Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.                               MARK TWAIN

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It was six months ago today we bought our 1975 GMC Eleganza 2 Motorhome.  We definitely have a lot of  sweat equity invested and there is more work to be done.   I started to wax poetic about the process and dreams of the future and then I thought sometimes pictures speak louder then words.  We do, though,  want to thank everyone for following the blog and sending us your encouragement, sometimes astonishment, on our journey.

#DIY #Teamwork #Rvlife #RVNomad #Retirement #GMCMOTORHOME #Eleganza2 #Restomod #Progress #TheMotorhomeExperiment #VeganRV #LessJunkMoreJourney #DrivinandVibin #RVlove #HebardsTravels #inspiration #newfriends #truefriends #hittheroad

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Perhaps this will help the back in process – having a mirror to see me signaling right, left, STOP.  I  must admit I need to work on my version of sign language, though after 35 years he does seem to understand my waving and shaking of head and thumbs up and down.

We got this pair of mirrors from Ebay. We used spacers to put between the mirror base and the side of the rv to have it mount correctly.  We ran the wiring through the wall, the glove compartment and behind the dash, a crazy length of wires but the heated mirrors work, though I am planning a route that does not include that cold of weather!

#rvnomad #rvlife #DIY #GMCMOTORHOME #ELEGANZA2 #mirror #direction #whatdoesthatmean

We were happy when our grandson wanted to come help do ‘something mechanical’ with the GMC Motorhome.  Installing the mounting bracket and tv in the bedroom was next on the list and with his help, it was a breeze.  Well, he primarily installed the entire set up! After he analyzed  where it should be mounted in order to leave enough room to access the roller shade behind the cabinet, he marked the spots to make pilot holes for the wood screws and drilled those holes before screwing  the mount to the bottom of the cupboard.  Then it was time to remove screws from back of tv before attach it to the bracket – he was the perfect height to hold the tv up and then reach behind to tighten the screws.  This was probably the first project that took less then a half hour to have everything up and running, including the WiFi.  He should expect a call when it’s time to panel the interior of our door!

#GMCMOTORHOME #ELEGANZA2 #GRANDSONSROCK #DIY #RVNOMAD #RETIREMENT #PROUDGRANDMA #TEACHTHEMWHILETHEYAREYOUNG

I’m sure I’m repeating myself but it really is all in the details!  LED rope lights are a snazzy way to add light and set a mood.  It also can create a separation from one area in a small space without actually closing it off with curtains or other type of room divider, like 1970’s hippy beads.  These lights are hardwired into the 12 volt system and have a remote control to turn them on and adjust color and speed of color change.  Our nearly 11 year old grandson was visiting and when he went to investigate what grandpa was doing he said, “I didn’t know you were doing something cool!!”  Lol – now he is coming back this weekend to lend a hand!

We went away for a few days to relax, knowing full well that if we did a true ‘staycation’ we would find way too much to work on at home or in the driveway!  We were only 20 minutes from home but enjoyed our view of the cloudy Cascade mountain range.  Danny and Kim packed us a mega picnic that lasted the entire trip – accompanied by the hosted bar at the hotel.  It wasn’t long before our thoughts went straight to the RV and we were off to The Container Store.   We bought six pieces (and only have to return three of them!) and got some good ideas for DIY projects for our cabinets.  Hmmmmm…. a slide out cabinet for under the fridge so I can easily get to the instant pot and other things we will be housing there sounds wonderful.   Still not sure where garbage and recycling cans will go but I did pick up and show him at least a half dozen – but didn’t buy any.  You can do that when you’ve been married 35 years – but not on a weekly basis that’s for sure!

#DIY #rvnomad #retire #anniversary #TheContainerStore #staycation #GMCMotorhome #Eleganza2 #storage

” I take thee to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward,  for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, and thereto I pledge thee my faith.”

That ‘thereto I pledge thee’ line was a tongue twister but we got through it that day and many other things TOGETHER these last 35 years.  We have run barefoot in the sand and we have pulled up our bootstraps and ‘adulted’ –  we have laughed and cried, celebrated and grieved.   We have always had faith in each other and have worked to be a good team and face life’s challenges together and, now,  together we are creating our own unique future.

#anniversary #coral #GMCMOTORHOME #DIY #worktogether #share #Eleganza2 #hittheroad #celebrate #lovehim

Two years ago this week we were in Paris – the simplicity of flowers on the sidewalk emphasized the future we were looking for.  Don’t get me wrong, we loved the opulence of château de chantilly and a fancy fondue too!  Ordering toast and getting this plate was an example that simplicity isn’t a sacrifice.

It’s nearly time to restart the purge portion of preparing for Our New Neighborhood.  I have not wanted to get rid of anything we have taken out of the RV until it has been either replaced with a newer version of itself or we know for SURE we don’t need it.  I was reading just yesterday of someone throwing out all their cupboard hinges and now they can’t find ones that will fit and they could have simply painted them to give them an update.  I have posted photos previously of the stockpile of old and new that our ‘spare room’ had become.  These last two weeks we have been on a tear to clean that room up because our grandson will be coming this weekend to spend the night… and I can’t make him sleep on a cot in the living room when there is a comfy bed to sleep on UNDER that pile of window blinds, swatches, the T for the wheel well and other must have (for now) items!

We had a friend come by last week to look at the RV for the first time and her primary concern was where were we going to put our ‘stuff’.   I don’t want stuff anymore – I want experiences. I don’t want to live the Instagram life of see what I have, I want to live a life of look where I am, see what I see, smell what I smell.  That being said we have been accumulating stuff for one day short of 35 years!  While we need to continue to live for today, prepping for our tomorrow is another part of the adventure.

“It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.” 
― Germany Kent 

#renomad #diy #gmcmotorhome #eleganza2 #purge #stockpile #throwitout #buynothing