Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Headed to Alabama


The time had come to gather phone numbers and email addresses for the ‘family’ we had in Pecan Park RV Park.  It had been a short 7 months there and we had made quiet a few friends, especially the little one.  Luckily the lil one had seen several of the friends move on to new destinations, so the lil one new what to expect; all the “see you later’s” and such.  It wasn’t easy to plan this move as we had all grown very comfortable in spot 521. There were a few tears in my moments of alone time, there was apprehension too, many questions; could we make it? Would the lil one be okay? Could we find work in the new towns? But they all fell back to our new philosophy of ‘Living on Faith’.
     
     It took us a while to get everything arranged, it takes longer when your full timing than when your just on vacation, we were getting better and quicker with every move. Three days after I started putting things in their places we were ready to hook the F350 up to the rig and pull out.  Tears followed of course but we had to keep looking to the future and the reason we had decided to move to the ‘no sticks and bricks’ lifestyle.
      
     Our first stop was in Montgomery, AL to see a few friends and go to a French-Indian war re-enactment, always something along the way to tie in with the home schooling.  It was a great reunion with the friends we hadn’t seen in a few years, the lil one even remembered them; something odd for the lil one but they had made an impression on the lil brain in there.  We spent time watching the squirrels, gophers and birds just outside their window, something the lil one truly enjoys. Soon it was time to go to the re-enactment.
     
     We got there a little late and had no idea which way to go in the park, but it didn’t take long to figure it out.  As we were walking down the road we heard gunshots and cannons. The lil one started running towards the loud bangs, of course, we had to jog to keep up.  The re-enactment was interesting and very entertaining, the lil one had daddy on one side and the friends on the other feeding the brain about the history of the war that happened so many years ago.
     
     Afterwards we all walked to where the rivers met, across an Indian mound and through the woods, picking up momentos along the way, learning and teaching was in every step we took that day. We even got to see a hut set up like in the old days, the lil one learned a lot about the ancestors. We had dinner at our friends, this has come to be the routine while in Montgomery.  After a great weekend with longtime friends it was time to pack up and head to Rogersville, farther north in Bama.
      
     This was to be one of the shortest legs of this journey, and it actually went as planned, amazingly.  When we were making the plans to stay at a family members house I was concerned about the tight corners and turns to get into her yard, but of course the hubby and his gung-ho attitude led us forward, no matter what.  Our first mistake was trying to make a 90˚ turn on tight city streets.  The hubby started with the turn, and there just so happened to be a car coming on the small road too; being as nice as he is, he didn’t make the car back up to make his turn. A few seconds later I watched the fifth wheel bounce a couple times off a telephone pole placed very close to the road. The rig looked okay and we only had a few more blocks to go until we parked, it was going to be okay. After the few blocks down a very skinny road, we were back on a wider two lane county road with only one more turn to make, no problems right?  The hubby got lined up to make this last turn and started it, but halfway thru it another truck came around the turn and made him stop. If you’ve ever pulled anything, you know that once you’ve committed to a turn, you’ve got to continue on the projected path. 
     
     I was on the phone with my mother just griping away about bouncing off the telephone pole at this point and the next thing I see is our rig bouncing off the concrete culvert on the side of their driveway. I was livid as I drove over pieces of plumbing that had gotten broke off as the hubby pulled in. I was literally driving over pieces of our rig that had become our home; it was almost a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was so thankful that this part of the journey was over and we had time to repair what had been broken in the last mile. It was all smiles to see the family but it was also time to set up a temporary home for the next few days.

Until next time……

Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment.  ~Rita Mae Brown

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Winter in Florida


After the busy holiday season it was time to relax, or so I thought, we still had New Year’s to get through.  I assumed since we had mostly older people and couples around us that it would be quiet in the RV park, you know what they say when you assume anything.  My lil family decided to have a peaceful dinner and stay in on this night, there are always too many idiots driving drunk on the roads during the holiday season.  Just as we were getting ready to watch a movie, we started hearing people talking outside.  We got dressed and went to investigate; little did we know one of the adopted grandparents was having a golf cart party at her house.
      There were golf carts parked anywhere they could park around her fifth wheel, the carts were still decorated with Christmas lights and such.  They had a fire blazing to welcome anyone and everyone from all parts of the country that chose to spend their holidays in FL.  I was amazed at the energy and festiveness they had in them, I only wish I could keep up!  We went and chatted for a bit with the ones we knew before heading back in for our movie and bed, I’ve haven’t been able to be awake for New Year’s for many moons, at least not since the lil one was born.

      With New Year’s out of the way it was time to buckle down and finish our Kindergarten school year, before the spring months came and we didn’t feel like doing any work.  It dropped to freezing a few nights while there, nothing too bad or too hard to handle.   After the ice storms in Bama, the winters in Florida were very mild in comparison. Our two small heaters kept us very warm and toasty, not to mention the oven going frequently so I could bake some tasty treats.

      Daddy was at work a lot these last few months and we were hard at filling the lil one’s head with knowledge.  The days got into a good rhythm and we actually accomplished quite a bit on those dreary cold days.  Some days we did nothing but watch movie after movie while munching on popcorn and drinking hot cocoa and coffee, so much that I felt I had coffee running through my veins on occasion.

      Finally, we started seeing new life in the form of buds on the trees and a few buttercups.  Spring was upon us before we knew it.  We went to the beach a few final times, knowing we were heading up to the northwest, I had to see it again.  I didn’t know when we would be back around the ocean, it might be years before I see and hear those majestic waves crashing with the rhythm of Mother Earth.

      We had saved a good bit, but not enough to carry us as far and for as long as we would like, so we started checking jobs in the states we were planning on hitting.  It didn’t seem like it would be too hard to get work in some of the major cities close to where we were going.  The plan started coming together and I knew when I started the process of de-cluttering the rig that we were really going to leave the comfort of Jacksonville, FL.

      Finally I had everything weeded out and put in its place, knowing that we would be making a few short stops as tourist I had to put the necessities in the front; so as to not have to move a mountain to get to the things we really needed.  The lil one was spending as much time as she could with the friends we had made, collecting emails and such.  There are really no ‘goodbyes’ in the RV world, we say ‘until we meet again’, believe it or not but I know our paths will cross again with many of the friends we’ve made in this great country of ours.

      The final weeks and days were bittersweet. We were comfortable in Jax, we had been there for 6yrs previously and we knew the land well; to head into unknown territory can be frightening for some, but it is also exhilarating to many, us included.  We have come to live everyday to its fullest, never knowing what is around the corner and embracing every challenge that comes our way.  Our new phrase is that we are 'Living on Faith', without our faith that everything will work out as it should; well frankly I don't know if I could live this lifestyle with the smile on my face.
 
Untill next time.....
 
The course of life is unpredictable..... no one can write his autobiography in advance.  ~ Abraham Joshua Heschel