This being our first opportunity to do so in almost 11 years, since we moved into the house here we have completely unloaded the motorhome. It was just a little bit surprising what we found that we didn't know was even in it now! Living in an RV one has to learn to stay somewhat better organized than with a larger space and with the constraints of storage space and cargo weights, you would expect that we would pretty much always know what is inside. This not so true as we used to believe for even an RV has those little corners, out of the way places, and even under larger things where items become hidden and either forgotten, or ignored. Over the past few months, Pam emptied every bit inside and I have done the same in the outside storage. In addition, for the first time since the winter of 1999, I winterized it.

Now the process has begun of getting ready and of putting the RV back into service. Pam has been cleaning everything from top to bottom inside, even all of the storage space. Carpets are being vacuumed and scrubbed, woodwork wiped down, and a total "spring cleaning" is taking place. Meanwhile I have begun sorting through the amazing pile of "stuff" from the bays to determine what goes back in, is thrown away, or stays behind, after a complete cleaning of each space. There are rather surprising number of things that we will leave behind with this being a trip, rather than a lifetime. Planning for five months does mean taking a lot with you, but there are still some things that just as well stay behind. I'll leave behind many of my wood tools and some of the other hobby items as we won't have the "down time" that you do when living on the road for life. And I won't need the items to change oil and lube the chassis as we will be back before that must be done again. One thing that we may face that full-timers don't deal with is the discovery that we wish we had brought something that was left behind!

We have begun to anticipate returning to the road and are becoming just a little bit anxious to move once more. This will have been just a month longer stop than what our longer winter stops have been in the past but this has been quite different with living outside of the motorhome. As much as we have come to love our new home and our neighbors here, the feet have begun to get itchy once more and so preparation has begun and not with dread but with excitement!