Questions abound on our return visit…

Ed. Sharon writes today’s blog…

Coming back home has been great not only for the delectable Mexican food and the beautiful spring flowers, but also for reconnecting with old friends. Sharon rekindled some memories by attending a Sam Houston University softball game in nearby Huntsville. She knew two of the hometown girls and enjoyed reliving the softball experience. We also visited our old workplaces and had fun sharing our experiences this past year. And since College Station has a variety of old favorite taverns, we have enjoyed Happy Hours here with some ice cold beer and lively conversation. Invariably in all our excursions we find ourselves fielding the same questions:

Q: What was the favorite place you have seen in your travels?

A: That is a difficult question because we like a lot of different places for different reasons. We loved Maine for the vistas and the inexpensive lobster. And how about the rolling hills, fresh maple syrup and gigantic fresh berries we experienced in Vermont? The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is simply breathtaking. We had a blast riding the train into the city of Boston to tour and eat Italian food in the Little Italy. Who could not like the gorgeous un-crowded beaches of Cape Cod? Or the priceless signs dated in the 1600’s we saw in Connecticut as well as signs warning “Thickly Settled” right before entering populated neighborhoods. Washington DC made us proud to be Americans while exploring its monuments and museums. The charm of the Amish country in PA was fantastic. Then of course there was beautiful Florida where we planned to stay a month or two in winter and ended up staying four months fishing, swimming, shelling, sunning and exploring. We end saying it’s just too hard to pick a favorite. (I guess after that lengthy answer, they might have been sorry they asked)

Q: What about your mail?-

A: We use our daughter’s address. She collects our mail and we discuss it over the phone. Some of the mail is discarded, some is forwarded to us any park we stay a week or more.

Q How do you afford gas and how much money do you spend filling up the gas tank?

A: About $300 to fill Abbey up and we afford it by sticking to a budget. We cut costs by having our medical at the Mayo Clinic, we go to schools and allow students to clean our teeth and cut our hair, we prepare a lot of our meals at home and mix expensive and inexpensive places to stay to balance the budget. Besides we use to spend about the same on real estate taxes when fueling Abbey during our first year of full timing!

Q: Do you have a washer/dryer?

A: We have the connections for them but elected instead to use that space for storage because we actually prefer doing our laundry all at once at the RV park Laundromat so it can be all done and put away in about 2 hours.

Q: Is your bed as comfortable as the one back in your old house?

A: In some ways it is more comfortable because we have a Sleep Number Bed. Sharon likes soft and I like firm so we can dial in what we want for our side of the bed.

Q: How do you take care of bills and banking?

A: All of it is done online.

We feel like our friends have worried about us giving up our “things”. I think once we fielded their questions, they were reassured that for us this lifestyle is fulfilling in that we traded “things” for amazing experiences. And although it has been great to settle in back home for a while to catch up with everyone, I can see in both of us the beginnings of that itch to pull up

stakes and hit the road for new adventures westward….