October 27, 2010 by Rae

Ella Greek and Mediterranean Grill, Osoyoos

The only interesting dining option within a reasonable walking distance of the RV park is Ella Greek and Mediterranean Grill. I decided to check it out today in the hope of discovering a little gem I could treat myself to once a week or so. I did!

The restaurant is tiny; more of a take out counter, but there are a few tables. The menu is Greek, but the cook is Syrian, so there’s a bit of fusion going on with the menu. I had the falafel sandwich which came with the thin pita the Lebanese (and Syrians) use as well as tahini, but which had feta, tzakiki, and cucumber, which the Greeks add. I’m also curious about the roasted red peppers I was convinced to try. They might be a Syrian thing; the Lebanese add marinated turnips. No matter where they come from, YUM!

The cook was super busy so we didn’t get a chance to chat long, but she said that she tried to make her falafel the way the Syrians do, which is the way I like them, lots of parsley, mint, garlic, and cumin. But the Osoyoos palate doesn’t support that. So, she makes them pretty plain, with sesame seeds for extra crunch and flavour. They’re tasty, but ho hum. At least, they are fresh; it was awesome to see her scooping out falafel balls, shaping them, and dropping them in the fryer.

The falafel sandwich wound up being huge; I had a hard time finishing it! At just under $7, it was reasonably priced for this part of Canada. The lack of zing made the sandwich one that soothed my falafel itch, but did not assuage it, so I don’t think I’ll be having it again even though it was excellent, with a great mix of flavours and textures. But I will definitely go back to try the dolmads, calamari, chicken souvlaki, salads and other wonderful treats on the menu!

October 26, 2010 by Rae

Repurposing Storage

This weekend, I hope to start the final assault on the front of the rig. I want to have the kitchen, entrance, library, and loft completely done except for perhaps minor decorative touches by the end of 2010. Ambitious, much?

The focus this week has been on fine-tuning my vision of the perfect kitchen. I started to go off on some pretty crazy tangents, coming up with storage ideas for every nook and cranny without even thinking about why I would need more storage or even if I needed it.

Finally, I decided that my biggest issue is with drawer space. Miranda has only three tiny and awkward kitchen drawers:

Over time, my use of them has changed and settled into:

Top drawer for cutlery and everyday tools;

Middle drawer for dish towels;

Bottom drawer for occasionally used tools.

I have had it up to here with digging through that top drawer every time I want a knife, the pizza cutter, a teaspoon, etc. The drawer is too deep and narrow for separators, so everything just gets thrown in.

so sick of this jumble!

Tonight, while working on the final layout for the study, I had an epiphany. Remember my supply cubbies? I have used them for ten years to house all my office supplies. I haven’t been able to find a home for them in Miranda. Moreover, the new desk has drawers with more than enough room for all my supplies. Why not move it to the kitchen?

pizza cutter, tongs, can opener, all easily accessible

miscellaneous stuff in one layer, easy to go through

The top three cubbies aren’t quite the right size to hold the cutlery. I put forks and spoons in at a diagonal on that row, but butter knives had to go diagonally into a larger cubby on the second tier.

My favourite part of the setup is my new coffee centre:

the canister holds coffee, a measure, and powdered milk

I don’t even feel the footprint of the cubbies at all. The counter is very deep there, but not useful for anything other than holding stuff. I’ll be removing the blind and the valance, which will give me an extra inch of space.

Once the cubbies are on skid-proof material, I’ll just need to turn them around for travel.

The top kitchen drawer is now going to hold spices since I don’t like the magnetic spice holder. The middle drawer will now house dish cloths and the bottom drawer, dish towels. This will declutter the space under the sink that was holding dish cloths and give me more room to manoeuvre in there. Getting dizzy yet?

The final thing I need to work on in the kitchen is the pantry (which is actually three overhead cabinets and a cupboard). That has been the biggest work in progress since I moved into the rig, but I’m getting close. One of the things I need to do is reconsider my storage containers so that they stack better. I tend to shop every few days and rarely have a lot of food stored on board, but I want my staples to be more accessible to reduce the number of surprises I get when I go through the pantry once a month or so!

I have to say that my kitchen has turned out to be the biggest surprise about living in Miranda because it is so functional. I’ve always had big kitchens with lots of cabinets, so I’m a bit shocked that this tiny one works so well for me. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I know what tools I need and have pared myself down to just those essentials.

Now, I just need to organize those desk drawers in the study…

October 25, 2010 by Rae

The Ducks!

I’ve been doing some admin stuff today between little domesticities like making a casserole and doing a couple of loads of laundry. I went out around 5 to see if I had any mail at the office. En route, I scared a flock of mallards and they flew off in thunderous synchronicity. There had to be at least a hundred of those ducks and they blackened the sky with a deafening honk. A few remained on the ground and they yelled at me before taking off, too, making sure to fly straight at me before veering off to join their flock. It was straight out of something Hitchcock would have written, except ducks are such droll creatures that the effect was more funny than scary!

October 25, 2010 by Rae

Lifestyle Design

Today’s post is for those who are dissatisfied with their lives and unaware that there are other ways to live. Did you know that pre-retirement age RVers are lifestyle designers?

Corbett Barr claims that there are five categories of life plans, of which life style design is one:

Lifestyle designers believe there is a better way. They essentially ask, “why wait until you’re rich or retired to live the life you really want to live?” They start with the concept of an ideal lifestyle and work backwards to plan a career that will suit that lifestyle.

He also has this to say about lifestyle design:

it’s about examining your life and your goals and thinking unconventionally about how to make things possible now instead of later. It’s about designing your life instead of letting society design it for you.

Many pre-retirement age full-time RVers are living their dreams right now, instead of deferring them. They are committed to the notion that life experiences, not material goods, are what truly make you rich. They may camphost long hours during the summer and then spend the rest of the year living frugally in a warm climate. They might decide on a smaller and less flashy rig so they can have better gas mileage and stealth boondocking capabilities. And many choose to work longer and defer retirement since they are already doing what they planned to do when retired.

Lifestyle design does mean choosing an unconventional path. But that does not mean it has to be a difficult one. After all, what is harder: getting up in the morning every day when you hate how you will spend it, or working long hours at something you love that let’s you feel free?

There is certainly more to life than ‘this.’

October 23, 2010 by Rae

Amblin’ Around Nk’Mip

While Nk’Mip RV Park isn’t really within walking distance of anything practical, there are plenty of beautiful places to go for a stroll. I especially love the contrast of being able to choose lakeshore or desert.

This morning was overcast and wet and we are heading back into that inclemency, so I took advantage of a brief clear period to go stretch my legs. I picked desert today and remembered to bring my camera!