Chris works a lot. And, lately, he’s worked a whole lot. He’s slept very little and in those moments when he’s not working, he’s thinking about work. So I was thrilled when he announced that he was taking a week off. What would we do? So many options when one’s home has wheels.

Emerson doesn’t absolutely love auto travel. Would you if you were facing backwards and unable to see out the window? So our travel lately cannot be more than four hours. Anything more than that and we are all somewhat traumatized from the drive. Emerson from sheer boredom and us from the children’s songs CD that is on repeat or the numerous Yo Gabba Gabba YouTube video clips. After so many hours, none of us are too happy nor are we willing to clap our hands, stomp our feet or shout “hooray!”

So, where could we go in four hours from Staunton, Virginia? We had several options but we knew one thing: we were hot. Like the rest of the country, we were a sweaty mess. Since it seemed there was no escaping this heat wave, our decision was an easy one. To the beach we go!

In all my years in Virginia I have never been to Virginia Beach so we chose to spend the first part of our vacation there. First Landing State Park is a great state park located on the beach. It’s also Virginia’s most visited state park and getting a spot in the summer could be tricky. But we lucked out and were able to claim a site for our very own for three days.

We were just a short walk to the beautiful beach as well as a lovely hiking trail and playground. Emerson enjoyed sitting in the sand and playing in the water. But I think she loved the playground most. She experienced her first slide (with a lot of hand holding, of course) and would have been perfectly happy to go up and down the slide all. Day. Long. It was wonderful to see her having so much fun and be so playful. She was especially full of giggles this week.

The start of our vacation was excellent. The water was refreshing and relaxing. Our daughter was all smiles. And Chris was finally getting some much needed sleep. We were happy. Clap, clap. Stomp, stomp. Hooray!

P.S. Chris would be very disappointed in me if I did not announce that he purchased an iPad for me. The purchase was made about a month ago. He’s asked me every day if a blog entry was posted. My only excuse for not posting is that I had a lot of pinning to do on Pinterest (Hi, my name is Lani and I’m a pin-aholic). And, more importantly, there were these green pigs that needed to be destroyed by some angry birds. (Please know that I am not proud of this.) So, thank you, Chris, for my iPad. I love it! Now, excuse me, I’ve got some angry birds to fling…

Our campsite at Highland Haven

After my meltdown at the old mental institution (hmmm…coincidence?), we continued our journey southward. We didn’t have to travel far, though. Our next destination was only a few hours away.  It was a campground that we had wanted to stay at since we first got on the road. But, every time we made plans to stay there, it didn’t work out. Not this time.  Nope. This time, we were on our way!

Imagine a campground surrounded by an apple orchard.

Where your fellow campers greet you with waves as you drive in.

Where you can get a full-hookup site with mountain views for $25/night. (And, where they have specials so if you pay for 3 nights, you get the 4th night free!)

Sunset views from the campsite

Where homemade rhubarb and strawberry cobbler is served warm (with ice cream, of course) at the club house. And, to wash that tasty dessert down is homemade, just pressed, apple cider.

Where the women offer to hold your baby so that you can sit and enjoy said cobbler and ice cream.

Where the clubhouse has fabulous rocking chairs and a well-stocked library.

Where, upon asking if a late checkout was possible, the campground hosts shrug their shoulders and say, “take all the time you need.”

Where every night you are treated to amazing sunset views.

And, where all of your friendly neighbors understand the Airstream life — because they are all Airstream owners, too.  (And, for one night, our neighbors were Postmodern Hippies. We love meeting other bloggers!)

Our Virginia Tech family photo...in the dark.

Is this heaven, you ask? No, silly! It’s Highland Haven Airstream Park near Floyd, Virginia. And, for one week, it gave me the peace that I needed at that moment in my life.

Emerson and I spent many hours in the clubhouse that week.  We sat in the rocking chair – I’d read a book while she napped on my chest.  We spent some time in our former hometown, Blacksburg, Virginia, catching up with friends and eating at our favorite restaurants.  And, of course, we took our first family picture at Virginia Tech. Go Hokies! It was a very nice week, full of great memories. And, more importantly, no tears.

Having an infant means I am up to enjoy the sunrise.

We made one last return trip to Boston before our migration to the south for the winter. Ah, Boston. I love this city. If its winters were a wee bit shorter (and warmer), I would totally move back there. But in my humble opinion, snow in April is unacceptable. So, we left Boston in 2002. Every time I return for a visit, however,  it feels like I am returning home.

Our return this time was different than past visits. We were towing an Airstream. And, we have a baby. My how our lives have changed! The big question this visit was not, “what restaurants must Lani eat at this time around?” but rather, “Where the heck do we park an Airstream?”  (Immediately followed by the restaurant question because my list of favorite Boston restaurants is long and I can’t eat at them all each visit–although I do try!)

After some searches on RV Park Reviews and our “campground” search on Google maps, we decided on Winter Island Park in Salem, Massachusetts.  For $30/night we were able to get water and electric hookups. This park was also convenient to the city by car and public transportation.

Our "campsite" at Winter Island Park in Salem, MA

We chose the water view sites which meant our campsite was basically a parking spot overlooking the water.  But, you know what? It was awesome. I awoke every morning to gorgeous sunrise views of the harbor and lighthouse. During the day, Emerson and I took walks into historic downtown Salem.  And, within the park was a lovely beach.  The bathroom wasn’t anywhere close to luxurious but it had excellent water pressure and that helped me ignore the bugs.  But, enough about the campground. On to more important topics: Food.

We met up with my mother, sister and nephew who had flown in from Georgia to see Boston (and us). My nephew loves history so he was excited to tour Boston. We bought our trolley tickets like good tourists and spent two days hitting all the important stops.  While the town is full of history that should be important to a 10-year old, I felt it to my duty as as the favorite aunt (a title I have given myself) to introduce him to what I consider one of the most, if not the most, important topic of historical significance in all of the city.

The two dessert experts planning out our cannoli taste test. (Seriously, this picture captures the exact moment where I am explaining the cannoli.)

Forget Paul Revere.  Forget the Boston Tea Party.  This is something that all folks  should know about.  It is an issue that is constantly debated among the locals and tourists and it involves a dessert.  A dessert that stands out among its dessert competitors. Move over ice cream (yes, you heard me!).  Step aside, chocolate cake.  For I present to you: The cannoli.  Rich, creamy goodness protected by a delicate crispy outer shell and preferably covered in chocolate chips.  Oh. My. Goodness.

The big question, however, is WHERE does one go to get such deliciousness? There are really only two places to even consider:  Modern Pastry or Mike’s Pastry–both in the North End, the Italian side of town (a.k.a., Lani’s heaven).  And, this is where the big debate comes in.  Who has the better cannoli?

My nephew and I felt it was our civic responsibility to taste the cannoli at both and decide for ourselves where one could get the better cannoli.  Locals take this very seriously.  You can ask any local in Boston and he or she will have an opinion.  Our trolley driver preferred Modern.  An old coworker of mine swore Mike’s was better.  We set off to answer this most important question.  You’re welcome, America.  You’re welcome.

The line outside of Mike's Pastry shop. It's worth the wait!

We started with Mike’s and the line was massive.  But, we waited because we were on an important mission.  We ordered one ricotta-filled, chocolate chip cannoli. It was heavenly. I allowed my nephew and sister to have a bite.  Because I’m nice like that.

The following day we returned to Modern Pastry.  The line was massive.  We waited again.  We ordered the same exact cannoli (to be fair).  It was heavenly.  And, gone in seconds. But, now it was time for the moment of truth. Who had the better cannoli?

All hail the cannoli!

As dessert experts (a title for which I am sure my nephew and I qualify), our vote goes to Modern.  Modern Pastry fills the cannoli at the time of purchase while Mike’s Pastry serves up pre-made cannolis.  The cannoli at Modern just tasted a little fresher to us.  But not so much fresher that if I were presented with a Mike’s Pastry cannoli I would turn it down.  Oh no… it would be eaten. Happily.  Because really, how can you go wrong with those ingredients?

So, when you are in Boston next time, scoot on over to the North End and give your input on the cannoli wars.  It won’t be a waste of time (nor a waste of calories, in my opinion!)

Camden Harbor

Since high school, (a long long time ago) I’ve had a dream of living in Maine.  I used to study my parents’ AAA tour guide book on Maine. (And, why yes, I did have a big “L” on my forehead, why do you ask?) I was fascinated with the quintessential small coastal New England towns and was sure I was supposed to living there rather than the Chicago suburb in which I resided.  My dream consisted of this: I’m a writer working on a fabulous mystery novel.  I work out of my lovely coastal home with incredible ocean views.  Life is perfect. Does this sound familiar? Apparently, lots of people have a similar Maine dream.

Well, at the age of 33, I am pleased to announce that this dream came true.  Sort of. We spent the last two weeks in Maine.  My lovely coastal home with stunning ocean views was actually my Airstream parked at Camden Hills State Park.  Across the street was a trail that went down to the rugged shore and if I stood in my neighbor’s campsite, I could catch a glimpse of the water.  And, the fabulous mystery novel was actually my blog.  So, it’s a bit of a stretch, right? Well, I say it counts.

View of Camden from atop Mt. Battie

We had a lovely two weeks.  Emerson and I spent several days roaming the cute downtown streets of Camden and Belfast.  We walked the shoreline trail at Camden Hills State Park.  We did laundry.  Lots of laundry.  And, during Emerson’s naps, I worked on my blog, sipped my decaf coffee, and thought, “Wow! I’m in Maine.”

Camden is a huge tourist destination in Maine and the streets were often crowded with cars and pedestrians.  The shops are quaint and filled with lobster t-shirts, lobster books, lobster stuffed animals, and fudge–not lobster flavored although it wouldn’t surprise me.  Many of the restaurants have patios overlooking the scenic harbor where many large ships offer sailing trips around the harbor and to nearby islands.

A trail to the shoreline at Camden Hills State Park

The state park is about a mile north of town, just past the beautiful historic homes and B & Bs.  The campground has water and electric hookups, awesome free Wi-Fi, and clean restrooms. While a bit pricier than any other state park we have stayed at ($37/night), you couldn’t beat the location and views.  We were fortunate enough to snag an non-reservable site so we were able to stay for up to fourteen days without a reservation. It was fabulous!

I read that the park is referred to as the little Acadia National Park for its numerous miles of trails and spectacular views from atop Mt. Battie, where you get a great look at Camden Harbor and the surrounding islands.  The peak is accessible by both car and foot and definitely should not be missed.  The trail down to the shoreline is an easy hike and one that I made often with Emerson in her baby carrier.  We walked along the trail, listening to the waves crash onto the shore, and every now and then sat on a bench watching the ships sail into the harbor. It was a peaceful and beautiful sight.

Chris' office view in Camden.

After Emerson and I completed our tour of Camden, we drove north to Belfast.  While Belfast is also a popular tourist destination, there is less hustle and bustle compared to Camden. It has some great shops and galleries and a wonderful Co-op.  I actually enjoyed downtown Belfast more than Camden although this may attributed to my delicious gelato from Scoops that I had in Belfast. (Did you think I would pass up gelato?) In any case, neither town should be missed!

We had a wonderful two weeks and I still have more to share but I’ll save it for the next entry.  Hmmm…in the meantime, now that my Maine dream is complete, I’ll need to focus my attention on my next dream: Olympic figure skating gold medalist.  This might be tricky given my age and inability to ice skate but those are minor details, people.  Minor details!

An empty but beautifully kept campground.

Remember when we first arrived at the Ashuelot River Campground? I noted how beautiful the campground was and how conveniently located it was to Keene, NH and our birth center. Those were two big factors in why we chose to call that campground home for the season. But, I also noted that there were a few challenges that we hoped would work themselves out over time. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to happen so we had to move on a few weekends ago.

Like I said, it was a beautiful campground. The owners did an excellent job of keeping the grounds immaculate and the facilities clean. When we first arrived there in May, however, Chris and I both had a bad feeling about the management. They didn’t seem to want us there and we felt more like a burden than welcomed customers. We thought that with time, we would earn their trust and we (and they) would feel more comfortable. As the summer progressed, we knew that would not be the case.  They just were not very pleasant people and did not seem too interested in having campers come to their campground. And, we still seemed more a burden to them even though we were quiet and had few requests.

Hello KOA! So nice to see you again!

Perhaps other visitors to this park have felt the same way as I’ve never seen a campground so empty during the peak summer months — and I’ve been to a lot of campgrounds.  Even during July 4th, there were few campers at this campground.  So, it was a lonely summer.

Chris and I grew accustomed to the lack of people and unpleasant management.  We could tolerate it although we did long for the happy campground camaraderie that we have come to know and love. We thought we could continue on with the way things were primarily because we’ve met so many awesome people outside of the campground and we really  enjoyed the area.  Our patience, however, was tested when we had family members come visit us  to meet their newest family member.

Halloween Night at the KOA.

The majority of our family stayed at the campground. It was great to have family around to help us out with a newborn baby and keep us laughing and sane at a time when Chris and I were severely sleep deprived and overwhelmed.  But, this so-called “family campground” wasn’t very welcoming to our family. The treatment our families received from management made our their’ visits awkward and uncomfortable at times.

I won’t go into the specifics of everything that happened but the actions of management did frustrate us to a point that we felt it was best for us to leave the premises despite the fact that we had paid and intended to stay through October 31.  So, with the help of family (to whom I am eternally grateful), we packed up and somehow managed to get the Airstream out of our campsite–not an easy task!

We decided to go back to the KOA in Brattleboro, VT–the campground we initially started out at when we first arrived in this region.  We were instantly greeted with smiles. The owners, who remembered us, ogled over my child and welcomed us and our family members.

"Okay, Mama and Daddy, I'm ready to do some Airstreamin'!!"

As we were setting up camp, the owner came by on his lawn mower/tractor pulling a wagon and offered my nieces and nephews a ride around the campground. As noted by my brother-in-law, it was as though we had entered a new universe. The campground was (gasp!)…happy and fun. Sure, it didn’t have a river and gigantic campsites but it had people. Friendly people! And, activities! Now, I’m not one who seeks out social activities or requires kids’ events when searching for a campground (at least not yet), but the Halloween in July events that took place while we were there were a welcomed change (as was the free ice cream night!)  While I wasn’t sure if I could handle the sudden  move in my emotional state (hello, baby blues!), it turned out to be a very positive change for us.

So, we are officially back on the road again. Let’s hope Emerson a) doesn’t get us kicked out of campgrounds for excessive crying, and b) likes her car seat for extended periods of time.  Oh, please let her like her car seat.  Please, oh, please!

WARNING: This blog entry really isn’t about travel but rather answers some recent popular questions about our lifestyle, particularly now that there is a baby on the way.  I provide this warning only because my blog feeds on some other travel-related sites and someone recently gave me a very low ranking (okay, the lowest ranking possible…um…ouch!) on a particular site.  So, ye who seek a blog entry about travel and tourist information may want to discontinue reading this particular entry.  But, please do come back and visit my blog again.  I do offer travel related posts! Thank you.  Now, on with the entry!

Our new campsite. Seriously, are we not looking good on that hilltop?

We get a lot of questions about our lifestyle.  Some folks do not understand why we would want to sell everything and hit the road.  Some have never heard of Airstreams.  Others can’t figure out how a young couple with a baby on the way can live this way.  So, we are used to questions.  And, we can usually tell right away if a person “gets it” or doesn’t.  Like the time I explained to a woman that I lived in an Airstream travel trailer and traveled the country.  After explaining what we do, she still had the all-to-familiar confused look on her face. Finally, she just looked at me and said, “how do you tow an airplane?”  I thought the whole “travel trailer” part might clear things up but nope. Apparently not. So, yeah…we’re used to questions.  All types of questions.

Here are the recent ones that have come up quite frequently from family members, friends and even total strangers:

Why did you choose New Hampshire as the location to temporarily “settle” and have a child?

Our families are the in the south yet we chose New England.  Why would we do this? First, and most importantly, we don’t dislike our families.  In fact, we love them very much and look forward to sharing this whole experience with them.  We chose this specific area for a number of reasons, from finding an incredible out-of-hospital birth center and an awesome midwife to just our simple love for this region.  We did, after all, get married in New England.   We also met and dated while living in New England. (Okay, we actually met online (yes…it’s true…we’re that couple) but we lived in Boston while dating.)  So, we love it here and feel very at home here.   As with our lifestyle, some may never understand why we chose this location – even some locals are surprised to hear that we chose this town.  But, we did choose this place and the decision feels right.  And, hopefully our families will forgive us for being so far away.  But, then again, they should used to that by now.

My Buddha Belly and I are doing just fine on the road!

So, you’re going to continue this lifestyle with a baby? (Asked with a look that screams, “Are you crazy!?!?”)

Yes…to the first question. (And, yes…maybe we ARE crazy.)  We are at least going to give it a try.  When we first embarked on this journey, countless number of people told us we were crazy.  ”It will never work!”  ”You’ll get tired of each other!” I heard lots of these comments.  But, we did it anyway.  We left Virginia with an open mind and acknowledgment that at least the first month would be challenging.  We felt we needed to at least give ourselves three months to adapt to the small space and life on the road.  Honestly, it took no time to adapt.  Sure, there were challenges and some lessons learned but it took no time to adopt this lifestyle.  And, we’re still happily married!

We are taking the same approach with this new upcoming phase of our life.  Living in this small space may not work with a baby.  But, unless we try, we’ll never know.  There are plenty of other families living this lifestyle.  I’ve done my research.  So, we’ll have a trial period.  We are not opposed to saying, “That’s it, we need to settle!” But, we also don’t feel pressure to do it right now.  We’ll take it one day at a time!

How are you handling prenatal appointments while being on the road?

This was a big concern for me early on.  Seriously, I cried since I thought it would be impossible.  However, because we spent our winter in the south near our families, I was able to work in my monthly appointments at a medical practice in Georgia.  We split our time between Florida and Georgia and I just made sure that our schedule worked out so I was always in Georgia when it was time for an appointment.  It worked out very well.

Once we met with the midwife in New Hampshire and decided on this particular birth center, we then planned our travels so we would be in New Hampshire once the prenatal appointments were necessary every two weeks.

Have you found a campground yet to call “home” for the season?

Think we look good in the daytime? Check us out at night! Whoa!

Yes! At last! While we felt right at home in the Keene, NH / Brattleboro, VT area, I’m not going to lie to you, finding a campground was not that easy.  Like I said in an earlier post, I loved the KOA in Brattleboro but it’s location to the birth center was not the greatest for two people who are consistently late to everything.  We spent a recent weekend visiting every campground in a 30 mile radius but still never felt really comfortable with the distance or with any particular campground. Just like the town and the birth center felt right, we were searching for that campground that just felt right.

We revisited the Ashuelot River Campground, a campground within minutes of the birth center.  We did a drive-by of the campground in February when it was covered in snow and it didn’t look promising so we had actually ruled it out as a potential basecamp.  But, with nicer weather and no snow on the ground, we decided to visit one more time since the location was ideal.  Thankfully, we found it to be incredibly beautiful and we really wanted to make it work.  The campground primarily caters to tent camping but does have a few sites with hookups.   They had one spot left that they could allow to be a seasonal site but it was in a spot in which only a very special and small rig could fit.  Could we do it? Were we special enough?

It was a tricky spot to maneuver the Airstream into but Chris has become an expert at getting into tricky spots.  Seriously, the guy is genius at this – even as I stand there and say, “It’s never going to fit.”  It always fits. And, our beautiful shiny (and, indeed, special) home fit perfectly.  And, I must say, we look good sitting atop that hill.  Really good.  Because the spot was not an easy one to get into, we won’t be moving it until we leave at the end of the season.  So, there it shall stay.

We still had some challenges to overcome.  If you look at a Verizon coverage map of Keene, NH there is one teeny tiny patch on the map where coverage is weak.  Really, really weak.  Yup…that’s our campground! This means our phones and our beloved MiFi did not work in our site.  Houston…we have a problem. A big problem.

Here's our view of the campground from our site. At the opposite end is an entrance to the Ashuelot River, a perfect river for our kayaks!

After giving our lovely tripod internet satellite unit another try and continuing to face some more challenges that have yet to be resolved, we purchased a Wilson Electronics cell phone booster.  Now, If I could go back to July to the time when we purchased our satellite as our backup internet plan, I would have slapped myself silly and gone the cell phone booster route instead.  It works.  I now have 3G service at our site!   Our MiFi also works – it has its moments but 98% of the time works very well.  We’ve also discovered several lovely locations in and around Keene that have free Wifi.  So, on some days, Chris heads into town to his new “office” which has been nice for both of us.

With our major challenges (the campground and internet issues) resolved, we are settling in nicely.  Of course, there are  still some minor issues, but like most things in life, they will work themselves out with time and patience. We’ve visited some great New England towns and still have a lot of exploring to do.  I can’t wait to share the pictures and information of my findings so far…but that will be for the next entry!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, everyone!

Our lovely home at the Brattleboro KOA in Brattleboro, Vermont.

It’s obviously no surprise that Chris and I love our Airstream.  As you’ve seen in previous entries, we can’t seem to take enough pictures of our shiny home.  We wear Airstream shirts.  Listen to songs about Airstreams.  We made the pilgrimage to the Airstream Factory in Jackson Center, Ohio last year simply so we could take the tour.  Yes, we love our Airstream.

I also really love the Airstream community.  Where do I turn when I have an Airstream-related question?  Why, Airforums, of course! I love how when we are driving down the highway and see another Airstream, we each blink our lights and wave furiously at one another.  Our wonderful aluminum abode is a great conversation starter in campgrounds, especially with other Airstreamers.  Yes, I love the Airstream community.  And, I was reminded once again of how much I love this community on my first day in my new, yet somewhat temporary, hometown.

We arrived in New Hampshire super late on Saturday night.  We found a Wal-Mart parking lot and got a good night’s rest in preparation for our first childbirth class the next day.

And another picture of our shiny home.... You know, just in case you missed it the first hundred times.

I was really nervous about going to the childbirth class.  And, since we had not found a campground, we had to tow our Airstream to the birthing center.  Would the other parents-to-be think we were freaks? Would we find parking? Had I made the right decision by choosing New Hampshire as my new temporary home? Should I have read some birthing books prior to this class? Oh, the thoughts that went through my head as we pulled up to the birth center.  My nervous ways were in full force.  I wanted to vomit.

We parked next to the birth center in an empty parking lot, the only place we could fit.  As I stepped out and began the walk to the center, a truck pulled into the parking lot and the driver was looking right at us.  I was sure the man in the truck was going to tell us that we couldn’t park there.  I was ready to beg and explain that we wouldn’t be parked there for long.  The tears were ready to flow.  But, no.  This kind man in the truck was not there to punish us or demand us to move.  Instead, he pulled up, turned off his engine and immediately introduced himself.  He, too, has an Airstream as well as another vintage trailer and was ready to chat!  With great sadness, we had to cut the conversation short to attend class but not without exchanging information.  He seemed excited to learn that we were in the area for awhile and later emailed us about some camping events coming up in the region and sights we should make sure to see.  Just this brief conversation made my day.  The first official person to welcome us to the area was a fellow Airstreamer.  He took the time to pull over simply to talk about Airstreams and camping. How cool is that? So, to Frank, thank you for welcoming us to the community.  Thank you for being so friendly! It made my day!

The view from our KOA campsite: Walker Farm. This is one amazing farm with a fabulous farmstand.

I went on to class feeling better.  I think I’m going to enjoy New Hampshire.  Class was fine.  If we are freaks, the other parents did not seem to relay that opinion to us.  In fact, they were intrigued with our lifestyle and had lots of questions.  Some even stayed for a tour of the Airstream after class! See? Once again, theAirstream is a great conversation starter.

Feeling positive, we set off afterwards to search for a campground. Our choices were limited since many campgrounds had not opened for the season.  Limited choices means making a quicker decision.  There were two campgrounds to choose from and the first one we drove by, well…we kept driving.  It was special.  And, not in a good way.  That left us with the Brattleboro KOA.  It had good reviews on RV Park Reviews so I was feeling pretty optimistic.

This was our first KOA experience.  I know…you may be thinking, “What!?! How can you travel all over the country and not stay at a KOA?”  It’s true.  We had not yet stayed at one.  The ones we did stop at or look up online were really expensive compared to the local park and we always chose the public park options.

Okay...last picture of the Airstream...for this entry.

The Brattleboro KOA was awesome. The price was right.  The location was right.  The facilities were clean. The owners were super nice. And, the sites were lovely.  The KOA was our home for the first two weeks of our New England experience and I have only positive things to say about this park.  For Mother’s Day, the owner left flowers at our door.  How nice is that?

We’ve since left the KOA, with sadness, to check out another campground that is very close to the birth center (a feature I feel is important to consider since we are always late to EVERYTHING and I could totally see us late to our birth and having a baby in the truck on the side of the road).  So, the closer we are to the birth center, the better!  But, KOA remains high on my list and I highly recommend it!

Our first three weeks here have been busy but wonderful.  We are enjoying our classes (and learning that we can’t do breathing exercises without giggling uncontrollably - we’re working on this), exploring the surrounding communities, establishing a P.O. Box, checking out the local YMCA for membership possibilities, successfully shopping at consignment stores for maternity clothing (a big woo hoo!), finding good eating establishments, and meeting new people–all who seem supportive and intrigued with our Airstream life.

Life is good.

Our site at Pocahontas State Park

Literally, I will bust.  This baby bump is turning into a mountain. In approximately two months, we’ll meet our little bundle of joy!

We spent a weekend in Richmond, Virginia to see my brother and his family.  We had a lovely visit with them and stayed at a great state park, Pocahontas State Park.  The park was huge as were the campsites.  It was impressive.

My only complaint:  The pet fee.  The posted pet fee is $5 per pet/per day.  I’ve traveled all over this great country and that is the most absurd pet fee I’ve seen.  Seriously, Virginia? If there was a nice dog park or even bags provided for doggie messes, then I might be more accepting of this fee.  But, nope…none of that.  I may be overreacting.  I do that. A lot.  Any dog owners out there? Is this excessive? Have you seen other similar fees?

Chris and my nieces on the swings at the state park.

My one complaint still didn’t interfere with the beauty of this park.  There is a wonderful lake that looked great for kayaking, some museums (which were closed during our stay), and tons of trails.  Because we were there to see family, we did not take in a lot of the park’s amenities but I would definitely recommend this park.  Looks like it even has a great aquatics center during the summer time.

On Sunday, we made our way up to DC and found another really nice park that we totally didn’t take advantage of at all.  We found Pohick Bay Regional Park, part of Fairfax County, about 45 minutes south of DC and near our old Metro line that we used when we lived in the area. The park has mini-golf, frisbee golf, trails, and water access.  But, it is pricey. $30 for electric only.  Eeek! They do have a few full hookups but none were available for the entire week.  While the price was a bit high, the location couldn’t have been better. And, as we learned when purchasing our first home in the DC region, it’s all about location, location, location.

The lake at State Park. Looks like a great place for kayaking!

The remainder of the time was us quietly working.  Chris was swamped with work and had to be in DC for a meeting on one day. And, I had six days to prepare for a major event: Chris’ birthday.  Every year, I worry about this event for weeks, maybe months. He has big expectations and I think I’ve failed miserably every year at meeting those birthday expectations.  I wanted this year to be special but I couldn’t spend a lot of money. So, I got crafty.  And, I NEVER get crafty.

I spent countless hours putting together a 24 minute video of our past year on the road.  My point was to show him how fabulous his 35th year of existence had been and how thankful I am to have him for a husband. I love his crazy ideas, adventurous ways, and I can only look forward to the years to come.  It was a celebration of Chris video. I thought he would love it.  I had music, great pictures of our travels, transitions in the video, and captions.  I was beyond proud of myself…until I tried to convert it to movie format. Epic failure. It wouldn’t work on my laptop. It would, instead, shut the whole system down.  Repeatedly. I learned this hours before his birthday.

Our site at Pohick Bay Regional Park in Lorton, Virginia

He spent his actual birthday driving.  All. Day. Long.  It was our big moving day.  We are temporarily settling in the Keene, New Hampshire area for the entire summer.  This is where we will have the baby.  We have found a fabulous birth center and midwife. We flew up in February to meet her and explore the region and well, it just felt like the absolute best place for us to call home during this exciting time in our lives.

He may be only 4 years away from the big 4-0 but it doesn't mean he can't play on the playgrounds!

FYI for those towing a trailer: prepare to spend your life savings to drive along I-95.  We paid the first few tolls and then reached a toll in Maryland that cost us…wait for it…are you ready for this…$23.00.  After looking online at the remaining tolls, we decided it was best to reroute.  Our GPS lady (who clearly did not like us that day) took us down some not so great paths when trying to reroute.  We did a lot of circles.  I felt like Clark Griswold saying, “Look kids! Big Ben. Parliament!” over and over again.

At last, we finally arrived.  Not at 6:30 p.m.  Not even at 8:30 p.m. But, at midnight. Almost exactly.  It was a long day.  But, it wasn’t without highlights.  We saw the New Jersey governor’s mansion;  got caught in a festival in downtown Princeton, NJ; passed Manhattanville College (twice, I think) and learned about a murder that recently took place on campus; had incredible pizza in Northampton, MA; and, most importantly, avoided the remaining tolls along I-95.  (Yes, I recognize that we probably paid more in gas, but there was determination to avoid the tolls and well, once we had our mind set, there was no stopping us!)

So, we are now “home.”  For the first time in a year, we are settling in an area for an extended amount of time.  Still in our Airstream, of course but we will be known as “seasonals” this summer as we search for a campground to serve as our basecamp.  Stay tuned!

Let's Go Hokies!

Our snowbird winter is officially over.  We left Georgia to begin our trek north, making an important stop in Virginia.  Of course, you’ve already read about our stop at Everett and Missy’s farm in Hillsville, Virginia.  After that brief stop, we made our way to Blacksburg, Virginia, our former home.  It was a very short visit but we were able to catch up with a few friends, eat at our favorite local restaurants, and make a necessary stop at our storage unit.

We had plans of staying at the local Wal-Mart since we arrived so late into town but when we drove into downtown Blacksburg, it was as though the town expected our arrival.  There was a parking spot right in front of our old house which was IN downtown.  So, we parked there.  For the night.  (Take that, crazy landlord!)  It was our first attempt at urban stealth camping, a new term we recently learned.  I half expected to get a knock on the door during the night saying we couldn’t park there, especially since the police station is one block away.  We were, however, apparently discreet enough (meaning that  I wasn’t out in my bathrobe “Cousin Eddie Style” emptying the “sh*tter” into the sewer line).  So, we had a lovely night of uninterrupted sleep and were convenient to my favorite breakfast place, Gillies, for the next morning.

These are the things that were clearly vital to our existence the day we stopped by the storage unit.

After breakfast, we did a quick drive around campus and took pictures of our shiny home in Hokie land. And, then we were off to our storage unit.  A task neither of us looked forward to.

We arrived at our storage unit and as with the previous visit could not for the life of us remember which unit number we were but knew it’s location.  That doesn’t help when a) the office isn’t open; and, b) you need your unit number for the code to have the gate open.  Thankfully (and, then again, not so much), a small gate was open and anyone could gain access via foot.  So, we parked and walked to our unit.  We opened our unit door and did the usual 10-minute stare at a bunch of crap mixed in with a few valuable items.  In the end, we dropped a few more things off into the unit and collected a few items as well.  What was so important that we needed from our storage unit?  A maternity shirt (my one and only), Chris’ ripstick (???), Chris’ swimming flippers (???), a rope, a bottle of glass cleaner, a tuner (because that’s clearly the reason our ukulele songs sound so terrible), and a small stand for our ukulele music. See? Necessary items, right? Right.

The lunatic asylum, as it was known back in the day.

We said our goodbyes to Blacksburg and made our way to Staunton, Virginia (Pronounced “Stanton”) to see family.  Chris’ sister and her husband live in a really nice (and brand new) condo within walking distance to the wonderful town of Staunton, birthplace of Woodrow Wilson and the Statler Brothers.  Their condo is in a former mental hospital/jail.  The hospital’s campus (dating back to 1828) consists of many buildings and only a few have been renovated.  The remaining buildings are abandoned and creepy.

This instantly became the coolest and creepiest overnight parking spot for us to date.  Sure, there have been some sketchy campgrounds and Wal-Mart parking lots but nothing compares to the grounds of a former mental hospital-turned-jail whose long history includes a hospital director who was a firm believer in eugenics, a period of serving as a children’s aslyum, and it’s time as a medium-security correctional facility.  Did I mention the old cemetery in the back that is full of unmarked graves?  Yeah.  There’s that, too.

A graveyard full of unmarked graves.

We walked around the grounds and learned about the future renovations. Chris and his brother-in-law were immediately drawn to the open window and doors of some of the abandoned buildings.  While my sister-in-law and I hesitantly followed.   <Cue scary movie music now.> While the guys explored more thoroughly, we just took a few quick peeks in some of the rooms.  The buildings were fascinating and creepy.  It felt too much like a setting for a scary movie; and, in hindsight, we broke EVERY scary movie rule:

1) We split up (and a number of times said, “I’ll be right back.”) At one point, the girls left the guys and then the guys split up to find us. Classic scary movie stuff and a definite no-no.

2) Chris walked into a room that was significantly colder than the rest of the building even after Ty warned him he should NEVER do that.

3) We even had our token black guy (my brother-in-law), you know, the one who gets killed first, as he reminded us, should this adventure follow a scary movie script.  Despite that fact, he was still eager to take the lead on more than one occasion.  What a guy!

Come on in! Stay awhile...

4) Lastly, and most obvious, we walked into an old abandoned mental hospital.  Seriously, have we lost our minds?

Thankfully, we survived. It was a highly entertaining and interesting day.  After a somewhat peaceful night’s sleep (with the exception of the random screams we heard–totally kidding), we were off to find a local campground so we could spend more time in this great town.

We spent the rest of the week at Shenandoah Valley Campground in Verona, Virginia.  We had a lovely stay.  A river runs along the campground and in the summer months they offer tubing.  The park was a former KOA so it had some nice amenities.  And, the staff was always friendly and helpful.

We made a few more visits to downtown Staunton during the week, eating at some wonderful local restaurants that serve food from local farms.  We had delicious gelato and I’m totally sorry I didn’t make a second or third trip back to the gelato place.  And, we went to a free screening of the movie, “Fresh” which features a local (and well-known) farmer, Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm.  In fact, his son was a speaker after the film. If you’ve read Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma or watched “Food, Inc.” then you are probably familiar with Mr. Salatin and his farm.  ”Fresh” was a great film and I highly recommend it.

All in all, our time in Blacksburg and Staunton was productive, a little bit crazy and a lot of fun!