June 2017

All TVEMS,

You may already have heard the news, but I wanted to take a moment to let you know that today is my last day at TVEMS.
I have enjoyed my tenure here and I appreciate having had the opportunity to work with all of you.
It was my good fortune to have worked at TVEMS and to also leave you in Jerry Thomas’ capable hands.

Sincerely,
Lyle Huff

Another stressor killed... Jan needed her car right up to when we leave on our trip, but what if it doesn't sell? The NADA Guide provided pricing information for a private sale but Craig's List produced no leads (not even the usual scam offer). Auto-trader, however, generated several dealer offers which were close to our ask and it took less than 24 hours to complete the sale.

Subaru Tribeca

Lyle is still working until June 29th, but since our house sold in one day we need to stay in the area until his retirement. Problem is the "area" is in the middle of an oil and gas boom and every RV park on the front range is full of work-campers. We tried for months to reserve a spot but we mostly have had to stitch together a few days here and there and yes, Lyle did drive down this street and park our 38 foot RV. Jan says it is like living in an alley.

Our Street

The Alley

We've moved to Boyd Lake State Park for our last week of work.

Once we got the RV set up and stored, we went about getting the house ready to sell. We contacted our Realtor who planned to list it in 6 weeks and included an open house date. The home stager basically said only two pieces of furniture per room. So during the run up to the sale date we were living in a "model home" with all of our things stashed away in bins. This made it easier to let go because our RV was now more of a home than our home. In the end, the house sold in one day and above the asking price. We had just a few weeks left to liquidate everything. The getting rid of all of our belongings part was an exhausting process that seemed like it would never end. The kids took what they could and the rest went to friends, a giant garage sale, donations, and finally 1-800-Got-Junk. We were finally free of our home and possessions. Everything we own is now in our trailer and I'm sure we will shed more things as time goes on.

http://tours.virtuance.com/public/vtour/display/740212?a=1

House

Once we decided an RV could serve as a home base while in the US, we just had to agree on what kind. We both love to camp but I had never owned or used an RV. Jan had experience with a motor home, but wasn't particularly keen on owning one.

1. A motor home seemed complicated and expensive. You would also need a towed vehicle.
2. A travel trailer seemed difficult to tow.
3. A fifth wheel seemed just right, but you would need an expensive truck.

Here is a photo of Jan learning to drive it with the "RV Basic Training" instructor watching.

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