The Last Time

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Letting Go.  Not just of a trailer named Wandering Spirit, but of a life style that I enjoyed immensely.

The last hook-up, behind my house.

i was really anxious as I hooked up WS for the last time. And even more so as I drove the 25 or so miles to Betabel RV Park.  It reminded me of the first time I towed her, but maybe the anxiety was even a little worse this time.

Perplexed Puppy.

Blue sky picked up on my anxiety.  This picture was taken just before we left home.

I took my time setting up after we arrived at the park, intermittently walking Blue, trying to calm him but we seemed to feed off each other’s anxiety.

Slowly setting up.

Not that happy of a camper.

Meanwhile Bob, Deb, and Zoie were on the second half of their trip from Wyoming, and had a long day of driving.  We were in contact during the day, and thought if they arrived early enough we could get together that evening, but as it turned out they didn’t arrive in the area until 9pm, so we didn’t do that.

Betabel has a dog park now and Blue was a bit more himself when we went there.

A shiny chime hanging from the tree got his attention.

Cattle on a very green hill behind the dog park area.

The night was difficult.  Blue didn’t want to come inside, but when it got dark, he had to.  Until about 2am he was so restless, he changed position every few minutes, and I slept little. It looks like daylight out the window, but that was actually from an overhead light at the park.

He finally did sleep, but by then I was having coffee.

After daylight I removed my few possessions from WS and did another cleaning.

Bob, Deb and Zoie arrived after breakfast and got their first look at WS ‘in the flesh’, and went inside a Casita for the first time ever.  Through the day we went through the Casita systems ( this is their first time with any RV, just like it was mine when I got her), walked the dogs…

(Here they are at the dog park.)

and went to town to do the legal stuff.  At the bank I handed over the keys and Wandering Spirit officially became W.S. Pearl.

They treated me to lunch and then we went back to Casita education.  I was rusty explaining some of the things because it’s been over a year since I traveled.

Finally at about 6pm, we had a champagne toast, and got a neighbor to take our picture.

And then…..and then….I did what I thought might be impossible….I waved good bye to WS, and her new owners.  And a lovely lifestyle.  Whew.

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Spring Walks

The sale of Wandering Spirit was going to happen last week but it got postponed a little while, so Bob and Deb will be leaving Wyoming tomorrow, and arriving here on Monday. All is well, it was just going to work out much better this way for them.

In the meantime we walk. It’s a beautiful time of year here.

This is on our way to the beach.

Close up these yellow flowers look like this.

We cross the sand dunes….

And reach the beach! No one else there and Blue Sky runs free….

Ok, yes there is one other person here, this surfer dude. He surfs but also has some kind of paddle.

We walk on….

And stop to roll in the sand. Well, Blue Sky rolls, I don’t.

He’s almost 10 months old now!

But he looks so little out there by that big ocean.

We walk in fields round about, as well…

where the wildflowers are in bloom. This is Lupine.

And there are the California Poppies. I planted a whole lot of these seeds in my yard. Someday when they grow up I’ll show you pictures of them.

Here is Blue among the little white lawn flowers.

These are wild radishes. I’m sure they have a prettier name but I don’t know it. These are growing along the school yard fence.

Here comes my boy!

The plan is to write and post when we camp for the last time in WS/W.S. Pearl. So very soon now…

Also, you may know that I’m an ‘Out Of Control Rolling Stones fan’, so I want to let you know….you may have heard Mick had a health problem that caused the USA tour to be postponed. A physical is required for tour insurance these days, and it was discovered that Mick needed a new heart valve! A few days later his heart valve was replaced. They didn’t even have to open his chest to make this happen. They can go through veins or something now, which is fantastic.

Mick is otherwise way healthy and has been for years ( you may not have known that but it’s true). He exercises, eats healthy and, yes, avoids abusive substances…mostly. Yep.

The tour will still happen, and I have tickets for one show. It will be close to the 40th time I’ve seen the Stones, including shows in the US and Europe.

😁😉😎

Get well soon Mick!

A New Name

I’ve always heard that Casitas sell fast.

When I bought Wandering Spirit she had been advertised on the Casita Forum for less than 24 hours….and history just repeated itself.

Sweet, sweet little travel trailer.

I posted the previous blog on March 19, and the same day I listed Wandering Spirit on the Casita Forum Classifieds.

On the morning of the 20th I received a text from a couple who were interested, and in a few minutes we were on the phone. An hour later all three of us were feeling really good about about Wandering Spirit having a new home….in Wyoming!

Allow me to introduce you to Bob and Deb, along with Zoey,from the great state of Wyoming.

I fell in love with Wyoming when I was 16, on a trip with my parents. Thought about going to university there after high school and as young marrieds, my husband and I traveled there a couple of times and seriously considered moving there. None of that ever happened, but it’s good to know part of my ‘Spirit’ will be living there.

Zoey and a kitty named Buttercup will be traveling with Deb and Bob. I think Joy and Shiloh will be excited to know that!

I’ve been on the phone talking and texting with Bob and Deb daily since the 20th, working out the details.

One thing we discussed besides what you would expect on this kind of transaction, was a new name. Deb had decided on Pearl, which I love. After they read some of the blog I’ve written over the past five years, she altered that a little bit, and it seems that Wandering Spirits new name will be….get ready for it……

W. S. Pearl

I feel so honored that they would keep vestiges of her name intact, while giving her their own flair at the same time! These are true Casita family people…and without a doubt, this was meant to be.

I have mixed emotions…oh my goodness, yes. I’ve been pacing…and shedding some tears, but I’ve also been smiling through the tears, because this just feels so right.

Memories have been flooding back…

So much beauty….

Fun times.

Getting to know great people.

Great experiences…

And it’s all, all ALL about the dogs…Joy and Shiloh. It never would have happened without them, and Going on without them, it would never be the same.

So….next week Blue Sky and I will be meeting up with Bob and Deb and Zoey, or just Bob, (depending on a situation at their home). I’ll take Wandering Spirit on one last short trip to an RV park nearby…the very same place I took her on my very first trip, to do my ‘shake down’.

There she will become W. S. Pearl, and she will share beautiful new adventures with her new family. Somehow Blue and I will wave good bye and drive away in JR. ( that’s my trucks name, Joy Ride). (And yes, I’m balling my eyes out as I write this). But part of Joys, and Shilohs and my Spirit will go with them.

I hope they don’t mind.

PS. I met lots more wonderful people than are pictured above. Both through our travels and through this blog. Please don’t be offended if you aren’t pictured above!

Well Loved & Well Cared For

Wandering Spirit is cleaned and polished and shined, and she is beautiful….so beautiful it’s hard to let go.

She is a Casita, Freedom Deluxe, 2011.

Asking$14,000. She has all the conveniences, a/c, furnace, shower, solar, and many, many upgrades we call ‘mods’, like tinted windows, shocks, battery slide out, double step, etc.

Have a look….

I know that the right person will take her, and that person will love her as much as I have.

Whew…the memories that have been flooding my heart since I’ve been inside daily, cleaning, and just sitting…thinking.

For whatever reason, getting rid of all my ‘stuff’ that I’d had for years, before I went off wandering, was easier than letting her go….

But…

For everything there is a season. It’s time.

Want To Buy A Casita?

 

Rain.  Lots of it.  In February, it rained 20 days out of the 28 days, and that is rare and unusual here on the mid California coast.  For now, drought here is a thing of the past….rivers are flowing and lakes are filling.  The hillsides and the lawns are green.

The California Poppies are blooming…in some areas they cover the hillsides.

My friend Ruth from the ranch, ( and also from Wisconsin, she comes to CLR with her horse for the winter) came to visit me!  She drove here to bring me some of the things I had left in my shed, because I thought I’d be there this season. Super kind of her.

For some reason I was remiss with the camera and this is the only picture I have of her during this visit.  We were at Asilomar State Beach on a stormy, windy day.

It was really beautiful but there were trees falling all over the place.  We tried to drive out to Big Sur but there were fallen trees completely blocking Highway 1.

This past week though, the weather was calmer and Mary and I ventured down the coast to celebrate her birthday.

Actually it was the only day this week that rain was not predicted.

That’s the Big Sur River behind us, running high and rapid.

We ended up at The Sur House for lunch, which is the lovely restaurant that goes along with Ventana Inn ( ventanabigsur.com ).  I had heard that they allowed dogs at the restaurant, and I assumed that meant on the wonderful patio, but I called ahead to make sure.  When we got there the patio was closed however, due to so much recent rain, but that didn’t matter, they took us to a table near the fireplace, no problem.  Dogs are allowed inside too!

(Blue Sky is almost 9 months old now, and weighs 71.6 pounds!)

We walked around the grounds at Ventana after lunch.  A very peaceful place.

Another thing thats that’s happening is that this coming week I’ll be starting Physical Therapy for my knees.  I finally got a doctors appointment, some bloodwork, and my knees ex-rayed.  I think the PT might be just another step in the process of seeing what’s going on with them…and my back, etc, but perhaps it will help.

Okay.  yes.  It’s  hard to say this but I’m selling the Casita…..my little Wandering Spirit.  There are a few reasons, a big one being that I’m just done with towing.  I may explain more another time.  This coming week, the plan is to get her all spiffed up, washed and waxed and polished and scrubbed, ( I’m paying someone to do this because I just can’t handle up and down the ladder anymore) and then list it on the FB page called CASITAOWNERS-RVCLASSIFIEDS with lots of pictures.  If anyone who reads this here is interested let me know.

I’ll be selling the truck too…Joyride….don’t get me started.  This is hard.  But I’ve been thinking about it a long time, and it’s what I need to do.

When I take the pictures for the sale, I’ll post them here too.

 

Special for Dr Laura/Laurie

Laura, (We met at Prescott National Forest) if you happen to read this I have a message for you from Jim at the ranch. Please call him about that site you wanted. His number…

He needs to hear from you.

520-449-0616

Or email

CLR.office@gmail.com

That’s all! 😊

Meanwhile, Back At CLR…

That would be Caballo Loco Ranch….

I would have been there right now, at CLR, had I stayed with my original plan to spend January there.

I had a gut feeling about staying put, along with a load of other reasons. I did the right thing, even though I miss everybody, and those wide open spaces, and my birds, and those amazing sun rises and sunsets. That magical wilderness, particular to that very place.

But something really neat happened instead. RV Pat, a reader of this blog, had planned to check out the ranch this season. She liked what I wrote about the place, and wanted to see it for herself. Also, we planned to meet, and we thought that would be fun.

We were disappointed that it didn’t work out that way, but Pat still wanted to see the ranch. I emailed the owner, Jim, and explained the situation and asked if Pat could stay on my site at no charge, since I was still leasing it.

The moon, and my bird feeding area.

The answer was yes!

So Pat drove to the outback and made her way down the 8 mile dirt road….

Which can sometimes take quite awhile!

Fred met her and guided her to my site on the hill, and guess what?

She loved it!

After some time she loved it so much, she decided to lease it herself, when my lease is up, which will be tomorrow. I am just thrilled about That!!

She is becoming friends with my friends there. Fred and Colleen took her on a desert tour. Ruth and Joyce are helping her with battery problems. She bought a 4 wheeler from Dick. Etc… And her friend Jane came for a visit too.

And she sends me pictures….

Now I’ve heard that another solo RVer, Laura, whom I met while camping in Prescott National Forest near Prescott, AZ, is coming to the ranch and will be staying at my other favorite site.

How fun! So glad new friends are enjoying the place.

But I’m where I’m supposed to be right now. And yes, we have some impressive sunsets too….

The view from my back yard.

And I have my magical wilderness…

My beloved Big Sur.

And we have our endless beach….

With lots of sand to roll in…

And often empty ….

Except for Blue Sky and I and….our spirit friends….

Not my picture, but it was on a Golden Retriever FB site. So beautiful.

So we are good.

Sometimes hungry! 67 pounds now, at 7 1/2 months!

Don’t forget to watch the Puppy Bowl on Sunday on Animal Planet! I haven’t seen it since before I started traveling so I’m quite excited about it! If you are close, c’mon over!