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Author :Bev Berry in Modern Day Hobo in an RV

Probably the #1 best thing about living the RV lifestyle is seeing people I may never have seen again in my whole life. In September of 2015, I visited my friend, Debbie Riley in Loveland, OH and we had not seen each other in 40 years!! Debbie is one of those friends that you do not have to talk to everyday or Facebook everyday but you know she will always be your friend and open her arms when you arrive.

Debbie and I had met when we were not even 20 and both married to our first husbands who were stationed at Vandenburg AFB in Lompoc, CA. It was one of those times when you meet someone and you instantly know them and feel connected to them; instant friends. I believe this is because you have spent a past life with that person. You believe what works for you.

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After I left my husband and moved back to Santa Barbara, she and her girls would come and visit. Then, they all moved back to Cincinnati. We wrote letters for years but never saw each other again. We lost track of each other for a while and Facebook allowed us to reconnect and start corresponding again.

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When I decided to head out on my first trip, a visit to Debbie was at the top of my list! When I pulled into her driveway, she was outside and we hugged and hugged and it felt like we were still the same girlfriends from over 40 years ago. There was no awkwardness, just connection. I stayed there for a week and we had a most wonderful time.

People always offer their guest rooms to those of us who live fulltime in our RVs but I've spoken to many other full timers and we all prefer to stay in our homes rather than inside someone else's. It is more convenient because everything you need is right there and you don't have to pack it up and haul it inside. It is nice to maybe use their bigger shower or if they have a bathtub, to be able to take a long missed soak. So when Debbie offered for me to stay in the house I told her what I tell everyone, "I actually prefer to stay in my RV if that is OK and if you are comfortable with me hooking up to your water and electricity." She said, "No, I want you as much as I can get you while you are here, from the time you get up until the time you go to bed." I laughed and said, "OK." What do you say when someone expresses how important you are to them? It was so sweet and so is Debbie. She took amazing care of me and was so generous in helping me get Dolly to the vet when she had a bladder infection, took me to a musical and to a Renaissance Fair.

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The main blog picture is from a great and wild restaurant that we had wonderful food and laughs with Debbie and her daughter, Heather.

The picture below is from the Renaissance Fair where we met up with Debbie's other daughter, Tara and her family.



The next picture is from the stockades at Loveland Castle which was built by hand by one man throughout his lifetime. He always wanted to have his own castle so he built it using stones from the creek just below the house and from cement bricks he made himself using milk cartons. It's a fascinating place and story and this is the sort of thing one might never see even if traveling if you didn't stop to visit friends who know the area and can take you to special places.


The final picture is of Dolly's new best friend, Birdy (a sweet and gentle Golden Retriever.

Birdy was the first dog Dolly warmed up to in a matter of minutes. Generally she doesn't like other dogs and took 2 weeks to finally play with my sister's dog but within a day she and Birdy were fast friends. It was so cute to see them play together since Dolly is about the size of Birdy's head. But, she was so gentle and patient with Dolly that Dolly felt safe and they played and played. We had so much fun but the best, best, best part was just being with my friend, catching up on 40+ years can take some talking. When it came time for me to leave, it was hard and I cried but we vowed to see each other more often, since neither of us will likely live another 40 years!