I believe now – more than ever, that people are fascinated with the fact that folks can exist living the ‘good life’  in an RV. The freedom and adventure -  one would have doing this full-time or not full-time is certainly intriguing. Here are the topics that were covered in this article.

1. Massage therapist
2. Creative services
3. RV – Related sales
4. RV repairs
5. Teacher or trainer

Do you dream of buying an RV, traveling the country, and staying at beautiful campsites every night? You don’t have to retire — or wait until you’ve saved enough money to quit your job — to make that happen. Here are five portable businesses that you can operate completely from the road, no matter where you go. Read more of the articles by clicking HERE!

But first – we arrived at 7a.m. at the IHOP in southwest Houston to have breakfast with our good friends – Ron & Sheila Howerter of League City, TX.  Ron and Sheila are the owners of RV Wooden Staircase.  We have travel along side these two wonderful people-  as we all have gone to one RV Show after another. As we have been building our relationship, the Howerter’s have been building their newly formed business. What great products they have!!  Sturdy, beautiful and safe – are the wooden staircases that they produce to fit on any size RV….and they are portable. If you are in the market for a great product, checkout Ron and Sheila’s RV Wooden Staircases .

By 10 a.m. the crowds at PPL Motor Homes were big.   When not one more person could fit inside that conference room…the Professor talked about RV Air Conditioning. With so many things to learn on how to keep this appliance up and running properly…we spent most of the day visiting with folks and answering their questions.

PPL Motor Home’s  top rated RV Parts Store generates thousands of orders per month for quality, brand-name RV parts, motorhome parts and RV accessories, from RV covers to RV awning and more, and process the majority of those orders almost instantaneously. In fact, most RV parts orders that are placed before noon CST leave the warehouse no later than the following business day.

After journeying back to our home in Somerville, TX  – on Sunday morning – we decided we would take a day and drive to our beautiful coast line.  Our first stop was of BIG interest to the Professor  …. the wind turbin parts yard in Freeport, TX.  He taught solar and alternative energy at the college in Waco, TX for a time so this was near and dear to his heart.   Here  are some great photos of the gigantic-ness of these wind turbine propellers.  The Professor is standing in front of this stack.  All of us have seen these babies going down the highway. In fact, when we lived in Waco, TX – we saw many of these going through on there way out to west Texas. Yes, we knew they were big but standing beside them like this was overwhelming.

This holding yard was less than 1/4 mile from the coast. It provided an inlet close by which  allowed  barges to come and unload here at this facility.  This is just a small amount of the parts that we saw that day. It truly is really something to see.

After spending sometime here ….we went on down to the sandy beach of Freeport (where everyone else was that day) and joined in on the fun.  With the wind really blowing I  elected to leave my camera in the car rather than taking it on our walk up and down the shoreline. Moe Joe (left) and Ginger (right) – our two dachshunds were with us …and what a great time they had exploring, letting the folks pat their heads….but it wasn’t long before we could see the tell-tell signs of fatigue on both of them. I brought towels to rub some of the sand off then we loaded up to go north toward Galveston, Tx. Here they are after getting back in the car and enjoying the drive.

It was fun being back in Galveston, TX. It was a beautiful day …the beaches were full. As we drove up, it was great to see all the rebuilding that had been done. Lots of new homes, businesses …all signs that Galveston is back after all the destruction of Hurricane Ike in 2008.  The Flag Ship Hotel now is completely gone….which is good. We saw very little reminders that the Island had gone through such devastation.  This was our first trip to our gulf shores after the Gulf Oil Spill of April through August of 2010.  Other than all the dead sea weed polluting the beaches…it looked fine. 

Next up….riding on the Galveston – Bolivar Ferry which opened in 1930.  This 13 minutes mini cruise, I thought,  was fun because of all the dolphins that were around us.  There are five ferry boats in the fleet. The two smaller ferries carry an average of sixty-nine cars. The larger boats, the Gibb Gilchrist, Robert Lanier, and Greer accommodate eighty-five cars.

Though the ride on the ferry was fun…nothing could have prepare me for the way  Bolivar Peninsula and all of it’s beauty had been destroyed – back in 2008 with Hurricane Ike.  It was surreal. Very little commerce is back.  But what we did see was RV parks sprouting all along the thirty mile long sandy strip of land separating the Gulf of Mexico from the waters of East Galveston Bay.  We believe these are construction workers. It would be the only way to keep the workers from having to cross back over into Galveston each morning and night. This was a very popular vacation spot for a lot of people..however, it has a long way to go before the peninsula to get back to that lifestyle of pre-Ike.

Here is where we stopped with our picnic lunch and sat out on the practically deserted beach- Crystal Beach.  There was only one other family that was out. It looked like grandpa brought his metal detector roaming up and down the beach while grandma and grandchildren played in the water.

From there…the Professor and I wound our way back around Houston to see the sun setting across the lovely city skyline.  It was an hour and a half drive back home..and a great finish to a great day. We both agreed that we needed to take trips like this more often – and now we can since we are working for ourselves full time.

Until my next ‘Tells from the Highway”….Happy RVing y’all.

Now that  Terry and I have moved to Somerville, TX  – we have the privilege to live in the same area of many family members. My mother-in-law, who we all call Meme, is working hard this year planting and harvesting plenty of garden vegetables.  Being that I have started working with my Excalibur Dehydrator back in January…. it has been my pleasure to take possession of many pounds of tomatoes.  I take the ones that are nice and firm, peel them by dipping in a boiling water bath.  The skins will come off easily after dipping in cold water. Then slice and place on the Excalibur  trays. Six to nine hours later they come out of the dehydrator ready to be stored in a vacuumed packed package or in an airtight container for easy access for cooking.

The tomatoes that are more ripe and won’t go through the slicer easily are put into the cooking pot to cook down to a sauce. I place onion, garlic and some Italian seasonings in to cook down and mix flavors. Once it is cooked down to the consistency that I like…it is cooled to room temperature. I had no canning jars at this time so I elected to place a couple of cups of sauce in a freezer zip bag and let freeze.  Once frozen,I will go back and place each bag into a vacuumed pack bag just for extra protection in the freezer. I will use these up within the next year.  Oh, and should you do this, don’t forget to label the package with content information and the date of when it went in the freezer.

Here is a video I did back earlier this spring with RVNN.TV talking about dehydration.  This video is a combination of a few shows that are being done on that network. I hope you enjoy it.

“Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.” quote ~Albert Einstein

The last time we talked was before my cookbook had arrived to Waco, TX. (where we were located at that time) However, now….the book has been out for 3 months and the Professor and I are in a new location.  So, with that…so much news and so little time! Where do I begin?

Our new year has been very busy because in the first two months  we hit 4 RV Shows in the state of Texas. It was so encouraging to see so many people out at the shows and from what we heard after each…folks were in the buying mode and sales are up for the RV industry. We were so happy to hear that. Plus since then…the industry news is that it’s doing better each month. What a blessing to us all!

Photo Shoot w/Waco Today Magazine in February

The RV Centennial Cookbook – Celebrating 100 Years of RVing did hit the market officially April 15, 2011.  Since then I have been a part of 10 book signings.  This photo on the left came from a fabulous article that was in the Waco Today Magazine in late February.  What a fun and exciting time we had with those folks from the Waco Tribune, the local newspaper.

Order the RV Centennial Cookbook by clicking here!

TSTC Publishing did a fine job with the book – it’s absolutely beautiful. If you haven’t seen the book…you really are missing a great treat. We have received so many wonderful reviews and that makes me extremely thankful and happy that so many are enjoying all the great recipes and other RV related material found inside.

Another exciting thing that has been happening over the last nearly 4 months is  me working with the Professor on the RV Maintenance For Ladies Program. Starting this past March 3rd, we had ladies online with us from coast to coast with there sleeves rolled up and ready to learn all that they could concerning servicing and maintaining their RVs. Rosie the RV’er with her ‘We Can Do It!’ attitude was our keystone for this program.

After 12 weeks of learning about 8 different areas in the ‘box’ of the RV, these ladies can now handle about 80% of what issues that come up concerning servicing and maintenance.  For that other 20% , we need our trained professional RV technicians to get us back on the road again.  Now that the program is over, we now are offering it in our online library where it can be accessed at any time. We are also starting up our RV Maintenance For Ladies Monthly Subscription Service where you can receive one CD a month (that contains the recorded material) for 11 months and pay as you go. What a great opportunity! If you are interested in getting involved…contact me if you have further questions at LadyEcooper@MobileRVAcademy.com

One of the really fun things we did in late April was to travel to Heber Springs, Arkansas to be a part of  Workamper News (WKN) first-ever Workamper Rendezvous.  Workamper News is a wonderful organization that the Professor and I have been affiliated with for over two years now. The Professor has been training workampers who are subscribers of WKN on how to service/maintain their units while living the workamping lifestyle and what a great fit for Mobile RV Academy because workampers are people who live in their RVs either full time or part time and they work any where across our beautiful country.  At the Rendezous, Terry gave free RV maintenance seminars throughout the days and so did I.

My seminar was on the topic of  ‘My RV Kitchen’.  My main goal is to help people understand how to make their RV kitchens work better for them through great ideas about storage and space saving techniques, plus learning how all the major appliances work in the kitchens. I had a great time giving these seminars while the folks in the rooms shared their tips of how they make their own RV kitchens work best for them.  The Professor and I are looking forward to our next Workamper Rendezvous this coming October.

Lanna Caldwell and I

In May on Mother’s Day weekend, I had the privilege to  have a book signing in my hometown of Rockdale, TX.  I was hosted by Lanna Caldwell, manager of Antique Queens -  my most favorite antique mall in that little Central Texas town.  Antique Queens has just celebrated their 3rd anniversary (March 5th,2011).  Owners Cody (Lanna’s son) and Zena Caldwell have a wonderful business that I encourage all my readers to check out when going through Rockdale.  You will find antique jewelry, shabby chic  furniture and all the knickknacks that an antique junkie would love to linger through. (Including me…) Lanna invited a group of her friends who are members of

Sisters On The Fly Vintage Travel Trailer

the fun group ‘Sisters On The Fly’ to spend the day with us.  Nina Elliot and her central Texas sisters swear that their group has more fun than anyone!
They travel around in their vintage RVs (most of them do) all over this beautiful country of ours in caravans.  They share tips on buying and restoring vintage trailers, they know that once you see all the fun fly fishing, riding horses,  camping, eating and laughing, you will want to join the Cowgirl Caravan on their next trip.  Well…I am convenience.  Sign me up!!

A big event that happened in April was the Professor leaving Texas State Technical College (TSTC) which is located in Waco, TX.  Our new business, Mobile RV Academy, which was formed and launched in 2009 is gaining steam and we found out early this year that Terry’s time is best spent giving 100% to his biggest love…and that is teaching RV Maintenance.  Since we left Waco, we have been traveling here in Texas doing professional RV tech training and testing for the RVIA/RVDA RV Tech Certification.  What great technician talent is here in Texas.  One RV dealership with 8 locations around our great state is now nearly 30  certified and master certified technicians richer. How exciting is that?? The numbers could go higher for the scores are coming in now so there may be more names to add to that list  for this company.

During the upcoming weeks, the Professor and I will be traveling to 5 more locations (from north to south Texas) getting more techs up to the level that they need to be…. to go after their certifications. Our next stop is Corpus Christi on July 9-10th.  All techs located throughout the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio and over to Victoria are invited to come be a part of this next prep class we are offering. If you have any questions about this event or future events pertaining to RV tech certification, contact the Professor at Professor@MobileRVAcademy.com or myself at LadyEcooper@MobileRVAcademy.com  I will be posting more information about these upcoming events very soon.

I cant leave today without telling you about the awesome opportunity that the Professor and I are both involved in. There is a newly developed internet channel that is all about RV programming. 24/7 of nothing but great information for the consumer.  On January 15th, the filming started on ‘Ask The Professor’ where the Professor talks RV maintenance, (the stuff that he loves). I believe he already has close to 15 or more shows that are filled with wonderful maintenance information.

Around the first of February, the new show – ‘RV Kitchen with Evada Cooper’ was introduced and it is exactly what the title implies.  My love for RVing and for helping people is what this program is all about. In the first episode, I discuss some storage issues with Dave Dufour, the creative director at RVNN.TV, plus I show how we might best maximize the limited space in RVs.  I also show video kitchen walk-throughs that the Professor and I are doing. We are looking for a 5th wheel to do our RV traveling in.  This provides my viewers a ‘behind the scene look’  at the type  of RV Kitchens that are catching my eye.   This is a fun show I know all RV’ers everywhere will enjoy.

Watch ‘Ask the Professor by clicking here!

Watch ‘RV Kitchen with Evada Cooper by clicking here!

Find me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/evadapraeselcooper   I have a lot of fun sharing all kinds of information about RVing and one of my loves which is food dehydration and vacuum packing. Now is the time to get involved in taking all those wonderful fruits and vegetables from the garden …and getting them stored for future use.

Stop and check out the web page – Cooper’s Live Event Schedule for 2011 – to see where were will be traveling throughout this year.  The RV Tech training will be found on a separate page that is yet to be developed…but will be soon. (Another thing to put on my to-do-list!)

Moving the end of April, we are now getting settled into our new abode.  With the Professor and I both working from home this is a new experience for both of us. I love having him around….and I know that he loves having me around because of all the projects he gives me to do.   But seriously, the Professor and I love what we do. We love making a difference in someone’s life. Whether it’s through training,  business or friendships…..our purpose is in full view in what we are doing daily. Again…what a blessing!

Until next time. (soon I hope)

Jer 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

MySpace-Countdown-Clocks

Author Evada Cooper_12-10-10

What a surprise I had last Friday when the Professor (my husband Terry) called me around 11:30 a.m. to meet him for lunch…at my favorite restaurant here in Waco, TX  (Chuy’s).  I arrived before him so I got to watch him walk in with a gift wrapped package that was in beautiful red Christmas paper and it was tucked under his arm. My heart started racing because I had heard ‘through the grapevine’ that my publisher was doing some paperback prints of the cookbook to use as samples for the wholesale buyer’s to view. Could this be IT!  YES!

Oh and what a thrill it was to hold the book that I have been anticipating for so long.  Here is a photo that Terry took of me after taking some time to thumb through the beautiful pages of  the RV Centennial Cookbook – Celebrating 100 Years of RVing. I wanted to share that moment with all of you because this is one of those very special days…I will always remember.

Order cookbook here!

Antique Queens

This morning I ‘Officially’ received my very first book signing event scheduled for March 5th, 2011 at my small hometown in central Texas. 

Thank you to Lanna Caldwell, manager of Antique Queens at 106 Cameron Ave. – Rockdale Texas - 76567. Business phone number: (512) 446-4655.  Lanna, along with owners –  Cody and Zena Caldwell (son and daughter-in-law),  will be celebrating their 3rd year of business the weekend of the RV Centennial Cookbook - book signing…..plus it will be ‘Market Days’ for Rockdale that weekend as well. So it should be a lot of fun. 

Lanna does blog so take a look at some photos of her sweet antique shop by clicking on her business name above.
 

Mobile RV Academy

Terry and I are very excited about bringing this program to ALL Ladies who have the ‘We Can Do It!’  Whether you are full time RVing now are looking to do it in the future…here is the opportunities to gain your independence, have more confidence, save a ton of money…and share what you learn with others. We have made a special website for you to find all the details on this program.  Check out this new program to see it is right for YOU.  Click here  RV Maintenance For Ladies!

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We are also now taking registrations for the 2011 Gold Star Club which is beginning January 1st, 2011.  Here anyone can be a part of these RV maintenance training courses…that all the courses are in our library to be accessed at the students  convenience. There are 8 areas of training totally about 17 hours. With this expect homework assignments, post tests and a certificate of completion for each. Also included are about 15 hours of Q & A sessions with instructor, Terry Cooper (these are also pre-recorded).  Take a look at this program. We have a special site for you to read about all the details. Even testimonials from previous Gold Star Members. Click here –  Gold Star Club

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3 RV Electrical Systems FREE Seminar

This past week we have placed a sign up form (in red) on the right hand side of the our website page which will send right to your inbox an email with all 7 links to this very imformative seminar.  Terry did this seminar for the Escapees RV Club back in September at the 50th Anniversary of the Escapades in Goshen, Indiana.  This is very good information and we hope that you will take the time to sign up to receive this for FREE.  His Electrical course here at the Academy is a 6 hour course.  By signing up to view this seminar – you will receive a coupon for  special savings should you decided to purchase the full course.   

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We received an official update on the pre-sales for the RV Centennial Cookbook this past week.  These figures came from one of the big warehouse United States distributors for all books.  We are just  overwhelmed at the success of the book thus far.  Still projecting a mid January 2011 as the market launch …. This would make a great Christmas gift for any RV Enthusiast.  ( a few weeks after Christmas…but still a gift with much anticipation to receive, no doubt!)  I will be personally signing a lot of these…so reserve your copy today.

 

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Make your 2011 a year for learning. Contact us for your RV  Maintenance training.  LadyEcooper@MobileRVAcademy.com

Lady E and the Professor

Terry Cooper going about his daily teaching job at the TSTC here in Waco, TX.  Plus, he is the online instructor for Northampton Community College from Bethlehem, PA teaching Certified RV Techs.

We completed another  ’Live Event’ with our Gold Star Club, which is our online group here at Mobile RV Academy of 2010 , these are folks who have signed up for the complete RV maintenance training program we have available.   October RV Expert Guest was George Montgomery from Business and Tax Planning.  Mr. Montgomery has 30+ years providing bookkeeping, financial statement preparation, filing of personal and corporate tax returns.  He has operated his business and lived as a full-time RV’er and currently lives with his wife in Arizona.  What a great wealth of information he provided to our group giving them tips and suggestions on how to lessen their lax liability and more.  A big TEXAS thank you goes out to George Montgomery.

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This week the Terry Cooper and I met with our publisher – TSTC Publishing,  looking over the rough draft of the RV Centennial Cookbook – Celebrating 100 years of RVing.  I can truly say that I am overwhelmed at the beauty and overall quality of this publication.  The book is being projected to hit the market in January 2011.  WE had the priveledge of having the book critiqued by some  PROS in the industry and was given a ‘GREAT’ rating. (which is so exciting) For me….I am thrilled to see it’s progression from being just a thought I had a year ago…to now – we have a near completed book.

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My publisher also announced that obtaining book signings is now one of their priorities.  The first one to be placed on the calendar for 2011 comes from a very special lady from my hometown of Rockdale, Texas – is Lana Caldwell, manager of Antique Queens.  Located in the historical downtown section on the Cameron Avenue, Lana has a great antique mall with lots of local and non-local vendors. We will be there doing our book signing on March 3rd, 2011 as Lana, son – Cody and his wife Zena Caldwell celebrates the 3rd anniversary of their business success of Antique Queens. That weekend will also be Rockdale’s monthly scheduled Market Day’s with lots to see and do while visiting.  I am looking forward to being back in my hometown and celebrating the cookbook with Lana and so many of my other friends there in the Rockdale area.

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Another wonderful thing that happened this week ….Terry Cooper was asked to  be the next Chairman of the Texas RV Association’s  Education Committee.  What an honor for him to be asked and of course, he accepted that position.  Terry has been a part of that committee for 6 years serving as an advisor/member.  He is looking forward to the upcoming year as he helps the dealer techs to maintain and upgrade their skills and help them secure their continuing education to re-certify. 

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We have been working feverishly to finish all the details of the RV Maintenance for Ladies 2011 Program.  We officially launch that on the 22nd of this month.  I can’t tell you how excited I am for my involvement in this project.  This will be open to all ladies everywhere. There are no stipulations other than it will require a “We Can Do It!” attitude from those who want to participate.   Here on our website we have a special page devoted to this program…if you would like to sign up for some additional FREE information on that, please do.

Another program that will come back for 2011 will be the Gold Star Club.  There will be some slight changes to that great program.  We have adjusted somethings where we can make it more affordable to all.  We are launching that material  the end of next week, as well.   I will say that this new program will start on January 1st, 2011 and will only last for 4 months.  You will be getting the 8 core RV Maintenance courses along with some great bonuses.  All the information will be coming soon.

Both of these programs will be featured in the Workamper News -  November/December subscriber magazine. If you a subscriber…please check those feature ads out.  Also, I will mention that I am continuing with the being the official ’Social Media Guru’ for Workamper News. Want to be a Facebook Fan?  Come be at a part of the fun and workamper education at www.Workampingtoday.com

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Birthday Fun!

Well, that’s it for this week…..but before I close, I want to send out a very special Happy Birthday wish to my youngest granddaughter who turned 1 this week  - Miss Calli Elizabeth.  Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

Also, my wonderful ‘older’  sister is also celebrating her birthday tomorrow…..Happy Birthday Yvonne Praesel Baker.  Here is to a year of “We Can Do It” attitude!!  I love you………..

Until next week…. Happy Fall Y’all!
 

Evada Cooper - Author of 'RV Centennial Cookbook' and Elva Newman

While in Goshen, Indiana Sept 11-17th what a pleasure it was to meet and visit with Elva Miranda-Newman of Sioux Falls, SD.  Elva’s recipe, ‘Healthy Spaghetti’ was chosen to be published within the RV Centennial Cookbook which is scheduled to be out in bookstores on December 15th, 2010.  Meeting her and her husband, Chuck, was one of the many highlights of my week there at the Escapades/Escapees Event.  Read her blog at: http://sept2010-inspirations.tumblr.com/post/1122112073/work-live-play-cook 

Thank you Elva for submitting your recipe and thank you to both of you for coming by to see Terry and I at the Escapades Event in Goshen, Indiana.  Hopefully, we will meet up again soon.

Evada Cooper