by ProvidenceRV | Jan 20, 2020
There was a time when the suburban split level with a white picket fence represented the American dream. Those chasing after it were usually from cities and urban areas, looking to escape the smog and gridlock for a better place to raise their 2.4 children. (We’ll save the question of what life was like for the poor .4 child for another time.)
The dream included a yard with perfectly trimmed hedges, a devoted dog to play and fetch, a lawn with no dandelions, and plenty of room to grow. Most would upgrade to bigger homes with bigger lawns, and more responsibilities as families expanded.
The American Dream Grows Up
The American Dream has changed a lot since the 50s. Many of the Boomers—once intent on escaping to the suburbs to grow their families and flower beds—now stand at a new juncture. With the kids gone and too much house left, big mortgages and daily upkeep no longer make sense. The new longing is to pare down, to focus on the important things in life before too much more of it gets lost in the daily grind.
Instead of expansion, now it’s about lightening the load. Forget keeping up with the Joneses—now it’s about keeping up with your own changing priorities.
Mobility and freedom are the new status symbols.
Workamping: The Best of all Worlds?
Workamping may be the new American Dream for many interested in RV living. The concept actually has its own patent! According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: “Workampers are adventuresome individuals and couples who have chosen a wonderful lifestyle that combines any kind of part-time or full-time work with RV camping.”
Some workampers operate their own businesses. Others work part-time, while still others are able to transfer current full-time jobs without skipping a beat. Some work seasonally, others year-round. Workampers include government workers, teachers, writers, musicians, corporate field reps, hunting, fishing, & tourism industry workers, and even non-profit volunteers. There are free sites that connect RVers with jobs for those itching to get away from it all, but needing to continue working at the same time.
Providence Works For Everyone
Here at Providence RV Park, our tenants span a wide array of professions and ages. Several school teachers and a concessions entrepreneur (Canton Trade Days is the world’s largest flea market) call Providence home. We also have a retired rocket scientist (yes, Virginia, there really ARE rocket scientists among us ?), a marketing rep, government employees, and a writer all living full time here. Our part time tenants include a construction company exec, a retired colonel and other retired (but still quite active) folks who come for the water sports and trophy bass fishing at Lake Fork. Weekenders who come in for the tournaments enjoy the secure yet fast and easy access to activities.
From Workamping to Glamping
Join us next time, when we will look at the upper crust segment of the RV world, known as the glampers (glamorous campers). Proof that amenities and comforts DO have a place out in the wild. Or, at least, SOME folks think so.
by ProvidenceRV | Jan 3, 2020
It’s 2020. We’ve got a brand new, shiny, “just off the presses” new year upon us. A blank slate, a winter white canvas just waiting to be filled up with plans, and perfect for those dreams and “someday” ideas you’ve been kicking around for years now.
So, is now the time? Is this the year you find freedom with a new RV?
What is Your RV Personality?
The RV life means so many different things, and that’s the way RVers like it.
Park it out in the woods or near a lake, and escape there on weekends and holidays. (Bonus: Providence RV Park offers you peace of mind with our gated community).
Use it a “hotel room on wheels” if you love to travel, or your job covers a lot of ground and you like the idea of taking the comforts of home with you. Recreation vehicles are typically 45% less expensive than a conventional hotel/air vacation.
For those into “workamping,” RVs mean you can work from anywhere and live a simpler, more stress free life.
Or take your camper on the road each year and “boondock” it where there are no hotels for miles, just gorgeous weather and breathtaking scenery.
And for those who discover they can’t imagine living anywhere else, full timing is the way to go to reap the benefits of daily, therapeutic doses of nature up close and personal.
Is This the Year of Freedom?
Over 1 million Americans live full time in their RVs. Some do it to escape mortgages and empty nests, others to spend less time on lawns and home upkeep and repairs. Honey-do lists are dramatically shortened, which means you can spend less time “doing,” and more time with Honey. And of course, many decide to go full time so they can choose where they want to live and for how long, without major upheaval when it’s time for a change of scenery.
Is This the Year to Live Your Dream?
You may have been thinking about an RV for a while now. Or maybe you’re just beginning to entertain the idea of getting more “mobile” in life. Either way, you will be delighted to learn that winter can often be the best time to buy–for many reasons–and east Texas is one of the best places to live in or park your new rig. With plenty of RV dealers, expos/shows and RV support, you’ll find the perfect match for the lifestyle that suits you best.
2020: Is This the Year of YOU?
Every year that ticks by is one that is lost forever. Just yesterday, it seems, we were discussing Y2K and whether our computers would turn on the next day. And here we are, 20 years later. Have you been living an adventure all this time? If not, it’s never too late to start.
Don’t spend your best years enslaved to a lifestyle that no longer works for you. Get out there and discover how far the RV world has come in structural, technological and comfort advances.
This could be your year to escape the urban pressure cooker, or the boring suburban sprawl.
This could be the year you look back on 20 years from now with a smile. Don’t let your adventure get away.
by ProvidenceRV | Dec 20, 2019
There is No Better Place to Be…
…than tucked away in God’s providence. We talked a little about providence at Thanksgiving, and indeed, the entire end of year holiday season is filled with acknowledgment and gratefulness for God’s care, guidance, and provision for us. Which brings me to this question: Are you living the Providence Lifestyle?
The Israelites: A Picture of Providence Living
You might think we have come so far from the days of the ancient Israelites that there is little that we share as a people. But God’s guidance and care connect us. As we watch their desert wanderings and their victories (and defeats), they correlate precisely with their alignment with divine providence. When they allowed God to guide and instruct them, they were led to victory. When they broke away through sin and disobedience, they lost battles, they lost hope, and they lost their way.
The Israelites’ desert tents, or “sukkahs” are even similar to our RV lifestyle today, where we are closer to the elements. We are never over-insulated from whatever is going on outside our walls. It is a fantastic way to live, to be constantly reminded that He is the Lord of all creation. And we get to enjoy it with His blessings.
Reminders of His Loving Care
Christmas is at the very epicenter of God’s providence. Just think of it. He healed the fatal wound caused by humanity with part of Himself – by sending His beloved Son Jesus to rescue us from our hopeless state. He breathed life back into us as only He could do. The ultimate act of “care, guidance, and provision.”
We are reminded of this unspeakable gift each year every time we pass a nativity scene. Or receive a Christmas card (yes, people still do that!). Or watch a program on the wonders of a God Who would send His only child into a broken world to make it whole.
Life sized Creche in nearby Quitman
We are reminded when we hold a child or grandchild for the first time, that there is hope for this child’s eternal future only because of the far-reaching providence of our heavenly Father.
We are reminded when we go to the store and pass by the Salvation Army bell ringers that God often uses some of us to bless others of us. It’s His providence being shared among us. 
The Providence Lifestyle
So the Providence Lifestyle is nothing more than accepting your personal invitation to live a life filled with constant awareness of how much God loves you and wants to help guide, care, and provide for you. We only limit Him when we choose to ignore His voice and His ways in favor of our own. Good ideas, or God ideas…can you guess which might make your life one you’d love to live?
Enjoy this week of Christmas fun, food and family, and never forget Who made it all possible. As it’s said every year, Jesus is the reason for the season.
But He’s also your personal invitation to live Christmas all year long.
Some more scenes from my strolls through our park. What a joy to slow down and breathe deep the woodsy pine air out here, and smile at the lovely pops of color and creativity. And remember why life is so good. As I said, there’s no better place to be than tucked away in God’s Providence (RV Park)!
Merry Christmas from all of us at Providence RV Park!
by ProvidenceRV | Dec 13, 2019
It’s That Time of the Year…
…to find your happy place in the midst of holiday madness. As the Christmas holiday kicks into high gear, shoppers take over the highways, malls, and internet. The brisk, hustle-bustle atmosphere is an annual delight that can quickly turn into a joyless pressure cooker.
The schedule fills up with family gatherings and office parties, school and church plays and events, gift hunting trips and obligations of all shapes and sizes. Finances often spiral out of control. And the pressure to keep up with the crushing demands can ruin anyone’s Christmas spirit.
“There are moments,” wrote Henry David Thoreau, “when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature.”
Everyone Needs A Happy Place
Serenity without…radiance within…our Mary knows how to pick out a tree!
It’s easier to navigate the stressful effects of holiday demands when you can balance it all out with planned escapes to your happy place. Do you have a happy place? A sanity retreat? A quiet respite in the country or woods where every care melts away near a lake or under a canopy of towering oaks and pines?
Henry David Thoreau spent two years living alone in a forest cabin near Walden Pond in Massachusetts. He knew the power of wooded serenity.
Out here at Providence RV Park, our residents know that unique tranquility, as well.
Let the Lights Shine
But escaping the metro congestion doesn’t mean we forget how to celebrate our favorite holidays and seasons. Our residents have been busy dressing up their homes in sparkles and lights. They’ve be-ribboned posts, trees–anything that looks like it could use a touch of festive color.
Tara and Andy win Best Dressed RV
A stroll through the park reveals a gorgeously tall tree with elegant cream tones shining out through one window, while another home is decked out in beautiful lights and puffy lit up animal friends.
Of all the bears, puffy lighted ones are the best…
Garlands, ribbons, wreaths, and blinking lights invite the Christmas spirit in, while simple living keeps Christmas stress out.
It’s a lovely, reflective time of year as we wind down from whatever 2019 may have brought our way, and turn our thoughts toward the brand new year moving into view.
Dreaming of Your Own Happy Place?
So, have you thought about creating your own happy place for weekend escapes—or even long-term living? You might be surprised at how easy and affordable it is to place your “home away from home” out in the wilds of east Texas. You can visit whenever you need to stretch and breathe in that soothing piney woods air.
Or, if you visit for long enough, you might even decide to leave that daily commute and stagnant job behind. There are many RV living career options that scores of adventurers, just like you, have found to be a perfect fit for their new stress free life. You only live once, so make it count!
Visit Providence RV Park to see why Lake Fork is one of the top fishing, camping, and relaxing destinations in the state of Texas.
What do you have to lose, except your stress?
See you soon…we’ll leave the (Christmas) lights on!
by ProvidenceRV | Dec 8, 2019
Lake Fork is getting dressed for winter here in east Texas. The towering pines and oak trees are shedding the last of their pine cones and acorns (and the oaks are being pretty noisy about it, if you ask me!). Providence RV Park is finishing another year of steady growth. Some residents might be ready to start thinking about an upgrade, or help relatives or friends join the RV lifestyle. Which raises the question: When is the best time to buy an RV?
Many of those wanting to join “the mortgage-free movement” have been searching for the perfect rig all year. They are ready to take a break and hibernate until spring, when they’ll pick back up in warmer weather.
But Wait!
You might miss the best time to buy an RV! That’s right, you may be surprised to learn that winter truly is the best time to buy an RV. Your dream home on wheels could be gone by spring.
Here are the top 3 reasons that should motivate you to use the winter months to get out there and make your best deal:
Best Selection
New models come out near the end of the year. Just like the auto industry, prices on the year-old models are typically more negotiable than the new kids on the block. And often, new models don’t offer big enough improvements to outweigh saving a few thousand dollars.
So, check with dealers (who may have more than one lot) if you’re interested in scoring a great deal on a leftover. And if only brand new will do, sales folks looking to make quotas and pick up the pace of sluggish winter months are more likely to cut their best deals then. Even pre-owned RV sales favor the buyer in slow months. So go and check them out.
Finally, dealers are more likely to give you a great price early in the season, when they can replace it on the lot vs. later in the spring, when it’s too late in the season to order another.
Best Service
In spring or summer, you’re more likely to have to wait for assistance, sometimes a half hour or more, when buyer competition for the sales associates’ time heats up. In winter, the sales team is far more attentive to you and your needs. Your travel trailer is a huge investment, and you deserve to be able to work through every possible question and all options sans any pressure to shortcut the process.
Best Financial Options
Financing is typically easier in wintertime, and dealers are more likely to be offering creative promotions and financial perqs. Because they are especially motivated to move inventory, you’ll probably find more flexibility in terms (like deferred deposits or “No payments till spring!” type promotions).
Many will offer helpful bonuses like free winter storage of your new RV beauty, or gift card giveaways and other valuable perqs.
And don’t forget the RV expos and shows that run January through March (like Dallas RV SuperSale at Market Center). They’ve brought it all to you, and would much rather sell you an RV at a lower cost if it saves them from having to transport it back to the lot.
Yes, Virginia, Winter IS the Best Time to Buy an RV
So, research your options online and warm up and energize with a cup of Joe. Then grab your scarf and gloves, and hit the local dealerships and shows. As the icy air greets you, smile at how smart you are to beat the crowd and get the best in selection, service, and price.
Yes, winter is the best time to buy an RV in a field that is getting more and more crowded each year. When spring comes, you’ll be glad to see others just starting their search while your dream RV is already bought and ready to park or take you on a life of adventure.
