'25/#6 We're Home!

 Home can mean different things to different people at different times in their lives. Our saying is "Home is where we park it" and that is true. Home is also where the heart is and our kids and grandkids are in Florida so we also consider that home. Our drivers licenses are domiciled in Florida so that is another cause to call Florida home. We also have friends and places that we have spent extended periods of time with and it can feel like coming home when we get back to visit. Now we are in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the third season.

There were no banners or marching bands but it was a welcome that made us feel like we were home. The people that we spent time with over the past couple of years couldn't have been happier to see us, and we were just as happy to see them. The campground had that familar feeling of being home and the new people we have met seem like they will become part of our Michigan family.

The trailer is getting set up for the long stay so it also will feel more like home. Things that have been stowed for travel will come out and pictures will go back on the wall. The kitchen will be set up for more regular cooking and we will get back into the daily routine of life. The rig also needs to be cleaned. The front has quite a collection of bugs that need to be removed and the few things we put outside to make it known that "we are here" need to come out of the compartments.

Then we start work. The schedule has been posted and we will learn more about what has changed and what is expected of us this year. Then we will, along with all the other workcampers, get into the rhythm that will be the heart beat of the campground this season.

The bugs are calling me, or is that Mary saying to wrap it up? Either way the cleaning process won't get done by itself so I will sign off from our home in St Ignace because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'25/#5 Giving The Wheels A Rest

 It doesn't seem like it but we have been on the road for alomost a month. Some days it feels like we just left and other times it feels like we have been driving for ever. We are approaching our summer destination and will let the truck, RV, and us get a rest from the road.

The past few days were spent in Munising Michigan, the home of Pictured Rocks National Landmark. This is the third year we have been in the Upper Penninsula and are finally getting to see this attraction in the western part of the U.P. The past years something has always come up to stop us, so this time we decided to come to the area before starting our workcamping jobs.

We drove through the Pictured Rocks area and saw waterfalls, lighthouses, and huge sand dunes. The cliffs and rugged coast give you an idea of how difficuly it was living and working here when mining and lumbering were the primary industries.  I can only imagine what the winters were like and have no desire to experience them, even now!

The next two days we saw Pictured Rocks as it should be seen,  from the water. The Pictured Rocks scenic tour let us see the colors and rock formations that give the area it's name. The sculpting of the shoreline shows the power of the wind and water on Lake Superior. Some formations are thousands of years old while others have had major changes in the last century. The weather was beautiful so we didn't experience any of Lake Superior's land shaping forces.

Day two we took the Shipwreck Tour on a glass bottom boat. The most famous shipwreck, the Edmond Fitzgerald, like many other shipwrecks are in deep water with the deepest part of Lake Superior over 1300 feet. Others have succumbed to the rocky shores and shallow areas around the lake, even in what many sailors considered save havens from the winter storms. These are the shipwrecks we saw in Munising Harbor in depths less than 100 feet. 

As expected one wreck was more of a debris field. Some of it was broken up by strormy weather while other parts were destroyed by the Coast Guard to eliminate shipping hazards. On the other hand the Bermuda was relatively intact. It sank with a full load of premium iron ore in 1870. Because of the quality of the iron ore and the shallow depth most of the cargo was salvaged. The salvage operation caused a lot of the damage that we saw as we hovered over the wreck. This whole area is called the Alger Underwater Preserve and is dedicated to preserving these wreck for sightseers and divers to explore. 

Well it is time to get ready for the last leg of our journey so I will sign off from our home in Munising because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'25/#4 The Family Tree Grows

 The last few blogs I have mentioned old friends and new family. Some might think of new family through a wedding or a birth, but that is not the case. Some time ago Mary got some family information that motivated her to look into DNA testing. After some " should I or shouldn't I", she did. Whatever the results it wasn't going to change the family that was important and in her life right now. Drum roll, and the envelope please! Actually a Facebook request but I needed a dramatic intro (wink, wink).

Mary has a sister she never knew about. Without going into all the details it turns out she has two sisters and another brother! Back and forth communications and it turns out that their lives had criss-crossed in the same area durring their early years. Mary and sister Brenda were getting along well through on line conversations and decided to take it to the next level. Ever the skeptic I cautioned Mary about getting her hopes up. 

Cheryl, Mary, and Brenda

Our travels were taking us through Mary's old stomping grounds so plans were made. The big day came when we pulled our monstrous RV into their front yard. My concerns were unfounded. These people are awesome! Even if there wasn't a DNA connection I could see us being friends with them. We met Brenda's husband Victor who welcomed us with hook-ups right there at their home and just got along with them both as if we had know each other for years. We met Cheryl and Robbie, Susan and Jay, Greg and Viki, Payton and Parker, and of course Pat. 

Four generations on the family tree that we never knew about and I think everyone had a good time! Talking about our current lives and of course events in the past helped fill in some of the gaps that may or may not have been known prior to the DNA tests. The answers were illuminating while others just created more questions. With many of the people from the past not with us any more some of the quetions will never be answered.

After spending ten days with the new part of the family promises were made to keep in touch and to get together when we can. My skepticism was unfounded and the reunion worked out as good as Mary could have hoped.

Our next stop was in western Virginia where we caught up with Joanie and Greg. It was just an overnight stay but is was good to see them and the next time we pass through we will spend more time visiting. Back on the road and continue our trek north.

We still had some rain but it looks like the weather system is passing and the rain will be gone for the rest of our trip. I will sign off now from our home outside Toledo Ohio because ....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'25/#3 Maybe We Need A Boat!?!?

 It has been seventeen days since we returned to the road. The travel has gone well with no incidents, but I do have to say it has been challenging. This has been the wettest trip we have ever taken. I don''t think we had a single day of travel without some rain. It slows us down and caution is the watch word and that makes the driving more fatiguing. Fortunately the rain did stop whenever we were spending time with people along the way.

Our first stop was between Greenville and Spartanburg South Carolina. We have known Sherry and Terry for almost thirteen years and whenever we are near enough to stop in we will. They bought a home there and are what they call "homesteading". All I can think of is the theme to Green Acres with Terry is on the lawn tractor and Sherry is getting eggs from the chicken coop. The place is awesome and they are happy. That is all we want for our friends.

The next stop was Brunswick County North Carolina. This is the first time we have seen our friends Chris and Chuck since they left Florida to be closer to family. It was a brief visit but everyone looked great and we had a good time catching up. Our friends Terry and Bob from the Charlotte area built their retirement dream home down near the beaches and we also got to see them. Our timing was off so it was again a short but sweet visit. Maybe next time we will have more time.

We will be traveling through Virginia next to see old friends and new family, but that is a story for another blog. By the way I am catching up on my blogging. We are a ways down the road from Virginia. In fact I am going to call it a night from our home in Lake Milton Ohio because......

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

"25/#2 Finally Got Something To Blog

I know that it has been too long since my last blog but I didn't think anyone wanted to hear about my aches and pains. This winter was all about doctors, medical tests, and prescriptions. We are doing better and back on the road again. 

We had broken our rule of one and done when it comes to our destinations already last year and are going back to Michigan for the third time in three years. Having seen so much of the country we are finding that we are getting picky about where we want to go next.  We have enjoyed Michigan and the people we worked with so going back was not an issue. We'll see what happens next year. 

Our trip north is not a straight line. It is not even anywhere near the shortest route. There will be three stops to see and stay with old friends and one to see new family. More on that later.

Like the rest of the country weather has been less than cooperative. No real problems but still wetter than we would like. Such is life on the road

We're doing laundry now so I will continue this later. Signing off from our home in Callao Virginia because...

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary 

'25/#1 January 1st And A Clean Slate

 Many people look at New Year as a fresh beginning, a new start, and maybe a reset but is it? The past year, or ten years, or fifty years don't go away. So no matter how you look at it the new year is just the next building block of our lives. The past cannot be changed and it can't truly be ignored and it will most definitely affect the future. That is what the new year is. It is a time to look at the past and decide how you want to live your future. Check out the triumphs and the mistakes and learn from them as you plan the next year, or ten, or fifty. And most of all keep laughing and enjoy!

That being said, instead of resolutions or bucket lists this year I am looking toward the past. Our life, with it's ups and downs, has been absolutely amazing. I look at the places we've been, the things we've seen, and especially the people we have met. Our list of friends is longer than my arm and has people from coast to coast and also across four continents. As in the past I refer back to the movie "It's A Wonderful Life" and quote Clarence the angel when he writes "No man is poor who has friends". I may not be able to put it in the bank but it is a richness I don't take for granted.

So I will start this New Year with the goal to keep living my life, seeing new things and places, smiling and laughing, and most of all doing it all with old friends and new friends. And it goes without saying, I will do all that with my best friend, my partner, my wife, Mary. For thirty-six years it has worked out better than we could have hoped for so we will keep on doing what has worked in the past.

Here's hoping that everyone had a good holiday season and will have a great year to come. These wishes come from our home in Zephyrhills because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary