New Year's Eve - Looking Back

 On the last day of the year, I like to take time to look back over the months of the previous year. 

This year I am also taking time to step back and notice that this is the 10th anniversary of another rather spectacular NYE.  That evening found us in BB King’s Blues Club on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, enjoying catfish & ribs and some great music.

On that NYE in 2014 we were just striking out on our second winter in the RV - this time in the southern states - where we would live on for one month each on three different islands.

That first year of RV life had been an amazing adventure.  We lived in that second-hand fifth-wheel for more than 7 months that year -  working in Southern California from January through May and traveling to Alaska in June and July before landing back in Michigan until selling the Christmas tree farm later in the year.  What a phenomenal year it had been.  So that NYE dinner on Beale Street and camping on the other side of the Mississippi River became a significant transition moment in our lives.

And now here we are this NYE - living a smaller and less dramatic adventure - on one side of the street watching the snowflakes fluttering down and waiting for the moment when we will be able to move to the newly rescued and refurbished house across the street.

Anniversary of an epiphany

 It was on this date 11 years ago, the middle-of-the-night conversation.

“Are you awake?”

“What if we sell the tree farm?”

“Maybe buy an old RV and travel a bit?”

“Maybe live on the road for a few years?”

“Explore a bit.”

“Try stuff out; see what works.”

An unexpected conversation, but we were both intrigued.

We bounced ideas back and forth.

We decided to take steps in that direction.

Start downsizing - because we had WAY too much stuff to move.

We knew it would be quite the process and could take awhile.

We began sorting and pitching and letting go of stuff.

It was hard and it took a long time, but we did it.  

Piece by piece.

Step by step.

Box by box.

One pile at a time.

Sure enough, we did sell the tree farm.

We did buy an old RV and we travelled a bit.

We lived on the road for a few years.

We explored and we tried stuff out.

We discovered what works for us.

And we lived to tell about it.

Wrote a book even - which is now available on Amazon.

48 years: What a ride!

We've come a long way, Baby!

We have ridden in planes

trains...

... and automobiles

... and four-wheelers

...and trucks

... sometimes towing trailers.

We have walked

We have climbed

We have biked

But through these 48 years we've also done a lot of sitting around...

Just hanging out in amazing places...

Yep, we've come a long way.

I'm so glad that I get to travel with you.

On the road

Overheard in Washington D.C.:

Tour bus passenger to staff lady - while looking at tour map: You guys sure cut a lot of stops from the tour.

Staff lady: We only cut 18.

Passenger: Well, that's a lot!

Staff lady: No. Only 18. 

Other passengers try to translate: She means that they only cut one stop - Stop #18.

This was a fun memory from our life on the road in 2015.
I love my life!

Beaches

I love beaches.

I’ve found some wonderful beaches in my lifetime.

I cherish my memories (and my photos!) of them.

After traveling the last few years and living on the road for a couple of those, I am sometimes asked to name my favorite place.  That’s SO tough to do because there are so many factors that contribute to my feelings about a place.  

The same is true for beaches.

I do have some favorite beaches - and for various reasons.

There are the most beautiful beaches - picturesque beaches and idyllic beaches. There are also beaches that are amazing to live on - for a day or a week or longer. AND there are beaches for walking - which might be my very favorite things about beaches.  Said another way, beach-walking is one of my favorite things to do.

When trying to entice me to go south for the winter, my man did an amazing job of finding beaches for me to walk.  So I am celebrating the last day of February by remembering some of them.

My nominations for most beautiful beaches:

- Sturgeon Bay, Bliss, Michigan

- Playa Rincon, Samana, Dominican Republic

- Isla Vista, Santa Barbara, California

Beach camping:

Port Crescent State Park, Port Austin, Michigan - has become a favorite camping destination in the early autumn when the campground is empty and quiet.

Pacific Coast Highway, Seacliff, California - provides a single lane of campsites overlooking the ocean.  What a great spot!!!  And what a way to begin a new adventure!

Living at the beach:

- The Cove, El Frances, Samana, D.R.

- Dauphin Island, Alabama 

- Emerald Isle, North Carolina

- St. Augustine, Florida

- Big Sable Point Lighthouse, Ludington, Michigan - work and live in the keepers' quarters for 2 weeks

Relaxing on the beach:

The Cove

La Playita

Las Galeras

Emerald Isle

Beach-walking:

Sturgeon Bay

Port Crescent State Park - campground and day use park

Dauphin Island and Emerald Isle - sunrise beach walks

Las Galeras

Playa Rincon

           Photo credit to Bob Sims and Stacy Brown for some of these shots.

Colored leaves and cold weather

Cold-weather camping is a thing - for some people.

Maybe you are the hardy type who can handle discomfort.

Or maybe you have a heater in your tent or camper.

I know that I would NOT enjoy the tent version, but we have done a bit of cold-weather camping in our RV.  Two memories come to mind...

January 2015

We were living on Dauphin Island when the polar vortex dipped all the way south to the mouth of Mobile Bay causing great concern to the campground staff. They were unaccustomed to dealing with freezing temps and weren’t sure how to advise the campers - except to try to protect the shallow plumbing infrastructure through the campground.  Different ones of us tried different methods - some disconnecting and draining and some running water throughout the night - and most of us survived without damage.  Well, except one neighbor who was away for a few days… The next morning there were icicles hanging from the bottom of that trailer pretty much all the way around.  Yikes!

March 2016

Our second ice-camping adventure did damage our rig.  We had just arrived back in Michigan from 10 weeks in the Dominican Republic and were camping in our daughter’s yard when an ice storm hit.  We heard the ice hitting the roof but it was cozy inside and we did not think to retract our slider.  Daylight illuminated dozens of small tears in the awning over the slider.  Phooey!  Wish we had thought of that!

Fast forward to October 2018

Not necessarily seeking a cold-weather camping opportunity, but hoping we were prepared for whatever - we set out for a color tour to north Michigan.  The weather forecast motivated us to take warm blankets and quilts as well as extra layers of clothes.

By the way, this trip was not with the fifth-wheel trailer, but with the little old pickup camper, the mobile man cave - which the man had generously (if dubiously) invited me to share for a few days. Dubious because he wasn't quite sure there was room for two.  No electricity or running water, but it does have a nice little furnace.  With the area around Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes as our destination, off we went on our adventure.

In our travels we watch for things like hiking, history, scenery, and local culture. This trip did not disappoint. We enjoyed some of our favorite scenery and did find lots of beautiful colors,  And yes, we had a fun time despite a wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow along with heavy winds and very cold temps.

Most of the rain was during the night so we were able to do some hiking during the daytimes. We hiked to the beach near our campsite at D.H. Day campground and we stepped into the historic log cabin there. Adventure Bob showed me where he and his brothers had climbed up into the tower when they were little guys.  You can't do that anymore!

Speaking of the historical...  Glen Haven has always been a favorite spot - but is even better now with its restored historic buildings - the cannery, the general store, the blacksmith shop and the Sleeping Bear Inn. 

The old Coast Guard station nearby has been transformed into a maritime history museum.  Several of the buildings were open under the supervision of volunteers - yet another form of work-camping.   

And local culture...?

When in the area one simply must return to Art's Tavern in downtown Glen Arbor for a famous burger and some mac and cheese.

On the way north we had stopped at Cops and Doughnuts in Clare.  Oh, my; their doughnuts are amazing!


The return trip brought us right past the 13th Street Market which is now a full-service restaurant near Cadillac.  We were three for three on the local culture stops.

It was a good camping trip despite the weather.  It did get cold inside our little camper.  We were very glad for that little furnace AND for the extra layers.  We shivered and giggled and made the most of it…  until the fan started slowing down because the “house battery” was running out of power.  Oh, no!!!  Never fear; Adventure Bob figured out a way to re-charge the “house battery” from the truck engine via jumper cables.  And it worked!  We were able to find a place to buy another propane tank because we were using it faster than expected because of the frigid temps.  But we survived - with more fun camping memories in our pockets.

Year-end letter

Consider this our year-end letter to you - with greetings from our house to yours for a prosperous and healthy new year.

...

What a year this has been!

January 2017 found us safe and snug in a little apartment where we had parked to enjoy a whole year in one place - that place being just north of Flint, Michigan.

After traveling for four years, I had been missing Michigan winters.  Yah, crazy; I know. So we came off the road - at least for awhile.  We had chosen the location because it was somewhere between our moms and a couple of our daughters and sure enough, it was convenient for those reasons.  Plus with the proximity to the universities in Flint, an old dream to welcome and serve International students had been awakened within us and we had begun to connect with some of them.

A few days into 2017, Bob started saying that he might be ready for some projects again and started talking about buying a fixer-upper house.  So we began house-shopping and quickly narrowed our search area to be near the universities. 

It wasn’t long before we found a place that is just right - located between Kettering University and UM-Flint and with enough space to host events and even overnight guests - AND with enough “projects” to keep Bob the Builder busy for the foreseeable future.  We made an offer in February, closed in March, moved into the house in April and by fall we were able to host several different events - for neighbors as well as for International students.

We really love our new neighborhood and our new city.  The move has brought so many happy surprises for which we are grateful.  The area is rich with culture and diversity and so many wonderful people. During our life on the road, there had been very little opportunity for community and I can admit that it got a little lonely, so I totally love the abundant opportunity for community and connections that we have now.

So here we are.  Bob has his projects. He moves steadily along, starting and completing one after another. I am working my way through my own set of projects and am loving the range of options and opportunities.

We often hear ourselves commenting about how much we love our life and this place.  We are grateful indeed for this new adventure of the past year and can’t help but wonder what the coming year will bring.  By this age we are well aware that there are any number of things that could mess things up so we plan to appreciate and enjoy every moment we have in this chapter.

Amazing Day #26: Did he really say that?!?

Most of my "amazing day" posts have been about positive things.  
Maybe noble or inspiring or wonderful.
But I guess amazing doesn't always have to be great and wonderful.
It might just make you wonder.

Today's choice is one of those.
Something that just kinda' made me shake my head.
I had to wonder if I had heard correctly.
And I had to chuckle.

Disclaimer - two disclaimers actually:
(Well, I don't know that they are REALLY disclaimers - but I'm not feeling writerly enough today to figure out what to call them.  At any rate, here are two tidbits of background information.)

First, I always wanted to say "overheard on an airplane" as if I am some world traveler who flies to exotic places all the time.

Secondly, I absolutely LOVE Facebook memories.  You know, those "on this day" posts where Facebook shows you your activity on this date through the years.  So, so fun.  Kind of amazing actually. So...  this morning, the following gem popped up in my Facebook memories - from two years ago.  Early that morning I had been on an airplane and had heard this line.

Overheard on an airplane:

Older gentleman excitedly explaining

about how he was able

to help deliver a baby in the Philippines.

"Cut the unbiblical cord

with my pocket knife "

Wait; what...? 
He seemed to think it was pretty amazing.

The one-year lease

On that night many years ago we spoke of crazy ideas for the future.

Maybe we could sell the farm…

Maybe we could explore a bit…

Maybe we could experiment with different living situations…

Maybe we could live in an apartment.  

We had never lived in an apartment.

It might be fun.

Maybe we could rent a loft in a big city.

Maybe we could find a fixer-upper house near a university so we could rent rooms to international students.

Maybe we could go to the tropics for the winter.

Maybe we could get an RV and live on the road for awhile…

Maybe we would like to be free of land ownership.

Then again maybe we would decide to re-invest in another place.

…

Lots of ideas

We wondered what it would be like to try some of them.

We wondered if we could pull any of them off.

We knew it would take lots of steps to make it happen.

It would be a journey.  For sure.

It would require some huge steps.

Obstacles. Hurdles.

There would also be small steps.

Lots and lots of small steps.

…

We decided to give it a try.

To begin to move toward some of those dreams.

The first step would be to get free.  

Free of the stuff.  

Free of the property.

That would require some MAJOR downsizing.  

Forty years in that house meant the acquisitions and collections of a lifetime had taken root in closets, corners and storage areas.  

What a huge job!

But we began.

And we continued.

We wondered if we would ever get free.

It took months and months, but we kept going.

Piece by piece, box by box, we got ourselves free.

Finally it happened.

A date was set and we moved the last personal items out of the house so it was ready for new occupants.

…

The next step would be to experiment and explore.

To check out other places before deciding whether and where to settle down.

And that idea of living on the road...

Let’s see if it can make it work.

Mostly let’s see if we like it.

We did try part of one winter in a warmer place.

And then another winter… and another…

We did find a used RV.

We did figure out how we could afford to live on the road.

We did explore most of the corners of this country.

And we DID enjoy it.

We wondered out loud how long we would want to be full-timers.

In some ways we could imagine being content to do it for awhile.

On the other hand, there were some things that we didn’t so much love about it.

’Tis a lonely life - moving to a different place every month. Hard to put down roots or make friends. Then again we still didn’t know whether we wanted to put down roots yet.

And then there was the missing the kids and grandkids.  That was hard.

But there was another thing that kinda’ snuck up on us and surprised us.

It was almost as if we ran out of places to explore - at least with this mode of travel.

Sure; there were still lots of places that we would like to visit, but not with the rig.  Many of the places still on our list would probably be better explored with a small car or by train or plane.

Besides we remembered that we wanted to experiment with other housing options. 

And so we did.  We stayed in VRBO’s* here and there. We did get the small car for some fun road trips. We tried AmTrak and have decided that we definitely want to do that again - especially for some longer trips.

Suddenly (or maybe gradually) we found ourselves deciding to come off the road. 

To park the rig and settle down in one place for awhile.  

To try another Michigan winter. 

A one year lease seemed to be a good plan.

One year is not a huge commitment. Not a great risk.

A year might be long enough to let our souls catch up with our bodies.

Another chance to experiment.

A chance to explore a new part of Michigan and really get to know a place.

A chance to finish processing the rest of the stuff that has been in storage.

And so we did it.

We signed that one-year lease and we settled in.

We cleaned out our storage unit and we got rid of more stuff.

We discovered that there are many things that we enjoy about apartment dwelling.

We like our little town and we worked hard at trying to become part of it.

It has been a great landing spot for us in so many ways.  

It is close enough to our old stomping grounds that we can easily connect with friends and family. It is near enough to the grandkids to have regular contact.

And it is close enough to several universities that we have finally been able to start hanging out with international students.

Yes, it has been so good to stay put in one spot for awhile.

It has been a chance to ponder whether we will ever go back to life on the road.

And it has been good to continue purging those last few bins and boxes that got moved out of the big house without being processed. The goal is to get through the rest of them by the time our lease runs out next month. 

…

So what will we do at the end of that one-year lease?

Well, that is exactly what we have been wondering.

And that will likely be the topic of another post.

But I can say that this one-year lease has been a good thing.

Just what the doctor ordered.

We are grateful.

And... we look forward to the adventures that await us in the next phase.

...

Fast forward to the future - to find what we did at the end of that one-year lease.