Look What's Hangin' In the RV

Wall space is limited. Knobs act as picture hooks. Choices continually need to be made about what stays and what goes. Christmas was a tricky one -- we ended up mailing a big box of lovely, but non-essential, gifts we received to my in-laws to hold for us until we have a more permanent domicile.

But we couldn’t say goodbye to Simon’s 298-piece Thornitus V9. For those of you not in the know, a Thornitus V9 is a Bionicle. If that doesn’t help, Bionicles are made by Lego and are interlocking pieces of molded plastic that when put together (after the 43 steps) make any assortment of absolutely frightening robots, usually graced with axes, swords, javelins, shields, and bows. For a family that bans guns (real or pretend) for some reason we have pardoned hand-to-hand combat weapons. Their names are as frightening as their piercing eyes and absurd number of plastic parts – Makuta, The Dark Hunters, and Scopio XV1. The Thornitus V9 made the cut and it is now in the plastic crate under the couch of the RV.

And then there are our walls. Whatever space Evan and I have shared, from our first apartment together in Cambridge, MA to the three homes we have owned in Massachusetts, Georgia and London, and the countless rentals in between, we have put up art work almost immediately. Even here in our rolling home we have things hanging from the knobs and taped onto the walls. They remind us of friends and family and help make our little house a bit more like a home.

Now presenting: The RV Collection. I like to think of these objects as amulets that are helping us on our journey.

Hanging from a knob in the kitchen is a white felt Guardian Angel made by Anna. This is our Safety and Good Parking Spaces Amulet. Anna and I met back in London at Clown School. Clowns was the name of the nursery and our 3-year olds were in the same class. No, they did not teach the children proper techniques for landing should they find themselves being shot out of a cannon – it was just a regular old North London nursery with a funny name. Anna and I would cross paths twice a day for drop-off and pick-up. Being new to the London Preschool Scene I had no idea I wasn’t suppose to talk to anyone. And Anna, a wonderful, chatty, brilliant, radiant woman from Brazil didn’t either, and so started a friendship that went beyond our sons. She joined our book group and even after their big move out of London and up to Kings Langley she still made it down once a month for our Book Group/Pub Crawls where we discussed just about anything under the sun and sometimes the book.

Anna has not only ground flour to make her own bread, she has made the bricks to build the oven she has cooked the bread in. Yes, she made the felt that she sewed into the angel. When I am whining that I have dirt under my fingernails from three states ago, I think of Anna and how I bet she would think that is cool.

In the cockpit hanging from the rear view mirror is the Obama Rama Odor Eater presented to us by Mary. This is our Good Smells Amulet that ensures burnt dinners, rotting pieces of lost cheese, and other unmentionable smells that come from sharing small spaces with 3 members of the male sex are quickly eradicated. Mary was my former neighbor and friend in London. A fellow ex-patriot our kids went to the same school and we worked together as rebel rousers shaking things up in the school and on our street. During the 2008 elections she, I and a number of other women ping-ponged so many emails – way too many, but all too funny not to pass on, about Sarah – we experienced withdrawal once the election was over. Whenever I look in the rearview mirror as I am backing up my 14,000 pound home on wheels I think about Mary, Obama and how I may have taken this whole “Yes We Can” manifesto a little too personally.

On the knob of the cupboard holding Josh’s clothes, directly above the couch, are wind chimes given to Josh by his cousin Dow who currently lives in Manila. I think of this semi-melodious light tinkling as our Spirituality Good Omen. I heard them as we were driving through the LA traffic along the 405, on the wild turns through the Grand Tetons, and they were chiming out of control today as we hit the dirt roads in Joshua Tree National Park. While they were a gift to Josh for his birthday they are a reminder to me of my brother and sister-in-law -- Dow’s parents -- who met when they were in the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa. Throughout their life together they have lived in San Francisco, Hong Kong, Portland OR, Washington DC, Niger, London and now Manila. They make Evan and I look like amateurs at this moving thing. They may look like wanderers on the outside, but they are the most together and grounded couple/family I know and hearing the lovely lilt reminds me to take a breath.

And then there is the Tangerine rind mobile from my lovely niece Amy that hangs from an electrical knob in our tiny bedroom in the back of the RV. I think of this as our Whimsical Amulet. She made it for us for Christmas knowing we had limited space. She is a fabulous artist (as well as a yoga instructor and graduate student). She tore the tangerine peels to look like flowers and sewed them with fishing wire interspersed with clear crystal cut beads on to a piece of wood covered with twine. Amy is the kind of woman that questions the world and enjoys the process of finding the answers. She reminds me to look at things with an eye towards possibilities. Why not drive the extra ten miles to take that family photo with the Giant Artichoke in Castroville, CA? Why not take a flash light hike to experience the desert at nighttime?

The other things that are taped to the walls include Simon’s point chart, showing our dedication to education and discipline through bribery, as well as various score cards from Miniature Golf games played across the nation representing our aspiring commitment to athleticism.

All these amulets remind us that we do have a community of friends and family that are travelling with us.