Five months later, we're still living full-time in 200 square feet of space ...

We've been camped at the San Francisco/Petaluma (California) KOA for five months now. The plan was to move into an apartment, a house or a larger RV for the winter months of rain and cold. Guess what? John and I, aside from one time early in our stay, realized that we didn't need another abode.

It's amazing that our 24-foot (no slides) fifth-wheel, The Wanderer, has been so tremendously comfortable. People ask us how on earth can 200 square feet of space be comfortable for two people and two dogs to live in full-time.

I tell them that we took special care to get an RV that was just right for us, one that would meet our known needs. Those needs were a nice sitting area for evening movie watching that doubled as a great eating area and office space.

We really enjoy our comfortable sitting area. It works great for movie watching. When we fold the leaves of the table out, it works great for meals and doubles as a desktop.

The other thing that makes this space so comfortable for me on a long-term basis is the fact that John goes to work five days a week and I have the space all to myself while he is away. I get to renew my spirit with uninterrupted creative activities for as much of the day as I desire. That's it in a nutshell.

I will add that what's critical in our relationship to make this lifestyle work is that we are respectful of one another's needs in this space -- if we aren't enjoying the same music or video, we use headphones. If one person needs to get to bed at a decent hour, the other person is quiet and keeps lights low or even off so the other one can sleep. I don't stay out too late on nights when John has to get up and go to work early the next day. Why? Because when I come home, the dogs wake and make a commotion and I make a commotion too getting ready for bed. It's no fun if I wake John knowing that he needs a good night's sleep.

In the morning when John gets up, he closes off the sleep area with the hanging curtain so it blocks the light and doesn't interrupt my and the doggies' sleep. If I am awake before he leaves in the morning, I stay in bed so that he has full access to everything he needs to efficiently get himself out the door on time.

Life really becomes pretty simple when you live in 200 square feet of space. Clutter cannot exist. When a new thing comes in, an old thing has to go. You just don't have that much stuff to tend to or to distract you. The "house" and "yard" still need care but nothing as time and energy-consuming as living in a house.

We'll live this way for another seven months before we either head back to British Columbia or who knows, maybe we'll go further south next winter. We'll see how we feel at that time. After all, we'll have our house with us and that means our suitcases will already be packed.

I plan to write more blog posts now that I'm completely settled into my life here in Petaluma. I want to tell you about the dog-walking service I'm providing here at the KOA for travelers and tourists with canines. I want to share with you about the sights around Sonoma County. It would be fun to share some of the art I'm creating here. And I would love to hear from you, my old friends from years past. So take care all of you and I promise I'll keep in better touch.