The Sandcastle

At the end of one year and the beginning of a new one lots of businesses take a physical inventory. They count what they have in stock and decide which things to restock, which ones to discontinue, and which new stock to add.

RVers take physical inventory when they start to worry about whether or not they’ve added too many things to the weight capacity of their RVs or discover they’ve acquired so many things they can’t find them among the clutter.

Most of us take a financial inventory at the end of the year in preparation for filing taxes. We decide which investments to continue and which ones to change. This is also when we review our budget and decide what changes to make to it for the next year.

Some of us also take a health inventory which results in making New Year’s Resolutions to eat better, get more exercise, etc.

How many of us, though, take an emotional inventory? Are the things we do in line with what we say we value? What do we need to do more of? Or less of?

Is is inventory time?

TTYL,

Linda

I have been hinting that we have been thinking of changing gears. We have driven the scenic routes we most wanted to drive. While focusing on that we have passed by many inviting places. Now we think it is time to change gears so we can see each place we visit in more depth.

To do that, we need to be able to park for a week to a month in each place we visit while still being able to get around to the sites in each area. That means it is time to buy a toad.

A toad is what RVers call a car that is towed behind a motorhome. Dave and I have been discussing toads pretty much since we decided to go fulltime. We decided not to buy one before we drove the scenic routs on our list as pulling a toad would limit our flexibility during those excursions. But now appears to be the time.

Next question, what toad? We’d like one we can put the Segway inside to facilitate my mobility at sites we visit. Dave would like one he can drive on forest roads. It needs to be one that can be pulled 4-wheels down since we don’t want to have to deal with a tow dolly or trailer.

The best combination of those things appears to be a Honda CR-V all wheel drive.

We can pull that behind our Winnebago View but it puts us pretty close to maximum combined vehicle weight. Will we do it? Stay tuned for further details.

TTYL,

Linda

Still running. Getting tired.

TTYL,

Linda

Dave was assigned to Fort Wolters twice. Once in 1966 for training as a helicopter pilot then again in 1968 as a teacher of others. We left there four months ahead of schedule in January of 1970 as the Army was dumping hundreds of pilots on the public market every month. They closed this base three years later. Now, there are some familiar places and some unfamiliar places but nothing is the same.

And nothing makes you feel old quite like having a place from your past named “historic”.

The old entrance sign was relettered as an industrial park but even that has aged since then.

Some barrack buildings have been repurposed. My favorite is the prison.

This parking lot is now part of a truck driving school. Barrel racing, anyone?

Finally, here’s the now abandoned hospital where our daughter was born. Now she can feel old, too.

TTYL,

Linda

No, that’s not Dave. We avoid snow nowadays. We’re getting the liquefied version instead although they’re now saying it could turn white tomorrow. But, we have a good furnace so we are all snuggled in our beds wondering if the deer will come wandering through our campsite tonight.

TTYL,

Linda

photo credit: http://lensenvy.squarespace.com/