Glamping: The preparation
Glamping:h/t to Lotlizard for bringing the term to my attention.
Texas has lakes. Texas is huge. Some lakes are close. Some lakes take more than a day of driving to see., and possibly days.
The first issue is to figure out which lake to score a cabin for a stay within a 3 hour driving distance from home. That took a week.
Then, discovering 50 realtors and 3500 cabins, you slavishly go through them.
That takes 2 weeks.
Minimum requirements: to be far enough away that there is no chance of running into a client, former client, or former opposing party who might harbor sore feelings about that harsh cross-examination... Experience proves a damn fight can easily ensue.
Cabin must be available on a date certain, so as not to interfere with work.
Must have Wifi. How many people try to get away from the tubes? As opposed to people who want to just disappear, but have communications they are responsible for engaging from their place of peace and quite? Apparently, not many. Two days, many phone calls to get that requirement met.
Must have a charcoal grill. Hours of research. I hate gas grills.
Refrigerator: mini is fine.
Full size bed: DO NOT WANT TO PROVIDE THE SHEETS. 1 day of research.
Must be secluded. Well, seclusion means no phone, no internet. That is unacceptable. 4 days, finally found one that meets the criteria, but is located fairly close to another cabin. Close enough to hear screaming kids.
Solution: lawn chairs. Sometimes seclusion is a pre-planned positioning.
Today, the research was reclining lawn chairs. They were at a store 42 minutes away. Except road construction. Instead of a 2 minute drive on I-45 N, it became a 10 mile I-45 S, running through barrier cones to get turned around to head north, and so on and so forth. The reclining lawn chairs are really awesome.
So, we leave the huge lake that is so close, we hear the boats and jet skis, to go to another lake where we will hear similar noises, but may not see people, and will not see people we know.
The only people for that weekend we wish to know is each other.
The break from the familiar is the goal, as is a break from my work.
Glamping might just be the thing, now that we have the reclining lawn chairs and know where the Texas lakes are, and driving distance.
Footnote: Like the gardening, photo, poetry essays that appear regularly, I just intend to inject some distraction, offering momentarily relief from the woes of the day. I am a laugh to the grave person, so the fact that my fiance is suffering PTSD from the road construction detours from today's lawn chair shopping trip should fit into the "distraction from existential threat" political news provides.
For REAL fun, watch Rachel!
Comments
So … on the far-enough-away lake,
will you two be discussing how to balance glamping with working, for the future ; ).
Well, our discussions range
from travel to the next meal, to the problems of the world, to gardening, tech and no tech...
In times of COVID, my work is through zoom, his is always where the net is available.
With some luck and planning, I can retire in 5 years. Maybe fewer.
My office building burned down June 24th. Fortunately, the contractor rebuilding it actually appreciates resale value. He knows the market.
By the time the office is completed, it will sell for about 3 times what I paid for it. That will shear off at least 2 years of that 5 year retirement target date.
And then, forget lakes. Go rivers, like the Danube.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
It sounds like you've got it covered.
Enjoy your lake-time and anticipation of the future.
Cheers!
Sounds like fun!
Hope y'all are having a grand time. Around here, every day is a holiday, and every night is Saturday night....because of retirement.
All the best!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
I dream of retirement!
Although retirement sounds great, I do have a real concern about walking away from my career. I have known of attorneys who give it us, and they go downhill pretty fast, once they
stop being studied and useful. I will have to come up with some kind of intense hobby, or even contract with some attorney to prepare deeds and wills. I do not want to drift into the depression that afflicts my old buddies.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I've never had more to do...
no idea how I had time to work. I'm sure you'll find plenty to keep you busy too. Time fills quickly.
All the best!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Homesteading in France: Glamping on our own land.
This is our sleeping and reading tent:
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.
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That looks lovely!
Enjoy yourself in the beautiful surroundings!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Ah...France...
Everything is better there! That is a lovely picture, and I hope you will always look back at your glamping time with some fond memories.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
COVID
1.1 plays the big role in trip planning. We should not have to refuel. That keeps us out of a convenience store. We can take food and refreshments. The chairs give us a way to sit some distance from others to get a view of the lake.
The cabin is in a small park, also a short distance from a state park.
There will be hiking trails or paths, and the possibility of spotting some wildlife. I just thought about taking a boom box. We will require music
I do have a court hearing on the 16th, will be in transit, intend to appear by phone.
Retirement can't come too soon!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Music issue is settled.
Server filled with hundreds of albums, my lap top, some speakers...no radio commercials!
The debate is now breakfast. Will it be from a doughnut shop? I think so.
It will be fairly cool. The current prep is about clothing.
The idea what we wear there is all we need is rejected by me. That is a joke, btw. The last time we went anywhere, we spectacularly overpacked clothing.
We are listening to an album by Johnny Rivers.
That MUST be taken.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Buy a camper . . .
We just bought one . . . our 7th? There are gobs for sale in Texas but they go quickly. We bought new twice, but most were used. Some required lots of repairs that we were able to do, but some didn't.
Texas has great parks.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
My truck is a half ton,
so it would need to be a fairly small one. It is certainly something to think about!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Can't go wrong with Airstream or Coachmen--
we've had both.
pre-covid, got rid of our camper, in light of our plans to relocate out of CONUS--curses what a dumb move! right now, would likely have to pay several times more to get the equivalent. and, just what we need more than ever, to be able to travel to Eastern Shore, safely. we're considering getting a super small one, if we can figure out how long we'll be stuck here (US)
btw, would recommend shopping 'used' - have purchased both - but, best deal was an immaculate and super nice one, bought from a Dude who had worked at Coachmen, and was buying and restoring campers for resale - wish I knew where to find him, today!
Good luck, and have fun.
Mollie
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
I will start looking.
We have lots of used ones for sale here in Texas. Oil field hands, pipeline peeps get laid off, sell their campers regularly. Air Streams have been the go-to camper damn near all my life.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Casita
You know, OTC, you might be interested in something that won't tax your truck like a huge Airstream, etc. Further, unless you're going to spend a LOT of time in it, a really big trailer might not quite fit the bill. About 15 years ago, I was ready to spring for a travel trailer. I'd done lots of research. It occurred to me (and ex, then) that we were not looking for something that amounted to a second home. We just wanted something that was not such a hassle, well made, would last, didn't require a second mortgage, and was a bit different.
Turns out, every seven days I drove past the factory that made just what we were looking for.
This is a Casita camping trailer. It looks different because it is different. That shell isn't aluminum, it's fiberglas. Fiberglas as in no leaks and no corrosion. They are made in Ennis, Texas, in between Houston and Dallas. They make them right next to 45 on the east side of the road. Here's their website.
They aren't huge, but aren't tiny either. Further, there are several models, and various options. Everyone I've ever talked to that owns one loves them. In fact, they have an odd sales program - they will hook you up with an owner nearby who has agreed to let folks come see one. Of course, you're close enough to just drive up to Ennis and check them out.
Depends what you might be interested in, I guess. Being an old mechanic, I always worry about the strain on a transmission when hauling a huge trailer around. Even a six-cylinder engine would be able to handle a Casita and your truck's tranny should have no issue.
Wonderful!
My travel style and destinations are totally different from this glamping thing, but with the pandemic, I am either going to try something akin to roughing it in a park, or just stay home.
I have lots of experience with heavy duty 3/4 ton trucks pulling horse trailers. 2-horse steel, and 3-horse, 32 ft. aluminum rigs. Pulling them is a big driving adjustment. My truck would be suitable for heading up a mountain, while accelerating, while pulling a small camper of any construction.
But fiberglass! My friend hauled her two horses around in a fiberglass trailer that she hooked up to her car.
The manufacturer has such a unique marketing strategy! How clever!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Not the usual
Yeah, the Casita people do things differently for sure. The only reason I didn't end up owning one of these was that my marriage (with the ex I mentioned) fell apart. So, it's a good thing I didn't do it. By the way, I had looked for a used Casita and never once could find one for sale. People tend to hang onto them it seems.
Present wife isn't much into camping of any sort, and couldn't do it right now anyway. Guess I'll have to be content to gaze at pictures and hear stories of others doing it.
Sounds as though you certainly don't need my advice regarding pulling trailers!
Backing up the big one was always tough for me.
U-turns, backing up, fueling up at convenience stores, situations like that, were doable, just pretty difficult maneuvers, especially with horses moving around inside their stalls.
If I needed to back up in a tight space, I would hang out in the parking lot, wait until a guy walked by, ask them to do it for me. They would always say, "why, yes ma'am." they had to be at least 18.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Thanks, travelerxxx! That "Casita" is very cool -
will check it out. (unless, it looks like we can get outta here by late next year)
Have a good evening!
Mollie
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.