December 30: a significant date

Calendar dates can be very significant.  

December 30 has become one of those significant dates for me. 

It was the date that I became a grandma at age 60.

It was also the date that we headed out for a new adventure, living life on the road for a few months at a time.

Six years ago today, December 30, 2013, we headed out on our big adventure - with a few fears about the unknown and lots of hopes and dreams.  It’s fun for me to look back at those months and revisit the links to things I have written about the various spots and to share them with my readers.

Three years earlier we had decided to downsize and sell the tree farm.  We thought it would be fun to explore other places for awhile before deciding what to do next.  So we sorted and pitched stuff for two years while trying to sell the farm. Buyers came and went but without being able to put together a purchase.  Eventually we found renters for the big house and moved ourselves into the cabins out by the road - first one and then the other.

We found the perfect RV for us and headed out toward the American Southwest on this date, December 30, 2013 anticipating the adventures ahead.

We lived in our little rig in Southern California where we served as work-campers in a small county park for the winter and spring.

In the summer we drove north to Canada and the Alaska Highway. We were able to get a campsite just behind the Black Bear Cafe where our daughter worked as a manager and barista. ’Twas a glorious 5 weeks to live in that place and get acquainted with her Denali world.  

Autumn brought the final sale of the tree farm so we got rid of more stuff and packed the rest of it away in a storage unit because the 28-foot fifth-wheel was now our only home.

December 30, 2014 saw us hitting the road again for another winter in the south. This time we lived on three different islands for a month each:

• January - Dauphin Island, Alabama
• February - Anastasia Island, St. Augustine, Florida
• March - Emerald Isle, North Carolina

We rented a campsite in southeastern Michigan for the spring and summer and then moved to the west side of the state to welcome a new grand-daughter in September.  

We also lived at a lighthouse in western Michigan for two weeks serving as volunteers in the tower and the gift shop.

December 30, 2015 found us in Rockford, Michigan, wrapping up the year and preparing to return to the little village of Las Galeras in Samana, Dominican Republic, for the winter. 

By December 30, 2016 we had come off the road and were experimenting with the idea of staying in one place again - namely Michigan - in closer proximity to our moms and our kids and where we could hang out with Internationals, a long-time dream of ours.  

Sure enough; by December 30, 2017 we had decided to put down roots again - even buying a an old fixer-upper house in a historical neighborhood near downtown and the universities.

And here we are on December 30, 2019 still living "off the road" and loving our new life in our old house...

Thankful Thursday - a day off the road

We are taking a long weekend here in Lincoln, Nebraska. I have been calling them days off but today hardly feels like a day off because we have been working rather hard - laundry and cleaning and organizing - but it feels so good to be a bit organized again. AND to have clean clothes. Oh, how wonderful.

When we are on the road every day, things tend to get a little mixed up - and not even through any fault of our own. After all, we have to keep things tidy and picked up and put away or we wouldn't be able to move around or function in the tiny bit of floor space left when we put the slider in for travel. I guess the biggest point of disorganization on this leg of the journey has been the jumble of things in the cupboards. I'm not totally sure why they are worse this time than the other previous journeys, but I do know a couple reasons.

The obvious culprit has been the horribly rough roads in Alaska as well as through Canada along the Alaska Highway. Those miles are brutal. I am thankful to have lost only one dish to breakage - after hearing stories from other campers about opening a drawer and finding nothing but fragments of broken glass and even just powder. Yah, yah, I should have known better than bring ANY glass dishes. But, hey, evidently I did know better than some people because I brought only a very few pieces and I normally wrap them for travel.

But even beyond the breakage issue is that things simply slide around and tip over and then slide some more. I think perhaps our pantry was not as full this time which would certainly have allowed more room for things to roll and scoot around.

So the moral of the story is to cut back on the glass dishes and don't forget to cushion the ones we do have. And keep those shelves either full or empty. AND maybe to choose our route more carefully from now on. Like maybe not travel the Alcan again!


As I was saying, I'm feeling very thankful to have a day to slow down and take care of business. And then a couple more days to rest and hang out with dear friends. That feels really good after being on the road for 11 days straight.

I'm reminded once again that we need two kinds of days off - at least. We need days off from our normal routine to take care of business. And we need days off for rest and refreshment. I'm thankful we get some of each today and this weekend.

Five-minute Friday and the word is FINISH

Five-minute Friday.
That's when you set the timer for five minutes and just type. No editing. Just type.
Then you are supposed to link to the Five-Minute Friday web page, but my computer has not been cooperating lately. But at least I write...
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Today's word: finish

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I'm not a good finisher.
Actually I'm a terrible finisher.
I'm a good starter or even a dabbler, but I'm not a good finisher.
I get lots of grand ideas and I start some of them, but they seldom see completion.
I seem to run out of steam.

It happens in lots of areas of life, but particularly with writing. I have ideas, I start gathering notes, I may write a lot of words, I might even get it mostly done, but I seldom actually finish.
So too with big projects in the rest of life.

Why am I so likely not to finish? What things contribute to my not finishing? I suppose there could be lots of reasons. Sometimes it may simply be that the task is too complex. That I don't know how to finish - or that it may be too difficult and I don't have the determination or the follow through.
And what are the consequences of not finishing? Well, I have this huge collection of unfinished projects. All kinds of loose ends. And they tend to cause me to feel crappy about myself.

• A famous person once said that incompletions are great stressors.

Well, I really hope to finish something today. Something big. Yep, yep. Today I hope to finish the Alaska Highway. And what an accomplishment it will be - even though I am not the one to really get the credit. My hubby is the one who has driven all those miles. My major credit comes from not gasping too loudly about the latest scary curve as I clutch the door handle a little tighter and my knuckles get a little whiter...

Nope; my man gets the credit - for hanging tight to that steering wheel as he guides those seven tons of steel around the steep narrow curves, for such sensible engine braking, for his calm demeanor, and for his patience with my tension. And I get to just ride along.

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And you? How are you at finishing?

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By the way, we made it. We finished the Alaska Highway! Both ways!!!
Now let's see what else I can finish...

Thankful Thursday... What a day!

A momentous day. A day of accomplishments and gratitude.

First, we drove 50-some miles through horrible road conditions including bucking-bronco-bumps and roller-coaster-dips and cavernous potholes - as well as sitting for large chunks of time waiting for the pilot car to come and lead us through the muddy yucky construction zones. I'm thankful that nothing in (or on) our rig seems to have been damaged through the turbulence.

Then we made it to the American border and were welcomed by a very cheerful and friendly border official. Once we had cleared customs, we were immediately thankful for the improved road conditions. Smooth pavement. Bona fide guard rails. How comforting.

Next we made it to the official end point of the Alaska Highway, Delta Junction. What an accomplishment. Mostly I am just thankful to have survived that. So much of it is breathtakingly beautiful, but so much is also just plain breathtaking scary and downright dangerous. I really wish I never had to go on that highway again. *Sigh.* I guess we'll have to see about that.

Last but not least, this day is momentous because it marks 43 years of marriage. I'm thankful for my amazing man and for the adventure of these years together. By the way, it doesn't always have to be fun to be an adventure so I am all the more grateful that so many of these have been wonderful and fun.

One evening during college Bob told me he thought he could be happy with me in Alaska. To my ears that seemed like a significant moment in our relationship - because it seemed to imply that we could be happy anywhere. Well, here we are. Celebrating 43 years together. In Alaska. And he says he is happy with me in Alaska. I guess he was right those many years ago. And I'm happy about that.

And so very thankful.

Ramblings at the half - or at the start - or somewhere

Warning: ramblings, mumblings, and possible grumblings ahead
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We must be close to the land of the midnight sun - because we had very little darkness last night. It was already light at 4 a.m. and even earlier, I think. Because I didn't sleep so well I am feeling a little groggy. So rather than try to compose a lovely piece, perhaps I just post some of my ramblings.

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Yesterday we passed the half-way point in our journey! Wahoo! Does that mean it's all down-hill from here? I think not. Besides some of the down-hills are the worst! My worst fear!

Yesterday we also arrived at Dawson Creek, British Columbia, which is the official beginning of the Alaska Highway. That's pretty significant! Last night we unhitched the rig so we could explore the town a teeny bit. We hit Boston Pizza to celebrate those two achievements, then visited Mile Zero to take the fun photos, filled the tank on the truck and bought some groceries.

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I am always curious about life in famous towns like this - so we engaged our waitress in conversation. Dawson Creek is an oil town with lots of agriculture in the surrounding valley - besides the seasonal stream of tourists. Her bottom line: The weather sucks. Don't move here!

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We struggle to find good internet. We knew that would be likely so we try not to give in to frustration. Grrrr... We are so spoiled.

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Today we start the Alaska Highway. We would love to make it to Fort Nelson by tonight, but that might be a bit over-zealous.

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And so it begins...

Or continues...

Or something.