Island Nomads

It's almost like singing in the rain, but somehow... Wetter? But it was fun. Standard Florida rain showers that just wouldn't quit combined with an insatiable desire to swim, and you get: So we learned today that two of the strictest states in the country for COVID are Rhode Island and Maine (the latter being really strict.) That means our plans may need to change...just a bit. Do we head west first? Make the long trip to Denver and begin to explore the Southwest? Could be. The scrap book is already starting to unfold and that's making me (and I think others) excited about the possibilities.  The real question is how many hours can these kids stand in the car.. I guess we'll just have to find out! TTFN

When we set out, I wanted the family to work on a scrap book each night. One memory each day, described by each of us. A good activity to help Char write, to help Cel remember, and to help Cat and I spend time working on a project together.  Well it took a little longer than I had hoped to get our supplies and start things off, but it's happened. Day one!  We didn't have the girls write up this part, but the rest of the days will include a sentence or two from each of us. Should be a good way to look back on things.  Also I think I really want to get us out to the Grand Canyon. Need to make that happen!  TTFN

This appears to be a growing trend.. these girls just love swimming! I wish I could say the same, but it's never really been my thing. But if it's there thing, it appears to be mine now too...  Another hot and sticky day deep in a literal and idealogical swamp.  We're thinking about what's next after this, and there's lots of discussion... Do we rent an RV and go straight to the Grand Canyon? Is Newport still the right next option? Hard to say what wins out at this point. I will say the girls seem to be doing ok away from home, but then again it's only day 3ish. I'm optimistic though.  Tomorrow looks a little cooler, so I'm thinking of maybe doing a longer bike ride. That means early to bed, so TTFN!

I've heard rumors that back before I was born, extended family, and sometimes even a whole community, would come together to raise children. That seems rarely the norm, at least in America, these days. What happened?  Because today, the Lolo and Lola took the girls to the pool for a couple of hours and it was ... Amazing. Everyone had a great time. The girls got to swim. The grandparents got to spend good time with their grandkids. And Cat and I got some quiet time to focus on work. This felt... Right. Why did we abandon this model??  I understand that technology has enabled longer distances between families, yet at the same time required geolocations with work has forced families to spread apart. Higher housing prices in centers of work have largely priced out fixed-income grandparents. It's a shame, really. I bet we can trace some key societal ills to this.... Second and third order effects and all.  Oh and one bit of random excitement for the day.. Cel locked her

But for now, I'm going to focus on the little things. Like getting ice cream with my girls! We had a lot of fun driving around in the golf cart.. many times. The girls appetite for golf cart exploration was insatiable. Fortunately Cat and I had a few lucky gaps in our work schedules to get the girls out on the road.  Cat and I got the boozy ice cream, and the girls got Butter Pecan and Mint... How mature of them. But we had a lot of fun, and sometimes it's nice to just escape into the innocent musings of your 4 year old on the back of a golf cart. Bliss.  Tomorrow, more work and hopefully a pool trip. And maybe some time to spend on those big thoughts. But for now, I'll sleep cherishing today's little things.  TTFN

We made it safely to Florida after only 14.5 hours. Maybe a new record for us? We left a little later than I had wanted, but the girls were incredibly good and so for that I am thankful.  More tomorrow when I can feel my brain again. TTFN

Looks like we'll be heading south tomorrow, although not sure how early. With all of this drama, we'll be returning Fury to her parents tonight. I'll be very sad, but she needs a stable situation where she can be loved, and unfortunately that's not us right now.  Right how, we're getting a roof rack installed so we can hook up this massive roof cargo box that we found yesterday. The thing is huge. It will definitely come in handy over the next few months. I've been advocating that we need to stay lean with packing and see what the real necessities are, but with this giant carrier, we can take pretty much anything we want minus furniture.  Today, Cat will be working with the kids on doing a lot of packing while I take a trip with Fury. We used a Google sheet this time for a packing list and tried to divide things up for each kid to be responsible for. We'll see how well that goes 😉. Tomorrow will be a long day. But it will be good to get away, and to clear o

So, I think its going to happen. We're going to pack up some stuff and head out of town for a while. Just, really tired of dealing with our psycho neighbor and her endless harassment. Going to make the best of it, though, and see if we can't see a little bit more of the world.  First stop, the grandparents in Florida. I'm a little nervous about heading South, particularly Florida, as its clearly the COVID capital of the country at this point. But I think our plan is to really just isolate with the grandparents and enjoy the pool while its still hot there. Isn't it always hot there?  Once we do a shakedown trip to Florida, we're thinking Newport, RI as our next stop - maybe AirBNB for 2-3 weeks, then head home to "refuel", and head out to the next place. Bar Harbor, ME? We'll need to get there before it gets too cold, so end of October/early November at the latest, probably.  After that? I think we need to stay away from any spots that are going to star