Three years ago today we embarked on our magnificent road adventure. After 15 months exploring the country, we came back to Oregon. Reclaimed our house from renters, sold Bessie the RV, and returned to the work force. I’m back with…
Finding Courage
A year ago, I felt such unity with the people of this country. Kate and I were midway through our nook-and-cranny travels through the lower 48, and although we often felt out of place, we’d made a commitment to never…
A Perfect Oregon Fall Weekend
Last fall, Kate and I were driving through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in a cacophony of color. Visiting Provincetown for Women’s Week. Watching a cranberry bog get harvested in Cape Cod. And riding in an Amish buggy in Pennsylvania. A New England…
Brave Goodbyes
Eighteen months ago, our best friends pulled long faces when we hit the road for more than a year, and they gleefully welcomed us into their driveway at the end of our journey. This week we were the ones holding…
Back in the Rat Race
Our year-long trip was conceived as an escape from career burnout, from that thick fog that descends when your life is spiraling away from joy and even your off-hours are consumed by workplace worries. When all you do, it seems,…
Sister Love
In the last month of our road journey, my sister called with the news that she has breast cancer. My energetic, athletic, upbeat sister, who runs every day, is in maddeningly perfect shape, has never had a serious illness, and…
Back to the Teardrop
Before we were RV’ers, we were avid campers. We tented in the redwoods when our youngest, who was just learning to walk, discovered the pure joy of full-body dirt emersion. We coaxed the kids along backpacking trails with the meager…
Rejoining the Workforce
I started my new contract with HP last week. And Kate starts her new job as a Hospice social worker at Place Health in two weeks. So here we are, back in Eugene, back in our house, both working for the…
Selling Bessie
As soon as we got back from our weekend in Bandon, we set about getting Bessie ready to sell. It took us a day to unload all our last possessions from her, including the artwork and knick-knacks we’d added along…
Our Last Hurrah!
Way back in January, our friends Kathy and Robin made reservations to camp for Kathy’s birthday in July and asked us to join them. We didn’t know if we’d still have Bessie then or be back in our old teardrop,…
No chance to say goodbye
We met so many people over the course of our 15-month journey, and a handful of them we’ve stayed connected with over Facebook or email. Caryn O’Conner was one of them. We learned last night that she took her own…
Embracing Eugene
We chose a perfect time to come back to Eugene. For all the drabness of its winters, Eugene fully redeems itself come summer. The weather is warm but not hot, with just enough rain to stay green. The whole town…