All the firsts lead to a new blog

So this is the year of firsts! I am on my own for the first time in over 41 years. I feel that I now need my own traveling blog to assist me psychologically, to heal, and to move on while I'm rolling those wheels down the road pulling my precious Casita, Tara accompanied by my two dogs, Odin and Cassie. Please bookmark the new blog address for Casita Kamala Sunshine Travels Continues at http://www.casitakamala.net/ and read my first post. If you want to make sure that you get each and every post I write (because I write so well (insert wink)) I have a spot where you can sign up to receive the posts via email!

Families, Boondocking, and Surge Protectors

So here I sit among the saguaro cactus with just a handful of fiberglass trailers left from 2016 Quartzsite Fiberglass rally.

Female cactus waking on air

Monday, after the rally

I'll sit here to watch the rotating shadows for another day while quiet sun rays send power to my solar panel as the cool Arizona afternoon breeze caresses my Casita.

I hear that over 180 fiberglass trailers registered their presence at the rally. A mini-community established for a week filled with smiles, laughter, and hugs and where new friends were made and old acquaintances re-established.

Climbed a nearby mountain/hill get this shot

So we were a family for a week or less where fiberglass was the connecting bloodline.

Families are (or should be) those who are there to support you, cheer you on, be your gauge. As our cities and populations grow larger, we disperse across grand distances, we sometimes lose that needed touch, that needed support. While Facebook has helped to fill in the gaps of miles to replenish our primal need of community connection; gatherings like this are also essential for a more personal contact.

As I arrived, arms went up in the air to wave a welcome at my entrance onto the rocky bed. This was done to all no matter from what manufacturer you decided to buy. All the fiberglass trailers were accepted. Admiration given to each little home on wheels as each has it's own perks and onlookers figuring out how they could make that mod to their own little habitat.

This is a community with a wealth of advice of how-to's and assistance. Today, five of us guided someone to hitch the truck to the trailer (side-note: he didn't need it). A nearby Casita owner laughed, seeing the joke appear before his eyes, "How many people does it take to hook up a Casita?" Music wafted through the campground at night as the talented gathered around fire rings to enter themselves and those around.

By the way, that Talented with a capital "T". They even let me sing along! I played in my first ladder-ball tournament. Thank goodness I was partnered up with mild-mannered Mark who did not pin his enjoyment to the need of winning but saw it for the fun of playing the game. I say thank goodness, because I was not very good. A little girl missed the tournament and was extremely sad, so some did an extra game just for her. Of course there was food. There is always food with family.

I am so happy that I was able to put faces with people I have 'talked' with on the various fiberglass internet channels (Casita Forum, The Casita Club, Fiberglass RV, and the Facebook Casita Owners group. It was also so nice to meet people who read my blog. I don't want to forget that the famous AZ Eileen was here as well..

Lance, and his puppet friend

My new friend and great neighbor

I am parked on BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) and it's free. So this desert landscape fills with snow birds escaping the harsh winters of the north. The camping permit allows for two weeks per location. But there are many BLM spots around, so winterers will meander from campground to campground. This will be my eigth night as I write this. I've had no need to pull out my generator. My 100-watt solar panel bought from Ebay for $115 begins charging my battery at the first light of day. The self-sufficiency of this trailer proves itself over and over.

If anyone is wondering about whatever happened about my electrical conundrum, I believe it was the surge protector. I remember hooking it up without the surge protector to test to see if it was the problem, but in my exasperation, I must not have given enough time for the current to flow through to the refrigerator or the electrical strip I watch. I bought a new surge protector and on my way here, the electricity hooked up just fine. I do want to thank the Facebook Casita Owner's group for assisting me in my problem-solving quest. Great minds put together is an infinite wealth of wisdom.

I will be changing my blog name this coming summer. I will have a redirect on this one so you can bookmark the new location. Thanks for buying from Amazon using the link from my blog. Every little bit helps.

The above photos were taken by my little cameras. For more fantastic photos, go see Jon Vermilye's blog lakeshoreimages.com. He was quite busy with his camera!

After note--I realize now that I cannot type the blog on a word processor then copy and paste to blogger. While the desktop version looks alright, it messes up for the mobile version. So I sat here this morning February 21st re-typing this entry. You are my editors. If you see a mistake, please let me know!

Travel Plans!!!

I haven’t disappeared off the face of the internet, I just haven’t been traveling since my last 4,000-mile trip. Well, that’s not exactly right either. I did take a trip at Christmas but (insert whisper tone) but I didn’t take the Casita. It was just a short trip from El Paso to Fort Collins and back and since I might run into snow, taking only the truck sans trailer made sense and I wanted to actually travel the speed limit. The decision was a great one: 1 - I received the best, warmest hugs when I arrived, and 2 - I did run into blizzard, white-out conditions on my way home once I hit Raton, NM all the way to Sante Fe. I wasn’t worried or scared because throughout my years, I have driven in all kinds of weather and terrain either pulling or carrying large loads--but that is for another day and another post.

I am excited right now because I’m about to take off WITH my Casita to the Fiberglass Rally in Quartzsite, Arizona! I have been sitting in one place, albeit home, for too long and I want to feel my wheels spin.

I love the way I winterize the Casita. I empty the fresh water tank and hot water heater. This is a great time to replace the anode. I shut the hot-water water bypass valve then blow out the water pipes. This lets me travel spontaneously because all I have to do (which I’m doing at the end of this week) is add some water to the fresh water tank. If you do it this way, always remember to make sure your hot water heater is filled so that you don’t burn up the electrical heating element.

So stay tuned because I’ll be posting about my travel experiences for the next couple of weeks. By the way, if you like the way I write, you can support my travels and blog by buying from Amazon through my blog by clicking on the Amazon link on the right column. Amazon gives me a small commission for all sales that are made through my link.

To help my audience grow, please feel free to share my blog with your friends and/or Facebook, Twitter, Casita Owners on Facebook, and any Casita or Fiberglass forums you may belong. Thanks for reading! I gotta get packing! I'm so excited!

A Tribute

When I stay at home, it is easy to forget how large our part of the planet which we call the United States really is. The faster one travels, the shorter . . .

Parting is such sweet sorrow

"Parting is such sweet sorrow" has been the major theme for this trip. After my visit with my Kansas family/friends (from here on out I'm going to say frams) I headed into . . .

Baby, it's cold outside

The temperature outside is a chilly, cold 32 (that's 0 centigrade for my European friends) so I'm not anxious to . . .

Wrinkled Land

I feel so wealthy for all the people in my life, my support, my family/friends (friends so close they are like family and family so close they are like friends) (FF). Parked outside my FF's home I am able to . . .

Beautiful tailwinds and dogs!

It's interesting the role that winds have played in my life, in all our lives for that matter. I've had several careers over the years, I tend to call them lives. In one life, . . .

Glass Ceilings and Bravery

Breaking the glass ceiling is not just for working women trying to get into executive positions but also for women who travel by themselves. When telling people of my plans to . . .

Know each other's job

Well, I left the house, as the doctor had ordered, although I don't believe I left the way she intended. With my loss fresh and wound cut deep, I gathered things and packed the Casita and truck, and called friends. I hitched the Casita and was ready to go the night before leaving. The morning of departure, I found my hands shaking. Dogs jumped in the truck with enthusiasm which helped my mood. Gathering all the strength I had, with trembling hands, I grasped the steering wheel and headed out on my first lone journey. Charley set me up well. While we had our departmentalized jobs in our relationship, I was keen to learn his and he mine. Knowing each other's job allowed me to do this, to take our Casita, Tara, out by myself.

The trip did add a distraction from my current state of mind. It also showed me I could do it, even though I knew I could. Doing it made it just made it a reality.

So my advice for all you in joint-travel mode adventures, whether pulling a Casita or something else, is to know each other's jobs. Know how to pack, to hitch, to drive, unhitch. Know what needs to be done on the inside: closed, turned off, buckled down. That way, you can continue because if your partner in life is like mine was, s/he would want you to continue.

Dawn in Dixon, NM (Odin and Cassie at the ready)

The Precarious Adventure

Life

This precarious adventure

Feels so real but is so very ephemeral

It should last forever

Then there are signs

Aging signs

Body indicators that tell you that things are changing.

Things are changing.

Life

The precarious adventure.

Experiences flow in

Memories are made

Shape our thoughts

Sculpture the bust

Poetry made and songs sung

Once in duet become a song sung solo

Solo

Alone

Alone but not lonely

You are with me in my spirit through to my bones

And so the next adventure goes.

Prepared or not,

Here I come!

I want to remember the fragility.

With all my being and all my love, Kamala

Charley Land

Ah, the Casita Cult!

We're always excited to see another Casita on the road! We flash lights at each other, honk, wave. 'Why?', you may ask. Well, it's because we share such great taste.

On our trip along the Alaska Highway up to Fairbanks, we did not see very many Casitas. In fact, we 

Sleepy Homey Doldrums and Some Info from our trip to Alaska

As soon as we arrive home we have to leave to the hardware store. We grab the keys to our Caravan, now anchored with spider webs to the carport, to buy a water pump for our evaporative cooler. Our home, made of fired adobe, while good insulation holds the predominant temperature. Since we were gone and El Paso was hot, guess what?

Just one more night!

We find ourselves in our familiar southwestern desert, greener than I expected, rain--good. This rich, beautiful landscape of mesquite bushes imitating short trees, sage brush, and creosote bushes with a backdrop of rugged rocky mountains is my home. I love it! Our trip is coming to an end. We decided

Another love of mine

What I like most about my Casita are those with whom I share it.
Okay, I stole the lead-in quote. It should be home, and not Casita.  And to make it worse, I  don't know who to give credit to, only that it fits. Our Casita crew (two of the 2-legged type and  two of the 4-legged variety, a big one and small one) is top notch. We've been on the road now for over 60 days. All of us have honed that Casita Dance down to pretty smooth set of transactions of avoidance, space and tasks. All in all, it's a great crew that brings laughter and smiles to the team.

But this note is about another Love of mine, Tara, our Casita. Oh come, I bet a lot of you out there

Reflections of the Great Northern Trip

June 27, Vancouver, BC
The situation has determined that I spend the afternoon babysitting our two canine companions that have developed less than thrilling case of liquid stools. Upon leaving, Kamala sweetly suggested that

Does it ever end

Holy Shit! We finally made it to Fairbanks Alaska in our little fiberglass bubble. I was beginning to think that the road would never end.  That traveling along the Alaska/Canadian Highway was some kind of Twlight Zone plot where a small group of travelers traveled on and on forever on a road that
just never ended.

 "And did they ever return? No they never returned, they just chugged along forever in land that just

Deviation can bring lovely surprises

We will meet our friends, Lori and Lynn, the Barksmore sisters, at our rendezvous point in Fort Collins Colorado. Lori and Lynn are their actual first names, but Barksmore is a cute little handle that derives from the fact that they have 4 dogs (n'uff said).  Everything is going as planned. Before they arrive a late snow storm hits the plains and the rockies. We wake to a white blanket which quickly disappears with the warmer winds. Our son and family have recently relocated to this beautiful area where the rockies meet the prairies. Fort Collins, along with the rest of Colorado, is an outdoor-thinking area so there are well used bike paths and walking paths EVERYWHERE! So as we wait for

Sometimes Sweethearts can be Heroes

A hero is someone who, through skill, intelligence, fortitude or some other neat attribute saves the the day. Now if you're one of the Avengers and have those superduper type skills like throwing big hammers across football fields, or turning into an angry, very angry big green man, well then they make movies about your deeds.  But even us mere mortals can be heroes by excelling in tough situations.  Ok, so, I'd like to nominate my wife for getting us out of a tough situation.

Today we're driving in the high country above Boulder Colorado, looking for a

Curtains!

Curtains......Afraid of the dark? I think not! But I've come to a conclusion that most of America is. Everywhere you go, there's light. Neon lights, street lights, security lights, porch lights, and I can't forget the cute little solar butterfly lights that brighten the path in my backyard. I get it. I do. Security, safety, and attempting