Thursday, October 23, 2014

Hello, again....

"My name is Toni, and I'm an addict!"
I am not kidding.  Traveling is the most soul satisfying, inspirational, mind-opening addiction I can attest to.   Even the hot, noisy, bumper-to-bumper, exhaust-smelling gridlock as I crawled through Phoenix yesterday afternoon did not dampen the absolute thrill I felt to be back on the road.  Could be that what I was leaving behind had something to do with my feeling of euphoria.
Returning to my house after 4 months in steamy hot Texas was not the pleasure it should have been, although getting a chance to spend some time with good friends helped a lot.
Leaving the house in the care of the real estate company may not have been the best idea.  Upon departing the house in June I turned off the water to the toilets and emptied the tanks.  Surely, no one would use toilets that were devoid of water--wrong!
 I also emptied the refrigerator, filled it with crumpled newspapers and baking soda, left the door slightly ajar, and turned the motor off.  It was probably some thoughtful looky-lou who closed the door.  It took two weeks of daily scrubbing to finally rid the fridge of the mold and smell.
And finally, I returned to find the yard overgrown to the point of 'jungle'--isn't this the desert?  An unusual amount of rain during the summer made the cacti and mosquitoes multiply to biblical proportions.  For the last three weeks, when I wasn't cleaning the fridge, or scrubbing a toilet, I was taking a break and pulling weeds.
So, today, I am sitting in my little Halcyon II, in a Cracker Barrel parking lot,  at 5 am, having a cup of coffee, and luxuriating at the sense of freedom this whole silly lifestyle gives me.  In a few minutes I will dress, start the engine, and head west to Santa Barbara for Ron and Loretta's wedding.  I expect it to take about 4 days for me to drive the 600 miles--there is a lot to see along the way.


9 comments:

  1. Here's hoping the house will sell. When we decided to hit the road, getting the house sold was so important. Finally it went and so did we.

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    1. Thanks, Allison, for still being there. Yes, getting back on the road more frequently is going to depend on selling my house. So that will be my focus after this small respite in Calif.

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    1. Sorry to be so slow in posting your comment--I was out of range up in Joshua Tree Natl. Park. Thanks for being there.

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  3. Yes, nice to think of you luxuriating in your little home on the road. You sure deserve a break!

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    1. Once again, thanks for keeping me updated on the happenings in Hawaii. It was so sad to see the video of the cemetery being covered with lava. I talked to Mary and know it is hard for her and Jim--the slow advance combined with the uncertainty just adds to the stress.

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  4. HI Toni. This is Al Morrissette. We sailed together in the Keys and the Bahamas when you,Roger and the kids were on the Halcyon. I believe, if memory serves me, that I sailed on the Halcyon when we went to Angel Fish Creek where set off for Bimini. Myself and my rapscallion mates were aboard the Goldeneye. I left you a message on Google+ as well but thought I would leave one here to double my chances of you seeing my message. Get in touch here or through Google+!
    Al

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    1. Wow! A voice from the very distant past. I would love a chance to communicate so please email me at toniintucson@yahoo.com.

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  5. I am ever-so excited for you, my friend!
    ~Andrea

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