I do not like cold

After a few windy, cold days in Port Townsend I have concluded (for at least the 500th time) that I do not like cold. I like WARM! I quit snow skiing years ago because I disliked the cold more than I liked the skiing.

I grew up in Southern California. That may explain why I like to be warm. Then I moved to northern California, where it was not as warm, but not too cold, either. Now, I live in Seattle, where it is colder and for more of the year.

It's easy to see why Seattle people drink so much coffee: they want to be indoors where it is warm, and they need something to pep them up because dark, cloudy and cold days are a downer. Not to everyone, but to a lot of people. I have actually met natives of Seattle who are unhappy when the sun comes out or the temperature rises above 70. Yes, that is true even though I know it is very hard to believe.

If I keep moving north I will end up at the North Pole. That is a terrible thought!

Brewing coffee and keeping it warm without electricity

In this two minute video shot in my RV along the shoreline in Port Townsend, Wash., I show how I make coffee without using electricity. Of course, that's not a huge thing because that's what everybody did back in the ol' "perk" days. But my system not only brews the coffee but keeps it warm for hours -- so no need to reheat!

Seagulls in the sun

MARCH 15, 1 P.M. -- A flock of seagulls is sunning themselves near my motorhome. Every minute, a few come and go, but the populatIon remains the same. They have been flying over and near my motorhome all morning. They coast sometimes, wings spread, gliding with the wind. It looks so effortless, and I bet it is.

Some people do not like seagulls, but I do. I think they are cute. They can make a lot of noise, yes, and that can be obnoxious. But that is not enough for me to not like them.

Here is a fact about seagulls that you will find surprising. On the roads of Iceland, seagulls are the main roadkill. When I was there last fall, I came across many of them, some still alive, but mortally wounded. They looked at me sadly when I stopped in my campervan. But I could do nothing. I felt bad just leaving them there to die.

I would trade my life for a seagulls life, but probably only for a few hours. I would just like to fly for awhile. I have a serious case of fly envy -- always have, always will.

My lonely campsite in Port Townsend

MARCH 15, 2012, 10:45 A.M.
The wind and rain let up. So I took a walk to escape the confines of my tiny home. On the way back, my motorhome looked very lonely. But pretty.

Day Two of March, 2012 roadtrip: Nasty day in Port Townsend, Wash.

DAY TWO: March 15, 2012
Here's my one minute video for Day Two of my West Coast roadtrip. I recorded this in the motorhome because it was too nasty outside to even step out. My campsite is on a point of land right along Puget Sound. I am surrounded by water on both sides of the motorhome and the front. The beach is about 20 feet away and the water another 20 feet. But, alas, it's a mutt ugly day out there -- gusty, howling winds and rain blowing sideways. And it's cold. But all is okay because I am toasty in the motorhome, where I will work today finishing this week's RVtravel.com newsletter.

The monster in my motorhome!

One evening, I was reading peacefully in my motorhome. All of a sudden, I looked up from my book and there it was -- a monster! Yes, this is true. Lucky for me, my video camera was at my side so I was able to document this surprise visit. If you care to see the monster and then learn where it appeared from, all you need to do is click the 30-second video. Be prepared to be amazed.

My old hometown, Nevada City, California

My parents moved our family to Nevada County, California in the mid 1960s at the beginning of my senior year of high school. We lived in Grass Valley, which is a twin city to Nevada City in the heart of the Northern California gold country. I soon left for Sacramento where I attended college and then worked for years.

About 1990 I moved back to Nevada County, this time to Nevada City, where I lived for the next five years before moving with my wife and then-young daughter to Seattle. Here is a little video I put together a few years ago about Nevada City. I'm writing this now on Feb. 2, 2011: I'm headed to Nevada City tomorrow for a short visit.