We ran into Mary the Midwife at the most random times. This picture was taken at a local farmstand.

While our farmstay marked the end of our time in New Hampshire, there are a few odds and ends I’d like to share and a few more people I’d like to thank.

Being in New England for the birth of our first child was fabulous. We met some amazing people, had a special birth experience with a truly wonderful midwife, and have pictures, stories, and memories to last a lifetime. I look forward to sharing these stories and pictures with Emerson and returning to the area in the future to show her all of the sights and hopefully reconnect with our new friends.

We were really overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness of the people we met.  I feel like I’ve gone on and on about this but it’s just so nice to know that the world is still full of love and kindness.  It’s easy to forget about this when you watch or read the news. So, I just have a few more lovey-dovey, happy stories and then I shall return to my old sarcastic, fear everything, mind my own business ways. Maybe. Or, perhaps I’ll just become that person that stands in a crowded public place with a sign offering free hugs.  Because, really, what the world needs now is love, sweet love.

The very lovely Emerson modeling her "Airstream Baby" onesie. Based on that adorable smile, I think she likes it!

You may recall my story of Frank, the man (and fellow Airstream owner) we met on our very first day in Keene.  We kept in touch with Frank via e-mail and he was kind enough to stop by our campground early in the summer to chat for awhile. During our last week in New Hampshire while we were staying at the farm, I was driving down one of the main roads trying desperately to get Emerson to take a nap.  I pulled over at a gas station to take a phone call when a van pulled up alongside of me. At first I just noticed the van and not the person and having watched too many episodes of “Criminal Minds”, I must confess that I panicked for a brief second.  But, then, I looked over to the driver window and there sitting next to me was Frank.  Waving.

We chatted briefly and he invited us to his cottage on the lake later that week.  So, it was very appropriate that on our last night in New Hampshire, we met up with Frank, our first New Hampshire friend, at his place.  We shared stories, got a tour of his Scotty trailer (awesome!), and enjoyed the views of Spofford Lake. It was a lovely evening. A big thanks to Frank for sharing our first and last days of our time in New Hampshire! We look forward to seeing you again.

Check out that grass! Tomorrow I shall start making my plans to open up my own cake company. Can I use box mixes? (Thank you, Chelsea!!!)

We received another nice surprise upon our final return to New Hampshire. Having traveled for several weeks meant we returned to a P.O. Box overloaded with mail, including a few gifts for Emerson. One gift in particular was from someone I’ve never met in person but we’ve exchanged emails, commented on each other’s blog, and developed an online friendship. Lotus made two onesies for Emerson – one that says “Airstream Baby” and the other says “Aluminum Bliss.” Chris and I were touched by her thoughtfulness.  Through her blog and emails, she has provided to me a lot of encouragement and positive thoughts during my pregnancy and first months as a new mom. So, to Lotus, thank you! We love the onesies!

Our blissful family. So long New Hampshire! Thanks for everything!

Lastly, while I’ve already told you about our farmstay, I neglected to share the lesson that I received while staying there.  Chelsea (the daughter) is a super-talented pastry chef. She makes incredible cakes. She was kind enough to make a cake for us to share with our birth class at our reunion.  She was also gracious enough to teach me how to work with fondant.  We wanted the cake to represent us and our lifestyle so obviously an Airstream cake was in order. It was amazing and delicious! The Airstream cake included four little babies to represent each of the babies in our class.  Chelsea, you rock! My only contribution to the cake was the grass.  But, it’s awesome grass, right? Look out Ace of Cakes…

So, there you have it. Our final odds and ends from our summer.  So long, Vermont! Goodbye New Hampshire! See ya later, Maine! Our last stop is Boston before making our way south. It’s September and while the leaves are pretty and all and I know that we haven’t reached the peak colors yet and New England is THE place to be at this time, blah, blah, blah… it’s getting way too chilly for me. It’s time for these snowbirds to go south!

I’ve been staring at a blank screen on my WordPress blog page for weeks now. I have so many topics I want to write about but the words are just not coming to me.  Perhaps it’s exhaustion or perhaps it’s the subject matter. I could probably write pages and pages on the joys and challenges of being a new mom but that’s not what this blog is about.  Sure, we’ve done some traveling that I need to write about but I’m struggling and no amount of decaf coffee seems to be helping me.  Maybe I need to go back to Maine?

Thankfully, our friend Everett of Living a Simple Life has encouraged me to write a particular post about things I wish I could do…or at least do better.  He’s not talking about flying, predicting the future, reading people’s minds…although those might be great fun.  No, he’s talking about more practical things.  Go on over and read his post…it’s a good one.  And, if you are curious, here are some things I wish I could do or at least do better.

Writing. I love to write (although you’d never know that given my absence from my own blog.) And, like I’ve said before, I would love to write a book. Even if no one read my book, I would love to see my writing in book form sitting on a shelf collecting dust.  So, I wish I could write better and more creatively and someday call it a book. I also wish I had the motivation to keep a daily journal, especially now since I have a child.

Cooking. My mom is an excellent cook and you’d think after living at home for 22 years that I would have learned some things.  Not so.  When Chris and I were dating I bought cabbage instead of lettuce. And, it wasn’t an accident. I’m that clueless. He had a lovely cabbage salad for dinner that night…a mistake he still laughs at often.  Yes, I was a disaster in the kitchen. But, thanks to Chris, my mom, and the Food Network, I can do a decent job in the kitchen now. But, I long to do more, especially using fresh ingredients.  I’d love to make things from scratch – no box mixes, canned veggies. Nope.  All fresh ingredients.  Just today I watched Giada whip up a basil smoothie and a delicious tomato/bread crumb/gorgonzola cheese concoction.  She made it look so easy and her kitchen was spotless. I wish I could do that. (And, yes, I had to look up “gorgonzola” to make sure I spelled it right.)

Gardening. Chris and I had a garden once when we lived in Alexandria, Virginia.  It was nothing fancy — just a small garden with zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, and some other basic garden items. It was fabulous. I had an abundance of zucchini and learned every zucchini recipe known to man (or, at least to Epicurious).  I made fresh salsa and tomato sauces.  It was great fun. Someday I would love to try having a garden again. We learned a lot from just that simple garden in our backyard.  But, I still have so much to learn.

Get Involved/Join a Club. It sounds so silly doesn’t it? Why can’t I get involved in my community or join a club? I would meet people and make new friends. But, I’m really, really shy.  In fact, I’m finding that as I get older, I’ve become even more introverted. Meeting new people is not my strength. I’m great at meeting people online. (That’s how Chris and I met.) But, put me in a room full of people and I go into panic mode.  You can usually find me quietly hiding in a corner or hanging out by the food table because we all know how much I love eating food. So, I wish I could be more extroverted and social. Thankfully, I have Chris who is extremely extroverted. If you ever see us in a campground, chances are you will notice Chris chatting with all the neighbors. Me? I’m too busy crouching in corner of our Airstream.  Or, nervously chopping up cabbage for our salad.

Knitting/Sewing. I got kicked out of my 7th grade Home Economics class for breaking too many  needles on the sewing machine. I partially blame the teacher – she should have been more patient.  Because of her, I fear any sewing projects. I got up the nerve a few years ago to sew a coat for my dog. I did it while Chris was out of town so he wouldn’t see the final product. But, when he returned I showed it to him, because in all honesty, I was proud of myself.  He immediately sat down and sewed a much better coat for the dog. Show off.  I’d love to be able to sew clothes for my child but I doubt that will ever happen. I’ll leave it for Chris to do.  I do, however, think I could learn to knit. So, someday when Emerson is a bit older and I have a little more spare time, I may try to learn knitting.  It looks so relaxing.

There are so many things I’d love to learn to do.  I could go on and on about how I’m a terrible dancer. Or, I started as an art major in college but haven’t picked up any drawing pencils in ages. We bought a ukulele but I haven’t learned to play it.  So, my list is long. But, the above are those that I consider at the top of my list and I do hope I accomplish them in my lifetime.

So, that’s my list. Now, tag.  You’re it.  What’s your list? Post it in a comment or share it on your blog. What are those things that you wish you could do? By just writing out my list, I’ve given myself a little more motivation and encouragement to accomplish these things.

And, thanks Everett for the inspiration!

Happy Friday everyone! Have a wonderful weekend!

We’ve been fortunate enough to see some pretty incredible sights while on our Airstream journey.  Sometimes, I look at our pictures and continue to be amazed at the places we’ve been.  For several places, however, it is not just the scenery that makes the memory so special.  Oftentimes, the wonderful memories are of the people we met while there.  We refer to our “Hall of Fame” often as we recall these individuals that have touched and inspired our lives.

We had the pleasure of meeting some truly awesome people while we lived in New Hampshire and Vermont this summer. Excluding our campground owners, of course, we felt incredibly welcomed into the community. I’ve highlighted a few of those individuals in previous entries (Yep, that includes you, Frank!) and I’d like to take an opportunity to highlight another person that overwhelmed us with her generosity.

When we first settled into our campground, one of the first things we did was visit the local library (which was just minutes from our campground.)  It was a tiny but beautiful historic building and we were both anxious to check it out.  I love libraries. Sometimes (okay, daily)  I wonder why I did not go to graduate school for library science. It’s a field that would fit me perfectly. I’m quiet (except when in labor), I love research, I love books.  See? Perfectly! But, I didn’t go that route for unknown reasons and it baffles me often. Ah, but I will not digress into the discussion of “The career path Lani should have taken….”

Showing Emerson all the great books.

So, Chris and I visited the Stratton Free Library soon after we settled in the area. Since we weren’t residents, I knew we couldn’t qualify for a library card but I thought I’d ask the librarian anyway. It seemed such a shame to be this close to a library for several months and not be able to take advantage of its services.  I explained our situation to Carol, the librarian, and she immediately emailed the Board of Trustees to see if we could be granted a temporary card.  She saw no problem with it but had to get permission from the Board.

We returned a few days later (this little library is only open 3 days a week) and Carol informed us that we could have a library card. Yippee! We took full advantage of it. We checked out books and movies and enjoyed our conversations with Carol throughout our time there.

Of course, when the baby came along my time for reading suddenly disappeared but we continued to visit the library to check out movies. We were proud to introduce Emerson to Carol and happy that this friendly little library would be the site for Emerson’s first library visit!

Carol, Emerson, and Chris

On one of my last trips to the library, I was returning a movie (embarrassingly, it was overdue…maybe I should rethink being a librarian?), and Carol had a gift for Emerson. In a small bag was a book about animals that was perfect for a baby, a beautifully knitted washcloth, and a personalized letter to Emerson on the library’s letterhead telling of her first visit to the library.  I almost cried. My daughter’s first library visit has been documented by the librarian in a beautifully written letter. How awesome is that?

So, Carol the librarian rocks.  We went back for a visit after we had left the campground and regretfully informed Carol that we were no longer in the area. We took some pictures, said our goodbyes, and thanked Carol once again for being so awesome and making us feel so welcomed.  While I have no intentions of returning to the campground (and the owners probably wouldn’t let me back on the property), I do look forward to returning to the library when Emerson is older and sharing with her the fond memories.

Thanks, Carol!

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!

I’m really far behind on blog entries…again.  I have so many photos (and even a video) to share of our last few days at Rainbow Springs State Park in Florida.  Did I mention I love that park?  If not, let me just say that I really, REALLY, love that park.  We had a blast and I will write all about our last few days…but not right now.

I also need to write about my week in Atlanta, my trip to Stone Mountain Park, my day at Six Flags, and my night in downtown ATL.  But, I won’t do that right now either.

Instead, I have to share a story with you about a detour we took on our way to Blacksburg, Virginia on Saturday.  I have to do it now…it just can’t wait.

Everett and Missy on their farm. Unfortunately, it was already dark by the time we grabbed our camera.

So, I read blogs.  A lot of blogs.  Some I peruse periodically while others I read almost daily.  And, then, there are those special blogs.  They are the ones I read and I feel an instant connection to the blogger.  The ones on which I excitedly  introduce myself in a comment or through their contact information.  This is the case with the blog,  Living a Simple Life.

The blog is written by Everett (coincidentally, a name that has been on our short list of potential baby boy names for several months now.)and Missy, a young couple from Colorado who just purchased an old farm in Virginia.  About a month ago, I left a comment on their blog to introduce myself and explain that Chris and I had a similar dream.  When Chris and I decided to move to Blacksburg, Virginia we did so with the dream of buying farm land.  We even placed an offer on 10 acres.  When that didn’t work out, we found another property and spent hours exploring the land and the house, discussing the possibilities, and researching everything about farming…since we had no experience whatsoever.  Things just weren’t falling into place with that plan…that whole “we-know-nothing-about-farming” didn’t help matters.  But, the dream lives on for us and someday perhaps it will all happen.

For now we enjoy reading Everett and Missy’s blog and I highly recommend it if you are interested in following a young couple as they experience the farm life. They offer great book reviews for  homesteading resources and now that they have arrived at the farm, we get to read about their dream becoming a reality.

I offer that entire lengthy explanation and introduction for a reason.  As we were driving into southwestern Virginia on our way to Blacksburg, I decided to check up on Missy and Everett’s blog to see how things were progressing.  Their latest blog entry talked about how much stuff they had to do and the list was quite long and a bit frightening.  Not five minutes after I finished reading this entry (to myself), Chris says, “Hey! Let’s go find the property that Everett and his wife bought.  I’d like to see where they are living the dream.”

I know Chris well.  He has what I call DBS (Dropper-By Syndrome).  He has no issues about dropping by people’s homes unannounced.  I can’t do this.  At all.  I’m fabulous at driving by but I refuse to show up at a person’s home unexpectedly.  I knew if I told Chris their address, he’d knock on the door.  He’s not capable of just driving by.  So, I tried really hard to persuade him to just keep driving.  My efforts failed. Then, I read the blog entry to him that told of how busy they were thinking that might persuade him.  Instead, when I read the long list to him, his only response was, “Ooh, that sounds like fun!”  (He was serious.)

Next thing I knew, we were on the road to the farm.  It was an incredibly beautiful drive and we both enjoyed the scenery immensely. I highly recommend checking out southwestern Virginia as it is a really beautiful place.  Suddenly, our GPS lady said in her usual not-so-friendly tone, “You have arrived.” And, there, standing outside of their wonderful farmhouse, were Everett and Missy working on one of their many projects.

I gripped the door handle hoping Chris wasn’t going to slow down.  But, like I said, Chris just isn’t capable of a drive-by.  Nope, instead he rolled down his window and said, “Hey! Are you Everett?” Classy.

Looking confused, Everett affirmed his identity and Chris went on to explain that we read their blog and we were just passing through the area when we decided to take a detour to see their land.  (Does this make us look like stalkers?)  After our explanation, Everett remained in disbelief stating, “You’re kidding, right?”  No.  We weren’t.

Missy took this photo of us as we were on our tour. I hope she doesn't mind that I'm stealing her photo.

They were incredibly kind and even invited us to park our Airstream and take a tour of the land.  They showed us the different buildings on the property (the spring house, the chicken coop, etc.) and then even showed us their home.  As we walked around with them, the turkeys, chickens and guinea fowl roamed the land. It was all so picturesque.  Everett and Missy shared their plans with us, including their desire to build cabins to allow for farmstays.  I’d like to reserve my spot now, please!  The land is beautiful and they are a super cool couple.

I’m still trying to recover from just showing up at someone’s house unannounced but I must say I’m so glad we did. It was a wonderful stop on our journey.  Chris could have stayed for hours and talked. (He’s good at that. He’s always the last one to leave parties because he can’t stop talking.)  But, we knew how busy they were, it was getting late, and we had to get back on the road.  We had a great visit and really enjoyed meeting Everett and Missy and we thank them for a) not being terrified of two complete strangers who just show up unexpectedly; and, b) making us feel so welcome and giving us a tour of their beautiful land.  We look forward to our future farmstay! Thanks Everett and Missy!!! You two have inspired us to keep our farm dream alive.  And, who knows…we may end up back in Virginia!

Oh, Strawberries...how I adore thee...

We love strawberries.  In fact, I can’t stress enough how much we love strawberries.  Plain strawberries, sugar-coated strawberries, chocolate-covered strawberries, whipped cream-covered strawberries, strawberry smoothies, strawberry shortcake, strawberry lemonade, and even, strawberry gum.  (I type this list while doing my best impersonation of Bubba from Forrest Gump.  I recommend you do the same.) Earlier this year during one of our visits to Tampa, the Florida Strawberry Festival was mentioned in conversation.  Chris and I, realizing that we would be spending a significant amount of time in Florida this winter, became very excited and checked online to see when said festival would be occuring.  Skip ahead two months and we have completely forgotten about the festival…until this past weekend thanks to divine intervention.

The Strawberry Festival in Plant City, Florida

We left Jacksonville not knowing where we were headed next. Typical.  Would we go to the Ft. Lauderdale area or to Tampa to see Chris’ family?  Hmmmm….  Once we got on the road we learned it was Bike Week and lots of campgrounds along the eastern coast of Florida were completely booked.  Not that we don’t appreciate motorcycles, but we weren’t in the mood for a lengthy campground search. And traffic, both bikes and cars, was…well…icky.  So, we began our trek to Tampa.  Along the way, I just happened to look up and see a billboard advertising strawberries at one of the local markets which just happened to cause me to search once again for the strawberry festival.  Oh my goodness…you guys! You’ll never believe it.  The strawberry festival in Plant City is happening RIGHT NOW.   And, even better, Plant City is on the way to Tampa. Guess where we’re going!?!?

A well-balanced meal of Krispy Kreme Donut Burgers topped with Cheese and Bacon. This isn't quite what we were expecting at the Strawberry Festival.

By the time we arrived, it was getting pretty late in the day and traffic getting to the festival was still pretty crazy. I was almost ready to give up but when you are pulling a travel trailer, turning around on a crowded, narrow street is not an option.  Luckily, we found a parking lot.  It cost $15 to park for the remaining hours of the festival.  But, guess what?  It’s also a campground! Oh the joy of always having your home with you! So, we were able to park overnight for $20 and were within a few hundred yards of the festival entrance.  Brilliant.

We both had visions of a gigantic Farmers’ Market environment, complete with Pick-Your-Own-Strawberries fields and strawberries galore.  I was thinking Willy Wonka and the Strawberry Factory or a layout similar to the one from my Strawberry Shortcake gameboard from when I was in kindergarten.  Chris apparently had visions of St. Pauli girls walking around with platters of strawberries.  Whatever.  We were both completely wrong. Not entirely disappointed but just completely wrong.

Don't forget appetizers and drinks to go with your Krispy Kreme burger.

Instead of being greeted with the sweet scent of strawberries, we entered the festival to the smells of funnel cakes and cow manure. It was more of a county fair complete with carnival rides, overpriced games that few can truly win, a livestock arena and the most absurd fried foods one could possibly imagine. It was also a quality people watching experience.  We wandered around watching kids excitedly line up for a ride that would most likely have me throwing up instantly. We were quite entertained by the number of people trying to win a goldfish or two.  And, we were amused by the types of food offered.  Sure, we are used to the typical funnel cakes and huge bags of cotton candy.  But, we both saw a booth advertising some foods that we have never seen before and that also frightened us.  Feel like dining at the local county fair?  Why not start off your gourmet meal with an appetizer of deep fried butter (yes, that’s right…fried butter).  Then, after that first course, go grab yourself a Krispy Kreme Donut Burger and uh…don’t forget to add the cheese and bacon.  Top it all off with some dessert of deep fried oreos and wash it down with some deep fried pepsi and you’ve got yourself a true county fair meal.  Um…yum?

Every strawberry festival needs to have a pig race, right?

I’m not sure if this was a strawberry festival or fried foods festival.  It’s a toss up.  (Oddly enough, I didn’t see any fried strawberries.) We did enjoy some time checking out the cows and chickens in the livestock arena as well as enjoying a good ole-fashioned pig race.  Who wouldn’t want to spend their Saturday night cheering on “Dustin Hogman” of the Swine Speedsters as he raced around the track to the sounds of screaming kids? It was a highly entertaining night.  But, where were the strawberries?

Our very own strawberry shortcake.

At long last, we found a hall that contained strawberries.  I saw chocolate-covered strawberries, fresh strawberries, and strawberry shakes. But, we happily settled on the  ”Make Your Own Strawberry Shortcake” Booth where we loaded a bowl with cake, strawberries and tons of whipped cream.  It was definitely satisfying.  With bellies full of strawberries, we walked the few hundred yards back to our happy aluminum home and slept peacefully through the night with vision of strawberries dancing in our heads.  The next morning upon our departure from Plant City, we stopped at a great produce stand and bought a wonderful 1/2 flat of strawberries, freshly picked from a nearby strawberry field.  Best. Strawberries. Ever.

[Want to check out Florida's Strawberry Festival? Go to http://www.flstrawberryfestival.com/ for more information.  The festival ends on March 14th!]

We find ourselves currently in a lovely campground in Jacksonville, Florida and we will be here for a few weeks so I’ll have more to share about the campground later.  Today, however, I want to share a link to a project that my husband recently shared with me:  The Story of Stuff.   The site has a great 20-minute video about the accumulation of stuff and the environmental impact of the increased consumption rate.  I highly recommend checking out the site.  In addition to the video, they offer some interesting facts about consumption.  For example, did you know that “[t]he average U.S. person now consumes twice as much as they did 50 years ago?”  Or, that “[e]ach person in the United States makes 4 1/2 pounds of garbage a day? That is twice what we each made thirty years ago.”  Definitely check out the project.  It will give you something to think about the next time you find yourself out shopping.

So what, you may ask,  does this have to do with a youngish couple who travel around the country in their shiny aluminum home? A lot.  In order to live this lifestyle we had to eliminate a lot of our “stuff.”  I’ve talked about this in previous blogs and the page that explains “Our Crazy Plan.”  Getting rid of stuff responsibly isn’t easy…not nearly as easy as acquiring it.  And, our recent trip back to our storage unit was not exciting but rather depressing.  Upon opening the storage unit door, we saw just how much stuff we still own.  While this all seemed like important items nine months ago, today the majority of it is now categorized into the “get rid of ASAP” pile.

On March 1, we mark our nine-month anniversary of life on the road.  We both agree that we have seen some amazing sights, met some incredible people, and grown closer through the experience.  But, primarily we agree that getting rid of our belongings and living a simpler lifestyle has been the most powerful change.   Here’s my bullet list of things that have had a positive impact on our lifestyle, and more importantly, the environment:

• We no longer walk out of Target with $100 worth of items that we don’t need.  (FYI:  My last blog was entitled “Attention Target Shoppers” and I would like for it to be known that my only purchases that night were Septic-safe toilet paper and some dark chocolate.  Obviously the toilet paper is a necessity…but I argue that so is the dark chocolate.)
• We no longer buy too many groceries that sit in our pantry well beyond the expiration date.  In fact, we seem to buy more fresh foods and have learned to carefully plan our meals out in advance so as to avoid multiple trips to the store.
• Our water consumption has decreased tremendously.  When you only have a 15 gallon gray water tank, you quickly learn how to use less water when washing dishes or brushing your teeth.  Showers are quick, even when they are in the campground’s bathrooms.  And, laundry…well I’m pretty cheap when it comes to using my quarters so laundry is only done once a week.  And, with less clothing in tow, we’ve learned that some things can be worn awhile before being considered “dirty.”
• And, while some people will emphasize our use of gas to tow our home, in the end I would say we still live a much more energy-efficient lifestyle. One of our intentions in this adventure was specifically to live more simply and lighten our environmental impact.  Having to buy a tow vehicle was one of the most difficult decisions.  If we could tow with a Prius we would.  However, there are not many high-efficient fuel options for vehicles capable of towing our home.  In the end, we settled on our Ford F150 and despite the admittedly horrendous gas mileage of the vehicle, we are very conscience of this fact and suspect that we drive less than the average commuter as we spend most of our time enjoying the campground life and as little time as possible driving.
• We live in 160 square feet so it takes little to heat and power our humble abode.  And, we grow tired of refilling our propane tanks so we are pretty stingy with our propane use.  Additionally, we recently began converting the few lights in our home to LED.
• And…then there’s recycling.  Chris once got into a fight with his college roommate after the roommate threw out the recycling into the garbage.  Needless to say, it’s a topic near and dear to Chris’ heart.  Because we do not have the luxury of curbside recycling pickup and sadly, many campground do not offer recycling options, we find ourselves making trips to various community recycling centers.  But, I’ll save that for a separate blog entry as that experience is worth more than a bullet-point.

It’s been an incredible lifestyle change and one that will continue with us long after our Airstream journey comes to an end.  I enjoy life so much more without the clutter and junk.  Don’t get me wrong, traveling the country and seeing what we’ve seen is amazing but so is this new sense of freedom from being owned and defined by our stuff.

Boats passing and beads flying...it's Gasparilla!

After Fort Lauderdale, we began a return trek to Tampa to meet our new nephews from Haiti (who are adorable, happy, and loved!) and  spend some time enjoying the free camping option of my in-laws’ driveway. By sheer luck, our visit to Tampa coincided with Gasparilla, a big festival and parade event in Tampa that takes place each year.  We happened to go last year (another sheer luck moment) and had an enjoyable time.  Before I go into too much detail, however, allow me to explain the purpose of Gasparilla.   I thought it was just an opportunity for college students (and others who so desire) to partake of obscene amounts of alcohol and attempt to catch beads being thrown from boats while simultaneously trying not to fall into the bay waters. Alas, its current purpose may be just that, but the festival does have historical relevance.

Shiver me timbers! It's Gaspar's ship!

I did a bit of quick research on Gasparilla and here’s what I learned courtesy of Gasparilla’s website.  Jose Gaspar was a legendary pirate who lived an adventurous life terrorizing Florida’s coastal waters in the late 18th and early 19th century.  His last ship raid in 1821 resulted in a bloody battle for Gaspar and his men who unknowingly selected to raid a disguised U.S. Naval Warship. According to the story, Gaspar took his own life as the U.S. commanding officer boarded the defeated pirate ship.  Upon his death, he supposedly left buried treasure off the coast of Florida, although the said treasure has never been found.  In 1904, Tampa’s social and civic leaders were planning a festival for the city and adopted the legendary Gasparilla as the theme for the event and created a mock surprise pirate attack on Tampa.  And, so it continues.  Every January in Tampa, pirates invade and folks gather to watch the pirate ship sail into the Bay.  Beads are thrown, folks in pirate costumes invade the city, and talking like a pirate is perfectly acceptable. Who wouldn’t find some enjoyment with this?

Good times had at Gasparilla!

Both last year and this year, we had the wonderful opportunity to join Chris’ family in attending a Gasparilla party at a house that overlooks the Bay.  This gives us front row seats to watch the pirate ship sail by as well as provides us food and drink.  While the college students took their places around the alcohol table and lined up for beer pong, I, the pregnant woman, carefully guarded the food table until parade time.  The hummus was excellent, I might add.

At last, we heard the blast of the cannons. Off in the distance, preceded by many small boats, was Gaspar’s pirate ship.  Think Mardi Gras…on water.  Music was blasting and beads were flying.  A good time was had by all.

Interestingly enough, during our attendance to Gasparilla last year, our Airstream life was just a crazy idea and not even close to reality. What a year it’s been, aye…mateys?

The eagles keeping watch over the campground

I am really enjoying our campground in Alva, Florida. The weather warmed up these past few days and we have been enjoying the sights of rather large fish jumping out of the water, catching glimpses of manatees (which only come out when we don‘t have the camera in hand), and admiring two large bald eagles that sit perched on a limb looking out at the over the campground.

It's hard to capture just how much of a mess has been created. But, trust me, it's a lot of poo. Eew.

While we are enjoying our visit, apparently the numerous birds in the area are not happy with us being here. (Seriously…there are a lot of birds here.) Do they know of my fear (and sometimes, my hatred) of them? (Chris says “my hatred” is too mean.  So, I apologize. At one time in my life, I had a strong dislike of birds. Over time, an appreciation for birds has developed.  That being said, I still have very little appreciation of the pigeon.) But, in this situation, what did we do? Apparently we did something to ruffle their feathers.

I highly recommend these parking spots offered to campers!

Of all the campsites in this park, I think we got the only one with a tree that sits right next to the entrance of our site. Its branches spread out just perfectly over our newly washed white truck. The birds must have had a nice laugh as they sat comfortably in this tree, releasing their poo all over our pretty white vehicle…which is no longer pretty. Or white. It’s to the point now that other campers are stopping by and commenting on the massive amounts of bird poo that cover the front of the truck. It’s out of control.

I write this only to suggest that if you find yourselves in Site #16 at W.P. Franklin Campground, take advantage of parking spots allotted to campers and move your vehicle to that spot at once! …At least they didn’t mess up the Airstream. Yet.

My family enjoying a walk at Maymont

Since we have been staying with family in Georgia recently, I don’t have much to write on the Airstream life.  The Airstream has been parked outside of my parents’ house, and resting from its long cross-country journey.  Chris has spent some time working in an actual office in Atlanta, while I have been spending some quality time with my folks and eating mom’s home cooking (which, in my opinion, is the best food EVER).  During this visit, however,  I did take a  trip to Richmond, Virginia sans Airstream and husband. It was a road trip with my Mom and Dad to pay a visit to my brother and his family and see my six-year old niece perform as a tomato in her school play. Who could pass up an opportunity to see a singing tomato? I simply couldn’t!  She, along with the other singing tomatoes, eggplants, carrots, cabbage,  flowers, and weeds (yes, weeds), did an outstanding job!

Maymont Park

Having lived for several years in Virginia, I have visited Richmond numerous times.  It’s a great city, with charming neighborhoods and a nice downtown. While the weather was less than pleasant, we did manage to take a lovely day trip to Maymont Park, a 100-acre park just outside of Richmond that offers incredible walking trails, wildlife viewing, a nature center, and a beautiful historic home surrounded by impressive gardens. 

I had been to Maymont before and was anxious to return.  This time, in addition to walking the trails, we visited the nature center and took a tour of the mansion, where we learned about the home and land’s only owners, James and Sallie Mae Dooley.  Upon Mrs. Dooley’s death in 1925, the home and land were given to the City of Richmond, and today the park is maintained through its Foundation and donations. 

The Italian Garden

While the nature center and home tour do require a entrance fee, the park is free and well worth a visit.  In addition to great walking paths, scattered about are wildlife viewing areas which include bald eagles, foxes, bison, and black bears.  The animals kept within the park have recently been rehabilitated after injuries and while are healthy, are deemed unfit to return to the wild. They are cared for or being nursed back to health by the park’s zoologists.

And, not to be missed if you like gardens, are the Japanese and Italian Gardens. Although our visit to the park was on a chilly and cloudy November day, the gardens are still worth seeing for their statues and peaceful setting.

The trip to Richmond was short but delightful and I needed the time with family to share a surprise.  While Chris and I were in Blacksburg facing our scary storage unit and decluttering our home, we also found out some exciting news.  In addition to two adults and two dogs, come July, we will welcome a baby into our tiny aluminum home and have been anxious to share the news with family.  And, before you ask:  No, we don’t know what our plan is yet.  We don’t know where we will have the baby. We have no immediate plans of ”settling down” at the moment.  And, yes, we may need a bigger Airstream. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all!