by Phyllis McCrossin

Sunday afternoon on the road isn’t really any different from Sunday afternoon living in a brick and mortar home.

King is watching golf on TV, the dog is sleeping on the sofa next to me, the windows are open and a breeze is blowing in keeping things cool. Life is good.

The boys spent last night with us for one last campout before we leave in two weeks. Where we will be staying from March 17 to March 21 is currently in a state of flux. I think King and I will be storing the trailer at a friend’s storage space while she is out of town. King and I will stay at her home while roofers come and replace her roof – for the second time in a year.

It’s a long story, suffice it to say King will be playing the “bad guy” and making sure it’s done correctly this time. Black mold, leaky walls and ceilings and replacing flooring does not make homeowners or insurance companies happy.

We will be pulling out of our final campground March 25 and meandering our way back to Michigan for the summer. On our way out here last fall we had a mishap with our trailer plug and King had to make emergency repairs somewhere in New Mexico. Everything works, but apparently the battery was not connected, meaning without an electric hookup (shore power) we have no water pump in the trailer.

I can easily boondock without lights. In fact, we have many times. I’m not so keen on hauling water, (which I have also done many times). Our setup is fairly basic compared to many other full-time travelers but at my more mature age I’d really rather not go without water. So on our way home we will be looking for campgrounds with a few amenities.

According to a few Facebook posts I’ve read, since I drive a gas-guzzling truck, I (apparently) am not allowed to complain about the price of gas. Suffice it to say, we figure it will cost about $300 a day in gas, and coupled with paying for less remote camping – we think we will be coasting in to Michigan on fumes. It’s all part of the things one has to consider when opting for a bohemian lifestyle.

And, not to be political, I’ve never been able to figure out how people correlate the price of gas with the White House occupant – whatever the party. You can comment all you want. I’m not going to engage on that one.

In the meantime I’m reading about two books a week on my Kindle and playing around with the quartz stones the boys and I tumbled over the past month. I’ve mounted them on jewelry findings and turned them into sun catchers. I suppose I could turn them into necklaces but I haven’t for two reasons: 1) I don’t like weight around my neck – that’s any type of weight; and 2) If I turn them into sun catchers I can hang all of them in the window at once and don’t have to decide which one I like best.

Stay safe, play well with others.