Hurricane Harvey Evacuation

So it only took a hurricane…and a mandatory evacuation, to get our home on the road!  This being my first hurricane, I didn’t know what to expect…so we packed what we could carry on Peniki or our tiny home on wheels, and we evacuated.  I thought that’s what ‘mandatory evacuation’ meant!  ‘Leave with what you can.’

Never mind that we left a mess behind of bits and parts that were attached to our Mermaid Mansion.  And never mind that the old BAG living in her ‘double wide on stilts’, felt compelled to take a pic of what we left during our evac; sending it ever-so tattletale-ish to the owner of the lot we’d been planted on for waaaaay too long.  And never mind the phone call from said land owner, asking us what was going on?

To which I replied something along the lines of, “Well, we were told to leave…so we did.”  I didn’t realize that we were expected to stick around and tie up those loose ends while #HurricaneHarvey blew our way.  Really, it’s not like me to leave such ends untied, but when it comes down to protecting our family and home (that we stayed put faaaar too long to remodel); I guess I might tend to be a bit…hasty.  I meant no disrespect to anyone; not even the old BAT next door!  I guess humanity only exists on the news.

#RhythmOfTheRoad #HurricaneHarveyEvacuation #TinyHomeOnWheels #LeavingLooseEnds

Evacuating Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey Evacuation

Galveston by Gypsy Vin Rose

Written for those of us who love Galveston, and all that island life entails.  –A story in song and video, of the many memories made on G.I. as a child, over the last decade, and as IBCs (Islanders by Choice)…raising our daughter within the embrace of Mother Ocean.

We sincerely hope you enjoy our video, and the home session recording of ‘Galveston’.  Love and .V.. (Peace) we send your way.

GVR

*Follow Link Below*

Beach Day For Our Little Sweetheart

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Okay…I’ll be the first to admit — Nico and I both forgot it was Valentine’s Day until we were headed down the street and saw a lady selling flower baskets on the sidewalk.  :  I  ‘Seems like things have been so busy lately, that we’ve even forgotten the day-of-week.  In a sense, remodeling and money woes have taken over our lives.  I know we’re not alone! 

When it comes to making ends meet, our ends are quite frazzled these days.  For this reason, it’s especially wonderful to escape to the beach with our little’n.  Of course, when we’re out on the East end of the island, Baby starts directing us towards one of her favorite parks: Nixi’s Pirate Play Park…as we refer to this particular playground. 

It’s a nice escape from the chaos of restoring our vintage caravan, no matter what day of the week.  Even though the wind was bone-chilling (Yes…even on this sub-tropical island), I’m happy that we were able to enjoy Valentine’s Day on the beach with our little Sweetheart.  :  )

A Visit With Santa On The Strand in Galveston

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Yesterday, we finally broke-away from the remodeling chaos, and took Baby down to the Strand District…here on Galveston Island.  It was her very first ‘Claus Encounter’, and it went really well.  But…I think Daddy might’ve embarrassed her just a little.  ;  )

It’s a rarity these days, for us to get out-and-about–I hate to admit–and just see the sites that our new hometown has to offer.  The cost of such an afternoon?  Nada!  Which is about all we have to spend after Christmas shopping.  Still, I have to say, our little tour of Downtown Galveston, and the Santa Claus photo shoot with Baby and Gypsy Vin Rose, was a huge success!

Next  year, Santa…we’ll see ya again!  Same time…same place!  And we promise, we’ll be good in 2014.

Blessings to All this Christmas…New Years…and Always!

.V..

Ringing in the New Year…on the Sands of Time

Memories of one New Year, spent on the Sands of Time.

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Beach Bums

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GALVESTON Move - Jamaica Beach & Motor for CL 002

GALVESTON Move - Jamaica Beach & Motor for CL 008

So we’ve become a couple’o beach bums!  It isn’t hard to do here on Galveston Island.  Time has just flown by since that first month we were here; struggling harder than we’d ever thought we would.  But the worst part of that first month was relinqushing to the RV Campground; as full of amenities as it was!  That ‘one week’ we stayed there cost almost as much as we’re paying a month in our current spot.  Never mind the fact that it had two pools, and hot tub, miniature golf, showers, laundry facilities, breakfast buffet…and the whole nine-yards–an RV park is always overcrowded, and well…an RV Park.  We do not care for them one little bit!

So, there we were, at Jamaica Beach RV ‘Resort’ and Campground; enjoying the finer side of roughing it…if you will.  We’d spent nearly two weeks camping–really camping–on the beach…and enjoying it immensely (minus a few little set back and situations I don’t care to mention).  Either way, we knew we had to head back to some version of civilization, if for no other reason than to stop turning heads of unknowing passersby who seemed to take an interest in our camping rig on the sand and the fact that we have a little’n.  People who think they know what we’re all about really do piss me off!  I wanted to throw sand in their eyes at times!  Free country?  Yeah…whatever you think!  I care not to fool myself on that one. 

Needless to say, we were ‘pressured’ into the crowded comforts of JBRVP (Jamaica Beach RV Park), and set about catching up on laundry…and taking nightly dips in the hot tub.  I have to admit that the fact that we could ride our bikes just across the highway to Seven Seas Market was an added bonus.  I just love that little store!  It was the best discovery on the west end of the island–for us anyway.

So…there we were, set up at JBRV…and wouldn’t you know thatBaby screamed and cried about just about everything…almost every night we were there.  I can just imagine what our RV neighbors might have thought!   But I really don’t care…quite honestly!  I know it sounded pretty bad from the outside, but they didn’t know what bad ‘growing pains’ Baby was having on the inside of our little van-home. 

We had been dealing with such sleepless nights for several years…on and off.  Baby would sleep soundly most of the time, but then it would hit; the growing pains…kicking, screaming, and crying, night after night for about a week.  It just happened to be bad timing for us, when we stayed at JBRV.  But we made it through, and so did Baby.  She grew, but we didn’t sleep much at all that week. 

Most folks might think she was crying because we were all cramped into our little rig, but that wasn’t even close to being the case.  We were all quite comfortable in Peniki, with the drive-away tent attached.  We were camped right next to the playground, which was next to the splash pad, which was next to the swimming pool and hot tub.  It was really ‘the life’ when it comes to camping and not living off the grid; as we’d hoped to be doing by this time.  We don’t like most people, so it goes.  People are shallow, fake, superficial, and prejudice; even in this day and age.  We like very few of the folks we meet.  But the majority really don’t deserve a second glance or the wasted breath…as far as we’re concerned. 

So, enough of that little confession…or opinion.  We were looking forward to getting the heck out of the concrete jungle of big rigs.  Camping…you said?  Hah!  People have all gone ‘soft’!  Few could survive without their flat screen TV’s, A/C or heat, golf carts (Really folks…?  If you’re not a senior citizen…or on a golf course, you look like a complete lazy ass idiot rolling around the RV park on a golf cart!  Sheesh!!)  But, hey…!  Whatever works for some, is just insanity to others.  But it sure does shed some light on why a lot of people are fat in this country.  : I

Either way, different strokes for different folks!  We were happy to end our stay at JBRV and be heading closer to Seawall, and to a place we hoped might soon be ‘our’ new place.  We’d set up a time to view a spot at a private RV lot in an out of the way area of the island.  Pulling out of Jamaica Beach that morning, we were hopeful we’d soon have a more permanent address.  It was just the calm before the storm.  Even if you think you have life planned; it never does turn out the way you thought.