Thursday, January 20, 2011

Beef Stroganoff and comings and goings

One of the day to day bitter-sweet moments of full-timing is the coming and going of your neighbors. Depending on the size of the park you usually have rig's pulling in and out everyday. Sometimes this means saying goodbye to a new friend. Other times, it's saying hello to a new friend you just haven't yet met.

When you live in a house, your neighborhood is pretty static. Sure, people come and go from time to time, but for the most part, your neighbors are your neighbors for years. If you are lucky, you have some neighbors who become family. If you are unlucky... well most of us have heard the stories. (or lived them) But basically, love them or hate them, they are your neighbors and you need to get used to them.

In the RV lifestyle it's just the opposite. Unless you travel in a caravan, you can expect to have at least some different neighbors every single day even if you don't move at all. Today we had a mass exodus. We lost 5 close neighbors.

For me, when they leave, I feel just a twinge of jealousy. Watching my neighbors pack up the rig, pull in the slides and drive off the pad leaves me feeling wistful for the open road. I find myself imaging it were me leaving... heading out onto the many beautiful roads of America... looking forward to what is around the next corner... and whatever new neighbors may be waiting for me...

Tonight Nancy and I enjoyed Beef Stroganoff. This is a nice hearty meal to be enjoyed on a cool night. The only problem with making Beef Stroganoff in an RV is the moisture. This is especially irksome on a cold evening when maximum ventilation is not practical. (exactly when this meal hits the spot best) We do our best to have the "Fantastic Fan" near the kitchen running as well as the vent fan over the stove to try to mitigate some of the moisture. It doesn't always work.

This is Jeannie sitting on the dash watching dinner being cooked. Note the condensation on the windshield. She is obviously not amused.

Behold the steam-maker! Looks pretty tasty doesn't it? I'll post Nancy's recipe later. The main ingredient is fine Kobe filet mignon. (And if you believe that...)

No comments:

Post a Comment