How to choose the right RV park! 10 Ideas

I saw an article yesterday talking about how a person can regret their choice of apartments. No electrical outlets, noisy streets, dark rooms and shrinking space that become more apparent after moving in can send renters over the edge.  Renters remorse sets in but a lease has been signed so the tenant is stuck.  Finding the right resort to spend the winter in can be just as hard. I have some ideas that will help you narrow down that long list of "perfect" snowbird locations.

1. Okay I'm here. What do I do now? No matter how fancy a RV resort is it cannot be a stand alone location in most cases.  You can sit in the sun for just so long then you are going to want to get out and enjoy the area.  I for one do not want to be parked in the middle of the desert with nothing to do.  Think about that when you decide to settle into a location.
2. The railroad tracks are where?You can only hide the railroad tracks for so long.  Then that ugly beast with rear it's head at the most inopportune time. Just ask about railroad tracks and freeway noise before you make a reservation. Maybe you won't mind but at least don't be surprised.
3. I don't know anyone. If you decided to spend the whole winter in one spot you might consider finding a place where you have an acquaintance or two. I say this especially if you are new at the experience.  Friends can help make your winter experience  more enjoyable.  If you like to golf for example, it is nice to have another couple to play with. I don't see this as an absolute necessity but it is nice.
4. Cars are not welcome? We stayed in an RV resort in Needles, California one year. The owners didn't like for their renters to have visitors and would not let them park near our motor home.  If a visitor pulled in behind our car the owners would come immediately and make company move.   It was such an unfriendly atmosphere.  I think if we had asked if we could have company or invite people for dinner in the beginning we would have saved ourselves a lot of grief.  We didn't even consider that when we committed ourselves.  It was a beautiful park.
5. Pets are allowed where?  Pets can be a contentious point when you live so close to other people. A park that does not assign a special section for pets is inviting problems.  A dog that barks night and day can drive the neighbors nuts.  Check on that.  If you are a dog owner remember to be considerate of others.
6. You cleaned the laundry room last year?  Take a look around before you commit yourselves to an extended stay. A filthy laundry room or unkept pool area can be a deal breakers in my book.  We have stayed (one night) in some pretty iffy places.  Thank heavens we did not commit ourselves sight unseen.
7. Where is the pool, pickle ball, bocce ball?  When you look at Camper Life or an online website to see what is available at a park, be sure that the activities you enjoy are available in the park.  If you golf a course should be close by.
8. Quiet hour starts a 7 pm?  Unless you are dead you are going to want to talk or even dance in the street once in a while.  Remember that!  If the park is designed for very old quiet people think about whether that is going to work for you.  
9. It gets how cold at nights?  Just because a location is in the southern United States does not mean that it will be warm.  Check into the weather, average temperatures, wind/rain before you rent a park model or commit to a month in one location.  You will not regret it.
10. The grocery is how far away?  Is there anything worse that being stuck in a place that has no services?  I mean I like solitude as well as the next guy but no grocery store save the one in the RV park does not work for me.  It is just a thought.

Do you have any suggestions.  I would love to hear them.

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Woman Gives Birth to a Plastic Doll or the Great Flamingo War of 2015

My husband and I are the proud owners of a flamingo. She first came to our RV resort 12 years ago. About 7 years ago I made the mistake of admiring her beauty and asking who her owner was. The very next day I became her custodian. The neighborhood had been waiting for a sucker like me. I have taken very good care of her since the very first day.

She had a little short somewhere so if you touched her when she was plugged in you got a little buzz. People liked that at lot. I was told that she move her head up and down when she was plugged in. I didn't like the shock so I didn't plugged her in very often after the first time. I did not notice a moving head. The old bird was showing her age I think. I named her Theodora because she seemed to represent all the ghosts that inhabit our little park.  She came to life in my mind back in the day when I wrote fiction.

Eventually she found her way to the rear of our park model behind the propane tank. I even forgot about her she was so well hidden.

Until....

A few weeks ago a neighbor built a fish pond in front of their park model complete with goldfish, metal frogs and a fountain. The pond was the talk of the neighborhood. A neighborhood prankster spotted the flamingo and asked to "borrow" the pink darling and give her a new home. Our caveat was that the new home was to be the new home beside the pond...we did NOT want her back. Besides she looked so perfect near that pond.

But I guess the pond builders didn't recognize her charm. Within a day or two Theodora reappeared in our front yard and the new flamingo owner was seen disappearing around the corner of our house. My husband jumped out of his chair, grabbed the bird, flew down the street returning her to her rightful place next to the fountain and the goldfish. That is where she remained for a while. I almost forgot her again.

It was the quiet before the storm...The Great Flamingo War of 2015 erupted on a Tuesday afternoon after a bocce ball game. We yelled at each other from a distance and I even think I saw the new owners shake their fist at us and yell, "It isn't over yet." I'm not sure I heard them right but I was pretty sure we might be in trouble. In the middle of it all sat my beloved Theodora. I was sorry that no one wanted her even though I didn't want her at all.

This morning, low and behold, Theodora reappeared on the corner of our lot holding a baby wrapped in a diaper. It seems that I am the proud mother of a small plastic doll. I was told that the baby had already received a haircut so that was very nice.

Best of all I love the note that said,

It has become quite obvious to us that you two do not have enough to  keep you busy and out of trouble. So here is our solution.

Please don't forget the 2 AM feeding! Good luck with Baby Torris 

Best of all the envelop told me to "smoke this in a blog post". So here I am.

As for not being busy enough...that was said tongue in cheek. See we just finished remodeling our little kitchen, recently threw a party for over 100 people complete with band and popcorn, and are in the process of upgrading our Arizona room. When people come by, I just let them in because I am too tired to argue. But I am consoled by the fact that plastic dolls don't really need to be fed at 2:00 a.m....right?

Funny thing is someone wanted Theodora as soon as they spotted her this morning. Maybe she will find a new happy home after all.

Golly, I love this place!

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Thank you to anyone that helped in the conspiracy. You made our day a lot more fun! You are all very unique...in a good way. :)

Theodora, the baby and the proud new mother...me!

Our new kitchen!

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• Travel: Why the Snowbird Life?
• Retirement and Aging: You Might be a Snowbird if......!
• How to choose the right RV park!
• 20 Awkward Steps to Our Happy Retirement or There Wasn't a Guidebook

Planning for snowbird season: Where do I go?

NOTE:  More information here.  If you mention my name (Earl/Barbara Torris) you will get $100 off on the first month's rent!  (A repost for your information)

You know that little cabin in the woods, at the lake or even near the beach that you dreamed about when you were young. It was the one you wanted to share with your growing children on the weekend or even just in the summer or the winter. You didn't spend much on it if you actually bought it and eventually you sold it or turned it over to someone else in the family. Now you have retired and you dream of spending the winter in a warmer climate but when you go online and begin to look at renting you know that the expense will be just too much for your budget. Where is that little cabin, the easy to own not permanent but just what you want for the next few years?  Believe it or not, in Tucson, AZ there is an equivalent that may be just what you are looking for.

   
Here in the desert where the temperature are very mild in winter, a group of seniors gather in "doll houses" perfect for two, three, or even up to six month of the year. We play golf, swim in the pool, dance several times a month, play cards, create in workshops that meet our needs and live inexpensively.  For many of us this is our little cabin in the woods!


ABOUT TUCSON, AZ
We have chosen to settle down in a Tucson, AZ. RV resort for the winters. Rincon Country East RV Resort is located on the the eastern edge of Tuscon along the Pantano Wash. We are very near to Davis Monthan Air Force Base and the Saguaro National Park East. Views of mountains to the East and North remain largely unobstructed.  But the view to the west is the most important.  Anyone who has lived or visited Tucson will tell you the sunsets are the most spectacular you will ever see.
   
Tucson is so beautiful. Even though it has a population nearing 1 million in the metro area, "The Old Pueblos" has managed to retain a very small town feel. Outdoor activities are abundant. People in this resort hike and bicycle into the Saguaro National Park. Golfing is so close by that one is tempted to walk to the course and shopping either at the base of the Catalina Mountain or in the art community located in Tubac, AZ provide some great opportunities to find just that perfect piece for your collection.  Fresh vegetables from nearby Mexico and California are abundant and relatively inexpensive. In fact, we find the cost of living to be very affordable.

Sunrise, Tucson, AZ, Rincon
Country East RV Resort

There are two types of living arrangements in this resort.  You can come with your RV and rent a space or you can buy/rent a Park Model.  These very small houses are a little over 350 square feet.  That does not include an Arizona room that can be a simple glassed in porch or an additional living space.  A large percentage of the spaces here are filled with these "park models" and many are for sale or rent.

Birthday Celebration in the Arizona Room

Park model kitchen lit for the evening

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If you are looking for the perfect location to spend your winters, the ones you have been dreaming about, come on down and join us. You will find the retirement lifestyle you have been dreaming about. 


WHO DO I CALL?
Rincon Country East:
8989 E. Escalante Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85730

Toll Free 888·401·8989
Phone 520·886·8431 

Come on down.  We'll keep the cactus lit for you!

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I live with a cat....sigh!

RV the CAT!

Living with a cat has got to be one of the most frustrating experiences one will ever have.  I live with a cat and a husband.  The husband loves the cat.  As a result I do not have any control in my world at all.

We traveled with the cat in a cage this fall...well for a while.  Then the cat demanded to be let out so we did.  There was no choice.  The cat can be a little whiny and besides that he will scratch me if I don't obey his every command.  Not when I displease him but later in the day...in the dark.  I don't like that at all.

Now he lives with us in our park model.  This cat was wild when we found him and still does not like to be in a small space.  We, however, live in a part of our RV park that does not allow pets outdoors...RV the Cat doesn't understand and escapes as often as possible.  I don't suppose he can help himself.  I don't think he knows that there are places in the RV resort where he could be on a lease outdoors yet. When he runs away, I will call and call but he doesn't come.  Then when I am not looking he will sneak in and hide where I cannot find him.  He doesn't care if we get in trouble and we do get in trouble right along in this place.  I know that can happen.  If the residents didn't like it when we danced in the street a 8 pm, imagine what they will say when my big black very spooky looking cat is seen wandering around.

I am a little worried that the cat will find out about Cat/Dog Street.  Please don't tell.  I told my husband that I have put my foot down. I am not moving to a new location and I'm not letting my husband move either...the cat on the other hand....!

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