I'm a Nutty Van Man!

Here I am house watching. Yet yesterday, I spent the night in my van in the driveway!
Now I truly know I like this... when I trade in an actual house for my own little house on wheels!
Unbelievable. I would not believe it if I was told 2 years ago that this is what I would do.

Yet there I was having fun in my little van forsaking the house I was watching!
Weather is sooo nice out. I cannot resist! I have better ventilation, better air, etc.

Well, for one, my own bed is in the van. And it's not just any bed. It's been my favorite bed now for 6 some odd years. So we got history. And it's dang comfy! Which leaves very little room for anything else except clothes, really. Maybe tonight I might choose my bed again. It's home and I sleep best when I am home... I cannot believe I consider the van outside my house but it is. :)

--A miniature version of my usual setup whenever I get an apartment.
My closet, my bed... all my stuff. :)

Cheers.

Finally Summer relents

I am lying in my little home tonight.
It's become routine now... like a bird about to enter its nest. I look around, finding nobody in sight, duck into the open back door of the van and shut it and the curtains to seal any light in. Surrounded by my black curtains, I ready myself for sleep.
It's a cool Sunday night. The last of the September days is here.
October awaits tomorrow.

Today, I came back from a weekend in Houston seeing family.
They are all well. We had a great time and I had a pleasant conversation with my loved ones about religion and my new outlook in life. I assured them I was the same person as I always was.

On the way back, we stopped by Jerry Mikeska's BBQ just outside of Houston past Katy. Best barbecue in town. Catch their buffet every sunday. You will be in for a treat. Best Brisket, best sides.
Great service and very friendly staff. Mr. Jerry himself comes out and greets customers when he is making his rounds.
On his restaurant walls are heads of various wild game including tons of deer and antelope. Once you see the audience of taxidermied animals watching you from all sides, you know you're in the right place. Sit back and enjoy!


As I came back into SA, I found a couple of friends waiting for me at my office parking lot.
What perfect timing as I went from one vehicle to another and gallivanted off to a national park to hike some moderately challenging trails. This lasted until near sun down. Then it was off to a Chinese restaurant for some ceviche, tres leches and baked mussels.

Well, it's been a great time.
Good night, America.

The heat resurges

I have retreated back into my airconditioned office cubie one more time . Last night was dang uncomfortable in the vehicle. It's partially my fault for procrastinating on buying a rechargable fan at least.
Now I have to wait till the weather actually cools again... hrrrmmm....
Summer just won't go away easily.

The Unexpected

Unexpected turns are sometimes very upsetting.
My folks were looking for someone to bankroll upgrades to their house (2 new rooms and a second floor).
Me being the only one still unmarried (and viewed as this available pool of money), I am of course a natural choice to ask for funding.
It's not that I don't want to do it. Of course most of us will eventually agree to help out.
But it's very upsetting in that your personal plans may have to be put on hold... The life I want of vagabonding and total freedom are hampered by other folks in my life that are rooted in a lifestyle I am trying to shun.

Very few folks understand this need to get away from the life of sticks and bricks.
Except maybe you, my fellow wanderers. Which is why I am writing this here. I removed my Facebook already because I am finding that world and its inhabitants have fewer and fewer relevance for me.
I suppose many of you too, get drawn back into the world you want to vacate badly through people you know or love.
They do keep us connected to the world, but sometimes that connection can reach out and draw you backwards from your progress. I feel like it's that way with me at the moment.

Just feeling like that lately. There's always something the system does to keep me from realizing total freedom.
It sucks and I'll have to yet again put up with it for now...
Or maybe I should just tell my folks I don't have the money.

After all, if I spent the money on a vehicle I could rightly say it's already spoken for. So what if it is just waiting to be spent? In my mind, it's going to my future home... And it will be spent enabling me to go live my life for a change...

At the end of the day, it's only a house upgrade. It's not like a medical emergency...

we'll see...

Back Home sweet Home!

I am typing this in my first night of cooler weather in my little home.
Everything just came back to me of my winters here last year. Wow... how time flies. It's been a busy year.

So I am back in my own original bed... It rained hard all day today and I left one window open (which let some water in.) It got a spot wet on my bed but it's ok. A towel over the affected area took care of that before I put the cover sheet on.
Great White is back and open for habitation once again!
Let the little cabin living begin! :)

Good night, America!

Winter almost here!

Hope y'all are doing well.
Winter is almost here! Today, I shook out my gear... got my van ready for sleeping.
The weather is finally getting to a good temp to where I can probably start doing that in the next couple weeks. Excited as all get out!

I am nutty about this life now! A couple of the peeps here at my workplace finally scraped together enough cash to get an apartment... yeesh... I now view that as an albatross around one's neck.
I would not trade my little home for that anymore.

I once pointed out my Great White to a friend and said:

That van is a luxury where I come from... and a whole family would usually live in a space that big... with far fewer clothes and definitely eating just a few rice balls each day.
I already feel so blessed to have a well functioning vehicle, money in my pocket and in 3 bank accounts, a stash of Canadian dollars in an undisclosed location (earned while I was up there last year)... hey, it doesn't get any better than this.

Excited to get on with my little home! I cannot wait!

I got a lot of work coming in and life is very good.

All I need now is to find a partner in crime...

Sheltering from the heat

I am right now in my office cubie camped out here. This is near the Mexican border and it is very very hot outside so I'd rather not roast in my mini home. It feels like cheating but hey... the airconditioning is on whether I am here or not here. So why not make use of it? Now, I am open about this and I did let my boss know. He's pretty cool and easygoing guy so he doesn't mind.

I am really getting used to living like this. It is easy and once one gets the hang of it, not a problem at all. I know this is mostly guys doing this. I think many of us men are happy sleeping in the woods if society lets us.
I suppose it's when we get a partner in life and she wants the comforts of civilization that we do have to give up a bit of this wild life and settle down into normal city life.

but hey.... as long as I'm single... yo-ho-ho, the vagabond's life for me.
It doesn't even feel like I am homeless anymore.
I suppose it is because I am secure in my finances, no longer worried... and I can eat out more because of the savings. You can't beat living like this IMHO. I see deer walking in the bushes below me... it's awesome.
Today, I had Indian curry from a bottle with some leftover rotisserie chicken --great combo with frozen carrots and a slab of butter --melt that in there and you got heaven in a bowl. Whip out the roti bread and you got yourself a meal. Not contented with that, I even had some Korean rice porridge on the side (the last of a batch I made a while back) . Then some friends and I go to this Japanese restaurant where I have even more curry... It just turned out that way. I had a choice between the curry and some ramen noodles. My curiosity about the Japanese curry won out.

It's been great so far. I cannot wait till winter comes so I can move back into my little home on wheels... or finally get to install my purchased solar panel. We'll see... lots of work to be done in the meantime.

Good night, America!