Getting Into the Christmas Spirit…And a Few Exciting Repairs
We’ve settled down in our temporary winter spot in San Diego, for the next month or so in any case. It’s my fav’ park in the area and my absolute fav’ season of joy. I’m a bit of a Christmas nut you see, and have already started decorating the rig and jealously admiring some of the very cool decorations around the park. There are people who love Christmas and then there are people who go all out on Christmas! We’ve got a few of those around here, including a site with Santa and all his reindeer, a guy with a 20-foot lighted tree on top of his ladder and a guy who’s custom-painted all the windows in his rig with snow scenes….I LOVE it!
This is also going to be a month of organization and repairs. We have grand plans to empty out the entire rig, get rid of a bunch of stuff and check if our storage is still alive. Given how little of our on-board stuff we use there should be at least 4 trips to the Charity Shop before we’re done and probably a few hundred pounds less of weight in the rig.
We’re also strategically planning time to hang out, visit some friends, relax, clean the rig and get the yearly repairs done. In fact this week alone I’ve cleaned & waxed the toad and fixed our long-broken day/night shade (for those with broken shades, which happens to everyone at some point, I highly recommend Dirty Blind Man Repair Kit).
We’ve also sold our TV creating a rather decorative hole in the wall that is going to be the inspiring topic of a future blog post. Since none of this is particularly exciting, except to ourselves of course I’ve Photoshop’d dramatic pictures in black-and-white to give the activities a sense of exhilaration and theatrical impact. Amazing what a simple photo can do, eh?
This next week, as we approach Christmas Eve I’ll also be inviting kravlenisserne (Danish Christmas Elves) back into the rig to create mischief. I really have no choice in the matter since they inevitably follow me wherever I go. So, we’ll be opening up the RV and making traditional Danish rice-pudding in the hope that we appease nisserne, at least for another year.
And last but not least, I’ll finish out the year in grand style by doing my yearly RV blog round-up with my “best campgrounds of the year”, our full 2011 travel route and many more gripping topics. In the meantime if you’re in the area give us a bell. Happy hour starts at 5PM each day 🙂
Love all the Christmas stuff. Thanks for sharing.
It’s so much fun! Nina
Hello You. Hope all is well.
Would Love to see your inside (RV) X-mas decorations.
Yay!!!!
Funk
The candle in the pic is one of our interior decoratons.
I’ll try to remember to take some more internal pics too.
Nina
Isn’t Christmas time fun! Maybe we’ll see you guys while you are in San Diego?
Oh we definitely want to see you guys! Have been nursing some flu this past week…first me and now hubby (who is sick as a dog today). So, waiting to heal before we go see friends.
Nina
yes thanks for sharing a bit of your culture… i spent 6 years in Germany as a youth and Christmas is different there culturally as well…
So true. Cultures are a little different everywhere and it’s always fun to explore & share them.
Nina
My goodness you have a lot planned. Love the christmas scenes painted on the RV windows how cute. Here we will enjoy a Mexican christmas, more low key but with fireworks 🙂
Yeah, I hope we get it all done!
Have a great Christmas down in Mexico. Sure looks like you’ve got some perfect weather with you!
Nina
Oh! May you both have a very merry christmas !
Merry Christmas yo both oh of you ! enjoy the holidays ! because of you ive decided not to renew my c2c an rpi memberships ! 🙂 love to hook up wirg you both when you get back here in fl ! have a lot id like yo talk to u about but not on the blog ! be well !
We may well be back in FL next year…we’ll have to see. Still not sure about the 2012 plans yet.
Nina
yeah I am a Christmas nut too…doesn’t help since Tom’s bd is Christmas day….this year we actually got a live tree for the casita….wish we were there to stop in for a drink. but hold that thought for when we do…wishing you both a Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year…
Oh how cool! Well give Tom a big birthday hug from us too! And Merry Christmas to you!
Nina
Merry Christmas! Peace on Earth!
Learned something new about you two…I didn’t know you made your home base in San Diego. Would a beautiful area. I love the snowmen on the window…so cute.
Hope you get all your plans completed. You only have one month…LOL
Wishing you two a Blessed and Merry Christmas!
Yeah, this was where we started a few years back. It’s nice (and odd at the same time) to be back here. And you’re right, one month is FAST! Hope we get everything done!
Nina
You are going to have a really busy month. Hope it won’t be even harder to get things done due to the time of year but I’m sure you’ve planned on that. It will be interesting to see your year wrap-up.
http://travelinglongdogs.blogspot.com/
We do the same thing. Back to the beginning for the holidays and to get things done. I’m ready to be gone. We’;ve been here since Thanksgiving. Not going to come for so long next year although we did actually get everything done. Doctors, repairs…good luck to you.
Sherry
http://www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com
It takes a while to plod thro’ everything, doesn’t it? Hope you guys get to get back on the road soon!
Nina
While you are at Santee Lakes consider hiking up the middle peak with the trailhead right in the park. A bit of a long uphill but great view from up top. Also, you should visit Jungle Bells at the San Diego Zoo. I volunteer there and have been during Jungle Bells. Lots of fun. Usually, a bell choir every night. My wife was in one of the bell choirs there a week ago.
Bob
Where do I pick up that trail? We love hiking, but haven’t seen anything directly out of the park except at the very back left where there’s an “unofficial” opening to the military area (with lots of “restricted, no access” signs). Is that the spot?
Nina
It is called Kwaay Paay Peak. The trail head is on Father Junipero Serra Trail on the shout side of the road opposite a small parking lot.
Oh cheers! We will try and find it! Nina
Have a joyous Christmas and wonderful break! We too are sitting still for the holidays , but not looking forward to our first one on the road!
Happy New Year too!
Lisa
Sorry to hear da man is sick. Just don’t give it to Polly. Miss you guys!!
Planning for our launch in 2 years- curious about your inventory list….what are the top 5 things you are keeping and items you are donating.
Nina the new section at sweet water county park about ten miles from where you are has many sites with a distant view of the ocean. Many of the sites are huge, and it is very pet friendly. It is in an area somewhat like you are in. Just a suggestion.
Bob,
Thanks so much for the tip! We are most definitely going to check that place out while we’re here.
Nina
Are you going to take any photos? I’d love to see how people decorate their RVs for Christmas. I’m always quite taken to see how long-term RVers decorate their rigs and their lots at RV parks. BTW—thank you for the tips on stocking stuffers. I’m getting the museum putty for our house—we don’t have any wall space in our 5th wheel for art—but we do have pictures that won’t stay straight at home. I also put one of the weather stations in my Amazon giftlist—for my husband’s birthday in February. Merry Christmas!
Just posted some more pics on the blog today. I tend to stick with small, cute decorations but I did pick up some tree cuttings from Home Depot this year and fashioned a small “tree” LOL.
We’ve got the weather station on our giftlist too!! So want one!
Nina
We spent our first Christmas on the road this past year and couldn’t do it without decorations in the coach. We bought a large stuffed Santa and a snowman, one for each side of the dash plus a large stack of gift boxes with a big gold bow around them for the center. We put up a 3 foot pre-lit tree on the desk in the living room. I ran outside to have a look while my wife waited at the switch. I immediately rushed back in. “Dont turn them on, don’t turn them on!” When she asked why, I pointed to the campground around us. It was like Macy’s window! Huge displays of all manner of decorations and lights. We would have looked like paupers with the few things we had set up. Our first Christmas and we realized decorating in an RV park is more elaborate than the home community we left behind when we took to the road. Why didn’t someone warn us…………………………….?
Wonderful!! I simply LOVE Christmas decorations. I have to admit we’re pretty tame with our decor too, esp. compared to some of the elaborate creations people do around the park. I’m always amazed what people come up where. Where do they keep it all?
Nina