February 1st was the first day of my retirement so we are anxious to find our new home and start full-timing. So we are on our way to Eugene Oregon to look at some RV's we looked at on craigslist.org.  We are hopeful that we find something, as we would like to take residence at the park we have chosen by April 1st.

birth of the RV (Photo credit: drburtoni)

There is so much to do before that time.  We need to empty our rental house of furniture and a lifetime of belongings that we have accumulated.  As we take this step of downsizing, we ask ourselves why did we keep all these things?  We are divided on what to keep and what to throw away.  I am a keeper of memories, my daughters' first pair of socks, my sons' first glowing report cards and my families photos.  My husband says our memory banks have all that information and we don't need physical reminders.  We will probably remain divided on this subject and therefore we need lots of time to clear out the house.  One would think this task would be easy, but after trying to sell, at rock bottom prices, paintings and framed pictures, antique vases and other cherished items that is proving to be not true.  There is so many FREE items on craigslist that selling things is almost impossible.  We have already given our children anything they wanted, thinking they would want
the memories but no, they just took the practical things that they needed.  Both our children have the same attitude as my husband regarding memories.  The next solution we thought of was we would post signs at my work were there are so many young people, some who are starting life on their own, to see if they would like anything.  It appears that if it isn't new they don't want it.  We wonder what happened to starting on your own with landscape bricks and planks for a tv stand and furniture that the Sally Ann has to offer.  But today's youth are all about possessions and having the best of everything.  That is another blog topic however.

NEW MEXICO 2006 RECREATIONAL VEHICLE plate (Photo credit: woody1778a)

Well we drove seven hours to look at a 5th wheel in our price range only to find it had been sold a couple of hours before our arrival.  Good thing we have a couple more to look at, they are our second and third choices.

That is all for today, we will blog more about our search for the perfect 5th wheel later.