Is taking a blender and food chopper going a little too far?

 Maybe, but how will I make hummus with out a small food processor?  or smoothies with the fresh berries we find, without a blender?  So I have chosen small and light appliances, and decided that as long as we have the room, without having to cram items together, then I am going to take them.  For the shellfish we find ,or catch, (and yes, if need be...buy) we have a large pot with a steamer insert.  For our daily meals, we have a wonderful cast iron skillet that we can use in the oven, on the stove top, or on the camp stove.

I am also planning on bringing my sourdough starter, so we can have homemade bread, and have some to share with others we meet along the way.  (I will let you know how that is going in future blog entries, so keep your fingers crossed.)

Yesterday I took all the food out of the pantry and made a list of everything we have so we know what we have on hand and it will be easier to plan out menus.  As you can see, we have a lot of basics and will need to add fresh veggies and protein and we will have some amazing home cooked meals. 

 As hard as it is to believe, I was able to get all this food back in the pantry Charlie built and it fit perfectly.  Let the meal planning begin!

Time for a test drive. . .

On Memorial Day, we celebrated by taking Bessie out for a test ride with DiDi being towed behind.  We rode down to Marion, had lunch and rode back home.  Bessie did great, Charlie did great driving, DiDi followed along as she should and the only items that moved were three items in the pantry - so I would call that a success.

Today we filled up the internal propane tank, (80 lbs./ 16.9 gallons) rearranged a few shelves ( again...) moved plants over to Connie's back yard, ( where I am sure they will thrive - thank you Connie, Mom, Dee and Dad for caring for them)  and checked off as many items on the checklist as we could.  Since it was rather hot today, and we had the air conditioner running in Bessie, we extended our time inside the cool vehicle by taking a few minutes to congratulate ourselves on getting so much done, and if we had to, I think we could leave tomorrow and be fine.  But since we aren't leaving till next week,  I do have a small stack of items I plan to add tomorrow. . . . : )

It is official, Bessie has a name plate.

  Charlie made the sign as a wonderful surprise for my birthday. When I pulled into his driveway, this is what I saw - needless to say, I loved it.  Charlie could hear me laughing with glee 20 feet away.   I think it makes her look so friendly and welcoming.   This weekend, we added her name to the back too. 


In addition, we are working hard to get her ready for the road.  Bessie has been totally cleaned and waxed, we have added new wipers, and we are 90 % packed.  Most of our clothes, and camping gear is ready to go and a good portion of our food staples are in the pantry.

Below is a picture of our "new" tow vehicle. Charlie named DiDi -for "Dirty Dingy" - which she was when we bought her, but now she has new hubcaps, a new radio, new front tires, and the inside has been totally, totally cleaned.  I think she is going to be the perfect vehicle for us.