No Regrets

Okay, okay. So, I cannot stay away from making a list for the New Year. But this is a life list. It doesn’t expire until I do. Now, that’s a scary thought. I decided a long time ago to live my life without regrets. If I make a decision, one way or the other, I must live with it. No regrets, even if my decision means failure.

As Ken and I have been planning our fulltime RV travels of the United States, I have thought much about what I would like to do during our travels. Many of those things are now included in my bucket list, along with many of the things I have long desired to accomplish in my life. So, without any more preamble, on to the list:

1. Attend the Kentucky Derby, wearing a big hat, white gloves, and fancy dress.
2. Snorkel in the Gulf of Mexico.
3. Race on the Salt Flats.
4. Learn to skydive. (Okay this one is really Ken’s idea. He says for the big 80, we will do this.)
5. Eat a soft shell blue crab sandwich.
6. Attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
7. Learn authentic basket weaving techniques from a Native American.
8. Attend the game show, The Price Is Right.
9. Go white water rafting.
10. Lazily raft the Mississippi.
11. Pick peaches in Georgia.
12. Hot air balloon. (Another of Ken’s ideas. Notice, I don’t like heights.)
13. See Mount Rushmore.
14. Go to Denali National Park.
15. See a glacier. Maybe even walk on a glacier.
16. Go to Grand Teton National Park.
17. Write a novel—or three.
18. Learn to play golf.
19. Learn sign language.
20. Relearn Spanish.
21. Walk on fire.
22. Helicopter over the Grand Canyon. (Ken again.)
23. Hike part of the Appalachian Trail.
24. Learn to play craps, and then play on a steamboat on the Mississippi.
25. Restore a classic car.
26. Participate in a marathon.
27. Help build a Habitat for Humanity house.
28. Take singing lessons and then sing on stage.
29. Ride a mechanical bull.
30. Spend the night in a haunted house. (Does it count that the house we currently live in is haunted?)
31. Visit the Four Corners, where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado all come together.
32. See the fall colors in New Hampshire.
33. Sell my photography, artwork, and crafted items.
34. Reach over 100,000 hits on my blog.
35. Have my own successful website to sell my wares.
36. Get down to my ideal weight.
37. Learn to accept criticism.
38. Travel for 5 years.
39. Buy a piece of property and build a cabin on a small hill.
40. Be part of a disaster relief effort.
41. Earn my masters.

What is on your bucket list? Well, get on with it. The clock is ticking.

Rainy Nights and Favorite Places

 

This weekend we are checking out a new private RV campground. Neskowin Creek. On our arrival, which was about an hour late because of traffic and a wrong turn, it was pouring cats and dogs. Did you know that the phrase “raining cats and dogs” comes from in the olden days when they had thatch roofs. When it would rain really hard, the pets, who slept in the thatch, fell through the roof when the thatch became too saturated with water. I imagine it probably also rained rodents. Yikes!

Anyway, on to Neskowin Creek. It must have been raining here long before we arrived, because everything was soggy, with puddles everywhere.

As another side note, (yes, I seem to have a lot of them some days), Tink seems to not be afraid of water any more since we played in the ocean. She was sloshing right through the puddles as if they weren’t even there. Darn her pink little butt. Last winter when we went to Seattle, I had to walk her in the rain before bed. When we were attempting to cross the street back to our motel, she put on her brakes and refused to cross because there was a tiny stream of water running down the gutter. Meanwhile, I was already halfway into the street. Just then a car whipped around the corner, going at a very reckless speed and nearly hitting me—all because Tink is tugging me back toward the wrong curb and I was stuck in the middle, trying to get us to the other side.

Wow. Do I get side tracked easily when I am tired.

Neskowin Creek wasn’t too impressive at first glance, but that was because it was almost dark and raining heavily. Accordingly, I reserved judgment until this morning, and I am glad I did. As you can see by the first picture, the sun was shining brilliantly. The puddles were gone.

And Ralph wasn’t lying. (You say, Huh?) There were rabbits absolutely everywhere, and they were coming right up to us, so long as we didn’t have Tinker Belle with us. They were even going right up onto people’s RV steps. Talk about getting to know the locals, which is another thing Ralph recommended. (Hi Ralph, and thank you.)

After taking care of some business in the office this morning, and getting plenty of tips from a well-seasoned full-timer, we meandered over to the puzzle table, just to see the progress.

Over two hours later, we remembered that Tink was still waiting for us to take her on a long walk. Oops. But it was so wonderful to just sit and relax. Idle conversation with others who came and went. No pressure to be anywhere or do anything. Not even any pressure to talk. Breathe. Pure. Simple. Aahhh.

The best part came this evening, however, when we returned for Joker Bingo. I was expecting simple Bingo. How exciting could it be, after all? The only exciting part about normal Bingo is when you get to yell, “BINGO!” If you are lucky enough, that is. When we entered the clubhouse and they were dealing out decks of cards, in my mind I was saying, “Wait a minute. Did I read the sign right?” Despite the confusion, Joker Bingo was a blast.

I even took one step toward crossing something off my bucket list. The main goal of my bucket list is to do all those things I have feared doing in the past. One of my fears has been singing in public. So on my bucket list is Karaoke. Well, tonight, as part of Joker Bingo, the “joker” part involved different things the players had to do. I was fortunate enough to be one of those who had to entertain the rest of the group. I decided to sing a camp song from way back in my school days. On top of spaghetti. Maybe you sang it as a child, too. I’ve never laughed so hard among strangers.

So, the final review of Neskowin Creek RV Resort: Two thumbs way up.