Independence Day - July 4, 2013: Let The 4th Year Begin!

We've begun our fourth year in retirement and as full-time RV travelers.  What an awesome experience it's been and we are so looking forward to more.  It wasn't planned that we would begin traveling on July 4, 2010; it just turned out that way.  Wayne's retirement was the last working day in June of that year and as we wound down the final days before the house sold, disposing of the very last of the household goods, July 1st, then the 2nd and the the 3rd rolled around.  We said our "goodbyes" to the children, finished loading the coach and pulled away from the Nashville I-24 Campground on July 4th.  We were thrilled and we remain so, never looking back, never having regrets and ever thankful for our good health our conservative financial decisions and the joy we find in one another.  Life is great. 

During the last three years, we've traveled about 33,000 miles through about 36 of the United States and six Canadian provinces. In about 1095 days of travel, we've stopped at some 275 campgrounds, viewed the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the Saint Lawrence Seaway, all of the Great Lakes and hundreds of bays, inlets, rivers, streams and waterfalls.  Perfect weather remains our greatest draw and we've been fortunate to enjoy splendid days almost everywhere.

Our household has grown since retirement with the adoption of Lexie and Ozzie, our puppymill survivors and they have brought a whole new dimension to our lives. Little Lexie suffered so terribly that we felt we would surely need the help of another dog to bring her around.  Sweet Ozzie came to her rescue about nine months later.  A rescued puppymill dog too, Ozzie was less traumatized and helped Lexie to overcome most of her inhibitions.  Ozzie turned out to be a "momma's boy" while Lexie is most fond of her Pop.  They bring us such joy every day.

Along the way, we have met wonderful people and have made many lasting friendships.  Some of our favorite times are those days we rekindle those friendships when we meet again somewhere on the road.  Sometimes, it's for a few weeks, sometimes a few days, but we always look forward to the rendezvous and we never have to really say goodbye.

All our days have not been easy; many of them have been fraught with trouble.  Things go wrong and break, mechanical difficulties happen and yes, we've gotten the rig stuck on occasion. We've taken wrong roads, had terrible campsites, gotten sick, lost our mail, been without good satellite signals. But the good days far outnumber the less than perfect ones and I am blessed to be married to a man with very little temper. There are no bad days.

More than ever, I enjoy photographing and blogging our travel. As it always has been, the blog is not meant to gather a following, though it is nice to learn someone enjoys reading it.  From the beginning, the blog has been a replacement for the old paper scrapbooks and the handwritten journals I kept from our weekend travels.  So the blog will continue and I thank all who take time to comment on the posts.  

And so we begin year number four.