A few days ago, I realized my two year FIRE anniversary was coming up. We were renting a parking spot near Seattle for the RV from a couple we met through the FIRE community. I had just come back from another trip to Germany, where I went to help my parents out, because my mum had to have one more surgery. TDA stayed back to […]
Haunted by the past of my native country, hopeful for the future of my new home country!
This is not a political blog, it never was intended as one. Humanism, however, is one of the core subjects of this blog and there comes a time when humanist values cannot be discussed without touching on political subjects. The time for me to write about humanist values, even though I must touch on political subjects has definitely come, but I have been struggling to […]
Do you really need RV roadside assistance?
When we started out full time RVing, we did ask ourselves if we REALLY needed RV roadside assistance, as many full timers probably do. I had carried car roadside assistance for several years without ever needing it, but in my mind driving around in an RV all over the country, was a whole different thing than driving a car mostly in a city you live […]
Return to RTR and Slab City!
After all the fun we had at last year’s Rubber Tramp Rendevous (RTR) in Quartzsite, it was an easy decision for us to attend the 2018 RTR as well. This year’s event was another huge success, despite the many challenges for the organizers that go along with the growing popularity of the gathering. We reconnected with friends we made last year and enjoyed making new […]
What if more Humanists became financially independent?
After a busy year of travelling (most of which remains undocumented on this blog, as my friends have aptly pointed out on numerous occasions) we rolled back into my beloved Phoenix right in time for the 2017 holiday season. Spending November and December in Phoenix gives me the opportunity to reconnect with said friends (who then have to listen to all the stories in person […]
Getting unstuck in Sun Valley in preparation for the Solar Eclipse!
No better location to watch the Great Solar Eclipse than a place called Sun Valley! Right? Actually, we did have other plans, but you know what they say about best laid plans and such… We were going to head up to the Redfish Lake area of the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho, where we would have enjoyed well over 2 min of totality, pretty close to the maximum possible in […]
Hurricane Harvey, here’s what you can do.
If there is one good thing that comes out of disasters such as Hurricane Harvey, it is the widespread desire to provide help. Many people choose to help and it is heartwarming to see a nation come together, setting all disagreements aside in favor of getting the job done. If you’d like to help, right now what is needed most is money. Needs will certainly evolve […]
One year of FIRE in NUMBERS!
Today is my one year FIRE anniversary. WOW, one year! The first of many, hopefully! A few days ago I wrote about my experience and some of my observations during this first year. Today I want to follow up with some good ole quantitative measurements. Yeah for numbers. Fire ONE year in: National Parks / National Monuments visited: 26 When we started full time RVing, visiting […]
FIRE almost one year in: Spoiler Alert: It’s not a sabbatical!
On August 19th 2016, I sent an email to all work related contacts, informing them I was taking a yearlong sabbatical. After changing my out of office reply and voice mail along the same lines, I handed over my company cell phone, laptop computer, passwords and a bunch of other work related stuff to my colleagues later that day and said goodbye. No farewell party, […]
Finding financial advice in unexpected places!
Today TDA and I visited Mount Rushmore National Memorial. It has been on my places-I-want-to-visit-list for a very long time. We leisurely strolled along the trail that took us to the artist studio via various viewing platforms and made it back to the visitor centre just in time when a major hailstorm came in. We usually enjoy looking at exhibits thoroughly and learning about the history […]