Seymore House Reveal

It has been a very busy schedule for us these last few weeks.  Trying to get our plans laid out and into action.  First we sold our stick built home in Georgia.  Then we suffered the crud and misery for several weeks, too sick to do what was needed.  Finally we made it to Tennessee, time to relax and catch our breath.  After a few days of visiting family and taking time for ourselves we entered the next phase.  Our plans changed several times before we were able to gain control and make those final preparations.

We took time to close the "Rename the Vaca House" contest and then announce the winning entry.  All that was working up to the final reveal.  What wasn't leaked by the Gnomes was the reason for the contest, the importance of the name choice.  I have always been a big fan of naming items or things in my life.  Those of you who know me well know this to be true.  Names are acronyms that spell out the whole meaning of the name.  Such as the name chosen, "Seymour"  That is an acronym meaning...... Wait, you tell me!  Another contest.  The best description of words or group of words, combined to spell out "Seymour."  Let me give you an example.  When I turned 60 I bought myself a new Harley and named it MYRA.  Everyone thought me crazy to buy a new bike at that age.  The name MYRA was the acronym, first letter of each word in the phrase.  My Youthful Radical Attitude, thus MYRA.  The name Seymour is new and so is the item or thing it's attached too.  Once a item or thing has been named you can never change it to something else.  Let me explain further and bring you up to date.  The Vaca House will always be the Vaca House.  Seymour was chosen for the new house in our lives, the full time living RV house.

When we decided to go full time RVing we also decided to become Nomads, moving about as the urge struck us.  Still living in comfort and style which we had been accustomed to.  Homeless chic, the best way to define it laughing out loud.  That plan was to trade up and improve our living standards.  The new to us is a 2014 Bay Hill 40ft fiver.  It's by far the best that we have seen and it's built for full time living.  Once the name was revealed we knew it would have to be very special to live up to our demands.  Now that we have the new travel home and it's new name.  We will sponsor a new contest.



The new 40' Seymour House













The prize will be $100.00 for the best phrase or group of words that defines the meaning of Seymour.  Another example to better help you understand is "MADD." (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers)  Have fun with Seymour, send me your best phrase or group of works that spell out Seymour.  The acronym is the short version of the full meaning.  Hope I haven't confused you.  Acronym by definition means....a word formed from the initial letters or groups of letters of words in a set phrase or series of words and pronounced as a separate word.  Example Women's Army Corp (WAC) or My Youthful Radical Attitude (MYRA).

The rules of our contest are simple.  Anyone with an e-mail can enter.  One entry per e-mail.  Tell all your friends, let them in on the fun.  Entry must be sent to Dutcheyl@aol.com .   In the subject write Acronym.  Winner will be announced on the Http://whygodutch.blogspot.com blog.  The contest opens on April the 1st 2014 and closes on June the 1st, 2014.  That gives you 2 months to think up and enter your best choice.  The winner will be announced after June the 1st, on the first blog after that date.  To give everyone a jump on the contest, this blog is being posted early :)

We will be in the process of making our way from Tennessee to Alaska during that time.  Updates on the blog all along the way.  You won't want to miss any of it as you will be missing a lot if you do.  Anyone who has previously been to Alaska and would like to share their experiences or even make suggestions as to great places to see, shop or eat along the way is encouraged to drop us a line and share any or all.  We are always open to new and exciting places and adventures.  You should send your comments and suggestions to Dutcheyl@aol.com.  If you have a Google e-mail account you can add your comments to the story on the blog.  You must have a Google account in order to leave messages on the blog, or just send to my AOL e-mail. 

Our stay in Tennessee has been to visit family, get current on medical and dental and lay low until it was time for our big move.  It has been a busy time trying to get to see everyone and get our own needs taken care of.  We also had other life events taking place at the same time.  It was mostly time needed to get all our travel plans and needs in order.  There are always those last minute items and things to do that you never thought of, until the last minute that is.  After thirty days of changes and rethinking it all, hopes are we have it all ready to go.  Never say never as there is always those things that pop up last minute.

Part of our plan was to chose a smaller travel trailer for our Alaska trip.  We decided on a 2014 Flagstaff Micro Lite 25 KS Model.  It's 28' long and has everything we will need to travel and live comfortably.  We also needed to sell our second car and acquire some other items that would aid in our travels and make us more self sufficient.  I think we have all that in motion and we are ready to start the trip.



2014 Flagstaff Micro Lite 25KS



 











The Micro Lite 25KS will be our flagship as we travel from Tennessee to Alaska, lots of stops and other destinations along the way.  We will live in it for the five plus months we are on the roads, traveling endless miles and visiting more places than we can name at this point.  Travel with us and keep up with the latest update on the http://whygodutch.blogspot.com.

No one should have to ask, why go Dutch?  I'm sure that you would go if you could.  Add it to your bucket list.  You just never know when the urge to do something wild and wacky will strike you :)

Good luck to each of you on the contest.  You have a couple of months, plenty of time to come up with something unusual and unique.

*************  Click the pictures for a larger view  ***************** 

Our Nomatic Journey Begins

We became officially Nomads on the 27th of February, closing the sale of our Georgia home.  We moved bags and baggage into our Vaca House.  Taking with us only those items essential for our comfort on the roads to everywhere.



We tried to keep the weight of our items limited to only what we'd need and not what we'd always want.  When your home is mobile and always on the move, weight of your life's baggage becomes an issue as for the total weight.  We didn't want to overload our wagon like the pioneers of old and have to toss out the piano and fine china in order to get over the mountains or across the deserts.  Which was funny on our first attempt.  After loading our contents into the Vaca House I hooked up our Dodge Dully.  The weight was very noticeable with the rear springs flat and the nose of the truck pointed upward.  When sitting in the drivers seat I couldn't see over the rams head hood ornament.  I quickly said to Kathie: "Honey we need to shrink our needs!"  So we went back to the task of unloading and reevaluating the need of each chosen item.  We ended up loading more of our things into storage.  With our Vaca House loaded for the second time we said goodbye to our former home.  Leaving the new owners a welcome gift, we locked the doors for the last time and left the driveway.


 

Our first temporary stay was at the Yonah Campground, between Helen and Cleveland.


I wouldn't recommend that as a great place to stay.  The rate was outrageous for the amenities offered, or should I say the lack of.  It could have been worse as the summer seasonal rates are higher and still your getting nothing.  We were paying $37.50 a day for water, sewer and electric (30 amps), plus an additional $3.00 a day for 50 amps of power.  That was after our Good Sams discount.  No cable or wifi.  The sites are small and very overgrown.  We were in the back of the park, lot 72.  Once our slides were out we had to squeeze between the slide wall and a tree in order to get around the unit.



Our intended stay was to be only four days.  As it so often happens, things change and we were stuck there for almost two weeks.  Kathie has been sick the last couple of weeks.  Just when we thought she was getting better I too was bitten by the bug.  With both of us sick and under the weather we stayed where we were and waited for the crud that possessed us to leave.  Several days we were in bed and unable to venture out.  The weather had changed once again, turning cold.  It was a miserable time for us.  Going to the doctor resulted in a medical exam and advise to wait it out.  We had a viral infection and not bacterial infection.  We weren't alone in our misery but that was of little comfort to us.  The doctor said it would last for about four weeks and we should start to improve.  We decided to lay low, staying put until our health changed and we were feeling better.  We drink lots of water and juice, watched a lot of movies and took lots of over the counter medicines.  The best of which was Alka-Seltzer severe cold, day and night.  It was like a lemon tea and when heated taste much better than drinking it cold.  After a couple of days I was feeling much better, then a relapse.  As the doctor had said, it took time.



Finally after 13 days we felt we could make the move.  Cutting our stay short by a day, we broke camp and headed north to Tennessee.  The weather had once again improved and it was in the 70's.  However the weather in Tennessee promised to be cold and rain with 45 mph winds the following day.  That was reason enough for us to want to get the trip over a day ahead of our planned schedule.  Upon the start of our exodus from Ga. I noticed the trailer was heavy and the truck strained as we hit the inclines of the mountains.  I had driven this way many times but never had I felt the weight as much as I was feeling it on this trip.  Climbing the mountain at 35 mph and being passed by the big rigs made me ponder how we could have loaded our wagon again so heavy on our second attempt.  It was then that I felt the surge or the wave.  Back during my days of long haul trucking, hauling chemicals in an open bore tanker, I had felt that rolling back and forth many a mile.  I started to laugh and Kathie asked what was so funny.  During the cold nights, freezing low temperatures.  I had disconnected our water supply and filled our fresh water tank with 92 gallons of water.  Water weighs about 10 pounds a gallon.  We had used some of that 92 gallons and it was rolling forward on downhill and rolling backwards on uphill.  Once I got to the top of the mountain, finding room to pull off, I emptied the holding tank.  Since it was fresh water and not polluted with anything else it was ok to drain it out on the ground.  The rest of the drive was pleasant and we enjoyed the warmth of the 75 degree day.  No more big trucks passed us on the inclines, and the mountains were of little or no issue. 

We arrived before dark at Warriors Path State Park in Kingsport/Colonial Heights Tn.  We chose a great campsite over looking the lake and set up camp.  State Parks don't have everything but they are great places to stay.  Water, electric and dump station for $9.00 a day. (We enjoy a discount, golden access pass)  If your disabled military, or over the age of 65 you may qualify for discounts.  I may not like being over the age of 65 but I do like all those little perks offered along the way.  Especially that beautiful young wife of mine :)  Our stay here at Warriors is planned for 10 days.




Then to South Carolina for about 30 days.  Things could change, as we well know.  The weather here has been up and down, rain and colder for the next couple of days.  We are not planning to venture out, staying warm and dry.  We sure don't want the crud again.  That was some nasty stuff and only the passing of time will cure it.

I'm sure that you're all reading with a desire to know what the Gnomes have chosen for the new name of the Vaca House.  (Name the Vaca House Contest).



The decision wasn't an easy one.  There were many entries and the names suggested were all great.  Sadly we could only adopt one.  The final decision and the name chosen just seemed to fill all the requirements.  We wanted something that would be unique and say something about our life style and our travels.  A lot of the entries filled part of the demand but not all.  The name that was chosen was..........................
"Seymour."  It can be spelled several different ways, still with the same meaning.  It can be the same in several different languages.  The name "Seymore, Seemore, Seamore, Seymour, Seemour" just has a natural fit.  As suggested by the author of the name.  We will be traveling more, seeing more and doing more.  The Vaca House is now officially the Seymour House. 

We want to thank all of you who took time to offer a name for the contest.  As promised the prize of $50.00 will go out in tomorrows mail.  Congrads to Heather B. for her entry, winning the prize.  If you didn't win don't be discouraged.  There will be many such opportunities offered throughout the coming summer season.  As we travel there will be contests offered with prize money.  You could be the winner of our next contest.  That contest and prize amount to be announced soon.



Watch for it in an upcoming blog.  The time limit will be more than adequate and the prize is cash, rules are simple.  One entry per e-mail address.  If you have multiple family members living in your household and each having their separate e-mail address they are qualified to place an entry.  Age, gender, religion or political affiliation is not a restriction.

We have slowed our pace for a few days and are relaxing as we continue to plan our escape towards Alaska.  That trip should get under way shortly after Easter.  We are still looking at different routes.  It will be no less than 4200 miles each way.  We are thinking of going up one way and coming back another.  That will afford us ample time to see and explore many different states along our chosen routes.  We will keep you posted regarding our departure and routes.  Until our next blog we wish you a blessed day and a pleasant tomorrow.



As we travel the endless roads that are always leading us somewhere new and exciting,  modern day nomads with no plans except to keep moving.

Dutch & Kathie

Contest to Rename the Vaca House soon to close.

We are approaching the deadline.  The March 15th deadline is near.  I checked with the Gnome Committee's records clerk and discovered he's not all that busy.  You still have time to get your selection entered into the record book.  You could be the winner and your name chosen.  Lets give that sleeping gnome plenty to do over the next several weeks.



Time is money.  Don't let the cash pass you by.  Enter to win at Dutcheyl@aol.com Subject, name change.  The winner will be announced in the first blog after March the 15th 2014.

I'll be informed of the winning entry by special currier.  Like you I won't know until that special ballot is delivered.  All entry's are under lock and key, only the judges know the information and they are sworn to secrecy.



I'm counting on you to come up with a very special and unique name.  The rules are simple and open to anyone who wants to enter.  So get those entry's mailed in.  Best of luck to each of you.

Until then, Dutch and Kathie living full time on the road of life.