RodeStar*

It was an endless back and forth conversation as to what we do once LodeStar is gone. Do we buy a houseboat and motor to the Bahamas in November post hurricane season? Do we hire a vehicle and visit friends and family around the States? Do we apply for a job in Antigua and go live there for a while? Great to have options, simultaneously the problem. Lots of generous encouragement from Neil to borrow his truck from Denver was the decision we finally settled on until the truck driver took our deposit and never delivered the vehicle!

So back to the drawing board, revisited hiring a vehicle but the cost was prohibitive. So….let’s buy a vehicle. Something big enough to cart our clutter, something with a loo on board, something that the kids can bring their ginormous fluffy toys on, something we can sleep on and avoid Covid and air bnb costs. Something fun. And after about a 7 minute squizz and a drive around the block, we settled on the first RV we set foot on and paid the deposit.

Introducing RodeStar* – photo editing courtesy of Robin Foster 🙂

Got ‘home’ – the Bourduas house now feeling very much like our natural base – and didn’t even know if the shower or the oven or the grill worked! 1996 Allegra Bay, Ford engine (usually avoided by Andrew) and a new puzzle to figure out and fuss over. She was aptly named by Mike, RodeStar! Within a week, we were on the road (sort of) kitted out between thrift stores, TJ Max and Costco. She was steam cleaned and Andrew tossed the velvety recliner and brown sleeper couch and got rid of some of the turquoise carpeted side pelmets around the windows and painted the cupboard doors and draws white to draw ones eye away from too much kitch. We kept the fake crystal light fitting of course!

Whilst Mike was away on a business trip! A 12 hour project by my dedicated husband to paint all the cupboards white

It has been a rather clunky start. We ran out of fuel before we set off for the first night, the generator died and the plastic taps in the shower have crumbled in my hands resulting in us not being able to switch off the water – even with a wrench! But our savior Bourduas weren’t too far for us to redirty their linen for one lasty last night, bring the jumper cables or cart Andew back and forth to the fuel station with our one useless gerry can that spews fuel everywhere through the complicated safety contraption.

The couch has to go – and that brown carpet stain!

Upgraded from brown couch to brilliant sleeper chairs

Feeding a thirsty girl

But my tenacious handy husband is on it. He’s hooked up our fridge to an invertor despite the manual saying that the fridge is not fit for an RV or invertor. Right now we are swaying along and jossling with trucks having spent two glorious nights at Cedar Creek campsite. We were the only people there. The gracious hosts had chickens whose eggs the girls collected, croquet for us to play, forest paths and a veggie garden that Bowds raided and made a squash soup from scratch. It was a much needed regrouping of the Jennings unit after a whirlwind of unknowns and change.

From Captain to Driver

So this is us for the next 2 months, thereafter our US visas expire and who knows what will happen then. But we’re savoring the time we have for now.

Fire making a new and exciting activity