Some people own a cabin in the woods, a cottage on a lake, or a park model in a Sunbelt resort. Our Mountain Aire is our vacation home, our motel when we visit family and friends, and our housing when we Workamp.
Lee and I started our married life in our motorhome, traveling up the East Coast to New York City on a month-long honeymoon. We stopped to visit friends in Savannah, Georgia, and parked for a week in my new sister-in-law’s front yard in New Jersey. Wherever we go, we take our own bedroom and bath, a refrigerator for snacks, and a closet instead of a suitcase.
Most Christmases, we drive our house to the Memphis, Tennessee, area to be with Lee’s children and grandchildren. Last weekend, we celebrated Christmas at a daughter’s home in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We dined one evening with his sister Doris, and attended Sunday church with dear friends. But at the end of each day’s activity, we returned to our warm and cozy second home, welcomed by our dog, Spot. The motorhome makes the logistics of traveling with our furry-four-footed family member possible.
Following hours of conversation, high spirited games, and a smorgasbord of holiday food, we retreated to the quietness of our own abode, familiar pillows, and a simple bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. No one had to give up a bedroom to make room for us. Indeed, when Lee’s children visit in Heber Springs, we turn our bedrooms over to them and move into our RV.
In addition to our trips for fun and Workamping, we traveled to two family reunions inLebanon, Tennessee, over the last decade and to the 50th wedding anniversary in New Jersey for Lee’s sister, Joan, and her husband, Jay. We parked on their church parking lot. We’ve traveled to sister Doris’ 80th birthday party in Memphis, Tennessee, and numerous other family celebrations. Twice, we drove our second home to funerals of friends in Georgia and Texas. Once we attended a wedding, again in Texas. We have the flexibility to hook up in a park, plug in on someone’s driveway, or park at Wal-Mart.
Our philosophy: Don’t leave home…take it with you!
Traveling in their motorhome several months each year, Arline and her photographer husband, Lee Smith, make their permanent home in Heber Springs, Arkansas. She currently is a presenter for Workamper Rendezvous, sponsored by Workamper News. Arline has dozens of magazine articles published, as well as five books: “Road Work: The Ultimate RVing Adventure” (now available on Kindle); “Road Work II: The RVer’s Ultimate Income Resource Guide”; “Truly Zula; When Heads & Hearts Collide”; and “The Heart of Branson”, a history of the families who started the entertainment town and those who sustain it today. Visit Arline’s personal blog at ArlineChandler.Blogspot.com
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