Home again, home again

After living "on the road" for the past year and a half, we decided to have a home base again.
Part of the purpose of our traveling and workamping was to find an area we liked to settle down.  Working at the Panhandle Pioneer Settlement for the past year has given us the opportunity to learn the area.  Get a feel for the type of folks, see what services are available, was it somewhere we could call home.
Once we decided on this area, the hunt began for our new home.  We looked at many, many places.  We have truly seen the good, the bad, and the ugly!
The housing market here in the panhandle has been interesting, to say the least.
After Hurricane Michael hit, many folks lost their homes or decided that they never wanted to go through a storm like that again.  Most homes suffered some level of damage.....roofs partially blown off, damage from trees falling on their homes..all meaning water damage.  With water damage comes black mold.  Having dealt with that in New York, we were vigilant about storm damage to any house we considered.
Besides the mold issue, there are termites.  Hungry little buggers. One house we put a bid on looked great.  Then we had inspections done.  Termites had been snacking on that house for quite awhile.  (They managed to compromise the whole main carrying beam!) So, we withdrew our bid.
Another home looked nice in the pictures.  Then we went to see it in person.  Oh my.... those pictures had been taken years ago!!  (You could tell from the outside vines that we're now growing inside the house!)
I'm pretty sure that each home buyer goes through trials and tribulations until they find THE house.
Having found the house and land we wanted, we now had to wade through all of the bureaucratic red tape.  We were blessed with a great real estate team.  They not only worked with us, but they worked for us.  They advocated for us every step of the way.  I'm pretty sure it would have been a very different experience without Ashley & Joey.
Okay, we bought a house!  Now its time to get all of our treasures, that have been patiently waiting for us, from New York to Florida.  Years ago, we would have simply rented a U-Haul, loaded it up and headed south.  Not so much anymore.  While we would have had tons of help to load up, the unloading would have been a different matter.  We decided to go the smarter route and hire a moving company.  Side note to anyone thinking of doing this; pack everything better than you would if you knew there was going to be a major earthquake.  While all of our belongings that were loaded on the truck made the trip, not everything made it unscathed.  But, who's to say they would have traveled any better if we had moved it ourselves.
Moving forward, now came the unpacking.  Oh the boxes!  Oh the overwhelming number of boxes, totes, bags, etc.  Oh the humanity!  Oh wait......got carried away there for a moment.
Opening each box was like Christmas morning.  Finding my favorite coffee mugs (that didn't make the jump to the camper).  Clothes that I haven't seen in almost two years (sure hope they still fit!)
Pictures and knick-knacks that chronicled our children through the years.  All the things that make a house a home.
Now that we've found a place for everything it's feeling like home. Old memories will now blend with new.
When we set out on this journey, our motto was "Adventure 18".  Two years later, the adventures continue.  Here's to many, many more.

Diary of a road dog~ guest author, Chauncey

My hoomans call me a road dog.  I'm not really sure what that means.  If it means riding in the truck and doing a lot of nothing, then I guess I'm a road dog.
This is day seven.  I'm not sure what we're doing, but I know my yard is different every other day!  My house is the same, my toys are the same, even my food is the same, then they open the door.
The smells are all different.  The dogs are all different.  I made friends with a cute little french girl named Bri yesterday.  She was fun to run around with. 
I've noticed that there are lots of dogs that are bigger than me.  Some of them want to play and some of them growl and bark at me (kinda mean like).  I don't know why.  I really do like everyone!  And, don't get me started on other hoomans.  I'm a pretty cute guy.  Lots of people say so.  I just don't understand why, when I'm working the cute card, some folks completely ignore me!
But I guess if they don't know cute when it's right in front of them, that's their loss.
For now it's me, my hoomans, and my big comfy seat in the truck. Every night I sleep in my own bed, in my own house.
If that's what a road dog is, then I'll take the title.  Well, maybe add "cute".  Yeah, CUTE road dog.  Has a good ring to it.
See you down the road.

I'm a Mom??

To all of you moms out there, do you remember the day your first born came into the world? (No offense to the dads in the audience!) Remember thinking "I can't wait to see my toes again"? "I can't wait to wear normal clothes again"? "I can't wait to sleep on my stomach again!" Or any of the other "I can't waits" that may have been your mantra.
I remember that day vividly.  I'm sure most moms do.  It's the day that changes your life forever.
Today is the day, many, many years ago, that I stepped on to the motherhood train. The day that I set off on my greatest adventure.
Mind you, I have six amazing children.  Some I brought into the world, others I was blessed with. But the first one you carry, the first one you witness this miracle with, holds an important place in your life.
Your first born is the "trial run".  Regardless of how many people share all of their tips and tricks, you're clueless!  Should I do this? Should I do that?  Your brain is full of do's and don't.  And you're exhausted.  Sleep deprived. And so afraid that you will fail at being the mother that this tiny human being requires.
Fast forward 38 years. (Where in heaven did THAT time go???)
You're watching that little boy, all grown now, marry the love of his life.  You're sitting there, listening to these two beautiful children pledge their lives to each other.
All the while, your brain is remembering so many moments in his life.  First words, first steps.  First stitches to first heartbreaks.
And your heart is overflowing with love.
This baby, this little boy, this amazing man, stands before you. For he is all those things.
Today we celebrate his birthday.  I celebrate his birth, and all the moments since that day.
I couldn't have asked for a better "trial run".  Thank you Matt, for being you.

We never would have guessed...

We never would have guessed when we started on this adventure how many experiences and new friends would come our way.
We started last fall to head to our first gig in the Texas hill country. A beautiful area.  A different beauty than what we were used to, but beautiful in it's own way.
While working there, we became neighbors with John and Barb Eppler, another workamper couple.

Christmas day, we started heading to our next gig in the Florida panhandle.

Taking a few days to decompress before starting our new job, we made a stop in New Orleans to see Matt and Carrie, the nearly weds!  As always, time with them was too short.

We arrived in Blountstown Florida to such devastation from Hurricane Michael.

If you've never seen how destructive the force of a hurricane can be, it will take your breath away.  Trees toppled every direction you looked.  Homes and businesses blown apart. Blue tarps covering almost every roof you see.

We knew that we would be needed at the Pioneer Settlement.  Not for the skills we thought they would need, but for other skills we possessed.

This collection of historic buildings, had literally, been blown to bits by the hurricane.  They too, were part of the "blue tarp nation".  Walls blown out, roofs ripped off, buildings off kilter.  And the trees!  Once, when you walked into the settlement, the proud southern pines stood sentinel over this idyllic location.  Now they were gone.  Snapped like toothpicks. Littering every part of the settlement.  Some blocking your path.  Some through roofs.  Some laying down like the wounded.  The smell of pine pitch permeated the air.

The work to be done was overwhelming. There was not one building that didn't need fixing.  But, the man " upstairs" knew who would be needed to bring the settlement back to life.  Roofers, carpenters, electricians, office people, computer people, groundskeepers, gardeners, cleaners, the list goes on.

Each of the workampers brought a skill that was needed to see past the destruction, see to the future.

We learned what everyone's skill set was and how best to utilize those skills.

Below you will see pictures of these people that we proudly call friends.  

The founders of the settlement (who are in their 80's!) were there, working alongside those of us who wanted to see hope, once again, in their eyes.

God speed to these amazing people.  See you in the fall.

Everything old is new again

We've been here at the Panhandle Pioneer Settlement for almost three weeks.
When we signed up for this volunteer job, we thought it would be a nice fit for us.  I would get to "dress up" and do tours and living history.  Rick would be able to lend a hand with the maintenance end of things.  A good fit for us.
Then Hurricane Michael came along and walloped the Florida Panhandle.  Since the Settlement is about forty miles away from the Gulf Coast, flooding wasn't a big concern.  The destruction here was from the wind.  A category 4 storm packs a powerful punch. And punch it did.  From trees uprooted to roofs blown off to whole homes destroyed. Pictures don't do justice to the aftermath of the storm.
Seeing pictures posted by the Settlement, we weren't sure we would have a place to come to!  When we called, they assured us that yes, they needed our help, now more than ever.
When we arrived, we were overwhelmed by the destruction from the storm.  Every mile that brought us closer showed just how powerful Mother Nature is.
As we walked around the Settlement the day we arrived, we wondered how it would ever be able to come back to the wonderful place it was. A gathering place for the community.  A learning experience for visitors.  Pieces of history preserved for the future.
But a force greater than a hurricane has been at work here.
We, and our fellow workampers, were supposed to be at this place, at this time.
We have six couples currently working.  Everyone brings a certain skill set to the table.  Every one of those skills are needed to bring the Settlement back to life.
As volunteers, we're only required to work ten hours a week to "pay" for our site.  We all laugh at that....we put in many more hours.  But none of us are complaining.  We have a job to do.  We have to see this wonderful place back up and running.
Each day, we can see the difference that we're making.  Is it a slow process? Oh yes it is.  But we close our eyes each night knowing that we're a little bit closer (and a little bit sorer than we were that morning).
It's the most rewarding job we've ever had.

It's that time of year again.  Normally, I'm posting about Christmas preparations, looking forward to having my family around, and all of the cooking and baking that needs to be done.
Not this year.  This year is quite a bit different.  This year, for the first time in almost 40 years (😲), our family Christmas will just be Rick and me!
Christmas traditions are still being upheld.  Special cookies baked.  A loaf of yulekaka (a traditional Norwegian holiday bread), made by my wonderful sister-in-law.  Eating our way through Christmas Eve.
But, it just feels weird. 
This year, there won't be any children or grandchildren scurrying around the house.  The noise level will be turned way down.
We'll miss seeing their faces as they open their gifts.  Hearing the squeals of joy or seeing that look of "oh.  Thanks.  Socks."
We knew when we headed out on our adventure that some things would be different. And they have been.  Not in a bad way, by any means. But definitely an adjustment to the way we had lived our lives. 
This Christmas, we'll literally be on the road, heading towards our next destination.
Rest assured, we'll be thinking of each of you with much love in our hearts.
Life is all about change.  We're experiencing that change every day. We chose to have this adventure, and we're glad we did.
But just remember, even though you're not sitting at our table, each and every one of you are with us.  Not just at Christmas, but every day.
Much love and good wishes to you all!

"Ringling Ringling, slipping away..  only forty people living there today.  The streets are dusty and the bank has been torn down...it's a dying little town."~Jimmy Buffett
In our travels we have been through major cities, small towns, and everything in between.  If you want to see the real life part of our country, get off of the interstate.
Some of the small towns are picturesque.  A Norman Rockwell painting come to life.  People passing on the sidewalk, stopping for conversation, purchasing something from a small Mom and Pop business.
This seems to be more prevalent in the Northeastern part of the country.
As we've traveled through the Southern Plains, the towns are farther apart.  There doesn't seem to be much industry, or much of anything to employ the folks in these towns.  And, truth be told, there isn't.
So many of these small towns are dying.  The town that was once booming has now gone bust.
Folks who can,  have moved on to bigger/better places.  Those who chose to stay watch their town die a bit more every day.
The part of Oklahoma we are in right now was once part of the mighty Chisholm Trail. Ranchers drove their cattle through here to get it to market or to the railroad to ship them back east.  While cattle still seems to be the main economic factor, the means of transporting said cattle no longer requires weeks of a cattle drive.
Now these small towns, once an important link, are nothing but a shell of what they once were.
Someday...the whole town will be nothing but a memory.  Alive only in tales and memories.
Perhaps we were lucky to see them before they're gone forever.