Thursday, May 30, 2013

Party Time - One Reason NOT To Go RVing

   
Ready To Go!
    Everyone knows I love to escape in my RV. At a moment's notice I can be off on an adventure to recharge my figurative batteries and arrive home refreshed and ready to tackle life's daily grind. There are few reasons that would stop me from going. This weekend is one of them. It's my Dad's 90th birthday party.

My Mom (bless her heart) has put together a celebration that folks will remember. She's got catered food, several large tents, (not everyone could retreat into my tiny RV!) a band, and every living relative and friend she could locate. All in all about 100 people.

For the last few weeks she's been crazy-busy putting the whole thing together. And this week is the final preparation. Lots of things to finish up. Lots of opportunities for a failure. She's got it well in hand. I try to help out where I can, fixing stuff around the house and outside. Making sure she tries to relax a bit here and there. You see, Dad doesn't get around so well anymore, he really requires full time care. That's hard on anyone. How I wish she could take the RV and have a few days off. Nope. Not going to happen. If you think about it, she's pretty incredible. Yes, I know I'm biased, but...

Most of the long term RV projects I'm working on are on hold this weekend. I'm pretty sure sneaking down to the RV and working/tinkering would be bad. (Ghostbuster's BAD!)

Something Like This?
How is this connected to RV's? Well, Dad has been telling me stories of a vehicle he had MANY years ago. The best I can decipher from the story is some kind of station wagon with an add-on to the roof that would sleep a couple of people. There may have been some cooking amenities, maybe not. He tells of how horribly it handled and indeed ended up flipped over and destroyed. The debris spread down the road for a hundred yards. Luckily, no one was hurt. This was probably in the late 1940's.
Pretty Comfortable.


We've come a LONG way since then. I can tool down the road in complete comfort. The handling of most RVs beats cars only a few years old and when parked, you have every modern convenience feature you could ever want. Compare that to sleeping in a wooden box on top of a station wagon!

I'm reasonably sure I could live in mine full-time if I wanted to. (Or Could!) At times like this I let my mind wander to thoughts of a traveling retirement. Retirement? What's That?!


Anyway, I'll be "camped" at the party this weekend, likely having a great time. That's not to say I won't sneak a glance every now and again out the window to gaze wistfully at my escape-mobile. Maybe I'll turn on the A/C and use it as a refuge if things get too crazy.

Be Seeing You, Down The Road...

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com


10 comments:

  1. Happy 90th to Dad! And for you hang in there the road will still be there when the party is over. : )

    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa,
      Thank you so much! I'm sure the party will be great and leftovers on the road are awesome!

      Rich "The Wanderman"

      Delete
    2. Happy 90th to your Dad. My husband also had his 90th in April. We had a party at our house with 40 folks, but that was plenty!!
      Is your Dad a WWII veteran? We need to be kind to those great folks!

      Delete
    3. Anon,
      Yes, he was a B-17 Navigator during WWII, lots of great stories! Happy Birthday to your Husband!

      Thanks!

      Rich "The Wanderman"

      Delete
  2. Happy birthday to your Dad, and God bless your Mom for standing by her man!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vavet,
      She is really amazing...you know?

      Rich :The Wanderman"

      Delete
  3. God Bless your folks! and Happy Birthday to Dad! Regarding your Dads service, has he had an opportunity to take an Honor Flight to D.C? If not, I would certainly recommend looking into one. Here in Mo. we have several flights a year and our M/C Honor Guard has reached nearly 1000. Our Vets get so much from the tour and really like the escort on the return home!




    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon,
      I will ABSOLUTELY look into that flight. He really doesn't get around much any longer, but if I can swing it..sure!

      Thanks for the tip,

      Rich "The Wanderman"

      Delete
  4. Good for your DAD. 90yrs and sooo many stories still to tell. & your awesome MOM for all that planning. You're a good son for having her back. Best to you all on his special day

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon,
      Thanks! Yup, lots of stories, sometimes the same ones more than once :)

      I am amazed at the shear amount of work to plan and execute this party with so many people, she's got it well in hand.

      I help out where I can, but only in a supporting role.

      Thanks again,

      Rich "The Wanderman"

      Delete

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