Nov 16 - Pre-Holiday Jottings

Two weeks since my last update to the Journal. On the Verizon/Millenicom issue, our internet service seems to be the same as it was under Millenicom and we've had no interruptions or glitches. Other than the few additional dollars we'll be parting with each month and our preference for dealing with a smaller business than the V-giant, we've come to grips with the situation. Since our usage is usually in the 12 to 15 GB range each month, I don't think we could have done better for the same level of coverage. Internet connectivity for nomads and wanderers is one of those areas where we pay more for less than those living in a fixed location. Could probably get unlimited blazingly-fast internet for half the price if we were chained to a house.

In early November we spent a weekend with our son/family near Seattle and then a week keeping an eye on the grandkids in the Portland area during a week they had early release from school. Somehow during that time we picked up a bug. Was it a good ol' rhino-virus severe cold or a mild case of some flu? Can't answer that definitively. But we were both down and out for nearly two weeks. Certainly better now... almost back to normal.

On the "homebase" front, we're finding the Timber Valley SKP community in Sutherlin very much to our liking. After 7 years of wandering without anything remotely like a homebase, it feels like a luxury. Especially with our new-found interest in small campers, we can leave the big camper here while we explore with the little guy... no added expense or hassle. On top of that we have a small storage building and a wonderful group of like-minded people to make it all interesting. Home when we want... away when we want... big camper... little camper... the flexibility and freedom is very agreeable.

The winter plan at this point is to spend some time with our Northwest family during the next week or so, including Thanksgiving. We'll be back in Sutherlin for a few days and then head south toward Arizona in early December. We're taking both the bushouse, which will be parked and serve as our homebase for a few months, and the truck camper, which we'll use for exploring a few of those more remote places we've been talking about.

This could be interesting.