When are you leaving?

I hear that question all the time. Apparently people have gotten used to my lovely wife and I heading south each winter. Maybe they can't wait for us to be gone? I hope that's not it, but we aren't everyone's cup of sunshine so who knows?

About every other year we leave in the fall and would be gone by now. Other years our kids and their families are available for Christmas so we stay until after the holidays. This year even my daughter who moved to California will be with us. That will be nice. After that? Who knows?

Since my dad passed away last fall there's no hurry to go south to visit him. Now that he's gone I'm glad I made the effort to see him in Florida as many times as I did. The other main reason to go to Florida was the sailing and camping. That's still a draw for us.

For quite a few years the high cost of home heating made it more economical to head south. With the heat, power, and Internet service temporarily shut down, the house wasn't costing us anything. A mixture of staying with family, friends, camping and living on a boat kept our Florida costs low. This year it appears that our heating costs will be reasonable.

The oil tank is full and I'm expecting a wood delivery this week. That should keep us going for some time. I've an appointment for new snow tires for the car so that will be taken care of. The house is more weather tight than it's been in years. I must admit to having let things slide when I knew we weren't going to heat it anyway.

There's some business I'm involved in right now that's easier to take care of in person. If it proves lucrative enough I might end up putting more of my time into it. Since we got back last spring we've been available for friends and family in need. It's been a pleasure to be around for them. We've also been very fortunate to spend time with our many friends, both old and new.

Some of my friends are already down to Key West. They moved into the military campground the first day it opened. It's good to see what they are up to. Unfortunately, since neither my lovely wife nor I are Vets or active military we don't qualify to camp there. That's fine. They earned it. I chose a different path in life. I must admit, hearing of their Key West adventures tempts me to take the boat down the Keys. There are some sweet anchorages for a shallow draft boat.

So when are we leaving? Not today. Not for the rest of the year. After that, our options are open. By then we'll have some idea if we even want to be far from home or not. Our van, boat and trailer will be ready to go at a moments notice, but that's just being prudent. It's a pretty sweet bug out rig if need be.

The current plan is to stick around for a while but be ready to leave at a moment's notice. In a couple days we can go from shoveling snow to sipping sundowners on a beach. Good to have options.

-Sixbears