My clever friend Roxanne has a map of her travels that appears in the left margin next to her blog. I don't know how she makes it show up there, but she uses a site called Travellerspoint. I went to that website and mapped out my own journey, and I believe this blog post will have a link to my map.
Today I'm continuing to settle in at Truth or Consequences. It's a process that will take a while. I have decisions to make such as whether to receive my mail here at the RV park or whether to get a Post Office box. After that, I can get a library card, register to vote, register my motorhome in New Mexico, get a New Mexico driver's license, etc.
I'm trying things with the Guppy that I never did along the way. For example, I have my awning out to provide some shade, although I'm rethinking this, because even in summer the winds can be very gusty here. Also, I used to just dump my blackwater at RV dump stations while traveling, but now I'm going to hook up to the sewer.
I also let Sonja outside this morning for the first time in a very long time. We're going to be staying here at the Artesian for some months, so she might as well enjoy being an indoor-outdoor kitty again. She actually seems to prefer being indoors in the air conditioning, though.
I'm also going to take care of some repairs while I'm staying here. There were things that never worked on the Guppy from the start, and I have just lived with them, because my priority was to travel and see things. Now that I'll be living in my motorhome for some time, I'm going to find the leak in my water system so I can hook up to water instead of just using gallon jugs of water; get the propane heater and propane water heater working; replace a cracked vent that leaks in the cabover when it rains, etc.
When I get these things done, there's no reason why I couldn't live in the Guppy indefinitely, regardless of how cold it may get in the winter. It's certainly cheaper than renting an apartment or house.
Although I'm very glad to be parked in one place for a while, I am already beginning to plan another trip. My friend Joni from San Francisco is going to be in Albuquerque for the Balloon Festival for a few days in October. I have not been up north of Albuquerque yet to visit Santa Fe or Taos, and my friend Bridget lives in Guadalupita, a tiny town near Taos. So I will definitely want to do a roadtrip up that way in the fall. I'm sure I'm going to want to take other trips to see more of New Mexico, too. I traveled in the Silver City area on a vacation many years ago, and I'm sure I'll want to go up that way again. Carlsbad and Roswell will eventually call my name.
Today all I've done is self-care. I took a walk, made an omelet, did the dishes, read, took a nap. I took a second walk up to a thrift store to find a few items to sell on eBay. Now I'm ready to take a stab at hooking up the sewer, and then I think it will be time to take a hot mineral bath before heading off to the monthly Art Hop.
Good news already on the art scene for me! I met a woman last night at my AA meeting who is an artist with a small storefront studio/gallery, and she invited me to show my work at her place. Since I've been traveling for four months, I don't have any work to show right now, but I will in a month or two or three. So tonight during Art Hop, I will go hang out at her studio and start to get to know her better. It will be great to start planning for a show, but I'm not in any hurry.
I am taking all things slowly and deliberately. I'm not going to do anything big or splashy for a while that puts my ego or feelings on the line. I just want to become a part of this community in small ways for now. This is unusually humble for me, but I've had enough excitement for a while.
View Full Size Travel Map at Travellerspoint
Whoa, whoever that Roxanne chick is, she's someone I want to know.
ReplyDeleteLook at all those places! I want to have a lot of dots on my map like that.
Are there purposes for which a P.O. box won't work? I can't think of an example, but I'm just wondering.
Duh, I meant to say that on the top right of your map (once you log in) is a link that says "link." Click on that and it gives you the option to embed.
ReplyDeleteTheir embedded map was too big for my sidebar (does that sound risque?), so I just altered the dimensions.
Roxanne
Cool, Roxanne. I will try that.
ReplyDeleteWhat luck finding someone with their own art studio and getting an invitation to boot. Things are looking up for you.
ReplyDeleteYes, sounds like things are going well. I think it'll be good to get things in good working order, too. You might as well use all the things in your rig, you'll be more comfortable and it will be easier for you. Sounds like TorC will be a good stopping place for a while.
ReplyDelete