What are you doing this weekend? ~ What Adventures will it hold??

Yesterday morning I found this inspiring quote in my email - 

"To change one's life: 1. Start immediately.  2. Do it flamboyantly.  3.  No exceptions."  ~ William James 

(Thank you to Debra Lynn Dadd for sharing that!)

I like that! Thus I'll begin with a couple of thoughts on it -- First, I would have added exclamation points at the end of each of those 1, 2, 3...  Don't you think?  I mean really; those are important points if you are to do something really life changing!  So, noting that brought me to my next thought -- a question:  Who is William James?  Thank goodness for Googling! (Ummm... is that a verb now?  I'm thinking so.)

According to Stanford.edu website "William James was an original thinker in and between the disciplines of physiology, psychology and philosopy."  Dr. James is often referred to as the "Father of Psychology" and it appears to me that he had an optimistic nature -- which I too embrace -- I have found MANY quotes by him online that are very inspiring!

He graduated from, and later taught at, Harvard University.  I found it fascinating to read the list of those whom he called family (Godfather:  Ralph Waldo Emerson)  friends (Mark Twain, Sigmund Freud...), as well as those he taught (Theodore Roosevelt, W.E.B. DuBois...)  I'll leave you to the adventure of 'Googling' his name yourself to find out more about the full life he lead.  I will share that he did much in his 68 years; in addition to his studies, teachings and writings he was an artist and an adventurer!!  According to Stanford "some of his greatest philosophical contributions" were made in the last ten years of his life!  How exciting is that?!!

Oh, back to the topic... whether you're nomadic, as we are, or residing in 'sticks n bricks' there's always something inviting about the weekend!  This weekend there seems to be much going on for us so I thought perhaps we would take a few minutes to share and make a few suggestions, at minimum 'plant a few seeds' to help you find some fun this weekend! After all you never know what it could lead to... perhaps an adventure?  Perhaps something life changing??

Go do something with someone you Love.

I know, I know... you're not traveling!  So what could be exciting around home?  I'm sure you've heard the term "staycation"? ... Oh, but you're saying "it sounds so boring"... We can relate and wrote about finding local adventure earlier this year in our post  "Been There! Done That!"  Perhaps it will inspire you!  In a recent post "Am I a Bad Parent? my hubby told you a bit about one of our hobbies, Geocaching!  We shared that this month is "31 Days of Geocaching" ... How many caches do you have thus far?  What's your goal?  We're aiming for 100 for the month!!  (Read about that on our previous post.)

Geodetic Center of North America (NAD27)

So perhaps log on to Geocaching.com and find an event near you, this weekend, there's bound to be one!  Friday we'll be attending a Bluegrass event and enjoying ice cream sundaes, dropping off a Travel Bug and of course picking up a cache or two or THREE!!  On Saturday we'll be joining some 'new Caching friends' for "Tetanus Tacos" -- We'll have to get back to you on what they are exactly -- and yes, grabbing a few more 'finds!'

Have you ever been to Timbuctoo?

Something else that we have enjoyed from time to time along the way is locating Historical markers; an opportunistic addition to our "Roadschool" list, of things we do!  In mentioning that it's a perfect opportunity to say "Congrats!" to our friend Linda as this week marks the 10th birthday of her website "Markeroni.com"!! Wow!! Time flies when you're snarfing!  What? What's "Snarfing?" take a look at her latest blog  and go from there -- More fun to be had... Along the way!!


Hopefully we've inspired you to at least a few thoughts toward an adventurous weekend -- So please do let us know ... What are you doing this weekend?  We'd love to hear all about your adventures and how you're...

Enjoying the journey!

Make it a great one!!

--c--

Are We a Cultural Enigma?

Here we sit in our little trailer "Gracie" in an RV park in Texas.  We're not here on a weekend jaunt, or a slightly longer vacation, but "Gracie" is our humble abode of choice.   We have been back in Texas for close to four months as we consider this state our "home base."  Although it may seem very odd to many, to live in a trailer -- that can be towed behind an SUV -- to us it is very comfortable, very normal.  We have many friends who share this choice -- a "nomadic" lifestyle. 

We have shared previously that we began a nomadic lifestyle in 2007 when we moved into our first RV.  Since then we have traveled Large: 36' Class A with toad (aka vehicle in tow); Compact: Suburban (aka "Nautilus") with tent, clothes and other essentials; and now Small: 18' trailer behind the Nautilus.  We're thinking we like the Small footprint of late, but may go to 'Medium' at some point in the future with a bit larger trailer, but still one that the Nautilus can tow.

Last year we spent about half the year in a "sticks n bricks" (aka house) again, but found that it was not for us.  Funny thing is, that is what society thinks is "normal"; required; essential.  But is it?  Is it necessary to have a house (thus mortage/rent payment, utilities, etc.)?  Now don't get me wrong, there was a time in my life where the 'white picket fence and a house full of children' was my dream!  My destiny!  It's what life is all about, right?

So now what?  The 'house' thing just does not fit us; not sure it really has in all the years we've been married.  Can't tell you how many friends laughed and said 'glad I write your address and phone number in pencil' every time we moved (an average of at least once every two years for the first eight years of our marriage.)  I'll tell you, it felt wonderful when we moved into our RV -- then when we wanted to change our location, we just started the engine.

Now, don't think that our nomadic lifestyle has been without challenges.  Life has its challenges whether in "sticks n bricks" or on wheels!  With that in mind we also appreciate our small footprint, with it can bring be a lower cost of living and closer family interaction.  It's all trade offs!  We do find humor in the fact that some of our friends and family members don't understand how we could embrace this type of lifestyle; how could we not want to be in one place so that our son can attend public school, play local sports, etc. etc. etc.

But on the flip-side by the time our son is 18 years old he will have a plethora of life experiences that will give him a vantage point for life choices that not many have.   He has already been to over 20 states and has visited most of the capitals of each of those.  By his age I had only seen a small bit of five states and had only visited one capital, as I recall.  He's learned much about history and culture by actually visiting the locations, in our country, where significant events have taken place.  Rather than reading about them in a book -- in a classroom -- as dictated by a teacher -- in a traditional public school environment.

A few places that stand out are our trip to Blue Licks Battlefield in Kentucky -- site of the final battle of the American Revolutionary War -- a monument stands commemorating the Battle of Blue Licks August 19, 1782.  This was the battle where American Pioneer Daniel Boone lost his son, Israel, while fighting at his side. We have visited the centerpoint of the lower 48 along with finding (by happenstance) the Geodetic center of the North American Continent.  Of course Hoover Dam is an awesome wonder, but there are other lesser known sites to see such as S.P. Dinsmoor's Garden of Eden in Lucas, Kansas, not far from Cawker City's "Worlds Largest Ball of Twine."

We have also learned a bit about nature as we enjoyed our stay at Patrick's Point State Park in California as Camp Hosts; Agate Beach, for one, is a rare anomaly and provided a fun opportunity to dig in the sand, play in the surf, build a beach hut from driftwood and find beautiful rocks.  Our rock hound friends would have also enjoyed our trip to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, AR and the Petrified Forest National Park in Northeastern Arizona.  This is a very short list of the places that we've been over the past six years -- we look forward to growing our current list exponentially in the coming years!

Back to the title of this post "Are We a Cultural Enigma?"  In 2007, when we moved into our first RV, I would have said unequivocally "Yes!"  However over the past two years we have seen the numbers of people, -- correction families -- who are leaving their 'sticks n bricks' to pursue the life of modern day nomads grow phenomenally!

To us it is very exciting to be able to embrace a community of nomads as our neighbors in common.  No, they're not your typical neighbors -- because you don't see the same ones everyday, but they're there.  We support each other through the wonders of technology -- the internet and social networking has really been a boon to the nomadic lifestyle.

The internet provides not only a source of communication, but also sources of income for so many nomads.  And let us define the modern day nomad:  It is not necessarily an individual, or family, who lives in a recreational vehicle.  We have nomadic friends who travel globally via a multitude of means: planes, trains and automobiles... and boats... some with only a backpack!  Ahhh... Small footprint bliss!

It makes it difficult to lose your things when everything you own is in one bag -- kind of an odd thought when living in a society of 'must haves' and one with 'instant gratification' as an underlying theme.   A society where the "McMansion" and a three car garage seem to be the norm -- with the Jones' as neighbors, of course!

Perhaps one day the nomadic spirit will overcome you and having a smaller footprint will be your bliss.  If not, that's okay too --  Those of us who have chosen a nomadic lifestyle don't mind that everyone is not like us, life would be rather boring if we were all alike, don't you think?  Perhaps by reading this, those who choose to live more traditionally will understand that being nomadic is a choice -- there have been nomads throughout history -- now many just seem to be traveling in RV's and/or living out of backpacks.

Please recognize that we (nomads) don't want you to think less of us, or feel sorry for us in some way, or think we're weird because we choose a lifestyle that embraces the world on our terms.  In return we'll do the same... we won't feel sorry for you because you're 'stuck' in the same neighborhood, at the same job, with the same people and only 'opt out' for "vacations" to do what we are doing 365 days a year.  Ain't life grand, we have that choice!!

Thanks for reading... Thanks for understanding... We'll sign off now, until next time, as we are...

Enjoying the journey...

--c--

So Long Moby...

(Written: June 28, 2011)

Here we sit, comfortably in the back of our Suburban, as the rain patters on the roof and Jimmy Buffett plays on the stereo. Ian is at a friends’ for the night. Yesterday we sold our home for the last four and a half years. Our home, a 36’ RV, lovingly dubbed "The Moby Duck" by Ian on our maiden voyage. Moby was a good ole faithful RV but with our plan to go South and do some traveling we decided that it was too old and tired for the trips and miles that we have planned.  So we sucked it up and sold it to a local "gardener".  It was a sad moment to watch it drive off.

A lot of memories are in that RV.  We spent the first night of our maiden voyage on the side of the road with a broken fan belt turning into human popsicles because I didn't realize that all I had to do was hook up the propane for the heater to work; we met our first true “Hippie“ friends, Smiles and Space (yes, those are their legal names); camped for free in one of the most beautiful State Parks in California for five months as Camp Hosts; were outlaw campers in the city of Arcata; rocked and rolled and rode out a 6.5 earthquake and were thankful to an anonymous gentleman, the CDF and CHP officer who arrived almost immediately averting a fire that could have been a tragic early end to "The Moby."

These are just a few adventures that we lived through since choosing to be fulltimers four and a half years ago.  Ian cried and Carolyn and I watched almost teary eyed as our home drove away.  Thus we have come to the realization that we are "houseless."

There are many walking hippies, aka “leather tramps” around, here in Arcata. There is one that I have seen many times that has a sign on his backpack. It says:  "I'm not Homeless, I'm Houseless." This, I think, is how we have seen ourselves for the last few years: for a time we chose an RV, as our home.  We still have a home.  Now it is real small. It is named the “Nautilus”. 

We have a place lined up for us in Texas, along with work. But for now we will camp in the Nautilus. We did it for three months vacationing last summer, now off we go again but without our RV to come back to. Pretty much everything we own we are taking with us with no definite long-term plan. It is going to be exciting! 

We have heard the sayings “Home is where you hang your hat” and “Home is where your heart is” … one of the dictionary definitions of "home" notes:  "the place in which one's domestic affections are centered." Our home, is where we park it, and we like it that way.  We believe that what is important in this life, to us, is just being together and enjoying each day.  We’ll let God take care of the details. 
- - Rich - -