After a month back home

My lovely wife and I have been back home for about a month now. After 6 months away there's a lot to catch up on. Bad weather hasn't helped the process.

Keeping the vehicles running is a big job in itself. We had both running well for less than a day. Then the diesel line on van plugged. After I got that fixed my wife's car developed a loud exhaust. Maybe several months sitting in a frozen block of ice didn't do the car much good?

There are more house projects, but only one or two are very pressing. Barring any major calamities, the end is in sight. Much to my surprise our calendar has few obligations this next week, so there's a chance to finish up. The house is pretty comfortable as it is.

I'm finally getting some time to reflect on the whole semi-nomadic lifestyle. We love both the travel and the stay at home parts. There are elements of both that we don't want to give up. The freedom of being on the road or in a boat is only really understood by doing it for a few months. It takes a while to fully adapt. Travel is about change and seeing new things. Travel is also about the inner journey that happens when someone is taken out of a settled routine.

As much as we love the gypsy life, we aren't ready to do it full time. We really enjoy our family and friends here in New England. Our house is a fun place. One of my granddaughters, when she was six, described it as “a wonderland where anything is possible.” That's kinda cool.

Home is where the massive library is. Electronic books just aren't the same. Home is where the tools are and the experiments happen. Living in a semi-remote area, we have the joy of solitude and quiet. That's something hard to find these days.

We could sell the house and buy a good sized boat to live on but we aren't ready for that. My lovely wife and I really like having a house to come back to. For the next few years we plan on doing the semi-nomadic thing. To make that work we've been simplifying the house, reducing living expenses -focusing on what's really needed and wanted. Our nomadic travels will also be kept simple. If we buy a bigger boat, it won't be much bigger. Small boats have small problems and small expenses.

Our lifestyle requires two different skill sets. The one thing that makes them both work is keeping everything as uncomplicated as possible. After a month back home, that's more clear than ever.

-Sixbears