Boise, Idaho

Like everyone else I know, we’ve got a lot going on right now.

And like everyone else I know, what we have going in isn’t easily explained.

So it feels like each time I am asked a question, I give an answer that has to have an asterisk.

Case in point:

As we are trying to transition from permanent traveling nomads life to occasional traveling nomads life, we don’t have a physical address right now and haven’t had one for 11 months.*

The asterisk indicates that there’s a bit more to that statement.

While we don’t REALLY have a permanent address, we are using Melissa’s because there are many things in life that you can’t buy without a physical address.

(Health insurance requires a physical address because rares are based on where you live,

Buying and financing a major purchase like a house or car requires a physical address because part of your credit score is calculated on where you live and how long you’ve been there.)

So asterisk #1 for our address is: We are pretending that we live at 123 Somewhere Street…

We’re working towards purchasing a home, so asterisk #2 is: If all goes well, we plan to be living at 123 Dream Home Way in a few weeks.

But if the deal falls through, asterisk #3 will be: We will be living back at Square One because we don’t have a backup plan.

Living the asterisked life means there are very few Yes or No or uncomplicated answers.

Everything requires extra explanation.

One * leads to another * which leads to another *.

Boise. Idaho

So I just figured out in the last eleven months, I’ve probably driven less than 30 times.

Yep, less than three times month.

Rich has done all of the motor home driving.

And he’s done all of the Jeep driving when we’re together.

The only time I’ve driven is when I go somewhere by myself. And that’s been about three times month.

I didn’t realize how little I’ve driven until I drove to get some Diet Pepsi our first night back in Boise.

Not only was it strange to be driving, it was amazing to drive to the store without having to use Mapquest to find it. For almost a year I’ve had to use my smart phone to figure out how to get to where I need to go.

How refreshing to know where to find my favorite drink quickly here in Boise!

Boise, Idaho

Yesterday we drove back into Boise as we work on deciding what to do with the rest of our lives. 🙂

It was wonderful to see the Boise Foothills again, smothered in spring green…

It was wonderful to be back in a place where I know my way around (for the most part) without having to consult a map…

And it was wonderful to see my granddog Olive (aka The Noodle) again…

But the best part? Surprising our daughter, Melissa, at work and  getting to hug one another while we cried our hellos to each other…

It was so special that it almost made up for not being able to hug for nearly five months!

Now I just need to fly Seattle and get a great hug from our son…

St. George, Utah

I’ve been amazed several times and in several ways as we’ve been shown how small the world is.

Here are a few examples.

Last week we were parked next to a couple from Boise while we were staying in Boulder City. Rich chatted with them a bit and found out that they travel from mid-March through through mid-October.

The next day we toured around Hoover Dam for a few hours. Then we got back on the Interstate and after a few miles, guess who passed us? Yep, the same couple driving on to their next overnight location.

Rich recognized their rig. I recognized their BSU Bronco wheel cover.

That’s actually happened a couple of times. We’ve also run into the same RVers at parks hundreds of miles apart, in different states and arriving there by different routes.

I have also discovered that it’s a small, small pickleball world.

We stayed at one resort in Phoenix for a month. Since then, I have run into two different players that I met and played with there: one in California as he and his wife were driving back to eastern Canada and one in Utah after returning to her summer home. What a nice surprise to reunite with them.

Then yesterday I ran into a couple I used to play with in Boise. We ended up at the same pickleball facility out of at least six here in St. George yesterday morning to play. We got there within five minutes of one another even though there is no structured time to begin play.

I found out later that they went to watch at a different park that I had played at on Monday morning, but I left just before they came. It was so very fun to see and play with them.

It It truly is a small world and an even smaller pickleball world.

Yuma, Arizona

Remember Happy Days?

And, of course, The Fonz…

I remember Fonzie saying during one of the Happy Days episodes that he didn’t go out on dates on Friday or Saturday nights.

“Those are amateur nights!”

Rich and I used that phrase a lot while we were building houses. We did whatever we could do to NOT go to Home Depot or Lowe’s on the weekends because those were “Amateur Days”.

The aisles were full of wanna be weekend carpenters who didn’t have a clue what to buy, let alone how to use it. But, of course, they couldn’t admit it and had to act all macho in front of their significant others.

Because time was money, we did nearly ALL of our shopping during the normal Monday thru Friday workweek. Trips to those two stores took no more than a third of the time they would take on a weekend day…

We forgot to avoid two places yesterday and acted like amateurs:

• Shopping at Wal-Mart late on Friday afternoon.
• Dinner out asset Applebee’s on Friday night.

Gotta remember to stay away from behaving like amateurs on the wrong days and times…

Yuma, Arizona

As we were driving to Yuma the other day, I noticed a billboard along the highway.

The billboard was similar to the sign above, but it had some verbiage and two words that caught my attention: CLOTHING OPTIONAL.

We were driving at the speed limit, so I almost missed it. Of course, I had to Google it as soon as possible to learn more… 🙂

Turns out that there are lots of clothing optional and nudist resorts around.

Clothing optional means you can wear clothes if you prefer. Nudist means no clothes except for appropriate foot and head gear. Most clothing optional places insist on total nudity in the pools and spas.

I asked Rich if he would go, and he said, “Sure!” I’m pretty sure he said that because he knows I would have to be paid lots of money to even think about going. 🙂

But, the more I read the stories of people who have gone to one, the more intrigued I am.

How freeing it must feel to have the sun warming your entire body? To feel a soft breeze caressing your back? To embrace nature just as the animal kingdom does (except for shoes and a hat) ?

I remember a friend talking about going to Hidden Beach at Lake Tahoe many years ago. He said he was amazed at how white everyone’s butts were. “You get, what, maybe ten minutes a year of sunshine on your butt? ” I was too embarrassed to admit that I didn’t even get ten nanoseconds of sunshine on mine.

And yet, it all sounds so liberating and brazenly honest with oneself. No hiding behind layers of camouflage that may not be hiding my stomach rolls as well as I thought they were…

Nudist etiquette requires that everyone carries a towel around to sit upon. Some people carry two.

Why carry two?

Here’s a FAQ and answer from the DeAnza Springs site:

While I was pondering what daily life would be like in a nudist resort, the thought of playing pickleball naked hit me.

How distracting would be to watch all the jiggling and bouncing all of us old guys and gals do while moving around the court?

While some laughter is normal during pickleball games, it’d be hard to play while laughing hysterically…

Gold Canyon, Arizona

Well, after four months of living in the Valley of the Sun are finally On the Road Again…

It’s going to take us a bit to adjust back to traveling every few days.

Sophie loves traveling days because she sleeps in my lap for virtually the whole time. I honestly think she’s been sleep deprived for the last four months. 🙂

We’re driving to Indio, California, today so that we can tour the Joshua Tree National Park and visit the Palm Desert area.

After that, who knows?!?!?!?!?

For right now it feels good to be On the Road Again…

Gold Canyon, Arizona

I’m working on income taxes–my least favorite activity of the year.

But watching Law & Order reruns makes it a bit more bearable.

I’ve watched each episode multiple times, and that’s what makes it perfect for watching while doing taxes.

I don’t have to pay any attention at all because I know exactly what’s going to happen.  There are no surprises.

Contrastingly I don’t know what’s going to happen with taxes… Too many surprises.  🙂

Years ago when I went back to college, Die Hard on DVD was my study buddy.  I lost count of how many times I watched it while doing homework and studying for tests.

Background talking, gunshots, and bombs seemed to work better than music as background music to help me focus.

I haven’t watched Die Hard since I graduated in 2001.

After this marathon session of doing taxes, I’m going to take an extra long hiatus from Law & Order, too…

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Rich flew to Boise yesterday morning to look at some houses and property.

We’re trying to figure out what to do with the rest of our lives…

Anyway, we’re not the best of communicators over the phone because Rich can’t hear and I’m afraid of phones.

For some reason we can’t seem to decipher when the other one is finished speaking so we interrupt each other constantly.

We don’t mean to; it just happens because we’ve never really had to develop phone skills with one another. And it’s even worse now because we’re together virtually ALL of the time.

So, while he’s in Boise for a few days, we’re trying something new to help us communicate better and quit interrupting each other.

We’re using military terms to indicate that we’re done talking.

“Roger That” means “I understand” or “I hear you.”

“Over” means “I’m done talking for a bit.”  “Over and Out” means “I’m done talking forever.”

Giggles… We’re actually not using those exact military terms.

But I am saying, “IT’S MY TURN.”

And, “OK, NOW YOU TALK”.

And it’s helping!

We haven’t hung up on each other once. 🙂