Having helped my son move into his freshman dorm in NY, having enjoyed lots of farewell get-togethers with friends, and having Steven’s wisdom teeth pulled at the last minute, all we wanted to do was drive to a nice, close water hazard, I mean water feature, and sit still for a bit. Breathe. Rest. Read. Do Nuttin, Honey! We have decided to start the journey at Lakes Basin. 60 miles north of Lake Tahoe. Tom Stienstra, travel writer for sfgate.com just wrote about the area 2 weeks ago. Lots of lakes close together under the towering Buttes. Great kayaking, hiking to peaks, and trout fishing was the appeal. However, all that movement now sounds awfully ambitious. I guess that means that we will eventually get out of these lounge chairs and move our bodies a bit, but perhaps not today, not far. We are off like a prom dress!

We plan to start off visiting as many gorgeous/weird/yummy places in North America that we have time to explore in the next year or two, before we zippity go global. There will be a strong emphasis on the great outdoors as we are heavily invested in portable kayaks, bikes, rackets, clubs, fly rods…. and easels. Both certified in scuba and holding basic keel boat and a skippering license for renting sailboats, we hope to do it all, everywhere! As Obama says, “Yes, We Can!”

Query: Will the weather allow us to be OUTSIDE enough so that we don’t tread on each other’s precious little private space? Being newlyweds and totally IN LOVE will surely help, but doesn’t SOME distance make the heart grow fonder?? Perhaps separate activities one or two days a week will help. Maybe early cocktails will be the remedy. ”It’s always 5 o’clock somewhere…and Darn, You always look so cute when I am lit”. The plan is to follow the seasons for cooler (but not cold) weather, best for outdoor activities. It should also help keep a certain retired lawyer from becoming a crabby hot- flashing Virago (the Virago’s own words…)

What questions do you ask when you wake up to a wide open schedule, and lots of wonderful options? First ask, “Watcha gonna do today to change the world”?

Or ask,
…Who’s getting up first to make coffee and walk the dog? Any rail/trail conversions around here to ride? What’s biting? Can I finish my novel today before the e-library erases it? What local agency might need our help today? Wanna make time today to peel a tomato, my little chili pepper? Yoga and Meditation v. Golf…or are they the same? Is my lifestyle creating economic injustice for anyone? Where’s that Tide Chart? Is that water hazard warm enough to swim in? What are we personally doing TODAY about Global Warming? What’s for dinner if we don’t defrost something? Do TJ’s Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips and red wine count as dinner? UH-OH! What’s that slimy, iridescent slick on the dog……EEEEUUWWWW!

“Zippity Doo-Dah” is a really racist song, yet positively showcased great African American talent in the 50’s, but happy slaves? …a creepy concept…maybe we should change the name of this site? Maybe the blog title should be, “Off Like A Prom Dress”? “Change Order“? “Exit Strategy”? “It’s About Time”? “Whatchagonnado?”

The Goal:
A balance of taking care of ourselves, others, and our environment, and allowing for surprise, adventure, and joy in simple things. Write enough to persuade our loved ones to come join us on the road from time to time. Dance like nobody’s watching, and try to change the world. Why not?

At age 57 and 59, we clearly value free time more than most anything in life, except perhaps Chocolate. We have donated and sold most of our belongings to live a minimalist lifestyle. Downsizing from 2200 sq.ft. houses, to a 300 sq. ft art studio, to the 100 sq. ft available in “Rhoda” (2000 Roadtrek 170 CamperVan), we have little “stuff’” to maintain, other than each other and Lety, our sassy Mexican street dog. Our children and elders are high-functioning, independent adults with great support systems, so we are able to roam the world, paint, dance the Tango, and pursue adventure and competitive sports with a vengeance. (Oh yeah, and pay for college….thus the need to downsize!) Our friends and family (our target audience for the blog, although you are welcome if you found us by accident), you know we love you, but we have to go see everywhere while we can. Seize the day! Knowing our San Francisco Bay Area art/sports/neighbor/jewish communities will continue to thrive, gives us the confidence to pull anchor and head out. We may not blog often, just enough to let you know a few high points. When we are tired, maybe we will publish just a “Photo of the Week”.

We’ll also try to let you know where and when we plan to go next in case any of you can join up with us to explore together for a while. We also welcome your ideas about people, places, and things not to be missed as we move forward, so we will try to tell you where we will head next. We thank you in advance for your interest in this site and your good ideas for us to explore.

Checklists: (Thank you RV Goddess.com, you are the checklist queen!) You have thought of every single item that a 700 sq. ft. custom built rolling home could possibly use. Our task now is to scale it down to 100 sq. ft. of true essentials, where a piece of sporting equipment is just as crucial to us, as the duct tape and the fan.

Issues when you are leaving for a year or more:

• Mail: Do we really want to have all that non-essential mail expensively scanned/emailed so we can then decide to throw it away? Online bill pay rocks. Prescription meds by mail….sent… where?
• Painting Materials: Can we really work that small, and still be satisfied with the result?
• Shoes: Running, Water Sandals, Hiking Boots, Tennis, Golf, Dressy, Slippers…yikes! 7 pairs apiece….stored where? No way…more downsizing…..