Travels – Page 37 – Paint Your Landscape

It’s Time

January 5, 2013LuAnn

“Nothing is inherently and invincibly young except spirit. And spirit can enter a human being perhaps better in the quiet of old age and dwell there more undisturbed than in the turmoil of adventure.” ~ George Santayana

Our life is soon to take a dramatic turn, one that we knew was coming and brings with it many emotions. Beginning in April we will be curtailing our travels due to a change in health with Terry’s elderly parents. Terry’s folks live on five acres near Dayton, Ohio and wish to remain there so we will be moving onto their property in our RV to be closer. We will still be able to fulfill our wanderlust in the winter months, when we will request help from friends and family so we can take our RV away from the cold winters of Ohio. We will also take some brief jaunts during the summer and fall, exploring more of the eastern part of the country.

As I write this many of you are living similar experiences or are anticipating this day yourselves. Although we feel fortunate to be at a place in our lives where we are available to provide more help, we are not foolish enough to think that this new venture will be without its challenges for all four of us. Losing independence to advancing age has to be one of the most daunting prospects in one’s life. At this juncture there is a role reversal that takes place between parent and child and the rules are ambiguous at best. However, we do believe the rewards will outweigh the challenges and we look forward to quality time spent with Terry’s folks. I see organic gardening in my near future.

Until then we will continue our gypsy lifestyle, reveling in each new day and the experiences each brings. We know that many times the biggest challenges can be life’s greatest blessings.

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Happy New Year ~ 2013!

December 31, 2012LuAnn

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today we close our 2012 “life book” and, from what I’ve seen, many of yours have been filled with wonderful sights, memories to last a lifetime. One of the pleasures of blogging is to be able to go back and reflect on where we have been, like movie clips of our lives. My life has been enriched by bloggers worldwide who have offered up a wealth of suggestions: books to scour, travel destinations to dream upon, spectacular photography, music that got me dancing around our rig, technology to enhance our lives, DIY project instructions, sound financial advice, and abounding inspiration. I can’t thank you enough for your generosity.

Tomorrow we pick up a brand-new book, never opened, filled with blank pages. What will you imprint on these pages in the upcoming year? Whatever your plans, I hope you live your dream each and every day and share your passion with the world. The Buddha said “the secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate problems, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” My wish for everyone is for abundant good health, both mind and body. I am not one to make resolutions that I may ultimately break, but this upcoming year I plan to see more sunrises, as I have discovered that standing in the delicious silence of early morning, wrapping myself in this wondrous sight, I feel very much in touch with a higher power.

Happy New Year everyone! May you experience hope, great joy, and much lightness and love in the upcoming year.

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Reflecting Back on 2012

December 29, 2012LuAnn

This year is quickly coming to an end and what a whirlwind of a year it has been for us! We were blessed with a myriad of new adventures, visits with family and friends, and had a few setbacks along the way, just to keep things real. Our year has been chock-full of travel (just what we nomads need to feed our souls) and our landscape has been painted in broad brushstrokes of colors and textures, by way of deserts, mountains, a nice mix of big cities and cool little towns and jaw-droppingly gorgeous coastline. Biking, hiking, kayaking and long strolls on the beach have filled our days and allowed spirits to take flight.

Our wandering took us through the western part of the US, where we feel the most fulfilled and the flames of our passions were brightly fanned. A medical concern for Terry early in the year diverted us away from plans to re-visit Yellowstone National Park but we were able to hike through several other national parks in lieu of the granddaddy of them all. A trip back to the midwest to visit family rounded out the mix for us, making for a most rewarding year.

We began our year in Arizona, where we spent many of our working years, then continued on to Southern California, camphosting at San Elijo State Beach for several months, into Northern California, then lazily making our way up the Oregon coast, which was beyond breathtaking. We crossed over into the state of Washington to take a peek at Mount St. Helens, and on the way back down south spent a few days in Nevada. As we continued south we drove highway 395 in California (amazing), stopping to revel in the beauty of the Eastern Sierras, searching for ghost towns and Methuselah. We met up with friends who introduced us to boondocking and when the fiery reds and golden glow of fall moved into the pronounced chill of winter, we came full-circle and returned to San Elijo State Beach, where we will stay until the end of January. It was so good to hook up with friends we had previously met on the road and wonderful to meet a few new folks.

I’ve had my camera by my side almost every step of the way so I thought I would provide a glimpse of some of the beauty we have seen along the way. If you have never been, hopefully you will be inspired to check out the breathtaking vistas of the Wild West. Enjoy!

Breathtaking So Cal sunset

Tidepool starfish ~ So Cal

Giant sequoia ~ Kings Canyon NP, CA

Stunning red rocks ~ Sedona, AZ

Kayaking Sahuaro Lake ~ Mesa, AZ

Santa Catalina Mtn hike ~ Tucson, AZ

Bell tower ~ San Juan Capistrano Mission, CA

Desert sculpture ~ Anza Borrego State Park, CA

Rattlesnake ~ Sequoia NP, CA

Stunning vista ~ Yosemite NP, CA

Golden Gate Bridge ~ San Francisco, CA

Fern Canyon ~ Redwoods NP, CA

Toby’s Market ~ Pt. Reyes Station, CA

Bandon beach ~ OR coast

Mosby Creek covered bridge ~ OR

Art Deco bridge ~ Florence, OR

Cape Foulweather ~ OR coast

Mount St Helens ~ WA

Washoe Lake SP ~ NV

Virginia Lakes hike ~ Eastern Sierras, CA

Petroglyphs ~ Eastern Sierras, CA

Ghost town church ~ Bodie, CA

Wipeout ~ Swami Beach, Encinitas, CA

Brown pelicans over San Elijo beach ~ So Cal

Cape Blanco lighthouse ~ OR coast

Crater Lake NP, OR

Trinidad Bay harbor seals ~ CA coast

Mono Lake Tufa Towers ~ CA

Mobius Arch ~ Alabama Hills, CA

Ancient Bristlecone Forest ~ White Mtns, CA

Rugged OR coastline

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An Urban Hike and New RV Friends

December 23, 2012LuAnn

Paul, Polly, Nina & Terry heading up the trail.

We once again met up with RV buddies Nina and Paul for an urban hike in Del Mar. We had given up hope of finding any opportunities for hiking in the San Diego area without driving quite a distance, somewhat of a letdown after trekking through the Sierras with these same pals. As luck would have it, Nina and Paul, having once lived in Del Mar, knew of an “off the beaten path” hike that took us up a winding canyon, through some beautiful Del Mar neighborhoods, along the sandstone cliffs overlooking the railroad tracks and stunning views of the Pacific, and dumping us off onto Del Mar beach, where doggie Polly met a new four-legged friend and romped through the waves with Paul. Not quite like a hike in the Sierras but fresh air, warm sun, and crashing waves can always renew the spirit.

Terry with RV buddies Nina, Ellen, Paul, and Alex this summer

The weather was picture-perfect, a beautiful sunny day that I think Nina and Paul brought with them from the desert, as we had a good bit of gloom until their arrival. We enjoyed a few hours of catching up on each others’ lives before parting, talking of future visits and seeing Alex and Ellen, a lovely RVing couple we met through Nina and Paul earlier this year.

When we began our RV journey I knew we would have some unbelievable scenery to feast eyes upon but as I was saying goodbye to family and friends, I wasn’t sure who we might meet during our travels. We couldn’t be more pleased with the folks we have met along the way, many with the wanderlust that we have, enjoying the simple pleasure of getting in touch with nature.

We had the good fortune of meeting yet another lovely couple this past week at San Elijo State Beach, a couple who parked their RV almost across from us. Mike and Tamara are early retirees, as we have been blessed to be, and love traveling and getting out into nature, a perfect match with our passions. We spent a chilly evening around the fire getting to know them and another playing cribbage. Thanks Tamara for reintroducing me to the game and teaching Terry. Santa may just have to bring us a cribbage board this year.

The following morning we said our goodbyes to this charming couple, with the hope of another possible visit before we leave So Cal. One of the best parts of this journey are the people we meet along the way and we are blessed to be meeting some wonderful folks who have a zest for life and the hope of touching other lives.

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Holiday Wish

December 17, 2012February 22, 2013LuAnn

Before the senseless act this past Friday that stole twenty precious little angels from grieving families and six heroes trying to protect these beautiful babies, my holiday greeting may have read differently but it is just as heartfelt.

The world is grieving these twenty innocent little children who never had the chance to dream their dreams and make their mark, as well as the six adults whose selfless devotion to these children put them in harm’s way. We grieve because we can only imagine how it would feel to have our world turned inside out, to feel such a crushing loss. Some of you may grieve because you have experienced such a loss.

These unthinkable acts of violence occur far too often, all around the world. We do not visualize them happening in sleepy little communities where everyone feels part of an extended family. No one can fathom laying to rest innocent little babies; it is just beyond comprehension. Lives of families touched by such violence are forever changed, and happening during the Christmas season will forever dampen the joy normally felt at this time.

My wish for everyone this holiday is that we truly remember the reason for this season and have God in our hearts and in our homes. Now more than ever we need hope; we need to feel connected to our family and loved ones; we need to feel needed and loved and have someone in our lives to offer us strength.

If you are missing this in your life, reach out to another for help, and if you are blessed to have great joy in your life at this time, touch someone else’s life, passing on this beautiful gift. There are so many lost and troubled souls in the world right now. Perhaps if we extend a loving hand some of this violence can be averted. We need to start somewhere.

May all who are suffering this holiday season be given the gift of inner peace and let us hold all those close in our hearts who are suffering the devastating loss of a loved one. Fyodor Dostoyevsky said “the darker the night, the brighter the stars,
the deeper the grief, the closer is God.” God must be very close indeed right now.

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