Vandwelling can be a very solitary life. I spend a lot of time on my own. It took a little getting used to but now I like being on my own. It also allows you more interaction with different people. Look at it this way. Every night you get off work, unless you are retired..LOL! Lucky people!! Soon…but I digress..and you go back to your homes and you may or may not see your neighbours. But they are the same people. It is the same for me but since I go different places all the time, even when I am working in the same town, my neighbours change or I may not have any at all. I may see them, I may not. Just like you I may not choose to see them! LOL! Unless I am at a campground for the weekend I really do not have the same neighbour twice!
I am a friendly person and find people interesting. Some people are very interesting people and some are “interesting” if you know what I mean! LOL!
Very Cool Purple Bus, Very Interesting Gentleman
One park I go to near my main office has some interesting people come through. I met this gentleman with this oh so cool Purple Bus! He was a local gentleman and had customized this bus for pleasure travel. His situation had recently changed he decided he was selling his business, renting out his house and going to Florida for the winter. He would see where the wind carried him from there!! OHHH That is AWESOME!! We chatted for a little while and he gave me a tour of his bus. Very interesting man. Very Cool Bus!!
The bus was done in all wood and sat about 12 people. The slats above the seats unfolded to create bunks. Neat!!
Another thing being a Vandweller allows you to do is travel. There are no chores or house to go back to. It frees up your time Immensely!! LOL! I Love to drive and going different places and meeting different cultures is interesting. I was in Upper Michigan, following a back road and came across this small campground at the end of the road. It was as far North in Michigan you can go! I like to test my limits! HAHA! When I stopped this little old lady came out and introduced herself as Mrs D Bear. She said I could now go back and say I was in Upper Michigan and seen d bear!! HAHAHA! She was so cute. Offered to make me an espresso or a coffee. I said no but I would chat awhile. She was 92 years young (she was preparing for a garage sale) and had inherited the campground from her Dad in 1942 and never looked back. Her husband had died some years back and her daughter and her husband moved up to help her run it. It had 4 cottages and a playground. Outhouses and a little coffee shop! It was as cute as she was!!
I think one of my greatest pleasures when people say they like my van is when I say that I live in it!! LOL! Is that kind of weird? But really you never know what kind of reaction you will get. From oh you poor thing you are homeless. HAHA! No dear I am houseless!! I just take my home wherever I go. To Oh WOW that is so cool. Then the questions start. We will do a question and answer some other time. One thing people assume (you should never assume) is that I go south for the winter. Again there is that reaction!! What??? It gets cold up here!! HAHAHA! Yup I know!! LOL! Or that I am retired or jobless. Nope and Nope. I have a very good job actually that I very much enjoy. It also allows me the lifestyle to do this!! 4 years 6 months till running water in the winter!! LOL!
Unfortunately there is that other “interesting”. You know the ones. the ones that give you the shivers. And I will tell you I listen to the hairs on the back of my neck. If it says something is not right I am out of there. I have 4 wheels under me and I can have windows up, doors closed and locked, engine started and rolling in no time. Been there done that. Sitting at a park which I will often do after work a car pulled in near me. I was the only one around in a big space and he parked way to close. He proceeded to get out of his car and circle my van. Looking in. Although it was a busy park I parked on the plateau where you are pretty much alone. He did that twice. Then got back in his car. I thought ok that was weird but got up and started to put things away. Thinking he was leaving as he started his car I began to relax a little then I heard it shut off. He circled the van again and then leaned against his car lighting a smoke and looked at me. That was it. In a matter of minutes I was out of there. If it does not feel right LEAVE! It doesn’t only happen to other people!
Then there is the other interesting! Harmless but go away! Parked one afternoon this guy walks up nice van….Thanks. Come here often? Oh boy…sometimes. He tells me that he works in one city and lives in another and on his way home to his wife “from the frying pan to fire” he says …….he stops here for a breather…..that’s nice. Was I out for a drive in my RV? No actually I live in it. Ohhh well maybe sometime I could pick up a six pack of beer or a bottle of wine and come over to your house??? HAHAHAHA! Ummmm No. I have a strict no dicks in the van policy!!! LOL! Shooo!!!
People are interesting and one thing I like about this lifestyle is I choose to be their neighbours. Whether it is in a park after work or a Walmart parking lot. Most are brief chance encounters. I kind of like it that way! I love to discover the different ways people live and think. I think being exposed to other cultures opens your mind to new possibilities. New opportunities. As well as expanding your own personal thoughts and beliefs. I always smile. I always say hello and then I listen to my gut. Chat or leave.
Now I would really Like to meet this guy!!! As close as I am going to get but Ya Never Know!!! On my list!!! HAHA!
Kind of feels like I am being watched!! HAHA!
OHHHH WAIT!!! Before you go I did not tell you about the person I almost met!!! Do NOT take a sip of coffee you are going to laugh…. sitting in a marina parking lot, 2 lanes and a boardwalk from the water, it was a beautiful day. I had just come back from a walk, put the front windows down and went into the back to grab something. An older couple with their dog had been walking up the boardwalk in front of me and sat on a bench across the parking lot with there back facing me looking out on the water. As I sat in the back of the van I saw a kid, maybe 15, 16 years old…old enough to know better. He was looking at the open window and my phone on the console…which is a ways from the window I may add…LOL! Ok take a sip of coffee, I did….he was also looking at the older couple sitting on the bench. He looked back and forth a couple times. From the phone to the couple sitting on the bench. You see my side door window is tinted. I could see him but he could not see me. I sat there and waited……He slowly got closer to the van, intently watching the older couple and started to put his hand through the window…his arm was about half way in when I yelled from the back of the van….. DON’T TOUCH THAT!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA! OMG!!! He jumped!! As he did he slammed his arm against the top of door frame HARD!! I am sure if the plastic rain guard did not cut him he was going to have a multi colored arm!! He took off running as fast as his droopy drawers would carry him. I just about fell off my bed laughing. The look on his face!! I could not stand up to watch him run. It was the funniest thing I have seen in a long time. Scared the bejeeezus out of him! He will think twice out doing that again!! HAHAHA!
I can not wait to meet more interesting people! Maybe even you!
Thanks for coming along on another Chipmunk Adventure! See you next time!!
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