Ready to Roll

Hey, it's April 1st. And if I were in a more whimsical mood I'd write about how we've decided to sell the bus-house and move to a sailboat we've just acquired with the intention of sailing around the world during the next few years... or that we just can't handle this lifestyle any longer and we're moving back to the suburbs of Chicago so we can get jobs with large Fortune 500 corporations and get back on the rat race treadmill again. But alas, I can't access the area of my brain where cuteness and whimsy reside, and you'll have to move along to other blogs for your April Fools fix this year.

But it is April, and April just sounds like Spring, doesn't it? "April" sounds like hope... sounds like children playing on new grass, warm gentle breezes, bright colors, al fresco dining, and love.  In contrast, "March" sounds like trouble... sounds like storm troops, jail doors slamming shut, gray days, black and white photos, lost causes, and depression. I, for one, am glad March is over and April is here.

We're busily preparing the bus-house for travel and planning our escape from the Coastal Bend. Excitement is in the air as we finished washing the salt, sand, and oyster shell grunge off the camper and stowing all the gear and "stuff" laying around as a result of the lack of discipline that accompanies long-term stays. The new tire pressure monitoring system is in place and ready to go. Other systems have been checked, cleaned, tested, and safety certified. Everything is aiming at departure tomorrow, Saturday.

Our original plan was to head east toward friends in South Carolina before hitting Wisconsin in mid-May. But that's changed. Our son Justin has just accepted a new job out in Seattle. Moving from Wisconsin to Washington is a big stressful thing -- especially when there's so much else going on... Kaytlyn (his wife and sweetie) finishing her Masters degree, finding a place to live out there, closing out his old job, getting established in the new one, and the magnification of difficulty caused by a 2,000 mile move. When we moved out of our last house 4 years ago, we threw a bunch of stuff on the back of his U-Haul truck when he wasn't looking and he's been wondering how he came to have so much stuff ever since. Well, these two could probably use a little help in getting ready for the move and we've decided an early arrival in Wisconsin would be in order this year.

But we won't forget about our South Carolina friends either. Once things are deemed under-control in Wisconsin, it'll be time for another road trip... this time in "nimble-mode", with the only the car. We'll drive to our friends house, taking the time for some linear exploring along the way. The savings in fuel will cover the cost of motel stays and we're looking forward to trying a different style of exploration for a couple weeks... not to mention spending time with our friends Tim and Chris.