Instead, we’ve been stranded in Florida for more than a year. After much (exhausting) discussion, we’ve decided to stay here for a while longer. We’re doing more projects on the house. And now, we’ve got a kitten. What the heck?
Seduced By The Calm Of Stationary Life
In the fall of 2012, we made the decision to travel full-time. It took a few months to get ourselves ready. We had a home and a lifetime accumulation of stuff to deal with, we had to prepare emotionally for leaving our beloved hometown and friends, and we had an elderly and somewhat cranky cat who had never traveled.
It seems only yesterday that we finished up the herculean tasks involved in preparing for our life on the road (even reading about it now makes me cringe). In reality, it was eight years ago. And what a glorious adventure it has been, an ever-changing landscape of new experiences and new friends met along the way.
As the world cautiously begins to open up, we feel the seductive pull to get back on the road. We don’t feel done with our adventures, and there are places we still want to explore. But we don’t feel ready yet to resume our life of full-time travel. The last year was a tough one, with the trifecta of a pandemic, personal loss, and a world gone crazy. We need some recovery time.
Kayaking is good medicine, and right in our backyard
Digging Into At-Home Adventures
This unexpected pause in life has given us time to delve into interests that we don’t have time to pursue when we’re traveling. Eric has been birding avidly and recording his sightings on eBird, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology site for citizen science. He ranked number two in bird sightings last year in Franklin County. He is now officially a big fish in a small pond.
A happy and (locally) famous birder
An American Avocet. Aren’t those blue legs and curved bill striking?
As for me, I unearthed the watercolors I’ve been hauling around for eight years. I now spend my morning coffee time sketching instead of obsessively reading the news. It has done wonders for my well-being.
Practicing calm
My morning assistant, who is not much help at all
Honestly, until things return to some closer version of ‘normal,’ we don’t feel much like traveling. We want to travel when we can once again enjoy restaurants and breweries, when we can explore museums and art galleries, and when we can attend music festivals. Until then, we feel most comfortable staying put, enjoying the beauty of our own backyard. However, we are not stupid. Last summer almost killed us, so we’ve made reservations for the month of August at a small RV park in the mountains of North Carolina.
Even if we were ready to leave, there are issues keeping us here. We don’t have our vaccines yet, we’re still in the process of probating my parents’ estate, and we discovered we have to put a new roof on the house to bring it up to the current Florida code (insert VERY unhappy face here).
Friends Have Kept Us From Going Feral
Fortunately, we have not lacked for company, even during the pandemic. We’ve made good friends in the neighborhood and we’ve had a surprising number of friends visiting the area. We’ve been exceedingly cautious, but thanks to the generally mild Florida weather, we’ve been able to socialize outdoors all year round. Spending time with friends has kept us from going completely feral during this weird time. We feel very fortunate that we got stuck in Florida.
Click on photos to enlarge and for captions
Many of the friends we’ve met on the road are also bloggers. You can read Joodie and Mark’s blog here, Shannon and Ken’s blog here, Janie and Russ’s blog here, and Joe and Helen’s blog here. I love keeping up with friends through their blogs.
Staying Put Is An Adjustment
Yesterday I was thinking about how much effort it took to make the decision to travel full-time and to actually make it happen. And now here we are, doing the reverse. We’re not quite sure how long we’ll be here, but we’re settling into a home again. We’re doing more projects, accumulating more stuff, and we have a cat. It all feels strangely familiar…
Some days I feel relieved and excited. And some days, I feel terribly uncertain and am fearful that we’re making a big mistake. We miss our family and friends on the west coast. And I worry…what if the real estate market goes belly up and we can’t sell when the time comes? What if there’s a hurricane? What if we don’t get to do all of the travel we still want to do? What if, what if, what if?
Reflections on the bay
And then I look out at the bay, I take a deep breath, and I come back to this moment. In this moment, I’m just fine.
Meanwhile, The Kitty
Magnolia went to the vet this week to get spayed. She came home with one of those ridiculous Elizabethan collars with instructions to keep it on her for two weeks. Yeah, right. We put it on her three times, and she immediately ran backward and slipped out of it each time.
I found a pattern online for making a kitty onesie. It was way too complicated. So I cut off a sleeve from one of Eric’s long-sleeved t-shirts, stuffed her into it, and cut out arm and leg holes. It seemed like it would work to keep her from bothering her stitches.
Magnolia in a kitty t-shirt, and none too happy about it
But this is what greeted us the next morning.
The little escape artist
We cannot figure out how she got herself out of that t-shirt. But we gave up trying to restrict her and she has promised to leave her stitches alone. So far, so good. :-)
I’ve been hearing the word “sabbatical” a lot lately. Maybe that’s what this is. If you did travel it would be such a different experience. I’m glad you’ve got a good spot to settle for a while.
Hope Magnolia’s stitches heal quickly. She’s probably smarter than all us humans!
Ahh, sabbatical. I like that, Nancy. It puts this time in a whole different light, doesn’t it? I’ve always wanted more time for drawing and painting, and staying in one place gives me the opportunity for that, along with many other things that fall by the wayside when we’re traveling. I trust you guys are doing well and enjoying your sabbatical, too.
Good for you guys. I sure do relate to your hesitation about rushing on back out there. (I’m hanging onto a cancelled plane ticket from last year with no clue when I’ll use it.) But I’m psyched to hear you’ll at least get some beautiful NC mountains this summer! Say hi to ’em for me…
Also, that kitty-onesie??!! LOL.
Haha, my attempt at making a kitty onesie was a total failure! That’s why I ended up just stuffing Magnolia into the sleeve of a t-shirt. I thought I was pretty smart but she outsmarted me.
I will happily say ‘hello’ to the beautiful North Carolina mountains for you, Gretchen. Every time I play and sing “Carolina” I think of you.
What a lovely post Laurel. I think I’m swooning over your location and your art and Eric’s birding and all your lucky visitors and what an extraordinarily fantastic life you have during this ugly pandemic. Let me know if you’d like to trade places. It’s hard to believe you’ve been there an entire year. I can definitely see how the place would grow on you. What’s not to love? I know, summer heat but your escape sounds perfect. The big decision?
I’m swooning too Laurel!! Would love to trade places with you two :)
Terri, if you come to Florida, let us know! This is a beautiful spot (just NOT in the summer). Hope you’re doing well!
Sherry, we do feel fortunate that we were here in this beautiful place when the pandemic stranded us. And as you said, it’s grown on us in ways we didn’t expect. Being able to see so many friends during this weird time of isolation has been a huge benefit. Maybe next winter you can add a visit here into your travel plans?
We’re not sure how cool it will be in North Carolina in August, but it’s got to be better than here!
Laurel, you and Eric seem to have embraced all that is beautiful about living on the Forgotten Coast and being the ‘smarties’ that you are, you’ve figured out when NOT to be there. Enjoying your home base a little while longer is probably a good idea as the world becomes a better place. Clever gal, little Magnolia! She will fit right into the family.
Suzanne, I never thought I would return to live in Florida—mainly because of the heat and humidity—but apparently the universe had other plans. We’re loving the natural beauty and the peace of this special place and we’re pretty happy that we have a plan to leave in August, haha. As you said, this is a good place to be while we wait for the world to become a better place.
Kitty Houdini!
The complexity of the times is reflected in the variety of our emotional states. As Roseanne Roseannadanna would say, “It’s always something”.
Sheila, we share the loss of beloved parents on top of the challenges of the pandemic. I hope you are finding solace in your memories and finding joy and peace in your art, my friend.
And yes, Magnolia is a little Houdini! I wish we had set up a kitty cam and then I would know how she extricated herself from that t-shirt!
Feral? Yup, that was us. The cloudy, cold, and wet weather was keeping us inside. We had promised ourselves that we would go out in the rain for walks and geocaching but when you are all warm and cozy, well….
We had some stuff to keep us busy. Karen sewed masks for all of the family and had me do the cutting. And we worked on our genealogy projects (I’m back to the 1600s on my paternal side and 1300s on the maternal). Being isolated in the middle of a city that normally had lots to do but you can’t do anything or really meet people sucks. We were starting to go a little stir crazy.
There is a lot of food insecurity in our area and Karen came up with the idea of volunteering at the local food bank. There was some worry about the risk of infection but we quickly learned that they had planned well and had reduced the risk so they could continue operating, there is just too much need. We’ve been spending three mornings there every week and have been working with wonderful people that are our peers.
We’re fully vaccinated now and are planning on traveling to central Oregon to visit our daughter and meet our new granddaughter next week and are planning other getaways for this year and some longer travels for 2022.
The vaccine has given us a new level of relief and confidence that we can have a different life from the one we’ve been having. One that includes masks and caution.
All our best,
Riley & Karen
Riley & Karen, Eric and I have often said that if we had to be stranded somewhere, we are very grateful that it was a small town in North Florida. I can only imagine how challenging it was to be in a city and in a cold climate during the pandemic. You guys certainly made the best of a difficult situation and at the same time, did so much to help other people.
I’m so glad to hear you both have your vaccines. I imagine it must be a huge relief. And what a thrill to be able to do some traveling, and to be going to visit your new granddaughter. Enjoy your newfound freedom!
Oh, man. I get it. There are days when I think I can never give up this lifestyle, and then the next day I find such peace in making that decision. If we were in the states, I think I would do the same, but being in Europe is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime decision. We are not going to give this up and then come back some day, this is a one and done thing for us. I think, anyway. :) So I guess we will continue to travel as we can and hope things open up for us. But I love that you are happy with your plans. What peace you must feel now.
Linda, I’ve been enjoying so much following your travels in Europe. You and Steven have really been making the best of a challenging situation. I find myself wishing I was with you! Even though this is a weird time and so many things are closed, you’re getting the opportunity to see Europe without boatloads/busloads of tourists. It will probably never be this way again. But I do hope things open up for you so that you can do everything you want to do before heading back to the States.
We’re feeling at peace with our decision now that we finally stopped agonizing over it. There are still many places we want to see, but we’ll just wait until things open up and we can travel in the way we prefer.
I always love to read about your experiences and Chris and I think often of the brief time we met you at Devil’s Postpile NM near Mammoth Lakes. What you are feeling and experiencing now mirrors very much how many of us feel in the UK. At the beginning of the pandemic there was an almost suspension of belief while we all found our own novel ways of ‘coping’. A year on and the reality is very hard. We’re still in a state of national lockdown though at least my vaccination is this weekend. Our travel plans and dreams on hold, we have turned to our local village for almost everything, farm shop foods, extensive walks and friendly faces, albeit at a distance. That’s a good thing, right? Must admit though that Amazon plugs many gaps …. The thought of travelling afar which was something we did every year with huge enjoyment from the initial planning to the actual trip itself has now become filled with anxiety. Would we travel if we could? Will we never get to see the places we dreamed of? We have decided that for now the immediate future and maybe the next year will be for recovery and recuperation as we (hopefully) emerge into a world without quite so much fear and anxiety. Sounds like you guys will be doing the same. I think it’s the best we can all hope for. Good luck to you!
I’m so glad to hear from you, Angela. We fondly remember meeting you and Chris and have always hoped that we would meet up again in our travels! It sounds as though we’re experiencing many of the same feelings about travel and life. We know how lucky we are to have been stranded in this sweet small town, just as it seems you’ve embraced life in your village. Still, it’s hard to have something that was such an integral part of our lives suddenly brought to a halt, isn’t it?
Here’s hoping that we will all be able to resume our travels in the not-too-distant future. Speaking of travel, we would love to have you visit us here! We can show you the ‘real Florida.’ :-)
You only shared a tease of that kingfisher watercolor and I want to see more! What talent you have. Wow!
It’s funny how this past year has changed my perspective about travel, too. I’m eager to head out again, but part of the fun is trying new restaurants and playing tourist. I still don’t feel safe in doing so, even though we should be vaccinated by summer. We get our first shots today and the second will be in 4 weeks. So, we’ll probably start thinking about some trips around the area, maybe over to Sisters/Bend and up to Sequim/Port Townsend, but no long hauls for a while. I say that now, but then I think, well, what if we went {insert location}…
As far as our plans to go fulltime, I’m rethinking that for now. We love where we are and have made some wonderful friends. I guess time will tell. My mom turns 88 in May and is, thankfully, still going strong. It’s the right time to be here… So, maybe the universe is answering the big question about fulltime RV life and we’ll settle for just 3-4 month road trips. Who knows, right?
Try not to go crazy with all the “what ifs.”
P.S.
Magnolia is adorable! I’m sure she brings you a lot of joy and laughter.
Les, you’ve raised an interesting question about going full-time. We’re really happy we traveled full-time for seven-plus years, but at this point, I don’t know if we’ll travel full-time again. Things are different now—I’m not sure how much is because we are different, or because the world is different. It’s probably a combination of the two. But it sure seems like you have a sweet situation living on the Oregon coast, spending time with your mom, and heading out for 3-4 month trips. We made long trips once or twice a year before we took to the road full-time and that may be our reality again. Or not! Who knows? I know nothing, LOL.
Thanks for your kind words about my little kingfisher watercolor. And Magnolia really is adorable, mostly loving, sometimes INSANE, and brings us a lot of joy.
I recognize a couple of those bloggers … fun times! I think it’s a great idea to hang onto the property for a while. I would love to have someplace like that to hang out. How can you go wrong with those views? I’m at a point where I view part-time RVing as ideal. I just haven’t found that home base just yet, so I’m jealous 😎
Ingrid, we may have returned to the idea of part-time RVing as ideal, too. At the moment, making this place our home base seems like the right decision.
We feel very fortunate that we’ve had so many friends come to visit this past year. As you know, blogging is a great way to connect with people. If you and Al make a cross-country trip, come visit us and enjoy the view in person!
The serenity of decisions made, the peace of where you are being the very best place to be.
I suspect it’s going to be weird “out there” this year, with different places transitioning at different times. Having our vaccines will make the biggest difference, and just having my appointment has given me such a sense of possibility! Of course masks will be part of our wardrobe for a while, and that will be a constant reminder that the world is still not back to normal.
You’re in such a lovely place, both geographically and spiritually, that I’m not surprised to see you’ll stay a bit longer. Why not? Lots of good reasons to stay now and go later. There are “what-ifs” in every plan, at every age, so I try to feel my way through all the thinking :-)
Enjoy!!
Jodee, you said it perfectly. We really do feel like we’re in the right place right now geographically and spiritually. And now that we’ve finally made the decision to stay put (for however long), we feel a sense of peace. I’m not very good at living in the in-between spaces!
It likely will be weird ‘out there’ for a while as the world begins to open up. Hopefully, people will behave so that we can all get back to normal as soon as possible. I’m so glad you’re getting your vaccines and that you’ll soon be venturing out!
Looks like you have settled in nicely, and I’m sure the decision to stay for now was made easier at this time of year…in the middle of summer you might have decided differently! Thank goodness you still have the RV and a way to escape the heat this summer.
We disliked the heat of summer in Prescott last year and are considering getting an RV soon for part time travel. It sure will be nice when the virus has slowed down and the majority of us are vaccinated.
Lisa, you are absolutely right! We’ve had months of good weather and no heat or humidity. If we had waited until July to decide whether we were staying or going, we would be GONE.
How fun it will be for you guys to get a rig for summer travel! And the rest of the year, you have your beautiful home in Prescott. There’s a lot to be said for having a home base.
It’s a complicated decision, isn’t it? Mui was the one who was ready to settle down, and since he’s the primary driver and overall caretaker of all things mechanical, it seemed only right that I go along with him, though the travel itch was still there. At least, we’d have the small RV to travel around on shorter trips. Hah! We had no idea COVID-19 was waiting in the wings.
Admittedly, when the pandemic hit I was glad to have a stix & brix. And it was great to get a few RV trips under our belt last year, which helped to break the monotony. But there were plenty of days when I had to wonder what life would have been like on the road.
There is no calm water scene here to ground me. Instead, it’s the mountains that settle me … at least long enough that I don’t regret our decision to get off the road for maybe more than a day or two.
Mui’s got both his vaccine shots; I got my first one a few days ago. By the time we’re both fully vaccinated mid-April most of our medical appointments and home projects should be completed and we can look towards the road again, do a few RV trips before we head overseas for an extended time with the family.
Erin, this really has been a complicated decision. We’ve looked at our situation and our options from every possible angle and wore ourselves out in the process. I’m not quite sure how we finally decided. But we feel a huge sense of relief and peace, so it seems like we made the right decision. At least for now. :-)
We certainly didn’t plan to stop traveling, but we feel very fortunate to have found ourselves stranded here during the pandemic. This has been a hard time for our traveling friends who don’t have a home base.
I’m so glad to hear that you and Mui will soon have your vaccinations. You must be so excited to see your family overseas and to once again do some RV travel!
I feel like you’ve said so many of the same things Paul and I have said to each other!! We are still here, still waiting for vaccines and we’re making a stationary life. And I worry sometimes we’re making a big mistake, yet at the same time I feel lucky and happy. It’s been crazy. In the end I’ve just decided to take it one day at a time, and if it feels right for now, it’s right.
Best of luck with the next months, the sale, the travel and whatever comes.
Nina
Nina, you and Paul have certainly made the best of this strange and challenging time. It’s reassuring to know that you two have had similar conversations to what Eric and I have been struggling with. After far too many conversations that got us nowhere (round and round and round!!), we came to the same conclusion that you have. We’re just focusing on this moment, and in this moment, staying here seems like the right thing to do.
Thank you for your good thoughts. We send the same to you in France. :-)
We are of course thrilled that you have paused your travels in our neck of the woods. I can’t wait until we finally have the free time to get back out in the kayaks with you two! In the meantime I’ll just look forward to more outdoor socializing and outdoor community events when we can extricate ourselves from construction projects. And petting your cat/art assistant, of course.
Shannon, our time with you and Ken has been a bright spot in a very difficult year—not only surviving the pandemic, but the loss of my mom and dad, and the challenges of dealing with their estate. You have been good friends to us, and we look forward to many more adventures together—kayaking, beach hikes, happy hours, and fires. And Ms. Magnolia is delighted to see you anytime!
Love the pictures of the new cat, now you have a new friend in the family. How
old was the cat you traveled with for so long? Now you’ll have a new friend to keep
your spirits up. We have had so much up and down with the grandkids over school with some horrible events in the area. Today they heard they will be going back to school
one day a week. To say they were excited is an understatement. Brady plays his
first football game tonight with no one testing positive, excited but of course no one
can be in the stands. Hope this brings smiles back to the faces of our three plus others.
We both have had our two Covid shots plus our 14 days which helps our spirits but
we’re still cautious. We have two grandkids with school graduations this year and aren’t
sure what will happen. Life goes on one day at a time. I am sure you will see that
too with all the decisions you’ll be making. Sometimes all the decisions come at once.
Your summer trip to the mountains of NC sounds magical, love that beautiful area.
Take care, be safe, happy adventures and love and hugs to you both.
Penny
Penny, I’m so glad to hear that you and Tom have your vaccines and can begin to resume some kind of normal life (cautiously, as you said!). It’s wonderful to hear that the grandkids are all slowly beginning a return to normalcy, too. I know kids are resilient, but this has been such a difficult time. I’m sure they are going to be thrilled to be seeing friends and getting back to the activities that they enjoy.
Magnolia has been good for us. She’s sweet and funny and mostly well behaved. Spot lived for almost 20 years. Eric and I have talked for a long time about getting another cat, and I realized recently it’s a good thing the universe delivered a cat to us now, even though we didn’t think we were ready. If Magnolia lives 20 years she might have to take care of us, LOL. Hugs to all of you. Plan to come visit us!
It hasn’t all been bliss but this last year has really underlined how very lucky we are. To have a comfortable home, supportive spouse, beckoning backyard, reliable finances, and year-round temperate weather made the “lockdown” (I really don’t like that word) pretty easy to tolerate. Although I want to travel again – and even have a few plans – I can’t say that I’m anxious to hit the road just yet.
On completely different subjects: your artwork is gorgeous – please share more. And, Magnolia is too cute!
Janis, like you, we know how fortunate we are. This wasn’t at all what we had planned, but we feel incredibly lucky to have been here, in my parents’ home, when the reality of the pandemic hit. If it had been just one week later, we would have had the house on the market and have been stranded at an RV park somewhere. So yes, we are lucky. And we are grateful.
Thank you so much for your kind comment about my artwork! I’m planning to spend a lot more time painting while we’re here. And we think Magnolia is pretty cute, too. We’re glad she adopted us.
I’m still a little miffed that you got a cat right *after* we left! Of course that clever little girl got her t-shirt straight jacket off! I love the pic of her sitting next to it asking, “Is this the best you got, lady-person?” I also noted that you sacrificed one of Eric’s shirts, not yours :D I think your decision to stay put is a good one for you two right now. Every choice made is a million not, and that’s just part of this crazy, beautiful life. You have so many of the things you love where you are. Even though a great deal of what you have now is battle born, there is much to treasure there, my dear friend.
Oh, Joodie, you are SO right. This has been a painful time with so much loss, along with the months of grueling work in dealing with my parents’ estate. At the same time, as you know, we’ve been so grateful for the beauty and peace of this special place. And we’re very happy that you were able to experience it in person.
Speaking of Magnolia…that little rascal! You have to come back here to meet her. It was ALL part of the plan to entice you guys back. :-))
The changes have happened organically and seem to be just right. It is pretty nice to be able to choose and change your mind as things evolve. You have a very nice place there with special friends.
Deb, it helped us in making our decision to remind ourselves that it’s the right thing for right now. I feel like I’m trusting more and not worrying so much. As you said, it’s a lovely place to be, and good friends make it even better.
Kevin has always said that while he doesn’t consider himself a ‘lucky’ person, that life has always put him in the right place. You two are in the right place for this time and this situation, and you are not really giving up much by staying put and slowing down. Travel isn’t what it used to be and it will be some time before things really return to normal. In the meantime, you’re surrounded by absolutely gorgeous views, you’ve made wonderful friends and had visits from your fellow travelers, and you’re finding the peace and reward that comes with spending time working on other hobbies. Oh, and Magnolia! You literally saved that little lady’s life and now you will spend the next twenty years picking cat hair off your clothes. Life has put you in the right place and now you get to take advantage of it all. And when the time comes to hit the road again, you will know.
PS: The photos in this post are gorgeous and I LOVE your watercolor work. Please share more!!
PPS: A new roof? Seriously?? WTF???
Thank you for your support and encouragement, Laura. You know how difficult this decision has been for us. After this past year, neither of us could muster the energy or enthusiasm for traveling full-time. Like you, we hope that life will return to ‘normal’ and that we’ll return to traveling (even if it isn’t full-time). For now, like you said, we feel like we’re in the right place for this time in our lives.
We know how fortunate we are to have had so much time with friends in situations that were safe during this stupid pandemic. Hopefully by the time we see you guys, we will all be vaccinated and can actually spend time indoors as well as outside! But no matter what, we can’t wait to see you. And you’ll get to meet Magnolia! And you’ll get to admire our new roof (seriously, WTF. We’re being forced into it by the insurance companies).
Congrats on the new family member. I recognized the kingfisher immed. what great artistry. Sitting for a spell sounds good. Love.light.peace
I appreciate your good thoughts and blessings, Kathryn. We are delighted with Magnolia, and sitting for a spell seems like exactly the right thing to do right now. And it gives me more time to work on my art. :-)
We have both said many time this year that we are so glad we live where we live–away from people and in two of the most beautiful spots in the country. We enjoy each others company and Emmi’s. We’ve had a circle of “safe” friends which has kept us from going completely crazy. Both of us are vaccinated and outside our two week period–I’m going to church tomorrow morning for the first time in a year. My dear to my heart 59 year old healthy brother is recovering from covid and it may be a long road for him. It’s still a deadly disease and we will continue to be careful and rejoice in our good fortunes. I love your writing Laurel, it always brings me a sense of joy!
Thank you so much, Janna. I’m delighted to know my writing brings you joy! You and Michael have certainly made the most of this year. You’ve accomplished so much on your home projects. You are two of the most talented and hard working people I know.
I’m glad you both have your vaccinations, and I hope your brother recovers quickly and completely. We are so looking forward to getting our vaccines. As you said, even then we’ll be cautious (masks, distancing…), but it will afford us a bit of ease.
Reading back through the comments I see so many people that I have known up close talking about making the same kind of decision you are facing. For the ones that I know, and have visited in their homes, their choices have been great ones. I have been where you are now, and it is a truly gorgeous place full of water and life and birds and so many wonderful things. If I didn’t have family here in Oregon, I could be tempted, but for me that isn’t possible, and now that I can’t travel across the country any more I miss the thought of Florida terribly. Still, no matter where you go, there you are. And no place, not one, is good year round, so choosing to stay in your beautiful property right there might be a wonderful decision when things begin to lift and you can travel at will during the hot summers but always have your home base to return to. Just think what Sherry is going through trying to be in Florida in the winter without a permanent base!!
It is what we do, loving our home base, but like you, crossing the country is the hard part. I am personally glad that you are staying there a bit longer, in spite of the idea that I wanted to kayak Recreation Creek with you two. Life just keeps throwing curve balls and all we can do is duck. Hugs to you
Sue, I’ve had exactly the same thought, that no place is perfect year round. We thought we had found pretty near perfect in Southern Oregon, but the combination of drought and wildfires have made it challenging in the summer and fall. And I’ve never loved the long winters. Nonetheless, we still feel attached to the Rogue Valley, and I guess time will tell what we will ultimately do long term. For now, for many reasons, it feels right to stay here.
We’ve been looking forward to kayaking Recreation Creek/Wood River with you and Mo. Until then, we’ll content ourselves with your photos and tales of the beauty there. And please know, should you ever decide to come again to Florida, we would love to have you here! Hugs to you three. :-)
I have to agree with everyone. If living and traveling in an RV has taught us all one thing, it’s that things change and, if we want to continue to enjoy life, we change. But….those changes don’t need to be permanent. Things work out, nothing is unchangeable, it is what it is right now. You have made such a sweet, safe nest. If you become restless or feel like traveling again, you can change that decision and move on. Isn’t that a lovely feeling?
Oh that kitty….those eyes and the expression on her little face. She’s got your number!
Love your paintings and Eric’s continuing “Bay” series. Keep those pictures coming please?
Sue, it’s true that we’ve had a lot of experience over the past eight years of rolling with whatever life has presented. And because we want to continue enjoying life, we adapt and make the best of our current situation. It’s good for me to remember that no change is permanent, and that we can continue to adapt and adjust.
Magnolia is such a sweetheart. We’re so happy that she came running out of the woods at exactly the moment I was passing by. And now she’s running the house, LOL. Thank you for your encouragement for our creative pursuits! Hope you guys will someday make it back this direction. We miss you.
All it takes is a new roof to remind yourselves that staying put isn’t forever! I hear you though and we are doing the same. The time just doesn’t feel right yet and well, we will know when we know. Love the watercolor and yes, please share more. Way to go Eagle Eye Eric.
Haha, yeah!!! The need for a new roof was a shocker, especially because the old one isn’t all that old. :-( Insurance in Florida is insane. But…we are loving it here at the moment, and we’re doing what we need to do, and will do our best to enjoy it fully until the time comes that we’re ready to do something different. Meanwhile, Eric is having a great time with his bird sightings, and I’m going to see if I can improve my art skills. I hope you two are doing well, Leah.
La Dolce Vida … Magnolia, such a sweetie … the bay view and the creative life! Doesn’t get much better than that! Stay and we’ll come visit in November!
Okay, my dear friend!! We have reservations for you two on the calendar for November! We would LOVE to introduce you to the ‘real’ Florida. I’m already imagining the great times we will have! OXOX
Laurel,
I’m sure you’re a tiny bit conflicted, but Helen and I think you have come to a good conclusion. I wouldn’t agonize over it for two seconds. You have a lovely place to call home. As much as we love the simplicity of the RV lifestyle, we love having a home port where we can rest, recoup, and plan the next fun-filled adventure in our future. We balance home and away with about six months each, but staggered. Would love to meet you both in NC. We often camp in Cherokee, NC so Helen can get her Casino fix. Please stay in touch, and thanks for the shout-out. Joe
Thanks so much for your encouragement, Joe. This has been such a difficult decision for many reasons. But it seems like the right thing to do for now. I think there’s a lot to be said for having a home for resting and recouping in between travel adventures. You and Helen seem to balance home and travel well.
It would be so much fun to meet up with you two in North Carolina! We’re counting on it being cooler than Florida in August. It had better be!
Congratulations to Eric! He really knows how to be productive during this time! I too add my sightings on ebird but was only good at the beginning and now am lazy again.
Decisions, decisions and so many what -ifs…but I say you are in a catbird seat. You have the best of two worlds, a nice house by the bay and a rolling house in case you get bored staying put.
Only time will tell and before you know it, you will be following the path your heart desires. In the meantime I would love to see what your creations are and what little Miss Magnolia is inspiring you to do. She is so adorable!
Too bad we can’t visit you there :(
Getting a vaccine is like winning a lottery! But we have more pressing health issues to take care of while waiting for an opening to get our arms shot.
ML, we do feel fortunate to be here in this beautiful place, and we’re also happy to have our RV waiting for us when we need an escape! As you know, we still have so many places we want to travel. You guys did it right during your years on the road having a specific plan so that you got to see everything you wanted before you settled down. Hopefully before too much longer, we’ll have our vaccines and the world will open up! Meanwhile, we’ll keep enjoying this place, Eric will keep birding, I’ll keep practicing my art, and Magnolia will continue being her adorable and slightly annoying self. :-)
I wish you guys could visit us. We have such good memories of our fun times in Apalachicola together a couple of years ago. Take good care and stay healthy!
What a great post, and how fun to read the thoughts from so many great comments! I have been traveling part-time (3-6 months a year) for the past 5 years and loved every minute of being gone, and then loved being home again each year. But this year I stayed home. I was so mentally exhausted from trying to learn the impacts of traveling virus-free, coupled with all the negative news of exponential increases in cases and deaths, that I just stayed put, waiting for a vaccine. (Still waiting and I’m 74…)
I too got a cat last year at the end of my winter travels! And I’ve never had a cat before! I found a 2-year old rescue, and she’s such a sweetheart! Very calm and docile, but exercising her concept of homeownership more and more! She has taken my heart! Truthfully she has made such a positive difference in my mental state throughout this long year of crisis and heartbreak!
I am hoping to get on the road again late this spring or early summer, but home projects seem to have sprung up like weeds…
Thanks for your great post! You hit a nerve shared by so many of us!
Thank you for your lovely comment, Rhonda. It sounds as though we have a lot in common in the way that we’ve dealt with the pandemic. How sweet that you recently got a cat! And how lucky you are that she’s two years old and calm. I laughed at your description of your kitty taking home ownership…Magnolia is starting to do the same, and I’m hoping she’s going to calm down before we start traveling again. I’d forgotten how wild kittens can be!
Fingers crossed we will all get our vaccines soon and that we will once again feel comfortable traveling. Please keep in touch! I’d love to hear about your travels and your plans.
Ahhh we so enjoyed this post, in particular the cheeky humorous titles to each paragraph. Our heads are nodding at every paragraph that addresses the inherent tension between “should we stay, or should we go?”. We have and do live this debate pretty often, but like you, we too are nomads taking advantage of being still for a while. You have a kitten (smart and cute one at that) and we had a dog. How the heck did this happen??
I think the cat has a big part to do with the “calm” of your morning ritual. The painting is secondary. But speaking of painting… that is a gorgeous watercolor of a bird and we want to see that painting!! And more of your daily paintings por favor.
How lucky you are to have a place to go kayaking and birding so close by. Impressed with the birding achievements. Ben is jealous. We enjoy watching birds but we still know so little about birds. We do have a gorgeous deep sunflower yellow and black oriole that visits the flower on the aloe outside of our door, as well as jewel toned hummingbirds that stop by daily.
We so enjoyed this post because we relate to it so much and seems we have so much in common. We too have had a very social time here… which for us is actually unusual. Being that we have the right climate for outdoor living makes a huge difference. But never have we met so many people that we have resonated so well with (feels like in droves…)
Peta & Ben
Peta, I’m always happy to hear from you and Ben. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed following your colorful adventures in Mexico during the pandemic. You’ve certainly made the most of this challenging year! You understand exactly what I mean about the tension between “should we stay or should we go?” While I’m grateful that we’re here in this beautiful place and I’m enjoying some aspects of being ‘settled down,’ at the same time, I’m missing our travel adventures.
I do think we have a lot in common. We would love to meet up in person with you two one of these days! Thank you for your lovely comment.
P.S. love the photographs.. especially the opening one and the kayaking. But also the gorgeous kitty, the painting. All of them.
Awww, thank you! The bay is a glorious subject for photography. And the kitty has become a recent favorite subject. :-)