Hi Linda, I am so glad Howard finally let you at the computer!! I love reading all the journal entries. But I am glad to have this place to ask you "girl questions" We can let the men talk about putting together boats and which battery works best, I want to talk cooking, storage and how to take a shower in the campground showers without getting athlete's foot! (or God knows what!) My hobby takes up a little more room than yours so I hope I will have enough storage to bring it along with me when we start RVing for real. (In five years and counting) I like to do "one stroke painting" I paint almost anything that stands still. My husband is afraid to take a nap for fear that I will paint a flower on his tummy! This may sound like a silly thing to talk about but conserving water can be very important when you have to use your storage tanks. The question is, have you tried the new Dawn detergent that claims it allows you to wash dishes with "less water". It claims you just put a little foam on the dish towel to wash the dishes and rinse it away easily. (Using less water for the whole process) We thought it sounded like a good idea for the fifth wheel. But we haven't used it yet. We will try anything to keep from having to hook up and empty the tank or use the blue goose. I was also curious to know if you have tried cooking on your campfire using the castiron dutch ovens. I have a recipe book about that type of cooking and it looks like fun, but I have not tried it. About that public shower issue. My husband thinks I am silly, but I bought a folding floor that I love (I don't think that is what it is called but I can't think of the name.) from Camper World. When it is folded, you can put your shampoo, wash cloth soap etc in it and carry it to the shower. I wear my shower shoes in the shower of course, but when I am ready to dry off and dress, I always get my clothes wet from the floor that invariably gets wet while I am showering. I open the little wooden floor and put it down outside the shower and put my clothes on without having to balance and keep the pant legs from dragging on the wet floor. I just thought I would share that with you ladies, I don't think the men will appreciate the problem. (Or maybe I am only one who has and issue with this I don't know I am looking forward to reading about RVing from a woman's perspective.

Hi Bonnie,

I am so glad you want to hear from me! 

I have not tried the Dawn detergent.  I guess I don't worry about filling the tank because Howard and I have an agreement that he will use the Blue Boy on the galley tank when needed.  I want to be able to live as comfortably as possible and not have to worry about conserving on a daily basis. 

I don't have a Dutch Oven but I have heard from others that they love them.  So maybe others will chime in on that subject.

Now for the shower.  I wear cheap .99 pair of flip flops in the shower.  I carry all of my toiletries in a plastic basket.  I also have a zip up coverup that I throw on after the shower and walk back to the rig.  I don't take any other clothes to the shower because I don't want them to get wet.  The shower floor you have sounds neat.  I will have to check that out the next time I am in a Camping World.

Linda: Thanks for the idea of the .99 flip flops in the shower and the zip-up cover-up. The one thing that can gross me out about public showers is the floor. And I, too, hate the balancing dance of trying to get dressed without dragging my clothes on the wet floor. This is a great forum! Thanks Linda. Thanks Howard.

Linda:

Your discussing your coverup reminds me of a caftan (bathrobe) I made using three bath towels years ago. 

 

Buy three bath towels (measure from about the middle of your chest to floor as how long you want it to be) - towels come in different sizes.

Fold one towel lengthwise - find the center and on the fold cut a hole large enough to slip over your head easily.  Lay it  (wrong side up) crosswise and center the other two towels (wrong size up) lengthwise one on either side  of the first towel.  Starting at one end of the crosswise towel sew a continuous seam until it connects to the other towels - continue for about 5/8 inch make a 90 degree angle and sew the side seams down about 2/3 of the way (so you'll have a leg slit).  Sew the other side the same way.  Now turn the neck hole down about 5/8 inch and hem and you have a caftan that would be great for traveling back and forth to the bath house.   The hardest part of the whole project is having to cut that hole in the middle of a brand new towel.

Love your  site and it's great hearing from you!!  As for me I'm off to Walmart to buy me three new towels!

Sill in Spokane!

Jenny

Glad I could help!

Linda, great idea .99c flip flops and the bucket idea.  Tony has already had to deal with the Athlete's foot problem and we've only been fulltiming for a couple of months.  WalMart here we come!!!

We went camping this weekend at Henderson Beach State Park in Destin FL. I tried the new Dawn Detergent and I did like it. I like to conserve water when we don't have full hook up because even using the blue goose is an unpleasant task even if dumping grey water. We were only camping for the weekend so water conservation was not an issue, but I wanted to see if the detergent was ok. It was.

I always use my shower shoes and cover up, but I still love my shower deck. (I found the name in a camping world catalog. It was on sale) I just like being able to step onto my dry floor to get my feet dry. I always carry the undergarments to the shower with me. The deck makes it easier to get everything on and keep it all dry. The showers at Henderson Beach are the cleanest and most comfortable of any campground I have ever been in by the way.