This weekend a year ago, we emptied out our house for the last time and moved fulltime into the RV.   We spent most of the summer and fall, stationary at Whispering River in Walland, until Dave hit his retirement on Aug. 26. Until then, I still had the days to myself, even in such a smaller place.  I loved it.  I was able to take care of it easily and I had time to devote to other things.

When Dave retired in August, I think we were both worried at how we would do, 24 hours a day in a small space.  The next two months were so filled that we didn't have time to think about it.  We were on our way to our first Rally, when the motor blew up in our motorhome.  After six weeks of placing blame here, there and everywhere, we made the decision to trade it in as soon as it was fixed.  

Enter Louis, our 2008 Monaco Dynasty.  We had not planned on buying at that time, but Louis was everything we both had ever wanted, so we took advantage of the timing.  We spent weeks living at the dealer's lot, waiting for the old motorhome to get fixed.   By mid-October, we were finally able to go to Greensboro, NC to pick it up and finally take Louis home.  Of course, we had to transfer all our belongings over, which we managed to accomplish in a few exhausting hours, unlike our original move in March.  Off we went, to Walland, to make Louis truly ours.

November 1, 2016, we left our home of 25 years, and headed for Pensacola to start our life on the road.  We were so fortunate to have friends there who helped make the transition easier.  

After three months in Pensacola, we moved a little further south to the Suwannee River for a month of peace and quiet and reflection.  During those three months, we also got some annual maintenance done on Louis, as well as visiting with family and dear friends.

What have we learned?  Being together all the time is not difficult at all.  We have our routines and have been able to combine our need for private time with our desire to be together.  It makes me realize how much we missed out on each other's lives all those years in the house.  There are times we get on each others' nerves - we are human, after all.  But we're very good about understanding the occasional sniping and letting it go.

Some of us have developed interesting habits :)  Dave has sworn never to shave again and has taken a lot of interest in beard coiffure.  He's learned that he doesn't need to hold on to things that have no value.  My border-line hoarder has evolved!

I've learned to stay calm in the storms.  An argument is no longer the end of the world.  It's a disagreement that's talked about and forgotten. It's not easy to pout here.  My desire for no clutter has been satisfied living in a motorhome and I've learned not to get upset when something is out of place.  There's always tomorrow to put it back.

We're learning the art of compromise in everything we do, from who does what to where are we going.  because of costs, I've had to put aside the desire to go to certain places this summer.  Instead, we've found other places that also sound interesting and are more affordable.  We've gone from going wherever the mood suits us to knowing we need to make reservations during peak times.  So far, we're finalized through the end of July.  It's a lot more planning than we like, but we are going to New England and we've learned quickly that if we don't plan, we won't be able to afford to go to certain places.

So where will our adventures take us this summer?
Brunswick, Georgia
Rutherfordton, NC
Ocean City, MD
Kutztown, PA
Copake, NY
Boothbay, ME

This is where Plan B kicks in.  Instead of staying in New England, we plan to head across to Michigan and visit the Great Lakes are.  After that, who knows?  As much as we can, we like to keep our plans set in jello.

We moved to the north central area of Florida on the first for a change of scenery.  The Suwannee River Rendezvous in Mayo, Florida is a great change of scenery.  There's no traffic down here, just the sounds of animals and birds.

I have to admit that I was a bit nervous when we arrived.  This is truly rural.  Wal-Mart is 45 minutes away, so there are no last minute runs to the grocery store.

The campground is great.  Most of it is new.  All the sites are wide and well laid out.  The individual sites have pea gravel that seems to be raked in between customers.  There is a large deal of new landscaping planted. The entire campground is well laid out.  

Suwannee River Rendezvous is the most dog friendly park we've ever stayed at. The week before we arrived, the owners added on to the dog park, making it the best one I'd ever seen in a campground.  There are six different fenced in dog parks, each one laid out differently.  The two large ones are getting agility courses built as we speak.  

There are miles and miles of bicycle paths to explore, as well as canoe and kayak trips.  You can rent one and float away or you can sign up for organized trips ranging from six to twelve miles long.  The pool and hot tub area are well maintained and clean.

There is also food available on weekends.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The food is ordered and can be taken into the club house area or back to your place.  The clubhouse also welcomes well behaved dogs.

Weekends bring Bingo, and other entertainment such as Pigeon Racing, Chicken Poop Bingo and live entertainment on certain weekends.

The usual monthly rate is $295 plus electric.  We received an RV show discount that brought ours down to $249 for the month, plus electric.  This campground is definitely not a "you get what you pay for" campground.  The rates for such a beautiful park are phenomenal.  The only drawback is its distance from civilization.  If you want to get away from it all, this is the place to come to.