Simplicity......

 8:31 am - Tuesday - February 15th - Newell House, AZ - 49° F, 25% humidity, wind 5 mph out of the east.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today (again) with a forecast high of 73° F.  On this date in 2010 we were less than two years away from beginning our nomadic dream......we are at Rancho Jurupa Regional Park near Riverside, CA.....you can see our anti gravity chairs in the background....yup we've had them for over 12 years......↴

Does living fulltime in an RV ever get old?  Amazingly, no, not for us.  It just depends on your outlook, and what you want from life.  It's that simple, literally.  We love the simplicity being nomads has brought to our lives.  Sometimes we have a job, and sometimes, like right now, we don't.  Right now my job is to take care of the numerous maintenance projects about which I have been writing since we arrived at Newell House.  This lifestyle lends itself to living in the moment, if you let it.  Living in the moment, and being content with where you are, and what you are doing is really the key.  Do we think about the future?  Yeah, a little, but not as often as we did before we began our full time adventure.  Slowly, but surely we have moved from the hustle and bustle of the workaday world, raising children, owning a lot of stuff, and home ownership to owning very little, driving a 21 year old car, living in a 40 year old RV, and being content with a wardrobe which consists mainly of thrift store finds.  We have become much more self sufficient, and self reliant.  We have gone from living in the densely populated urban sprawl of Southern California, to small towns where there are no traffic signals, and maybe one, or two stop signs.  Where 'rush hour' consists of 3, or 4 vehicles on the road at the same time, in the same place.  Like many pursuits in life, this vagabonder thing is not for everyone.

Monday morning I awoke around 7:40 am knowing the only things I wanted to do (notice I didn't say 'HAD to do') were walk a couple of miles with The Lovely Elaine, and change the brakes on the VW, and I knew I didn't have to finish the brake job in one day, or even two days.....how nice is that?  The brake job will take how ever long it takes.  The rest of the day was devoted to enjoying the wonderful weather with which we have been blessed the past month, and spending time with friends eating, and fellowshipping.  You notice I didn't say talking.....talking is one thing, and fellowshipping is an entirely different thing.  Merriam Webster defines fellowship as:

Definition of fellowship

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1: COMPANIONSHIP, COMPANYlooking for the fellowship of friendly people

2a: community of interest, activity, feeling, or experiencetheir fellowship in crime— A. J. Ayer

b: the state of being a fellow or associate

3: a company of equals or friends : ASSOCIATIONa youth fellowship

4: the quality or state of being comradelymeaningful communication for building trust and fellowship

......just talking to someone does not get you below the surface.  When you fellowship you form bonds, camaraderie, and share common interests.  Over the span of my life, like most people, I have talked with, and to many people, but fellowship is something more precious, and rare.

I finally got around to working on the VW brakes around 3:30 pm.  I moved the VW to the concrete apron in front of Newell House where the late afternoon shadows had banished direct sunlight, and began to work on the left front caliper, brake pads, and rotor.....

Nice and shady!

New rotor installed

.....in advance of doing the brake job I ordered new rotors and brake pads through Amazon for front and rear.  I began with the front brakes because I knew one of those rotors was warped.....I could feel the vibration which occurs when you apply the brakes (I've been through this a few times over the years).  As I removed the brake pads it became evident they were only about 40% worn, and it is a good thing because Amazon sent the wrong brake pads.....

See the difference?

.....so I just reinstalled the old pads, and will return the incorrect ones to Amazon.  By the time I finished putting the left front brake assembly back together it was after 5 pm, and almost time for dinner, so I put away my tools, and headed into the Newell to take a shower, before heading into our  hosts' home for another dose of great food, and fellowship.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!