Aug 092014
 

I’ve had three different blog readers ask me if we have seen Lebanon Levi or any of his cohorts from the Amish Mafia television series, which is supposedly set in nearby Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. No, but I’ve never seen the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus either. This stupid “reality” series is about as far from […]

RV Upgrades

 Posted by at 12:40 am  Nick's Blog
Jun 032014
 

I’m always surprised when people say they wish they could make some change to their RV so it would better suit their lifestyle but won’t because they are afraid of reducing its resale value. I always tell them not to worry about that because whether they bought their rig new or used, it lost a […]

Mar 262011
 

For several mornings this week, we were woken up about 7 a.m. when landscapers started trimming the high oleander hedges behind our motorhome, using all kinds of noisy power equipment. I understand that chores like this need to be done, what I don’t understand is that there is probably a 1/4 mile of hedges, and […]

And Away We Go!

 Posted by at 12:17 am  Nick's Blog
Jan 142011
 

We’ve had all the fun we can have, or at least all the fun we have time to have, and today we plan to hit the road. There were a lot of things that we didn’t get done while we’ve been here in Florida, but we have to be in Yuma in mid-February to get […]

Campers And RVers

 Posted by at 12:17 am  Nick's Blog
Jan 132011
 

In the last few weeks, I’ve gotten quite a few e-mails from RV campers who think that they are RVers. I hate to burst their bubbles, but at the same time, I don’t want to be responsible for them thinking otherwise, or making costly mistakes. There is a difference between campers and RVers. I define […]

Cafe Masaryktown

 Posted by at 12:04 am  Nick's Blog
Jan 122011
 

Yesterday was the last warm day we’ll probably have while we’re here in Florida. I think it topped out at 68 degrees. Starting today, the daytime temperatures are going to be in the 50s, with overnight lows in the mid-20s. I don’t think we’ll be here much longer; in just a few days we’ll be […]

Sep 082010
 

This part of northern Indiana is a stronghold of the Amish people, and wherever you travel around the communities of Elkhart, Goshen, Nappanee, and the surrounding area, you are likely to see Amish women  in their simple handmade dresses, their heads covered in white kapps, and men wearing black straw hats or stocking caps. There […]

Oct 182009
 

We’re getting down to the wire and I’m hoping we can get everything done here in Elkhart that we need to before we leave. I’m wrapping up the new issue of the Gypsy Journal and hopefully will have it done by tonight so we can take it up to our printer in Michigan on Monday. […]

Oct 112009
 

I stole the title of today’s blog from our dear friends Ron and Brenda Speidel, who presented an excellent seminar by the same name at our Eastern Gypsy Gathering rallies this year and last. One of the most popular seminars at our rallies, the Speidels show RVers how they can save tens of thousands of […]

Sep 142009
 

I spent most of yesterday working on a website for Carlyle Lehman at Focal Wood Products. Many people are surprised to learn that while the Amish people live a much simpler lifestyle than most of us, with their horses and buggies, they do in fact make use of many modern conveniences, including telephones, electricity, and […]

A Major Upgrade

 Posted by at 4:36 am  Nick's Blog
Sep 102009
 

Several people have shown us the excellent cabinets, furniture, and RV accessories that Amish craftsman Carlyle Lehman creates at his company, Focal Wood Products LLC, in Nappanee, Indiana. So when we got our Winnebago Ultimate Advantage, we paid a visit to Carlyle and talked to him about building a set of custom desks/workstations for us. […]

Sep 092009
 

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a morning person. Never have been, never will be. I used to do a lot of hunting and fishing, but I never subscribed to the theory that you have to roll out of bed at O-Dark-30 just to ambush a bunny rabbit or hook a trout. […]

The Last Hurrah

 Posted by at 4:14 am  Nick's Blog
Sep 042009
 

Labor Day weekend. The last big hurrah of the summer traveling and camping season for most people. It’s going to be a busy weekend here at Elkhart Campground. Already RVs of every size and description are pulling in, and campground owner Bobby Patel tells me they have a lot of camping sites reserved for the […]