Category: Life in a Box

All about RVing adventures.

Journal entry – 28 Dec 2015, Mon – Open for business!

Up and about a touch early – off to explore the coffee shop/eatery “Bead & Berry” for breakfast. It’s just across the street and everything on the menu looks delicious – they’ve been closed all weekend for the holiday, however, and this is our first chance to test them out. We thoroughly enjoy coffee and our food.

Back to Mashley’s Fireworks Lot. We bring out the combination packages (the most expensive items, left locked in storage until the last minute in case someone hops the fence and grabs things during the night) and wait for the fire deputy to arrive and ok our setup so that we can legally be open for business. Mel comes by to be here for the inspection as the city’s been giving him a bit of a hard time about this lot.

We have a couple of customers come by before the inspection and make a few dollars. Once the inspection is over and we’re ready to go (it was pretty straight-forward and painless for us) we’re open for business. A few people have stopped by thus far.

Ashley went back over to Bead & Berry to grab some lunch. We have left-overs from last night’s tacos for supper but no idea what to make otherwise so this gives us a chance to try out their lunch offerings.

Journal entry – 27 Dec 2015, Sun – Pricing Fireworks

Didn’t do much yesterday. Able to sleep in during the morning. Priced fireworks and finalized the displays. The distribution crew came and picked up Christmas Tree equipment.

It’s amazing how the weather can change in the desert – from miserably cold to miserably hot to miserably windy.

2015-12-28 20.13.34

Sharing our parking lot is a Big O Tires – they looked at the RV and determined that the squeaking is basically dust buildup on the back brakes – it won’t hurt anything, just sounds annoying. So we aren’t going to pay for new brakes until they’re needed.

Made tortillas from scratch and had some chicken tacos. Fresh tortillas really do make a huge difference!

Journal entry – 26 Dec 2015, Sat

Didn’t sleep worth a hoot last night. Woke at 12:15ish and stayed in bed until 1:25 before getting up to read until just before 3 and up again at 6:35. Dunno if it’s a different traffic noise, lights, or something else but just couldn’t sleep.

We had started pulling tables from the shipping container when Mel arrived. He helped us set them up, put the American Flag covers on them, and outlined how to organize our fireworks. Before starting on those we walked a block down the street to a local coffee shop/deli… which wasn’t open. Good for them, closed for the holiday weekend, but a shame we didn’t get to try them out. Across the street is Fry’s groceries (which is just a rebranded Kroger) so we walked over there and picked up a couple of items before heading back home for lunch.

After lunch, we pulled boxes of fireworks from the shipping container and had them in a rough order by type and size by the time Mel returned. He helped us set up a couple of displays, dropped off a few miscellaneous items, and headed on to the next lot.

2015-12-28 13.42.00 2015-12-28 13.42.47

I run down to the hardware store for some odds-n-ends and pick up coffee for Ashley and gas for the generators on the way back.

It was cold and windy all day long. Putting the table wrapping on was an absolute pain, as was hanging the sides on the tent. I’m worried that half of the displays we set up will be scattered across the lot in the morning.

 

 Finally wrapping up at 8:30, we headed inside for some heat and supper. Don’t feel like cooking, though, so I run down to Chipotle and get some burrito bowls for supper. Tasty and quick!

Journal entry – 25 Dec 2015, Fri – Christmas day – leaving the pumpkin/tree lot

Slept in until we woke up, which was not as late as we expected. Breakfast and Ashley opened her present, a light for her bicycle so she can ride before/after the sun.

We take apart the plumbing, siphon/run the generators out of gas, and put away the last couple of items on the lot before heading out.

Since it’s Christmas, not a lot is open. We stop and fill up propane, both the built-in and removable tanks. Then find a laundro-mat that is open and finally catch up on laundry. Not as nice as our “regular” place, but it gets the job done. While everything’s in the dryer we eat lunch out in the parking lot. Good to feel like we’re back on the move again!

Off to StarBucks for drinks and a FaceTime call with Ashley’s family. Nice to see everyone!

Then our schedule kicks in and we head down to Maricopa for our Fireworks lot. We’re meeting Mel there so that he can close out the books on the Christmas trees and start us on Fireworks. He isn’t there when we arrive so we chat with Candy and David (who ran the tree lot). He shows me a couple of quirks about the setup and the girls compare notes on the employees. Overall we agree that the training could be a lot more in-depth.

Mel arrives, sees them off, and we inventory the Fireworks in the shipping container. This involves removing them from the pallets, moving them from the right side to the left as we go, marking each item off on the list. A bit tedious and cramped quarters but we get the job done.

Finished with the inventory, Mel heads off, scheduled to return at 9 tomorrow morning to help us get set up.

We maneuver the RV in place and get set up for the night.

ceramic Christmas tree

Journal entry – 24 Dec 2015, Thurs – Christmas Eve – shutting down the tree lot

Final Tree Count – 951

One final day. Everyone who’s able is supposed to come in to help take down. We get started at 9 and it takes longer than expected. Only 4 guys showed up, so we can’t work as quickly as we thought. But everything gets done, we sell quite a few more trees (though at quite great rates) and even treat the guys to pizza as thanks for their hard work this season.

We’re surprised how many people stop by looking for trees. Last year they sold 4 on Christmas Eve while we sold 23 (one lady purchased 9 for an upcoming wedding, still bundled). One gentleman bought a tree, after driving 15 miles, and then returned about 9:20 to purchase a stand. We’d already closed the books, sent in final inventory, etc… So it came out of petty cash. After he left I locked the gates since closing them and having an empty lot apparently wasn’t quite enough.

Mike and Vicki stopped by with a Christmas feast. That was quite a treat. We love visiting with them, though we definitely want to tream them to a meal. Vicki showed off her new engagement ring – it’s beautiful. How exciting!

One of our employees, Bill, gave us a ceramic Christmas tree that he painted for us. It’s RV-sized!

ceramic Christmas tree

Our new Christmas Tree!

Journal entry – 20-23 Dec 2015, Sun-Wed – last week at the tree lot

Slow at the tree lot, we take advantage and call everyone off. This will help us keep our labor costs low (which hopefully helps us reach the threshold to earn a bonus) and also just keeps them from being bored. Poor Cole B. came in one morning and sat there, bored, with Ashley. They played Spot It to pass the time.

During our slow mornings/afternoons we watch through Season 1 of Heroes and generally enjoy having the place to ourselves. I run to the Post Office a few times to pick up gift packages. I believe we’ve got them all, which is good since we’re leaving Christmas Day and the last day they’ll hold them for us is the 26th.

We’re thoroughly enjoying our Christmas packages!
From Mom and Tobey: cookies, chocolate/caramel/nutty/saltines, photos from Tobey, and the chocolate orange were wonderful to receive!
Norma and Jim included some tea, delicious home-made salsa, and apple sauce from Carvers!
(Yes, we received non-food items as well. I’m using my ninja-turtle wash cloth and we’ve blown quite a few bubbles. Ashley wears her defuser necklace daily and we’re excited to wear our new bicycle jerseys.)

Pipers, still our favorite/tea coffee shop, sent along a vinyl sticker with the latest tea order. We thought it’d go perfectly above our “coffee station”. And we were right!

Pipers Coffee and Tea!

Pipers Coffee and Tea!

In addition to those sent by others, we also ordered some items from Amazon that have been on our list for some time. Since we have a fixed mailing address for a bit now seems like the perfect time to do so. A new coffee maker for me (pour-over cone, the old one works but has a couple of cracks) a bicycle light set for Ashley’s Christmas present, metal license plate bracket for the trailer (they seem to only sell plastic ones in stores), a new shower head that is our Christmas present to each other, and even some batteries (you can buy watch batteries in bulk far cheaper online than in any store – quite a savings for our flashlights).

I install the VIN plate on the trailer and the license plate bracket. After 5 months now we’re finally legal in all of the states. Horray!

The new shower head makes a huge, HUGE, difference. There were times where the water basically just dribbled down the handle instead of any kind of actual stream. This one is a full-on spray, however. I’ve read numerous reviews saying how much of a difference this new one makes – they did not exaggerate. Now we’re debating if it uses more water or if we are just taking longer showers. Either way, we’ll have to be conscious of our water usage with this new shower head, even more than before.

Journal entry – 21-24 October 2015, Tues-Sat – Gilbert, AZ – Peddling pumpkins

Journal entries are just that – the digital copy of my hand-written entries in my journal. If you aren’t interested in the daily details of our adventure, feel free to skip on to the next “regular” post.

Wednesday

Woke and went for a bicycle ride down along the canal. Slightly annoying to stop for a road crossing every .25 miles but quiet, peaceful and otherwise pretty. So definitely worth it! Stopped by The Coffee Shop halfway and then home to find Jose putting up lights on our fence.

I start making pumpkin pancakes when a semi pulls up. Surprise! We’re getting more pumpkins.

Jose leaves to get the tractor and returns with a crew to help unload. We get everything arranged about lunch time (and we’re more than ready to eat) so they head on to the next lot and we finally eat.

Out of room in the tent, we pull the tables under our awning for the register and carving kit/pattern displays. Very convenient, right next to the door. Our commute just went from 100′ down to 3′. 🙂

    

I run to Trader Joe’s for tortilla chips. The salsa is very tasty!

Thursday

Ashley took the morning off – bike riding and exploring the area. She went to The Coffee Shop and enjoyed a delicious lunch.

Friday

I took the morning off – grocery shopping and then heading to The Coffee Shop for a tasty sandwich and wifi. Really enjoyed a relaxing morning.

  

Mel stopped by for a couple hours. Brought a new battery for the big generator and looked over books with Ashley.

Busy evening! Captain America and Cinderella came and bought pumpkins.

Saturday

Productive day. Cleaned and oiled bicycles. Washed the motorcycle. Sold the most pumpkins yet.

Almost out of propane in the RV and Ash doesn’t want to unhook and pack everything away so I can go get more. I was planning on buying a T so that we can use our 20lb tank as a supplement and call around for options. Lowes and a DIY is the best bet so, after 3 trips to get all of the right parts, we now have a way to get back-up propane. Very handy!

Journal entry – 20 October 2015, Tues – Gilbert, AZ – Running the pumpkin lot

Journal entries are just that – the digital copy of my hand-written entries in my journal. If you aren’t interested in the daily details of our adventure, feel free to skip on to the next “regular” post.

Cooking day! Ashley manned the register while I cooked. Baked and boiled pumpkins to make home-made puree. Worked well, though boiling is quicker. Maybe baking a smaller pumpkin is a better options… Also roasted two batches of pumpkin seeds.

Also put together a batch of salsa. We do love salsa and just go through jars so quickly! Having 2+ quarts in a go is perfect!

Finally topped it off with Japanese cheesecake. It’s like a cheesecake soufflé. Never did brown on top but tastes delicious anyway. Baked it in muffin cups instead of a cake pan.

  

Yesterday I put together a batch of fridge pickles and let them sit over night. Tried with supper today and they’re delicious. Took maybe 15 minutes to make and will last a couple of weeks. Definitely a good recipe to save.

Journal entry – 15-19 October 2015, Thurs-Mon – Gilbert, AZ – Running the pumpkin lot

Journal entries are just that – the digital copy of my hand-written entries in my journal. If you aren’t interested in the daily details of our adventure, feel free to skip on to the next “regular” post.

People trickle in throughout the days and we sell pumpkins in groups of 1-5 or so. A dust storm on Thursday has us buttoning down hatches. We have to undecorate the awning 🙁 to close it. With the wind we re-set up our decorations at least 6 times over a couple of hours.

  

Thursday evening I catch Andy, the maintenance man, over at the church. He remembers a hookup last year and shows me the spigot. I get hoses stretched out and refill our tank before hooking up. Horray, water!

Friday, Mike and Mel arrive with old carpets from apartments. We put two under our awning to help with dust. They approve my PVC layout and suggest getting an additional drinking water hose.

It rains Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The carpet may never be dry. The hose I pick up is too short, so I have to redesign the PVC and then old connections crack. It takes 3 days and half a dozen trips to Lowes/Home Depot for me to finally get water run. We eventually have water hooked up to the RV and throughout our lot. There are three hose connections that we can use to spray off the trees when we switch seasons.

  

Sales seem fairly steady. Apparently it’s a mad rush at the end, so on the 30-31st we will actually go through our stock. Another load to fill out our stash is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday.

One woman picks up a pumpkin and comes back the next day with it hollowed out for a photo shoot with her baby. He fits inside perfectly.

   
    

Another woman picked up a large pumpkin and some tiny ones to use for a pregnancy announcement. She plans to cut open the big one and carve a heart in it then out the small one inside it. Fun!

We have three generators of different sizes. The largest has an electric start, but the battery is dead and won’t take a charge. I have to run a generator and hook up my battery charger in order to start it.

  

I run all the errands – between my bike rack and the motorcycle I can carry things more easily than Ashley could in a backpack. She’s ready to get out and about with a purpose, not just aimlessly wandering on her bicycle.

We do a quick fitness test and are sore for 2 days.

With pumpkins to throw away daily – unsellable due to bad spots, we carve jack-o-lanterns, roast seeds and plan on trying lots of different recipes. Pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin pancakes, soup, blackbean and pumpkin chili, etc. Plenty of raw material, it seems a shame not to experiment when we so readily have the chance!

Journal entry – 11-14 October 2015, Sat-Wed – Gilbert, AZ – Prepping the pumpkin lot

Journal entries are just that – the digital copy of my hand-written entries in my journal. If you aren’t interested in the daily details of our adventure, feel free to skip on to the next “regular” post.

Over the next few days we inventory our supplies, receive accessories to sell (pattern books, carving kits, and candles) decorate some (banners, flags, lights on the RV) and wait. 30 straw bales are dropped off, the fence is installed, a porta-john and dumpster are delivered, and lights are installed on the tent.

We take the opportunity to get out and explore the surrounding areas. Lots of little “patches” of stores – old towns that are now all one urban sprawl. There is a Latter Day Saints (Mormon) church every half-mile or so around us. We find a million grocery stores (including Sprouts and Trader Joe’s), a few coffee shops (not as many as we expected – which should save us some money) the food truck court, and the usual suspects – mall, Target, WalMart, etc.

I start calling the church next door about hooking up for water. The spigot is easy enough to find but we can’t seem to catch anyone there. We run out of water in our fresh tank, so I take our water jug on the motorcycle and buy water from a Glacier water vending machine.

  
On Wednesday our pumpkins arrive, along with a crew to help unload them. After a few hours our straw is arranged and we have piles of pumpkins scattered throughout the tent. Everyone heads on to the next patch while Ashley and I finish arranging and decorating. We set up two photo areas, a “graveyard” and generally have a blast. In our completely unbiased opinion, everything looks amazing!

  
One pumpkin is sold that evening. How exciting!