Important Papers - RV Etiquette

In This Issue:

What's New With Us: Important Papers
Brief Article: RV Etiquette
Vicki's Favorite Recipes: Mexican Salad
RVing Tip: Storm Warnings

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Going to Alaska? Read the article "Alaska! The Ultimate RV Adventure" and check out our DVD "RVing Alaska: What to Expect, How to Prepare" and our E-book "RVing Alaska, Insights and Observations"

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What's New With Us

It is the eleventh hour. Do you know where your loved one's important papers are located? Do they know how to find yours?

Recently, Vicki's 93-year-old dad had to go into a skilled nursing facility. He seems to be making a slow recovery but there was a day or two when we thought we would lose him. Vicki is an only child so she had the responsibility of not only locating a good nursing facility that he could afford, but helping him with his financial affairs as well.

Fortunately, her dad is an organized and trusting person. He had already signed a "Health Care Directive", a "Power of Attorney for Health Care" and a "Durable Power of Attorney for Finance" naming Vicki as his agent. He had also authorized Vicki as a signer on his bank accounts.

All of his financial business was located in a well-organized file drawer in his desk. As a result, Vicki is able to determine what payments are due, show the bills to her dad and, with his approval, write and mail the checks to pay them. If the time comes when he is unable to direct his financial affairs, Vicki can step in with no problem.

In that same desk Vicki also found his insurance policies, retirement papers, his will and pre-paid burial arrangements.

Vicki's dad, being both pro-active and considerate, gathered, organized and made accessible all of his financial and important papers before they were needed. He not only did what he could to control his life during a difficult time, he made it as easy as he could for his daughter to assist him in his time of need and, ultimately, to deal with his passing.

Do you know where your loved one's important papers are located? Do they know how to find yours?


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RV Etiquette

Joe: Etiquette, or good manners, is simply being considerate of others.

I am one of those people who enjoys the sound of a campground in the morning. I love the rumbling of powerful engines coming to life, the groans of trailer hitches taking up their loads, and the crunch of tires rolling on gravel. To me, it is the siren call of adventure. It makes me want to go.

However, I am not too fond of folks who leave loudly before 6 o’clock in the morning. Their preparations seem to always include lots of door slamming and tossing rather than placing their leveling boards into truck beds. They run their engines interminably and suffocate the campground with exhaust fumes.

These must be the same people who arrive after 9 o’clock at night and can’t seem to position themselves in their site without a lot of yelling and maneuvering. And, of course, their RVs are the ones with the loud exhausts and nerve-wracking back up beepers.

And then there is the guy who, after parking his RV as close as possible to my rig, extends both of his slideout rooms into my campsite. This person also seems to be the one whose leaking water or sewer hose creates a small lake under my picnic table.

I get a kick out of watching the pet owners who take their dogs for a walk, pretend not to notice the animal pooping on the grass, and then immediately head back to their RVs. Who do they think they’re fooling?

These same people are the ones who don’t seem to notice that their dogs bark incessantly all day long. How do they stand living with an animal like that?

Vicki: I have no sympathy for people who abandon their clothes in campground washing machines or dryers and, when they return, find them piled in a corner. They should be there to retrieve their laundry and free up the machine as soon as the load is finished.

Cellular phones have shortened if not eliminated the lines of people at pay phones. Still, I am grateful to the considerate person who limits the number of calls or the time spent on those calls when they see others waiting.

Now, the lines seem to be forming at the place where we plug in our laptops to pick up our e-mail. Veteran RVers pre-program their computer to dial the appropriate phone numbers before they plug into the data ports. They only stay online long enough to download (not read) their incoming e-mail and to send their prepared outgoing messages. Fortunately, this inconvenience is going away as more and more RV parks offer Wi-Fi.

Joe: I appreciate the professionalism of the RVer at the disposal station who attaches his sewer hose, pulls his valves (black then gray), disconnects his hose and immediately moves his RV out of the way so the next rig can pull into place. You can bet he is also the person who moves his rig forward after he is finished fueling but before he goes inside to pay. This, by the way, is expected behavior at truck stops.

I am impressed by the master RVer who can pull into a campground late and leave early without making a sound; the thoughtful dog owners who not only clean up after their pets but care enough to teach them how to behave; the concerned parents whose children make happy sounds at the playground and pool but don’t run roughshod through my campsite. I am impressed by the majority of RVers and campers who have the good manners to be considerate of each other. It makes me want to stay.

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Vicki's Favorite Recipes (From My RV Kitchen and Favorite Recipes)

Mexican Salad
(Quick and Easy)

I made this salad on one of our first trips to Mexico. We had been told not to eat the produce without thoroughly scrubbing the outside, peeling or otherwise disinfecting. Tomatoes and avocados were plentiful, very inexpensive and, the best part - the tomatoes could be scrubbed or peeled and the avocados could be peeled.

This has become a favorite salad no matter where we are.

3 avocados, cut into bite-size pieces
3-4 tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
Italian dressing, balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

1. Put avocados, tomatoes and red onion (if desired) into a medium bowl.

2. Drizzle with Italian dressing, balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar.

Makes 4 side-dish servings.

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RVing Tip: (From RVing Tips, Tricks & Techniques)

Weather warnings broadcast by radio and television stations are frequently given for specific counties. Make a habit of asking what county you are in when registering at campgrounds. And don't forget to ask for the location of the nearest storm shelter.

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Next Issue, September 15, 2008: RV Show Season

Return to RV Know How

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