Intro

[Jannette]

Good Morning
For years, my "secret" thoughts of living this type of life have haunted me.  I had no idea that you all existed . . . believed I was being authentic . . . Lol!!!  and was dumbfounded when I stumbled upon Bob's YouTube videos about a year ago.  My personal belief system keeps me where I am without regret . . . but . . . give or take five years . . . I will be joining you all.  Meanwhile . . . I practice camping in the backyard with my niece who lovingly refers to me as her "crazy Aunt" . . . I'm honored *s*.  I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving.

 

[cyndi]

Welcome to the CRVL forums, Jannette! Five years will fly by! Teaching your neice to love the outdoors and camping and instilling a sense of adventure is a high calling. Enjoy it!

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL Forums    

Depending on the age of your niece and how much room you have in your back yard....you could find an
old Van that's barely running (that you could get for nearly nothing...just haul it off)  and set it up in the back
yard as a "play house".   There you could fix it up a little, carpet the floor with used carpet (discarded) and get
some old 2X4's to fabricate a bed platform and find a discarded kitchen floor cabinet to model a kitchenette with
and the two of you use it for camp outs.   Imagination can go a long ways. 

Later when she's older and her interest change from "girl things" to "other things"...you could have the Van hauled of to a wrecking yard. 

But this would give you quality time together,  you some experience and time to think things through with how you would outfit a future Van (if you decide on a Van)  and even a niece who would want to go with you on excursions in the future.  If you do this...remember to take some pictures.  =)

 

[Jannette]

Cyndi, I'm laughing at "made it across the cattle guard"!
I really should change my name to "You're NOT the Mom" . . . mom, Lol!!!

eDJ, were you a preschool teacher at some point? I was for 16 years as well as a REAL Nanny back in the day. Your suggestions are wonderful, Thank you. My niece is 16 but she retains a bit of me! in her of which will bolster her in the future . . . humor always saves the day . . . unless one doesn't understand sarcasm and can't laugh at themselves . . . my days are filled with humor!

Thank you, both.

 

[eDJ_]

LOL,  No not a preschool teacher.   Just good with my imagination. 

But since your niece is 16, if you were to find an old Van for cheap,  you could fix it up like that back yard playhouse and go out for week end jaunts and take her along if she would go.  3  day week ends could
be wonderful get away's for both of you.  (just have a plan of things to go see and do)

Every kid needs a "crazy" aunt or uncle in their family who can show them an alternate side of life, challenge them to learn to compare and evaluate what they have learned and think that they have knowledge of.  That's when their minds will really begin to grow.   So often kids get a set narrow path given for them to follow as it is just easier to control them that way.  So often they arrive in mid teens at best ignorant and at worst naive.  But the crazy aunt is kind of like what Huck Finn represented to Tom Sawyer. 

Some of us fortunate ones are able to arrive at having our eyes open a little sooner with her help.

 

[michaelc]

Good Morning
For years, my "secret" thoughts of living this type of life have haunted me.  I had no idea that you all existed . . . believed I was being authentic . . . Lol!!!  and was dumbfounded when I stumbled upon Bob's YouTube videos about a year ago.  My personal belief system keeps me where I am without regret . . . but . . . give or take five years . . . I will be joining you all.  Meanwhile . . . I practice camping in the backyard with my niece who lovingly refers to me as her "crazy Aunt" . . . I'm honored *s*.  I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Good morning Janette! 
I put it off for 50 years, 20 since I knew it was inevitable - my life was not mine alone. I've remodeled a 12 year old Honda Element as a "camper" and am using that until I can up grade to a big van. I don't know where you live, but you might extend to camping in State parks, step by step. I made a big jump but I was already camped in many situations since I was a kid. Now I'm in a house (blizzard in upstate NY - I'm crazy, but not stupid).
I'd be interested in your personal belief system - but not here. On a Person Message, if you will.

 Happy trails!   M.

 

[rvpopeye]

Welcome aboard Crazy Aunt!

It's all about who is around you.
Here , you're not crazy at all just another "normal" vandweller...........

Hope you get your niece up to crazy status too!

 

[ArtW]

Welcome! To paraphrase Jim Lea and Noddy Holder "Auntie weer all crazee here"

 

[Jannette]

I'm sitting here with a huge sigh of relief and happiness because it feels like I finally found my "niche" where I can be whole instead of "parts" . . . Thank you all!

btw . . . I began tent camping a couple years ago . . . lovely, wonderful Morro Bay, CA State park with hot showers (saved my quarters, Lol!!!) but the drought stopped that. I quickly learned from walking through with observation that it was a good place for me to "cut my teeth" again having spent a childhood fishing and camping but not exactly what I really wanted.
Three weeks ago I went to Carrizo Plains National Monument, BLM/pack it in /out . . . raised the bar for myself . . . but both camp grounds were filled with research teams so I couldn't stay.
I have a Saturn ION . . . no problem if one brings a tent. Having spent hours and hours watching YouTube, I'm fairly sure I want a Van.

I'm a book worm and could have lined my bedroom from ceiling to floor, all four walls, with books but began minimizing a couple years ago. Now? Lol!!! without buying another book I can read this forum!!! so excited! but first things first . . . household/work/study for class . . . perpetual student as well

Have a wonderful day!

 

[BildrRick]

[emoji41]

 

[BildrRick]

Janette welcome to the group!
You can have all the books you can read if you have a kindle !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[michaelc]

I'm sitting here with a huge sigh of relief and happiness because it feels like I finally found my "niche" where I can be whole instead of "parts" . . . Thank you all!

btw . . . I began tent camping a couple years ago . . . lovely, wonderful Morro Bay, CA State park with hot showers (saved my quarters, Lol!!!) but the drought stopped that.  I quickly learned from walking through with observation that it was a good place for me to "cut my teeth" again having spent a childhood fishing and camping but not exactly what I really wanted.
Three weeks ago I went to Carrizo Plains National Monument, BLM/pack it in /out . . . raised the bar for myself . . . but both camp grounds were filled with research teams so I couldn't stay.
I have a Saturn ION . . . no problem if one brings a tent.  Having spent hours and hours watching YouTube, I'm fairly sure I want a Van.

I'm a book worm and could have lined my bedroom from ceiling to floor, all four walls, with books but began minimizing a couple years ago.  Now? Lol!!!  without buying another book I can read this forum!!! so excited!   but first things first . . . household/work/study for class . . . perpetual student as well  

Have a wonderful day!

Good for you! Bookworms that are moble need the Amazon Kindle App. I've got a couple of hundred books on my PC/Kindle. Gutenberg.com helps too (free). I'm in a similar situation - execept now I'm 77 and retired. We're Techno-gypsies.
Happy trails!     M.

 

[jimindenver]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Marc]

Good Morning
For years, my "secret" thoughts of living this type of life have haunted me.  I had no idea that you all existed . . . believed I was being authentic . . . Lol!!!  and was dumbfounded when I stumbled upon Bob's YouTube videos about a year ago.  My personal belief system keeps me where I am without regret . . . but . . . give or take five years . . . I will be joining you all.  Meanwhile . . . I practice camping in the backyard with my niece who lovingly refers to me as her "crazy Aunt" . . . I'm honored *s*.  I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Was called the crazy one for years also. Told it wasn't normal to what to go else where. You'll find you are more sane then the rest. Enjoy