The Best Of List

We played around with creating a 'best of the trip' list all along our journey but never took it too seriously. Then the other day I came across a couple of well worn, stained, folded pieces of paper with our notes about what we thought was best at the time. I decided "what the heck" let's put it in a blog. It's a completely random, partial list. Maybe we'll noodle on it more and keep adding. We sure had A LOT to choose from in 31,000 miles!!!

So here you go...

Prettiest state sign we saw: Mississippi
Best Food overall: Northern New Mexico (second place, Louisiana!)
Best Beaches: Navarre Beach, Florida
Campground most like Jurassic Park: Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, Jacksonville, FL
Best Bear Sighting: Sequoia National Park, CA
Best Place to find Bigfoot: Caddo Lake, East Texas
Best Town for Original Art: Bisbee, Arizona
Best Coffee Huts: Dutch Brothers, Oregon
Best Town for Spiritual Art: Sedona, Arizona
Best Campground to ride bikes for kids: The Lakes RV & Golf Resort, Chowchilla, CA
Best Swimming Pool at campsite: The Lakes RV & Golf Resport, Chowchilla, CA
Best National Park: Zion, Utah
Hardest Junior Ranger book: Zion NP
Windiest Place we stayed: DeSmet, South Dakota
Best Science Museum: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Sawyer's Prettiest Place: Florida
Robby's Prettiest Place: City of Rocks SP, New Mexico
Best Sunsets: City of Rocks SP, New Mexico
Best Kids Fishing: Columbia, CA and Arcadia Lake, OK
Nicest Waitress: Petro Travel Plaza, San Luis, CA
Most police presence seen on highways: Florida
Best Kid's Breakfast: Shari's Restaurant, Medford, oR
Best Night Sky: Bisbee, Arizona
Best and Worst other kids to play with: Caddo Lake, East Texas

Merry Christmas 2009 & Lavender Festival

The RV Gypsies wish you all an exciting and adventurous NEW YEAR!

We just celebrated a wonderful Christmas holiday with Joss' Uncle Larry and Aunt Linda from Oregon. We showed them around Sequim, took a walk on the

Dungeness Spit, ate Chinese food for Christmas Eve (just like in the movie "A Christmas Story") and opened presents with the kids. It was great. Our first Christmas in our Sequim house was very relaxing and filled with family and fun, just like the way we like it. Joss was excited to have a big picture window in the front of the house to put a tree in (she's always wanted one of those) and was able to put up her Dickens Christmas Village this year. It’s been 10 years since we’ve had it up…had to wait for the kidlin’s to mature a little!

Everyone asks us about the weather up here since Sequim is known for it's sunny days. Some people call it the blue hole since we are the last to cloud up and the first to clear up in the NW. Yes, we believe it is quite true. We get way more sunny days then most of the area. We also get much less rain (about 20 inches a year), but we have the beauty of the green trees and the Olympic Mountain Range right outside our windows. It really is a unique place!

The winter this year has been more mild compared to last year and the kids are missing the snow we had last year. In 2008, it was in the 20's & 30's for quite a bit of the winter, but this year more in the high 30's to mid 40's. That's just a shirt and a jacket to us. We have been getting some of the storms that are hitting the NW but we still don't get near the amount of rain as the rest of the area. This past Spring was sunny, beautiful and in the 70's. The Summer was the same but a bit warmer and quite long. We kept wondering when the fall weather was going to come and it finally showed in November. So Fall only seemed to last a month before Winter was upon us. We seem to get a good balance of moderate weather and it's just the way we wanted it. Maybe a little more snow for the kids, but don't tell the locals we said that!

Since Robert has had a few days off for the Holidays we’ve been getting on him about finally getting that blog up about the Summer Lavender Festival. So, without any more waiting, here it is, the Winter blog on the Summer Festival, enjoy.....

Sequim Lavender Festival Blog

The real reason our So Cal best friends Leanne and Kendra came to see us during the third week in July was the annual Lavender Festival! Sequim is the second largest growing community of lavender in the world. We have the perfect climate for growing lavender, which needs a certain colder temperature in the winter and not too much rain year round. We also have the largest lavender event in North America, the Sequim Lavender Festival. The population of Sequim more then doubles during Festival from 20,000 to about 50,000 or more.

Robert took a day off so he could come with us to the farms. The Festival includes a street fair with booths, food and live music and free bus rides to seven local lavender farms. We always love the street fairs, they had great shopping for all the lavender products you could ever imagine; lavender bundles, soap, painted bags, cooking herbs, perfume, lotions, notepads, artwork and photos in lavender theme, and much more. I’d never known there were so many items made from lavender. My favorite part about the street fair was the food. As my kids would say, DUH!! The different venders, all-local, worked hard to have lavender food for people to try. I had never tried food cooked with lavender as the herb before, but we got to try lavender grilled shrimp, salmon, and steak. We also had many glasses of lavender lemonade, white chocolate lavender cookies and our favorite, lavender ice cream. They had many different flavors of ice cream, black berry lavender, peppermint lavender, lemon lavender and white chocolate lavender. For me it was a tie between the black berry and the peppermint. Surprise, surprise, all the lavender food was DELICIOUS. We were all happily surprised. I bought a cookbook and will attempt to learn some of this lavender cooking before we have more visitors next summer. You’ve been warned!!

Leanne and I agree the best part of the festival were the farm tours. Each farm has different activities but they all have U-pick lavender bundles, lavender crafts they teach you to make, artists, live music, vendors and food from a local restaurant. Some of the tours had talks on how to make lavender products such as essential oils. Others taught about the many different varieties of lavender and how to grow them best or how to cook with lavender as an herb.

It was interesting how each farm had a different personality to it. Some farms were bustling with activity and fun for the whole family and others were more laid back and relaxing. I think Leanne and I enjoyed the first farm and one of our last farms the most. The first farm we went to, Jardin du Soleil, was high spirited and fun for the kids and adults alike. They had free pictures being taken in the lavender fields with your camera by a professional photographer and lots of fun booths for all, like tasting lavender honey, making glass beads with fire, rocks and crystals (always a hit with us) face painting and an English maze made with hedges.

The last farm we enjoyed because of it’s laid back atmosphere and also because Robert had the kids with him and us girls could sit back on the balcony of the farm house gift shop sipping lavender margaritas while looking out over the lavender fields at the end of the day. It was beautiful. It made me really proud to be a Sequim resident to have this wonderful festival right here in our own town.

Our summer visitors have left and now we are taking the trailer and visiting some of our friends and family in Oregon. The last week of summer we are heading to Oregon to visit our Aunt and Uncle again and also to visit our friend Railroad Ray. It’s been a great first summer in Sequim for the RVGypsies so far. Hope yours has been lovely too!!

Our first summer in Sequim

Summer in Sequim has been wonderful. In June Nana and Papa Koch, (Josslyn’s folks), came up for Sawyer’s 6^th birthday party. Sawyer loved having his grandparents here for his big day. We drove them all over the peninsula, took them to the beach, berry picking at one of the local U-Pick berry farms and to our favorite place to take visitors, the Dungeness Spit. We ran them ragged for the whole week. I think they had fun though.

The weather in Sequim during the summer takes some getting used to for us “desert people” from Southern California. Call us spoiled but we’ve lived with 325+ days of sun a year. In So Cal, if you wake up and it’s sunny, it almost ALWAYS stays that way for the day. Not so in the Pacific Northwest! In the PNW the weather can change in the blink of an eye. I like it but I’m still not used to it. In the morning it can be raining and in the afternoon we could have sun and clear sky. One week we’ll be cooking along at 90 degrees and the next week it’s in the 50’s and raining. I personally love the unpredictability and the breaks from the extreme heat but some of our So Cal visitors didn’t care for the cooler temps. My parents were cold almost their entire visit in June when it was in the 60’s and a bit cloudy. Southern California was too hot for us so we are happy to have the cooler summer here on the peninsula.

The first part of the summer each of the boys had a week of sports camp. Shortly after that, some friends from home visited us.

The Murrillo Family only had one day in Sequim before they caught the ferry to Vancouver but they made the time to come and see our new home and take us to lunch at the 3 Crabs for Dungeness crab. We appreciated seeing them so much.

In between visitors and swim lessons we play on the block with the neighborhood gang of kids and venture out into the wild to see what we can see. We found a beautiful part of the Dungeness River where we can inner tube and swim on hot days and a some great places to bike and roller blade. We are keeping busy as I’m sure you are too.

We were very excited when our friends from Chino Hills, Leanne and Kendra, who visited us twice on our cross-country adventure, came for a visit as well! We went all over Sequim and Port Angeles showing them around. We hiked in the Olympic National Park and took them to the beach for a little PNW style beach excitement. Unfortunately the wind kicked in that day and made for an interesting cold beach experience. The kids didn’t seem to notice much but the moms did. But, the local birds liked the wind and we did have a fabulous show from two bald eagles that flew right over us for about ten minutes gliding on the currents.

We even went to the few spots in Port Angeles that are mentioned in the Twilight book series, Bella Italia Restaurant, the book store and the Lincoln Theatre. The ladies in the group particularly liked the Twilight store with the Bella and Edward life-size cutouts.

Our summer in Sequim will continue with another blog about the Lavender Festival. Stay tuned!

Trailer is ready for a new adventure!

Our main website is www.RVGypsies.US. Click here to go there!

We finally decided to put our truck and trailer up for sale. The trailer is perfect for cross country travel, full time living or a spare (mobile) apartment. But it's more than we need now that we're settled down. The trailer is a 2008 Titanium, made by Glendale RV out of Ontario, Canada. The model is a 36E41, sometimes referred to as 36E41TBR. It has 2 bedrooms, sleeps 8, has 4 slide outs and lots of storage. We had it custom made at the factory and it's loaded with extras. The truck is a 2008 Ford, one ton, F-350 Lariat, dual rear wheel, diesel, also fully loaded!

Click here to view a video of the Titanium trailer features and differences!

If you're interested, send us an email at info@rvgypsies.us. We'll give you all the details so you can start your own adventure!

New Beginnings in Sequim (Click on the pictures for a bigger view).

The kids got their wish, SNOW FOR CHRISTMAS!!! Sequim is not known for getting lots of snow, especially in town where we are, but this year we got almost two whole weeks with snow on the ground, including Christmas. Our kids were thrilled. They played out in the snow everyday throwing snowballs for the cats to chase and throwing at daddy. They LOVED that they got two extra days off of school due to the snow. (Don't tell them they have to make those up later, I'm not telling!) The locals were getting a bit tired of the snow but we were still enjoying it, until, we realized that we may not get to move into our new house because of it. Due to the ice on the roads we wouldn't be able to move the trailer up the hill to our new house. We had been scheduled to move into our new rental house the weekend after Christmas but the snow was still there, and even worse...ice.

But, true to RVGypsy timing, the sun came out just in time to melt all the ice and we were able to move the trailer to unpack. We spent our second Christmas in the trailer and had New Years in our new home. We found a great rental house that has never been a rental before. The house is a yellow one story ranch style home about 1800 sq. ft. At first it felt HUGE to us. After being in less than 400 sq. ft. for a year and a half this house seemed like a mansion. We are now getting used to it and it seems just right to us. It has a nice size grass front and back yard with a creek running along the side. Out my front windows we have a beautiful view of Mt. Baker, the San Juan Islands and on clear days we can see Canada!! I love to sit in our breakfast room to watch the huge cargo ships going to Seattle drift by. The cats LOVE the home because it has lots of windows with deep sills for the cats to lounge on and watch the birds. The cats have both been "fixed" and are much calmer now, very few escapes since we moved in.

After about a week of us being in the house Robert flew to Chino Hills and supervised the moving company load EVERYTHING we own that was in storage and scattered at friends and families homes. Within a short time the moving truck was at our door unloading all the belongings we had not seen for almost a year and a half. It was quite surreal to say the least. We are taking it slow, one box at a time. Except for the kids toys. Now that Robby is reading he is able to single out the boxes marked KIDS or TOYS and open them at a very fast rate. Yes, our home is once again overloaded with toys and they are having a blast.

There are three other kids on our block, a boy in sixth grade at the middle school and two sisters who we have become fast friends with. Robby and Sawyer right away loved playing with them and they ride their bikes to our house (and vice versa) and come to play whenever they can. Their mom, Penny, and I have become fast friends as well and walk and talk most every day after dropping the kids at the bus. Our street is almost exactly half a mile long so we know how many miles we are walking every day. It usually depends on how much we have to talk about. Penny and her girls have made Eunice St. seem like home very quickly for us.

The boys are back in school and used to their new buses. Sawyer goes a few days to an after school program at Cuddles and Crayons so I can get some of my work done and doctors apts, etc. He's not loving it but the social time for him is good. He tends to need a little more practice in that area compared to his big brother. The rest of the days he is home with me and we play games, legos, trains, Lincoln logs and whatever else is on his agenda for that day.

Robby has been very busy with Cub Scouts this winter doing fundraisers, food and blanket collection for the Humane Society and the fun Pinewood Derby race that they do each year. He came in second for his Den. He's made some very good friends in Cub Scouts and loves to work on anything having to do with the Den with daddy.

Robert is still in the learning curve for his new sales job at Home Depot. He is now the only rep on the Olympic Peninsula and they have added more stores plus two more products to his line. He is now selling roofing, windows, gutters, siding and insulation too. He's learning a lot and hopes to be on track by the time spring comes around and everyone realizes they can't wait any longer to get their home improved. The economy has hit our area as well but we still work at focusing on manifesting our dreams even in the situation many of us are in.

Unfortunately keeping up with the website and our blogs have suffered as it has not been the highest priority what with unpacking, doctors apt, eye doctor, dentist, vet, new school schedules etc. But, we did want to give you a glimpse of our new home so you can see where we have landed. Thanks for following along with us. We will do our best to keep you updated along the way of us settling in to our new home.

I have taken up reading again in my few moments alone while the kids are at school. I recently read all four books by Stephanie Meyers about a vampire family living in Forks, WA. I read the first one because it is based HERE on the Olympic Peninsula about a hour from us in the rain forest. I got so addicted to the books that I ended up reading all four within a short period of time. Sequim is actually mentioned in the fourth book. If you like to read, I highly recommend them. Start with her first one, Twilight, and see if you think they are for you. They were great winter reading, I couldn't put them down.

And so, despite the vampires who live so close to us, we love Sequim and all it has to offer. Many people ask us how the winter has been and in my opinion it has been much more mild than I expected. The locals say it's been quite a cold winter so I guess I'll be fine with it either way. It's been very clear and actually very little rain at all. I'd be ok with more rain but don't tell the residents I said that.

Sequim it is

by Momma Gypsy

We've had beautiful fall weather so far in Sequim and we love it here. We've had a few rainy days but mostly blue sky and clear crisp days. The array of autumn colors are starting to fall to the ground to make way for winter and we hope for some snow.

It's been a challenging transition so far but we are all healthy and doing well so we know this too shall pass. We realize moving is a huge change on it's own but we have been moving for 15 months and now all of a sudden we are on school schedules, work schedules and bus schedules. It's been a lot for the seven of us to adjust to.We have actually made quite a few wonderful new friends here already and are grateful to have had two invitations for Thanksgiving. (Thanks Karla and Pat!) We are excited for what our future holds now that we are in our home of choice.
Robby is blossoming in the second grade at school and doing really well in math and catching up in reading. Tonight he proudly read two pages of Hardy Boys to us. He's doing great. He's also making friends and had four new friends at a bowling party for his 8th Birthday. He's joined Cub Scouts and is very excited about it.

Sawyer is having a harder time adjusting to being in school half days, daddy being gone a lot at work and big brother being gone at school all day. He misses his family that used to be together 24/7 and so do we. He has been getting some special "mommy time" before Robby gets home and he really likes that.

Robert is adjusting to being in sales again.

He's learning all new products, selling roofing, gutters and insulation for The Home Depot. He is one of only two sales reps for The Home Depot in the Olympic Peninsula and his boss has already added another store for him in Poulsbo, about an hour away. It means more driving but also more sales. He's also volunteered to be the Assistant Den Leader for Robby's Cub Scout pack. They look great in their uniforms!

I'm adjusting to being a full time stay at home mom again. Being on multiple schedules

(you all know I'm NOT a clock person!), working to keep it all together and running here at home. We've been looking for homes to rent in the kid's school district and have some promising options.

The kittens and Baylee have made great friends and keep me hopping all day long with their antics. Charlotte is in heat and has taken to escaping from the trailer at least five times a day. The day the doctor will fix her (when she's six months old, I'm counting the days), she'll be in there for her appointment. Sorry Charlotte, no more room at the Inn. We are all full up!!

We are very happy with our choice and love it here in beautiful Sequim. We've only seen it in the Winter time and we love it. We can't image what it looks like in Spring and Summer! Guess you'll just have to wait along with us! :)

We've ARRIVED!

Well we have made it to our new home, Sequim Washington! After a whirlwind two week trip to Southern California (we'll write a separate blog about that trip soon), we picked up our trailer yesterday from the repair facility and moved back into it. It was so good to be back in our spacious home after being in the rental trailer. We were treated so well by the rental company that we'd highly recommend them if you're ever in the Portland Oregon area and needing a motorhome or trailer. Give Veronica a call at RV Northwest, they really understood how hard it was for us to be without our home and the uncertainty of when we'd get it back from the repairs.

Joss had to run an errand this morning on her way to Sequim and Robby went with her and the kittens. She took I-5 to Olympia, then headed off on Highway 101 towards Sequim. The pictures above are from her leg of the journey. Sawyer and I took the truck and trailer straight up I-5 to Tacoma, WA. Then we headed Northwest, eventually joining up with Joss and Robby where the 104 meets the 101. We caravaned into Sequim this evening and after setting up the trailer, headed to our favorite Mexican food restaurant just a couple blocks away.

It's good to put down the leveling jacks on the trailer and know that we are staying put for a while. How long you ask? We don't know what the future will bring but we're renting space 26 on a month to month basis at Gilgal Oasis RV Park for now. We'll start looking around at houses, barns, vacant land, boat slips, you name it! Just kidding about the boat slips though.

Next week I start my new job with a division of The Home Depot. The boys start school and Joss starts investigating our new hometown and looking at properties.

When we told some friends down south that I was going to work at/for The Home Depot, we got a few raised eyebrows. I won't exactly be stocking the shelves (not that there's anything wrong with that of course) but to be honest...it's so beautiful here...I'd pump gas here before going back to So Cal. :)