Us Travelling Folk

Just about everyone is asking my lovely wife and I when we'll be hitting the road. We are beginning to wonder if they are trying to get rid of us.

Last year we shut down our house and headed south on October 10. No wonder people are surprised to see us still here with the cold winds blowing and snow on the ground.

For the record, our current plan is to leave in early January. The exact date will depend on the weather. There's no sense driving in a blizzard if it can be avoided. Been there, done that. I've a tentative meeting scheduled for January 5 in southern New Hampshire, so that's something to shoot for.

Thanksgiving with family and friends was nice. Once Christmas and New Years holidays are done it'll be time to get our bags packed and ready. It's amazing that with just a few days driving one can leave the frosty north and end up on a sunny beach somewhere.

Until then, I'm one of those fools freezing in the snow. Okay, maybe I've gotten soft, but the cold bothers me more than it used to. Today I woke up to a cold house and never really completely shook the morning chill out of my bones. What I should have done is lit the woodstove, then gone outside and done chores. After some time out in the snow, the house would have felt cozy warm.

Here's the thing. We've been back north for about 8 months and there are still people we've yet to get together with. Some things I'm sure won't happen before we leave -like getting together with people to go sailing. Since the lake is frozen over, the time for that is past. People's lives are so busy that unless special effort is make, nothing out of the ordinary happens. Routines are killers.

It would be nice have friends join us on our travels. However, we can barely get together when 10 miles apart. The chance of doing it at the end of a 2000 mile trip is pretty low. Fortunately, there are plenty of traveling people who we'll meet along the way.


-Sixbears