What do you DO all day?

My sister-in-law Sharon, who was trying to grasp the concept of fulltiming, asked me once "What do you do all day?". I think I gave her some flip response like "I do what you do, chores, hobbies, just living."

But now that I've been a full time RVer for 8 years, I realize there is more to it than that. There are three basic modes I get in.

When I am traveling as I did last year with Barbara and Ron, I get into the tourist mode. We travel more often, generally to new places, with towns to explore and museums, attractions, and restaurants to check out. I like doing train rides (especially steam trains), boat rides, harbor cruises, trolley tours and the like. We do a lot of those. So on those days I get little done at home. I eat out more often, being out and about during the day. This mode is nice, but it is tiring, and I wouldn't want to do it forever. Last year we did it for 10 months, and that was a little too much. Ron and Barbara were just the best traveling companions, and that made everything okay.

When I am with my singles group, the WINs, I tend to be in a socializing mode. I spend the winter in the desert southwest, trying to stay warm and live cheaply so I can afford to go traveling in the summer (especially now with the fuel prices so high). I generally attend the bigger gatherings over the winter: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Quartzsite, and maybe one or two others. I see people I haven't seen for a while, so this is the time to catch up. Of course the WINs plan activities, too, but I focus more on socializing now. We go to the flea market, out to eat, but mostly we visit outside in the shade. My favorite pastime is going to the nightly campfire. So when I am with the WINs I don't get much done at home. Of course, sometimes you just have to do laundry. So I work chores in where I can.

Then there are those times when I am alone just hanging out or traveling with one or two other people. Then I'm in the living mode. It's during this time I can get projects done, like spring cleaning, organizing my bins, or starting a new beading project. I also read more during this time. It is heaven to just hang out and read (maybe fall asleep for a little nap). Hmmm, heaven. And to have time for beading.

So what I do all day is somewhat dependent on the mode I'm in. Doing sightseeing in Savannah is a lot different than sitting by myself in Quartzsite. And I like that diversity. It means that when I want to socialize, I go to where the WINs are (or at least some of my WIN friends), or when I feel like being alone, I can just go off by myself and sit in the desert and vegetate. And then summer comes and we go traveling to see new things.

Of course, reality rears its ugly head now and then and I'm forced to do housework. And minor repairs are best done when there is a handy gent around (I can't fix anything, this I fully confess. I have two tools: a phone to call the guy to come fix it, and a pen to write the check to the guy who came to fix it.) Or I take the handy gent out to dinner to say thanks. Somehow, things get done, things get fixed, and life goes on.

So this is the life I am so blessed to have. I don't do the same thing every day. And when I get bored or have bad neighbors, I just pull up the jacks and move on. To do something different tomorrow.