“Hi diddly dee, an actors life for me. A high silk hat and a silver cane. A watch of gold with a diamond chain.” – Pinocchio

As much as I strive to maintain a sense of style, a high silk hat would be a bit much here, where baseball caps and floppy hiking hats are de rigueur.

I’ve learned a lot in the seven months we’ve been “full-timing,” the term for those who trade in a sticks-and-bricks home for a motorhome or other RV. There are as many reasons for doing this as there are people in this RV park with its 194 sites!

Some go mobile for the freedom from the work a home requires. Some for the ability to travel and see the country, family and friends. A few folks are “snowbirds,” full-timers who travel north and south with the seasons. Others live this way for jobs, traveling and bringing their home with them.

We lived beside neighbors who came to Austin in hopes of better jobs. A Mom and Dad, two grade-schoolers, a precious baby girl and a sweet pit-bull… all living in under 300 square feet!

The couple across the drive from us have two children and two dogs: a Maltese and a Great Dane. I really enjoy watching their little boy. He blissfully dances down the street as the Dane moseys on his leash beside him. But six beings in under 300 square feet… I don’t know how they do it.

There’s a mother from Puerto Rico who left everything behind to move her two boys here and get them in good schools and on swim teams. They have Olympic dreams. And there’s a couple down the lane with a gorgeous screened-in gazebo and an electric golf cart with disco lights and Mickey Mouse ears. They have adopted three teenaged boys with learning disabilities. Each evening they drive around the park, lights flashing, music playing. On Valentines Day they handed out boxes of chocolate to everyone they saw on their rounds!

Of the 194 sites, I’d guess 70 percent are permanent residents. There’s a spectrum of rigs here: expensive motorhomes, huge new 5th wheelers and everything in between. Parked beside them are trucks to pull them plus sports cars, luxury cars, toys and motorcycles. It can be a great way to have it all.

Speaking of having it all, did I tell you this RV park has two pools, a hot tub, lovely landscaping, a playground, a gym and a nice walking trail?

XO Donna