Getting ready

Today is October 13. We are planning on hitting the road again the beginning of November. I have had a countdown on my phone set for November 1. But the interesting thing about being unencumbered is that is an approximate target.

It's a cloudy, rather blustery day. One of those days good for wandering around the countryside and exploring. It is something we used to do when I was a child with my parents. Sunday afternoons were spent driving around just looking at whatever suited us. It didn't matter if we were exploring frequently traveled roads... it was the joy of getting out and riding that made it all worthwhile. Dad would drive into the Allegan State Game area (which we always referred to as the Allegan Woods) and let my younger sister and I take turns driving on the dirt roads. Often our trips ended at the Saugatuck Drug Store where we would have cherry sodas or hot fudge sundaes. Dad said no one made their sodas like they did at the Saugatuck Drug store. We would then head home so Dad could watch a little golf, have a quick Sunday supper (Spam and cheese whiz on buns) and then head to church for the evening service.

The waves rolling in at South Beach

Golden Brown

So today I drove through South Haven -- ending up at the State Park (mostly because Cindy indicated she would not be able to make it back to the trailer without relieving herself). The waves are rolling in at the lake at the South Haven beaches and the last few weekend visitors are exploring the shops downtown. A few summers ago I worked at one of the shops downtown from July through
 December. The days went from busy-hectic to sometimes one or two customers the entire day. I give a lot of credit to those shop owners who remain open year-round. It shows a dedication to the year-round residents and gives a clear meaning to "shop local."

But it's time to move on. The furnace kicks on in the trailer with some frequency. It's time to wonder if our plumbing is going to freeze.  And most importantly King and our sons have just one more golf scramble (my daughters-in-law are sooooo happy -- and trust me. I get it). I have our route mapped out. I showed it to King yesterday. Since the trip planning I do ahead of time generally turns into mere suggestions it will be interesting to see what actually transpires. Weather, the reality of how many miles we can actually do in one day and being able to find cheap campsites all plays into our plans. I am bound and determined to see the World's Largest Ball of Twine this time. Unless it snows in Kansas once again.

It is a lifestyle that works for us for now. It may not always be so. There will probably come a day when we can no longer travel. That's why I left nine boxes of "things" in our son's shed. They aren't items of sentimental value, but rather things I will need if I ever move back into a house -- canning supplies, a blender, large baking pans (they won't fit in the trailer's oven) a juicer -- convenience items that I'm finding I can do without but will put to use someday should the need arise.

And speaking of modern conveniences ... We now have two convenience items in the trailer. A toaster which King purchased while I was in California visiting our daughter this summer (because he doesn't know how to grill bread in a pan) and a Magic Bullet mini blender (because when we have electricity I like to make smoothies). I have not, in fact, used the blender all summer but today I found a recipe for a smoothie that included the drink of the gods -- coffee. (It was not as good as it sounded. Ice cream would have made it better).

As I was doing dishes this afternoon I was thinking about something Mom once said to me, "I really think you were born in the wrong decade." She was referring to my propensity of doing a lot of things by hand and shunning some modern conveniences. (I have not gone the way of the Amish, I do like electricity, televisions, cell phones, computers, rock and roll and singing vulgar songs). But most of the time I have cooked from scratch, made my own jams and jellies and, yes ... my own ghee. I shunned preservatives long before it became popular among the millennials. Had I been able to sew better I would have made all my own clothes. I would have made a good June Cleaver -- to a point. I can't picture June Cleaver moving into 152-square-foot travel trailer and living happily ever after. That probably was not her style either. This is certainly not for everyone.

But it works for us. It is the adventure we have been looking for since trying to be normal back in 1976 when we got married.

Until next time. Be kind to one another. Think good thoughts. Look for rainbows.