THE LIFE OF A GYPSY

UPDATE ON NEW BLOG

2008-04-26T12:15:00.003-07:00

I have removed some of the pictures on this site because I've morphed into a new page. I found my other site a decided not to keep duplicating on this one. I like the options way better on the new site, but didn't want to start over. SO, I'll only be adding on the other. If you found anything here that you liked, just click on the link, 'MY OTHER WEB PAGE' at the top left.

See you there!

Fresh Paint

2008-04-09T16:25:00.004-07:00

Finally got the tractor painted, didn't turn out too bad for a desert paint job. I am just glad we got around to getting it done. I think we'll put a new grill on next. I have to keep telling myself 'Rome wasn't built in one day'.......

North To Washington

2008-04-05T09:45:00.005-07:00

Bridge of the Gods

The Cascades

Jim Pounder Miniatures

We just made it back to Arizona last weekend. Neither of us had been to Oregon or Washington and since Wade's oldest daughter lives near The Dalles, OR we thought it was time to go exploring. Our trip was too early to enjoy all that Spring allows but not too late for some late winter thunder snow squalls. It has been almost hot down here for a couple of weeks, so our thin bloodiness made even the days without rain seem cold.

We did enjoy seeing Jeanine and Skylor (Wade's grandson). Skylor is kind of a throwback, he is only sixteen and emulates his grandfather in several ways. He is helping to remodel his mother's house doing a perfect job on the redo of the bathroom, he has done the wiring and plumbing and even moved a bearing wall. Very impressed! He also can diagnose and work on his car (which he and grandpa enjoyed together). Wade really enjoyed buying him his first real tool set. Wade said "a guy like that needs some good tools". We hope he looks us up someday after he's done with school.

We picked the first leg of the trip through western Nevada so we could go through Goldfield. We love old mining towns. Our trip home was east to Clarkston and south through Idaho where we encountered the bad snow squalls all the way on and off to Jackpot, NV.

We got in touch with Wade's old Army buddy, Jim Pounder who lives in Clarkston, WA. They served together in Asmara, Ethiopia in the ASA (Army Security Agency). They hadn't seen each other since they left Africa, over thirty years ago. They recognized each other despite the gray in their hair and beards. Jim is a very talented artist creating the most intricate miniatures from metal. I have been into mini's for a long time and I have never seen anything as exquisite.

We also got the take a trip along side the Columbia River and found out why the mountains are called 'The Cascades'. We were there at the perfect time to see the very large waterfalls 'cascading' off the mountains. The moss and ferns along the roadsides were awesome as well. We spent some time at the Maryhill Museum that gave us a history lesson about Sam Hill's life ('where the Sam Hill are we') and collections that were very interesting. The chess sets on display were gorgeous. (Jim's work was even better)

All in all, we had a great time, stopping off to visit some of our dearest friends and cousins along the way.

BLAST FROM THE PAST!

2008-03-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

My oldest best friend (the bride) sent this old pic to me. I'm the far left, no wonder my dad didn't let me out much. Jeez, that dress was short! So much for the 70's. I still think the bride is a beauty, you should see how blue her eyes are even today!

Trip to Brianhead and Cedar Breaks, UT

2008-02-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

My oldest friend Fleda and her husband Cal have a cabin at Brianhead, UT and we got some great photos on the trip. IT is without a doubt some of the best country for photo's. Wade is not willing to endure the snow so they are only summer pics, too bad, the snow is so beautiful up there!!!

Picacho Peak

2008-01-28T15:43:00.001-07:00

Just been playing with the camera again. This mountain is in our back yard and I got up early one morning to shoot it. It's been raining again, I thought this was the desert!!!

2007-12-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

My favorite purdy flower

SOME EYE CANDY

2007-12-10T14:08:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite pics that Wade took. They are glass flowers on the ceiling at the Belagio

HOW THE KENWORTH BECAME A MOTORHOME

2007-12-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

We started out with a W900 tractor and a 45' stainless refer box. We took the sleeper off the tractor and beefed up the frame. Then we cut 15 ft. off the trailer and married them together leaving the opening for the sleeper for entry into the box. We then went to work on the box. We put a sliding glass door on the end of the trailer that we use for our main entry. Wade made a 8 ft. steel deck off the back that serves as outdoor living space.

The box is so insulated that it cools and heats with minimal energy. We have a 12,500 btu house type air conditioner that works great even for the HOT Arizona summers and we have a small non vented propane heater that we rarely use, even in SLC where we spent our first winter. We usually use a small ceramic heater that keeps us toasty from floor to ceiling.

The interior customization was a design that Wade come up with that gives us much comfort and great use of the space. All the kitchen space is my favorite. I have much more counter space than most, so cooking anything is possible. We have all the kitchen appliances to make full-timing it nice. We use an apartment size refrigerator that has more space than the usual RV fridge. I even have a counter top blender, nice for margaritas! The inside is so tall that you don't get that closed in feeling. No rounded ceilings that we had in the buses we converted before!

Wade also wired it so we use a inverter that runs off golf cart batteries so when we are on the road, we don't have to use the generator for short stays. It is self-contained so we can dry dock if we want.

2007-12-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

I met and married Wade Young, then things really get interesting. He is, how can I describe him? Unique, eccentric, talented just to start. He came along after I divorced my three children’s father. Candy was 15, Cindi 11 and Justin 9. I thought he was crazy for wanting to take us on, but he did. I will never forget our first date, he came to the house to pick me up and Candy come running down the hall pretending to ride a stick horse announcing ‘some cowboy dude is her for ya’. I wanted to crawl under a rock. The second date was worse, we had gone out for a cup of coffee and when I returned home, it was announced that Cindi was at the police dept. because her and her little girlfriend had been doing a bit of shopping without paying. I tried to let Wade off the hook right there and then but he would have none of it and took me to pick-up my little criminal. By the way, that turned out to be a very good lesson for Cindi. She has had no more run-ins with the law. They both are beautiful adults now and great mothers for the three grandkids we have.
So, after only a couple of months, we were married. We are getting ready to celebrate our 18th anniversary.
We have accomplished some rather unique feats. We have moved and refurbished several homes and had our own business’s. Built three motor homes and traveled all over the place. The only way I can describe how this all came about is to try to communicate the ‘Wadeism’ theory. The root of Wadeism is; it can’t be good unless it comes from the dumpster. Take for instance our first house in Texas. We had been talking about making up for lost time as far as owning a home, so Wade went to work. He found the ‘Old Fart’s (which he joined) at the local coffee shop in Canyon and one of them had just sold a piece of property that had an abandoned farm house on it. He gave it to Wade on the condition that it had to be moved off. He was excited and rounded me up to go see my new dream house. I wasn’t ready for that, I thought a big wrecking ball was a great start. Ever the optimist, I recanted my first comment and went to work. A few months later at a new address, we moved into my real dream home. It was a doll house with a loft bedroom and a huge plant room off the back. The loft bedroom had a huge walk-in closet and it’s own deck. When we sold it, cha-ching! I have been a devout follower in Wadeism ever since. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!

Welcome

2007-12-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

I am brand new at this, but I think I have some interesting experiences to share.

My husband, Wade and I are living a unique lifestyle. We customized a motorhome made from an 1989 Kenworth tractor and a 36' stainless refrigerated trailer box. It took almost 1 year to complete. It has been home for over 2 years and let us take off to see what's over the next hill.