Reconsidering Technology

Sometimes the most frustrating experiences can provide a fresh perspective. Such was the case for us today.

We're in the midst of a return visit to beautiful Hilton Head Island. We were here in October 2009, when we were still fulltime RVing newbies in our lil' moose. The island is a beautiful as ever, but there's one thing that's definitely changed. There's tons more traffic! The place is nuts! While we're really enjoying our visit with Paul's uncle and cousin, we are finding ourselves yearning for a simpler, quieter existence.

Our real frustration is with our wireless carrier. AT&T is basically non-existent here. That makes our iphones basically a pair of music and game players and our air card a night light. But, more importantly, it makes us essentially out of touch. We do have great wifi here at the park. But, when we're out roaming around, there's really no way to reach us. And, while there have only been a few stops in our journey where we've parked in a place where we didn't have cell service, I find it nearly impossible to sleep knowing that if either one or both of us faced some kind of emergency during the night, it would be challenging to summon the help we needed.

So, today, we decided to change that. We picked up a Verizon "pay as you go" phone at the local Best Buy. For ten bucks we got a phone and a ten buck credit. Basically, Verizon is giving us a phone and five days of unlimited calling for free! After that, they'll charge us $1.99 per day whenever we use the phone. What a deal!

Back at our rolling home, we fired up the free phone and it displayed several bars. We called our family on the island and gave them the new number. I fired an email off to our immediate family, too. With that, we were back in touch with the world.

With our latest crisis solved, something surprised us. There is something about this little flip phone. It's not at all smart. If somebody sends us an email or updates their Facebook status, this thing will never tell us. If you touch its postage stamp-size screen, nothing happens. Flip it open, and it glows. Push the numbered buttons and it'll make a call. Flip it closed and you can easily put it in a pocket.

It's beautifully simple.

And, there's something we love about that.

So, now we're reconsidering how we use technology. What if we didn't text? What might be different if we didn't have access to our email everywhere we go? What would it be to go on our power walks without music blasting through our earbuds? We're imagining life without Facebook in the palm of our hands, or anywhere at all.

It might be better, actually.

Three years ago, we were shedding ourselves of most of our personal possessions. We traded lots of things we once thought we couldn't live without for a life that left us lighter, leaner and free. At the same time, we made sure we had the latest, greatest technology to take along on the journey. We loaded up without a second thought.

After all, we are early adopters from way back. We've been the first kids on the block to have the latest and greatest computers, phones and other gizmos. The pinnacle of my career came as a result of my courage and craziness in the very early days of the Internet, and Paul's willingness to support all that. When it comes to technology, we embrace it.

We have a long, long way to go before we start pulling any plugs. But, while we're hanging out on this busy little island, we're sure thinking about it.

March Madness

I have a lot to learn about planning our travels for the middle of March. This being our third mid-March on the road and all, you would think I would be with the program by now. But, I seem to forget about a couple of things that happen like clockwork this time of year: Spring Break and the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

It's enough for me to remember when the "real" holidays fall and make sure we have campground reservations well in advance. But, these two rites of Spring seem to throw me a curveball every time.

We had tentatively planned to take the coastal route out of Lower Alabama and take in the sights of the beautiful beaches across the Florida panhandle. But, last Saturday, as we wandered the aisles at the Gulf Shores Walmart we were met with cart after cart pushed by college kids loading up nothing but frozen pizza, white bread, barrels of cheese puffs, cases of Coke and margarita mix. We quickly realized we had entered the Spring Break zone. For the next few weeks, every beach and coastal highway around these parts will be packed with partyers. So, we decided to take the less "beachy" route out of town and hit the super slab that is I-10. And, I vowed to make a mental note for next year to avoid Spring Break destinations this time of year.

There was one definite plus to our poor planning. Our redirected route would take us within a quarter-mile of the park where virtual friends and fellow travelers Terry and Randy were hanging out. With that we decided to make our first travel day in a couple of months a short one (We really like that!) and stop in and get to know these good folks.

When I exchanged messages with Terry, I had to make a true confession: We are basketball addicts. Truth be told, it's more me than Paul. And, my real obsession is March Madness. Back in the days when I was a workaholic, I would actually schedule two days off to watch all of the first round games. I made it my own personal holiday.

So, with all that practice, you'd think the last thing I'd do is schedule a travel day for Day 2 of first round play! But, I did do the unthinkable. So, for the first time in our traveling career, television became a deciding factor in choosing a park. We really were looking forward to the chance to meet Terry and Randy, but I had to confess that I needed television. Terry was oh so gracious and assured me we'd be in a satellite-friendly spot, plus this park has great cable. With that good news, we made our way east and arrived at this lovely park before the bulk of Friday's games were underway. We received a warm welcome from our new friends who then left us to settle in and feed our basketball obsession.

We consumed much more than the minimum daily allowance of college basketball this weekend without completely ignoring our new friends. They were busy with work and other things. But, we did manage to exchange pleasantries throughout our stay. And, this afternoon the four of us sat outside for a lovely lunch and plenty of conversation and laughter. We really enjoyed our time with them, until Terry headed to choir practice, Randy helped a camper back in to a site and we headed back to our daily dose of basketball. Our beloved Jayhawks tested our patience in the last game tonight, but alas they managed a victory in the end, which sends them on to the Sweet Sixteen.

We're heading east tomorrow to make our way to coastal Georgia. We'll bid our new friends adieu and thank them for their warm hospitality. We'll enjoy a few quiet days on the coast until we head a bit further north to Hilton Head Island on Thursday, when the next round of tournament play, and a bunch of family fun, begins.

Good news. We should have plenty of TV in that spot, too!

Many thanks to Terry and Randy for sharing their beautiful park with us, and making time between the demands of work and NCAA basketball to visit with us. We look forward to the next time we see you down the road. Meanwhile, safe travels and Rock Chalk!

Leavin' LA

We’re down to the final full day of our stay here at Bella Terra. After two months, we will be ready to get back on the road. We’re not there just yet. But, tomorrow morning, we will be. That’s the way it works for us. Our hitch rarely, if ever, gets an itch. (Well, there was that stay in Mission, TX a couple of winters back.) Much more frequently, we’re ready to go when it’s time to go. We love that it works out that way.

Our last day here has us reflecting on our visit to Lower Alabama. We came here to explore a part of the country we’ve never seen before, and we truly enjoyed checking it all out. It rained a bit more than we’d hoped, the Gulf Breezes were a tad stiffer than we’d like, and the no-see-ums we so detested in southern Utah live in these parts, too. But, all that said, we’ve experienced some decent winter weather, sunk our toes in some sugar white sand beaches, had some tasty southern comfort food, found nearly 200 geocaches, learned a new obsession, participated in our first-ever Mardi Gras celebrations and have spent time with some mighty friendly folks.

It’s been fun.

The most pleasant surprise of our stay has been this place we’ve called home. Bella Terra is our new favorite park. The sites are level and spacious. The utilities are rock solid. The landscaping is simply gorgeous. We will miss our beautiful view of the setting sun behind the dancing waters of the Bella Terra pond.

Of course, as we’ve said before, it’s the people who make a place. And, that’s certainly true here, too. The Bella Terra staff is the most professional, pleasant and accommodating crew we’ve seen anywhere. They are committed to making sure everyone enjoys their stay. And, we certainly have! We’ve met many of the owners and guests here at Bella Terra. This is one of those places where everyone waves and folks really are friendly. We’ve had the pleasure to get to know quite a few good people here, and we look forward to seeing them again down the road. We know we will be making a return visit here someday.

When we made our plans to come here, we considered this stay a “treat”. We’re discovering that we have a special requirement or two for our winter destination. When the days get short and the weather gets a bit chilly, we like to stay in a place that’s spacious, comfortable and pretty. And, Bella Terra certainly fit the bill. We were more than willing to spend an extra buck or two for a place to escape the winter doldrums. This isn’t the most expensive place we’ve ever stayed, but at first glance it’s definitely above average. Now that we’ve spent two months here, we realize we’ve really spent just a little extra for the pleasure.

How did this pricey place become so affordable? First, we’ve haven’t paid any extra for utilities. Our monthly rent includes $100 in electricity, and we’ve stayed within that allowance. Last winter our electric bill was $120 a month and added to our bill. We haven’t spent a dime on propane this year. Last year, which was an exceptionally chilly winter, we spent about $65 a month on propane. The cable TV here is extensive and fantastic, so we suspended our Direct TV service for the duration, which saved us about $85 a month. If you do the math, this beautiful, spacious spot just 10 minutes from the beach is a bargain! It nets out to be just $100 a month more than the dumpy (but friendly) gravel parking lot we call home when we’re in Kansas City.

The lesson we’ve learned is to consider all the factors when choosing a place to call home for awhile. When we did, we were pleasantly surprised. Looking at it that way, we might just have to stay!

Alas, tomorrow it will be time for us to fire up this big moose and head east from here. We have new places to explore and wonderful people to meet. Along the way, we’ll find more favorite spots to call home. Whether it’s a cozy mom-and-pop place, a woodsy state park, a gravel lot or a fancy resort, there will be lots to like. We can’t wait.

Meanwhile, we’ll enjoy one more day of sweet tea, po‘ boys and good people here in our little slice of Lower Alabama.

We’re gonna miss it.

Chance Meetings

It continues to amaze us how and where we meet people on this journey. Sometimes, we just happen to meet and get to know good people who are parked next door or close by. Other times, we meet people by design. They know people we know and we just happen to be staying in the same place. You know. It's just that kind of thing.

We're in the middle of planning a meetup with a couple of good folks who are parked not far from here. He drooled over our moose while it was still on the dealer's lot, and we have followed their blog as they've set out on their fulltime RVing adventures. We've exchanged emails and are eagerly planning to meet for lunch on Tuesday. We can't wait.

This afternoon, we were just hanging around doing our thing. I was inside figuring out what to do with my growing stash of crocheted granny squares, and Paul was outside working on his continued efforts to wax the moose. From inside, I heard a car pull up and a voice call out, "We like your Tour!" Knowing that Paul had his iPod plugged into his ears, I tried to attract his attention and let him know someone was wanting to talk to him. With ear buds pulled out of his ears, he walked up to the visiting Jeep and struck up a conversation. As soon as I could make a break from my project, I made my way outside. We were so happy to make the acquaintance of Mike and Mo, a very fun fulltime RVing couple who are about our age, own a Winnebago Tour 40TD just like ours and have a nifty Jeep Wrangler that's a lot like our Rocky.

These two fun folks were just passing through. They're parked a few hours away in a Georgia State Park and are visiting family nearby for the weekend. We stood outside and talked for we're not exactly sure how long. Paul says it was about 20 minutes. I say it was closer to an hour. But, as it is whenever we meet other fulltime RVers, the time flew by, many laughs were exchanged and the stories just kept coming. Turns out we have a lot in common. And, we're pretty sure we know a lot of the same people. That's the way it is in this nomadic lifestyle. Sometimes our world is pretty darn small. It's amazing.

After sharing stories and advice, we bid our new friends farewell. We look forward to seeing them somewhere down the road. Meanwhile, we have their blog address, and they have ours. (And, now they're the newest addition to our blog roll.) Yeah, first we gave them our card with the address to Bullwinkle's place. As we talked, it became obvious these good folks are just the kind of people we welcome to this here blog. So, we gave them the address to our "real blog". We hope they stop by to visit often. And, we're sure to do the same at their place.

Today's chance meeting was just one more example of how as much as the places we visit are amazing, the very best thing is the people we meet...everywhere we go. They're the best!

Haircuts and Facebook

Life continues to be quite comfortable here at Bella Terra. We're having great fun, mind you. There's just not much to blog about.

I'm reaching, but here are a couple of noteworthy topics.

I've written before about how much I've missed my hairstylist. Before we hit the road, I regularly visited the same stylist for nearly a decade. It didn't matter - cut, color, whatever - I trusted her implicitly. Over the past two-and-a-half years, I've sat in an assortment of chairs in various salons with stylists of cutting and listening skills that were as varied as the day is long.

When it comes to hair, there are two things I try to remember: Unfortunately, mine is short; and fortunately, it grows. Short hair is a challenge for your average stylist. It takes strategy, skill and courage to create something flattering with strands of hair that are just a few inches long. All that said, my hair grows. And, it grows fast. As a result, even the worst hair cut only lasts a couple of weeks. (Interestingly enough, a good hair cut will last much longer!) So, knowing that most stylists are intimidated by my short, yet fast-growing hair, I have managed to make my way across the country and back without any horrible disasters.

A couple of weeks ago, we were out and and about enjoying a day at the beach. We decided to drive across the state line to Florida to stock up on adult beverages. We were both in need of a haircut, so when we found ourselves in a parking lot in Pensacola between a liquor store and a Fantastic Sam's, we were on to something. Anytime you can take care of two errands in one stop, life is good!

Fantastic Sam's is one of the largest chains of franchise hair salons in the country. And, we had never been to one. So, quite understandably, we approached it with a bit of trepidation. No appointments are necessary, so we were welcomed with a smile. Within an hour, we were both freshly shampooed and cut by the same talented stylist. Unlike Great Clips, Super Cuts, or other budget salons, this woman was not pressured to finish with us in ten minutes or less. She took her time, which resulted in a couple of the best cuts we've had on the road. The cost of this stylish coiffure for two was $44, including tips. The value of discovering Fantastic Sam's: Priceless.

Now, to our second topic.

We are but two of the estimated 850 million users of Facebook. On its best days, the social networking site is a helpful place for us to connect with family and friends, share our travel plans and publish a photo a day (My latest silly idea.). To be perfectly honest, it's probably the biggest time waster we've ever known. Whatever the case, we've embraced this phenomenon and, right or wrong, become quite skilled users and learned a lot along the way. I'm pleased to report that, at long last, the many hours we've logged on this uber-popular site have provided some value to others.

One of the activities here at Bella Terra is a twice-a-week computer lab led by our neighbor and new friend Kim. I attended a class early in our stay in hopes of resolving a particularly pesky problem I'm having with iPhoto. I received some welcome advice for that issue. What was even more fun was the advice I was able to share with my classmates who had questions about Facebook. I came back for the next class and enabled (er, helped) one attendee log on to Facebook for the first time and answered more questions. Today, I made another appearance and provide yet more help. And, of course, I learned lots in the process. It was fun. For a few hours I was reminded how much I love working with adult learners. They are the best. Once upon a time, I dreamed I would be a teacher. Along the way, I had the great pleasure of doing some training here and there. It was better. And, I've missed it.

Of course, the idea of me sharing my "Facebook wisdom" (if there is such a thing) with others is a very scary thought! But, it's been fun.

So, now you know a bit of how our life has been since our last blog post. Between Haircuts and Facebook, how could it possibly be more fascinating?

Mastering a Fine Art

A headline on the cover of a recent Escapees magazine pretty much sums up what we've been up to. It's titled "The Fine Art of Doing Nothing." As we mark the completion of our third week here at Bella Terra, it seems we are well on our way to mastering this fine art.

We don't have a very good track record in this arena. Despite our best efforts of vowing to engage in some serious downtime as we approach an extended stay in one spot, we seem to find a way to quickly busy ourselves.

This time is different. Just as we settled into this lovely spot, we both fell victim to that big, bad bug that knocked us on our butts for a couple of weeks. The lingering cough has kept our activities limited. We're feeling better, but we're trying to keep these coughing attacks at home as much as possible. The weather has done its part in keeping our activities to a minimum, too. Steady rains, gusty winds, varying temps and humidity have made for less than ideal conditions for enjoying outdoor activities. But, the rain was much needed, and we weren't going anywhere anyway. So, we're not complaining.

In the last few days we have emerged from our fiberglass "cocoon" to go to the beach, get a little exercise, enjoy dinner out with new friends and participate in the park's Super Bowl Sunday chili cook-off. (Paul cooked up an awesome pot of chili that tied for second place!) We've spent our time inside catching up on chores that went neglected while we convalesced. We're thrilled to have the energy these days to clean the place. And, I'm proud to report that, after a cold drug-induced blogging marathon our travel blog, Bullwinkle's Travels is pretty much up to date!

Now that we're back up to speed, there's a growing list of things we're looking forward to accomplishing this week. While we tackle it, we'll do our best to maintain a healthy balance with our freshly minted skills in the fine art of doing nothing.

Wish us luck.

Sick Bay

I got it. Then, he got it.

Today, I finally feel like myself again.

Paul, not so much.

We've been here in this beautiful park near Gulf Shores for 10 days.

Have we been to the beach?

Nope. Not yet.

Instead, we've taken turns being floored by this big, bad cold bug.

It hasn't been fun.

Between the sneezing and the hacking, we've managed to keep ourselves sane by getting out most days...just a little. A trip to Lowe's one day. Home Depot another. Yesterday was Walmart and the Post Office to send off some knitted gifts.

Today, as Paul slugged through the worst of this crud, I sat my nearly recovered body down at the computer and worked on two months worth of posts for Bullwinkle's Travels.

But, they're still not done.

One of these days, the blog will be up to date. We'll both feel better and be back to our healthy selves.

Then, you wanna know what we're gonna do?

We're gonna start over.

We might even fire this moose up, drive out the gate of this beautiful park and back in.

Just kidding about that, but we are definitely in big time need of a "do over".

Then, you wanna know what we're gonna do?

We're gonna go to the beach!!!!

We can't wait.