In This Post:
What's New With Us - North, To Alaska!
Brief Article - Pink Jobs and Blue Jobs
Vicki's Recipes - Hamburger Scramble
RVing Tip - Best Times to Travel
What's New With Us
We are in the throes of preparing ourselves and our motorhome for our "summer speaking circuit". Our first stop will be at the 5-day Life on Wheels Conference in Moscow Idaho (July 19 - 23). Next, we will be presenting seminars for five days at The Rally in Redmond, Oregon. Then we head for Alaska. This time, we will follow the Cassiar Highway north. Our (very loose) itinerary includes Whitehorse, Dawson City, Valdez, Anchorage, Homer, Denali Park, and Fairbanks. While there, we will be working with vidiographers John Holod and Jodie Ginter who are filming two DVDs about traveling to Alaska. On September 3rd, we will board the ferry from Haines, Alaska to Bellingham, Washington. Once there, we will put our motorhome into storage, fly to Hershey Pennsylvania, present seminars at the Pennsylvania RV & Camping Show (Sept. 12 - 16), fly back to Seattle and drive to Sacramento for the Sacramento RV Show (Sept. 27 - 30). After that, we will present seminars at the 10-day California RV Show (October 12 - 21) in Pomona, California. We'll keep you posted about our adventures along the way.
Pink Jobs and Blue Jobs
Dear Joe and Vicki: My husband and I attended your seminars at the Sacramento RV Show. We really enjoyed them. During the seminars you both referred to your "pink" jobs and "blue" jobs. Does this mean that Joe doesn't help with meal preparation and cleanup? Vicki, are you not a liberated woman?
Joe: With the exception of living in an RV for extended periods of time, Vicki and I are fairly traditional in our approach to the things we do. That comes, I suppose, from following the example of our parents. Actually, our pink and blue jobs pretty well reflect each of our personal strengths and preferences. We have, in fact, become pretty possessive of our particular responsibilities and neither of us appreciates interference from the other. Operating, maintaining and cleaning the exterior of the RV is primarily my responsibility. Domestic administration, cooking and housekeeping is Vicki's. Vicki can drive our motorhome but would rather not. I think I can cook but Vicki prefers that I don't. I believe that "real" men don't prepare quiche. Vicki insists that "real" women don't dump holding tanks.
Vicki: Would you believe that after cooking dinner, I also clean up? Joe offers to help occasionally, but I enjoy puttering around the kitchen, so I usually prefer to do it myself. Actually, our pink and blue jobs have worked great for almost 42 years. As I write this, we are in Shreveport, Louisiana. It is the end of a long travel day. I've just finished cleaning up after cooking dinner. Joe is outside, crawling around on the wet ground in 35 degree weather, fixing a water leak he just discovered. I'll take my pink jobs any day. Please, please don't liberate me.
Vicki's Quick and Easy Recipes
HAMBURGER RICE SCRAMBLE
If Joe had his way, every meal, every day, would include dishes with ground beef. Many years ago we were in our motorhome and, for dinner, I decided to throw together a dinner that would use up some of the veggies in the refrigerator. I just happened to also have some ground beef on hand. I came up with this. It is one of Joe's very favorite dinners.
1 cup long-grain rice
2 cups water
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Put the rice, water and bouillon into a microwave-safe dish. Cook on high for approximately 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
While the rice is cooking, brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Add the green onions, pepper, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cover and cook until tender.
Stir cooked rice into the meat and vegetable mixture. Serve.
Makes 2-4 servings.
RVing Tip
The best time of year to travel is during the "shoulder months" of May, June, September and October. These months experience relatively mild weather and fewer travelers throughout most of the country. The best weekends to travel are the ones just before a holiday weekend. Everyone is at home preparing for the upcoming holiday weekend. The best days to arrive at a campground are late Sunday and anytime Monday. All the weekenders will have just left and there should be plenty of campsites available.
(From the book: Extended RV Travel)
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