I Applied For a New Passport

Given my current situation, which most people that have been reading my blog know, this action on my part might seem a bit odd. And maybe it is. I haven't needed a passport since Carol, our son, and I went to Korea exactly 13 years ago to visit our daughter and her husband, who was stationed over there.

she had a blast

Two months after Carol's dementia diagnosis in 2016, I took her to Niagara Falls (on her bucket list) and New England. We did walk over into Canada one of the days we were there but it didn't require a passport going in either direction. (This was before Canada was our 51st state.) I've not left the country in almost 9 years. It's an accomplishment now if I leave the house.

Rainbow Bridge US-Canada

You may have noticed the title of this blog does not say "I renewed my passport." That's because you only have up to 5 years after your 10 year passport expires to renew it. I've waited too long. I had to walk into a Post Office like I was getting my very first passport. (My expired passport was adequate proof of my citizenship though... my birth certificate was unnecessary.) By the way, why do so many cities' main US Post Office buildings feel like you are stepping back in time to 1979 when you enter? Except for the computers and electronic payment stuff they have at each station and no FBI pictures of the Unabomber on the wall, it still looks and feels like a bygone era in there. That said, the guy that handled my application could not have been any nicer. It was a painless experience.

So, sometime before college football season resumes, I should see a new passport come in the mail.

So then what?

I don't know.

I'm not sure that I can really articulate this. For me, the passport represents something. Sure, it documents that I am a citizen of the United States of America. And that's a pretty big deal. But, it is more than that. A valid US passport represents the freedom to travel to foreign lands and to be welcomed back on return. It says, no matter where I go, I can return home.

But, even more important than that, it is the idea of being able to go in the first place that is invigorating to my soul. (cue Mel Gibson shouting, "FREEDOM!")

The season that I am in right now is not a season of "go." It's not a season of getting out into the world and enjoying what it has to offer. This current season says, "stay." And it is with genuine cheerfulness and a profound sense of purpose that I do that because it is the right and necessary thing to do. And I do it because of love. I do confess though that I have to instruct the wanderlust creature inside of me to settle down... and wait. But it's often like I have a pestering back seat passenger nagging me with refrains of, "are we there yet?" I'm truly confessing here.

There will be a new season one day and I really don't know what that season will look like. I mean, how could I? I simultaneously yearn for it and absolutely dread the thought of it. That's an acutely strange place to be.

I don't know what tomorrow holds so I surely don't know what the next season does. My hands are full with today. But, whatever comes next, I probably shouldn't stagger into it as if I'm a deer staring into headlights. That's why I need my precious blue and gold permission slip that whispers, "it's OK... if you feel you need to go... then go." 

One day.

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On The Road With HaRVy

HaRVy is an RV

We have an addition to the family. His name is HaRVy. At least, that's what we have decided to call him. HaRVy is an 11 year old Damon Challenger 377 Class A motorhome. He's almost 38 feet long built on a Workhorse W-22 chassis and is powered by an 8.1 liter gas engine (that's 496 cubic inches for those of you still unwilling to embrace the metric system) mated to an Allison Series 1000 6-speed transmission. He's rated at about 340 horsepower @4200 RPM and 455 lb.-ft. of torque at 3200 RPM. HaRVy has three slideouts, has twin Carrier A/C units, hot water heater, 5500 watt generator, a queen size bed, 20 inch TV in bedroom, dining room table that seats 4, kitchen with refrigerator/freezer (that runs on propane or AC power,) gas stove and oven, microwave oven, full-size kitchen sink, bathroom with toilet, vanity and shower, living room with sleeper sofa, recliner, and a 32 inch TV. Outside, there is a powered awning that runs 20 ft down the length of the motorhome.

I should mention that we also added another to the family. Since we need to be able to go places when HaRVy is in his camping spot, we now have Taurus the Bull that HaRVy pulls along behind on a tow Dolly. Taurus is a couple of years older than HaRVy.

You may be wondering why two 60-somethings, who have already raised 2 kids (now 30 and almost 33 yrs old,) would, at this stage in their life, want to be adding to the family.

Well, here's the deal. We have two grandchildren (and their parents) who live about 10 minutes away. We like that. Thanks to the Coast Guard, they will be moving in a couple of months to a small town in northeastern NC (in fact, only about a mile and a half from the VA border.) That being the case, Carol and I will be leaving Florida (this was only ever a temporary gig) later this year. But where to go then? Our home prior to coming to FL in 2017 was Augusta, GA. Our son and his fiancee live in Augusta, GA. Nearly every friend we have lives in Augusta, GA. But... our grandchildren don't live in Augusta, GA. Hence, the dilemma.

To add to that dilemma, over the last 3 years or so, it has become harder for Carol to travel. I won't get into all the specifics but, I will say that staying in hotel rooms or even in the homes of family members has become more and more difficult because those surroundings are now a bit disorienting to her and staying in what are becoming less familiar surroundings is stressful. We still want to be able to go places, especially go to where our daughter & her family live as well as to where our son & fiancee live. One of those places will be where home #1 is.

So, that's where HaRVy comes in. HaRVy's role in the family is to be rolling house #2 that can allow Carol to feel "home" regardless of what city we are visiting. This allows Carol to have her bed and her bathroom with all of her stuff in a familiar spot... no more packing suitcases and makeup bags, which is also a high stress activity for her (HaRVy is now fully equipped with all the things that would typically need to be packed whenever Carol would travel... both our house and our house-on-wheels are fully equipped with duplicates of her stuff.)

We took HaRVy out last weekend for the opportunity to get to know him a little better and see how well he (and his dad- the driver) behaves. It was also important for me that Carol and HaRVy have a real bonding experience. We booked a couple of nights at Colt Creek State Park campground a little over an hour from our house. I didn't want to get too far from home... just in case. The drive from our storage lot to the state park was pretty uneventful (thank goodness!) Carol was a little nervous riding for the first time in a big Class A motorhome with a rookie at the wheel but, both HaRVy and I were able to assuage her fear. Set-up at the campsite went perfectly. This is a nearly new campground with only about 36 sites so, we enjoyed some peaceful relaxation.

      

(Click here to open in YouTube)

I am happy to report that Carol truly grew to love HaRVy over the course of our two-night stay. In fact, on the day we were to leave Carol said, "I wish we could stay here a few more nights." I'd call that a good first step in the relationship. Exiting the campground included a stop at the dump station to experience the nitrile gloved-up sewer hose hook-up to drain the contents of our onboard grey and black water tanks. Fortunately, I had no Robin Williams-in-the-movie-RV moment so, all was good. On the return trip, Carol also got to experience our first fill-up at a gas station. Bear in mind that the total length of HaRVy and Taurus is about 60 feet. And, with Taurus in tow, there is no backing up (I remove Taurus and the tow dolly before backing up HaRVy into a campsite.) $162.00 later at the Flying J, we were back on the road heading home. Like most large motorhomes, HaRVy is a thirsty boy...he drinks a gallon of gas for every 7-8 miles he runs.

Next weekend, Carol, HaRVy, Dolly, Taurus, and I will head out to spend 8 nights at Mistletoe State Park near Augusta to take care of some routine semi-annual doctor appointments. I'm optimistic that the bonding that began last weekend will continue and that we will confirm that this new way to travel is all that we hope it will be. So... I plan to blog about our adventures on the road with HaRVy. This isn't just about having a motorhome. This is an important thing for our family. I know that some of what I have written is a bit cryptic but... you'll just have to try to understand that some private, family stuff will remain private, family stuff. Thanks in advance for understanding.

Here are some pics from our first time out with HaRVy and Taurus the Bull.

plenty of room with these spacious sites

this guy walked up while we were eating dinner

all the comforts of home...

happy wife- happy life

75 gallon tank... this is gonna hurt

beautiful scenery; lots of hiking trails

Carol and HaRVy bonding