Fast forward one year and we are now experienced full time RV-ers.  Not much smarter, but definitely more smug.  After all, we've survived a full year without blowing up our propane tank, driving away with the slides out or getting wedged beneath a really low underpass.  

We are ready to tackle the Full Office Reno. 

First up, the destruction phase.  Everything had to be removed from the office:  the desk, the lower bunk and drawers and all the extra trim, staples and nails.

The materials were easily recycled.  We kept a bunch of the wood for our new office project and the rest was tossed into the RV park's bonfire burn pile after My Fella removed all the staples and nails.

Doesn't My Fella look like McSteamy in this pic?

Is there still a McSteamy?  It's just occurred to me that I haven't turned on the tv since last October...

Anyway, after completely emptying the former desk area, we discovered a snaky mess of wires and hoses that lived under the bottom bunk.  

My Fella constructed two wooden boxes to hide the wires away from our 5 month old pup, Norman, who has enthusiastically discovered that HE HAS TEETH.

After My Fella built the wire covers it was my turn to crawl around on the floor for a while, measuring, cutting and installing the new office floor.  (We work in shifts so we don't get on each others nerves. It's much easier this way ... and even after all these renos, we're still together  :)   

I have no pictures of me installing the tile (I only have two hands, people).  But here are some action shots taken when I removed the heating vent to see what was under the carpet, which we also want to replace soon.

Hopefully all of my tool-esque props convinced you that I do participate in the reno activities.  Especially during a full moon.  Or when we need a new office floor.  "Ta da..."

It's hard to tell in the above pic, but our little office floor is about 2 inches higher than the hallway because it's on a slide.  We like the colour and quality of our new tile much better than the original vinyl flooring that came with JohnnyDisco.  This project was so easy and inexpensive (box of tile was $30) that we plan on replacing the entire coach with new flooring.

The wire cover boxes (in the above pic) aren't screwed in place yet because I'm hauling them outside tomorrow to toss on a couple coats of wood stain to match the trim.  And I need to stain a long skinny piece of trim to cover the far right corner of the floor where the steel slide peeks up.

Also on our To Do list:

• cut the old desk top in half to fit the new space
• hunt around for three light weight table legs to install the desk top on
• remove the ugly window treatment that covers the lower blind
• build/stain three extra shelves on the right side of the slide
• put up a new corkboard - my old one has officially retired after 8 years of service
  

In the meantime, we're in the final planning stages of our road trip northwest to Nevada.  Our five month stay in sunny, southern Arizona is coming to an end ... hard to believe we head out early next week.  

On top of that:

• JohnnyDisco is going in for an oil change/check-up  
• Norman has a vet appointment for his rabies shot and his final DHPP, at two different locations  
• and we want to tour the Pima Air Museum before we leave town   

That's why I decided to spring this office reno on My Fella yesterday.  He renovates much better on a deadline   :)

We're Not Dumb, We're Just New

... at RV-ing.

As of this month, JohnnyDisco has been our full-time home for one year and there's still so much we don't know about this lifestyle.  

For example, did you know you need to constantly check the sealant on your roof vents and slides to prevent water leaks?  You can find this out the hard way or the easy way;  the hard way being water damage in your rig after a major rainstorm.  Luckily, we found out the easy way - through conversation with more experienced RV-ers.  

We were going to use Dicor sealant, a pliable caulking sealant that RV dealers recommend.  But then all the old boys here at Dodge City RV told us they use something called Eternabond which is a sealant in tape form.  From the pics online it looks like a roll of super thick duct tape.

Eternabond has a ten year warranty and after reading online reviews about the product, the only negative thing My Fella has read is that you need to place it in the exact the spot you want it because it's almost impossible to remove.

My Fella was invited to watch our RV neighbours apply some to their rig next week.  One of the other Dodge City guys has already used it on his 5-wheel and loves the stuff.  And he agreed that precision is important - it is really hard to remove Eternabond if you stick it on crooked. 

We just ordered a role of black Eternabond (4" x 50' long) from this online site and it was much cheaper than anything we've found at RV stores.  Total cost with taxes, shipping & handling charges = $62. 

If you've had any experience with Eternabond, please comment.  My Fella is very open to advice/tips about how to apply it  :) 

*Silly sidenote:  The morning business news has been consumed by the European debt crisis and I've had the word Eurobond stuck in my head for days.  And now I can't wrap my brain around the word Eternabond - I keep calling it Eurobond.  My Fella knows what I'm trying to say when I talk about putting Eurobond on the roof, but our Dodge City RV neighbours don't quite get it.  Whenever I mention Eurobonding our rig, they look at me like I've been drinking since 9am.

Squeak Fetch

It's been really chilly here in southern Arizona since Tuesday.

It was sunny today, but the high was only +4C (39f).  My Fella was doing some research online and discovered that last night was the coldest it's been here since the 1930's. And the local forecast is predicting we'll drop down to -8C (17f) tonight.  

JohnnyDisco hates this weather as much as I do, so My Fella disconnected and drained the main water hose and made some adjustments to stop our main pipes from freezing. (There's not much else he can do, but if you have any good cold weather RV tips, please share - after only one year full-timing we're still new at this...)  

To keep warm inside, we:

• run the propane heater in JohnnyDisco
• cuddle
• play a lot of Squeak Fetch with Shelbert

If you were loitering outside our bathroom door, here's what you'd see.

Yes, I look like a complete tool when I play Squeak Fetch.  But look how sweet The Bert is ...

Here's what we'd look like if we played blindfolded.

Shelbert has excellent doggie sense so even blindfolded, she would avoid all obstacles.  

Unfortunately, my aim wouldn't be as accurate.  The cameraman (hi honey :) would probably get accidentally conked in the head with the Squeak toy.  

Perhaps we should test this theory.  We have nothing else to do in these frigid temperatures   :) 

FYI:  we refilled JohnnyDisco's (24 gallon) propane tank yesterday.  There was just under a quarter tank of propane left and the fill up cost us $46 (USD).  It's hard to say how much propane we use since it completely depends on the weather, but the last time we filled the tank was May of 2010.

Crazy Stuff to Eat When You're Lost in the Desert

We really like all of our neighbours here at Dodge City RV.

Right next door are Uncle Jerry and Auntie Eko, as we call them.  They call us The Kids. (Actually everyone here refers to us as The Kids.)  Anyway, Jerry and Eko went on a desert hike a few days ago and came back with a snack for us to try:  barrel cactus fruit.  

No doubt you already know this, but this is a barrel cactus, or more specifically a fish hook barrel cactus:

The top of the cactus produces really pretty flowers and these little fruits, that look like mini pineapples.  If you're wearing steel mittens (or you're a stunt double from Ironman) you could probably pick them right off the cactus, but us mere mortals use a walking stick to safely knock a few off the top.  

Barrel cactus fruit have a tough exterior, but they can be bitten into.  You don't need to see my vampire teethmarks, so I just cut this one open for your viewing pleasure.  

The fruit is a mix of tart and citrus, but leaning more towards tart.  Kind of like a bitter vitamin c, but with crunchy little black seeds.  

As far as I'm concerned the seed crunching was the best part of this desert snack.  It tasted very healthy, if you know what I'm sayin'.

Clearly I love barrel cactus fruit.

Okay, I'm exaggerating.  It wasn't that bad.  

And if you're ever lost in the Arizona desert, barrel cactus fruit is a refreshing and thirst quenching little snack.  ???

*Details of our return trip home from Mexico coming up in the next few days, but I couldn't wait to show you these adorable pictures of my sexy double chin   :)  

New Year, New Budget

Temps dropped to -5C (23f) in Tucson last night, close to a record low.

We definitely hit an all-time low temperature in JohnnyDisco last night when the interior of the rig hit 4C (39f).  No wonder we wear touques to bed.

We're not too cheap turn on the heat, by the way.  

Turns out the furnace wires are crossed in our motorhome, and while the a/c and fans work (although they cool the opposite end of the RV that they are programmed for) the bedroom/bathroom heater doesn't work at all.  We didn't need the heater last February when we first bought our unit so we had no idea it didn't function properly until we got back to Canada.  The entire rig is still under warranty and the furnace wires are the first thing on the list to be repaired when we bring JohnnyDisco in for maintenance this week.  

In the meantime, space heaters work just fine for our teeny 360 square foot home.  Except in the middle of the night when it's freezing and we're too lazy get out of bed and turn them on.

The last couple days have been chilly and rainy here in southern Arizona so we've all been stuck inside.  My Fella was definitely stir crazy today so he ran out to the grocery store to grab veggies for lunch.

Yay - alone time!  Gives me a chance to revise and finalize our budget for 2011.  My inner nerd is rejoicing ... I love all this numbers stuff   :)     

2011 Annual Budget, based on Gail Vaz-Oxlade's most excellent budgeting guide:

Home expenses - suggested to be 35% of budget, ours is only 9.7% or $8100

• RV pad rental        3300
• RV gas                  2400
• RV propane             200
• RV maint./repair    600 
• RV insurance         1600

Transportation - suggested to be 15% of budget, ours is 2.7% or $2290

• Car gas                  1560
• Car insurance          650
• Car maintenance       80

Debt Repayment - suggested to be 15%, ours is 14% or $12,000 (the interest is written off against my taxes so I'm NOT paying this off aggressively)

• Investment line of credit    12,000    

Savings/Investments - should be 15% of budget, ours is 36% or $30,000 

• TFSA's, non-reg brokerage account    30,000

Life (includes everything else from groceries to insurance to donations) - should be roughly 25% of budget, we are right on target at 25% or $21,000   

• Groceries, booze, household, toiletries, laundry, gifts    10,960
• Shelbert  (food, snacks, grooming, shots, squeak toys)       500
• BC health insurance                                                         1250
• Travel medical insurance                                                   500
• Internet                                                                            210
• Cell phone                                                                         180
• Sirius satellite                                                                   200
• Clothes/shoes                                                                  1200
• Charity/donations                                                            1400 
• Entertainment (movies, driving range tennis balls, etc.)      600
• Misc. RV outdoor (solar lights, patio mat, blower, etc.)        500
• Misc. RV indoor (curtain rods, bedspread, towels, etc.)        500
• Misc. small emergencies (dental, computer repair, tires)    3000

Outside our annual budget is a separate fund for any bigger emergencies (new car, major RV repairs, lobotomy, etc).  

The reason we can save 36% of our annual income is because we live full-time in JohnnyDisco.  Our housing costs are teeny weeny compared to most folks.

Transportation costs are super low too.  My Fella has a 2 minute commute to his golf course job during the summer season.  

And my vehicle commute is non-existent, since:

1. If it's realistic, I prefer to walk
2. I don't really have a job
3. My stock stuff is all done from our home office, smack dab in the center of the RV and seven steps to every corner of JohnnyDisco

This budget will be adjusted as the year goes on.  Not necessarily 'cause it needs changes, I just like playing with the numbers.

Hope you had a wonderful holiday season ... Feliz Ano Nuevo from our little family to yours.  

"A chicken liver rawhide is a great way to ring in the new year."

Good People

"RV-ers are a great bunch."

My Fella and I heard that phrase uttered a squillion times even before we joined this special group of folks.  And now we witness it every day whether we're cruisin' down the highway or pulling into a new campsite.

The first couple we met here at our RV resort in southern Arizona are The Sheriff and his wife, Mrs Sheriff.  To be clear, he's not really a sheriff.  I just call him that 'cause he always carries a pistol in a holster on his belt.

A real one.  

As Canadians, we only see weapons up close during prime time tv (CSI Miami, Law & Order, etc.) so The Sheriff and his pistol definitely made a lasting first impression.  

Turns out The Sheriffs are a super nice couple.  In their late 50's or early 60's, they live at this RV resort full-time, and their kids are spread out across the USA.  Mrs Sheriff is a nurse at a local hospital and The Sheriff acts as the unofficial manager of the park.  

We've gotten to know them a lot better after several crazy events took place here in the past few days and I like them more all the time.  And they like us too cuz they keep bringing us treats.  

The Sheriff swung by with a tray of xmas sweets last week and then Mrs Sheriff offered up a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies yesterday.

Rumor has it she saw the awe-inspiring damage My Fella did at a recent all you can eat pizza party here at the resort and she figures he's not eating enough at home.  (I pray that she keeps bringing him food cuz that will totally cut down on our grocery bill   :) 

Anyway, we wanted to get them something to say thanks for their kindness so we bought Mrs Sheriff a gift card to Bed Bath and Beyond.  

As a special surprise for The Sheriff, we picked up a completely hideous camouflage patterned fleece Snuggie.

The Snuggie is kind of a gag gift ... but not really.  

Our Sheriff here at Dodge City RV is a huntin' and fishin' outdoorsy type who sports a lot of camo inspired outfits - khaki pants with camouflage patches, stormtrooper camo vests, etc.  The guy really belongs on a movie set.  And a few days ago he mentioned how cool its been getting at night.  It's really not that cold but remember he's from Arizona. 

Now The Sheriff can snuggle up in his new camo Snuggie with sleeves.  And if need be, he can strap on his holster and pistol on top.

The Camo Snuggie as seen on tv and only $14.99 at Walgreens.  It's the perfect holiday gift for the weapon yielding fellow (or lady) in your life.