What I Did This Summer

Every now and then, everyone indulges in a shameless self publicity.  Am I one of those?  Yep, I am today. While our blog has mainly been about our travels and interweaving Kat's photography into the posts, this time I am going to talk about some of my activities.

Ah yes, the lifestyle of full time RV'ers:  It isn't always about workcamping and discharging the black water tank.  Actually, that is merely a tiny part of it.  The reason we choose this lifestyle is to stop and smell the roses; we engage with nature and thoroughly enjoy the places that most people are too busy to even detect.  The 2nd component of that enjoyment is the analysis of the experiences that we partake in.  Kat does this by emptying the contents of her camera to her hard drive and editing her pictures until they become art.

I likewise have a process in which to relive what we experience.  I am doing this by writing fiction.  The scenery and people around me either become a story or drive me to include them (or a facsimile of them) into a narrative.

In the past, I have embarked on the process of writing fiction novels.  But when one lives the hectic life of a career, house payment, keeping up with the Jones's etc., It is easy to become sidetracked and lose focus on your story.  Kat has often become frustrated with me for starting and not finishing a book.  But now with the advent of e-books and self publishing, staying focused is no longer such a challenge for me.  I have also opted to modify my strategy:  instead of attempting to author the gigantic, monolithic, 'War and Peace' sized piece of literature, I have chosen to write novellas.  These short stories can then be used as a collection.

This change of strategy has paid dividends:  I have already published three short stories on Amazon.  Two of these stories are part of a serial publication that I have named 'The Pale Horse Saga'.  In literature, beginning with The Bible, the symbol of the pale horse has been synonymous with a deliverer of death.

I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:8

This is a series about a secretive vigilante group who decide to take on the vicious men in power that believe themselves to be 'above the law'.  This group recruits the surviving victims of the atrocities of the wicked and trains them as weapons to bring them down.

I thoroughly enjoyed penning these stories and continue to do so:  Volume 3 is 75% complete.  But, more joy exists when others share in it.

I would love nothing more than having my peers, my compadres (in exploration) partake in my work and provide feedback.


Hence, I invite you, encourage you and just short of 'beg' you to download these free e-books, read them and provide an honest review.  If you enjoy it, hurray!!!  More are sure to come soon.  If you feel the need to scrape your eyeballs free from the shrapnel of my prose, then, please, feel free to roast my work verbally and literally, if you wish.

Below are the links.  Did I mention that they are free. In fact, you can also buy one and get one free.  If you wish, you can buy them at 50% off, since half of nothing is still nothing.  But this price is for a limited time, so don't hesitate, get them right away.

Volume 1 - The Rise of the Pale Horse

Volume 2 - The Pale Horse Goes Fishing


So, until next time,

See you on the trail,

Kit

Homebase = Florida

After living for eighteen years in the Atlanta suburbs, Kat and I have officially changed our home base to Tampa Florida.  It was sort of a rocky road and not the most desirable route to get to our new location.  Long before we reached the decision to become full time RVers, I had been seeking work in Florida, but the opportunity never really presented itself.  It was our original desire to travel the United States and be able to travel to our grandchildren, but life can so drastically change overnight.  My brother's illness and passing brought us to Florida, but news from our daughter is keeping us there, for the present, anyway.  She and her family, residing near Seattle, Washington are moving to Hawaii.  Therefore, she and our grandkids will no longer be practically accessible by a land based RV.  That is not all terrible; I do not think we will really mind flying to Hawaii a couple times a year, but it definitely altered our goals.

Life is always an uncertain path, but we may as well enjoy it along the way.

In the meantime, I have attained employment in Tampa and we have found a really nice place to park our Dutchman.  And so begins our love affair with the state of Florida.  In Georgia, we had to travel hours to visit places of beauty and we did.  We relocated to Cumming, GA to be near the North Georgia Mountains and we experienced most of the beauty, Georgia had to offer.  But now that we are in Florida, unique places of beauty are only 10 minutes away in whatever direction.  As a photographer, Kat, is lost in wonderland so standby for a long series of subtropical paradise postings.

Finding time to reflect.  Hillborough river

These are just a sampling, some within walking distance of the camper.

Cypress Knees in the golden hour of the afternoon

Some neighbors foraging for lunch right outside our camper

Thank for taking the time to read my rambles, hopefully Kat's Photography makes it worthwhile.

See you on the trail,

Kit

More photos: Hillsborough River Watershed

We Have Reentered the Fray

It has taken several months of grieving and soul searching, Kat and I have  decided to, return to our blog.  No doubt, we went through a rough patch with my brothers illness and passing, along with an unplanned relocation and need to find a replacement income.  But, through all of that, we have survived and come out on top.

Our strategy changed,  as well as our overall plans (we are now full time RVer's  that are also full time Florida residents.  Kat has continuously taken pictures, while I commuted every week from Tampa to Atlanta.  I am finally free of that cycle, now working in Tampa.  Our kids are being transferred to Hawaii, so our need to travel the west coast is gone.  We are very happy to focus on Florida for a while.

So standby for a barrage of postings full of Florida's stunning beauty.

Until later, happy trails.


Kit

Florida's beauty is my therapy

It has been two months plus since my dear brother in love Dennis passed. I was unable to write anything for awhile and it has hit Kit and myself to our core. I never imagined life without him in it or how much I would miss his comments, love, and likes on my photos or posts on Facebook. Not that I am just living on that social media, but that's how Dennis chose to communicate to us. I never imagined being here in Florida without Dennis there to share a pot of coffee and not be able to sit with him for hours. When we made the decision to live in an RV full time, one of the driving forces was to search him out and spend some time together. Kit and I would talk about that dream to drag him along on our adventures and share some talks over a pot of coffee. We knew from speaking with him how much he was hurting and the regrets he had on choosing to remarry. We wanted to supply him with that escape. We knew he was working too hard, but that was who he was. Dennis was always there for us in our youth and he gave us some superb advice. I will always treasure those fond memories of him.
I remember the first time I met him and his lovely Vicki. I was seven months pregnant and my doctor told me due to my previous pregnancy difficulties that I would not be able to travel from California to Florida in a car, so I had to fly. I was flying with a two year old (who as all two years olds can be a bit unruly at times) and seven months pregnant, while Kit drove our little car across the United States. Dennis offered to pick me and my little two year old up at the airport. The flight was not an easy one as we hit turbulence and I was nauseous. When we finally landed in Florida, I saw this man with this crazy mustache walk across the airport towards me, with sweet Vicki on his arm. I had a description and had seen photos of them, but had never met them. They immediately wrapped their arms around me and I nearly broke with relief. As my sweet two year old was in a stroller, Dennis immediately let her out. I told him she had boundless energy and he said that's alright I got this. My girl had her uncle and aunt wrapped around her finger from that point on. As I predicted she bounded off and Dennis ran after her. Vicki and I started chatting and she helped me with my luggage and wouldn't let me lift a finger. Dennis was still having fun chasing his girl as he called her. They came back hand in hand with huge smiles on their faces. The connection between them was priceless and I can still see the love in his big huge eyes for us and Vicki's sweet hugs. Oh how I miss them and how we connected and they made me so comfortable from that first moment. I fell in love with them and their sweet boys (whom I met later) and felt so at ease with them.
There are so many memories of them being there for us throughout our time in Florida. We spent a lot of time getting to know them. When Kit was in boot camp, I was planning on staying home for Xmas, Vicki and Dennis would not have that and picked me and our little bit up for a family reunion in Tennessee. You could never argue with Vicki and her stubborness, she would not take no for an answer. Vicki was what I always had hoped for in a sister as I had none growing up. We had a such a great time on just the drive up, they were always helpful, loving, and giving. Dennis and Vicki were so much fun to be around and their two boys were so sweet. I fell in love with their boys as much as they fell in love with our girls.
On leaving Florida, Dennis and Vicki insisted we stop at their shop. Dennis wanted to make sure our car was safe for the long drive up to Massachusetts. He did a total overhaul on our little car, gave Kit some tools, and Vicki made sure we had all we needed as well. They were the most loving and giving couple I knew. They would not hear of any payment and with many hugs and kisses they sent us on our way. To me their kindness touched me to the core and I vowed to one day repay that kindness.
Throughout the years we kept in touch, we watched as their sons grew into young men and they watched as our girls grew. Even over the miles we were close.
As Kit was leaving the Navy, Vicki got sick and I lost a sister and Dennis lost a huge piece of himself. I remember one time after she passed of us getting together with Dennis and he took us out for a drink. After having a few drinks and good talks, Dennis did some karaoke and he blew me away with his voice. The man could sing and we had some good times that weekend. It appears all three brothers have a talent in that area. My Kit sang to me at my wedding and has a beautiful voice. Dennis was hurting and we told him our home was always open to him anytime. He did end up moving in with us for quite awhile, but he always helped pitch in around our little home. Kit and Dennis replaced the flooring, planted a garden, and Dennis made me a gorgeous hanging pan wrack. Dennis and I made fresh homemade salsa together and we just genuinely enjoyed spending time talking over a strong pot of coffee. Dennis was always there for his boys as well as our girls and he was a huge influence on them. I never wanted Dennis to leave, but when he did we never lost that connection we had developed. We visited him in Florida on our family vacations and had fun miniature golfing with him. He was always teasing us girls and had such a great connection with his brother. When we needed advice we always went to Dennis and he always took the time for us. The girls were spoiled by him and had fun with their uncle, but what I value the most is what a positive influence he was on their young lives.
As Kit and I explore Florida now, I can feel and see Dennis everywhere I look. I will forever miss my sister Vicki and my brother Dennis. In his passing my heart shattered, but I am happy that he got to tease me even in his last few weeks. I have this huge urge to "Get in the kitchen and make him a pie" as he always said. I only wish I could have one more pot of coffee and time to make him his pie just so we could once again sit and have one of our deep discussions. Dennis you were loved by so many and will be missed deeply.

Always in my heart,

Kat

Being Available is Such an Honor

In June of 2013, Kat and I made the leap into the full time RV lifestyle.  So far, our time has been wondrous.  We have been able to visit some awesome places and still be flexible enough for me to keep my full time job.  Little did I know that this decision would provide us an incredible opportunity.

A few weeks ago, we received some very terrible news.  My oldest brother, Dennis, had been diagnosed with late stage 4 lung cancer.  Initially, he was given 6 months to live.  Then he had some additional complications (an intestinal blockage) and had that number reduced to weeks.  My brother was transported to his son's house for his final hospice care.  So, without hesitation, Kat and I picked up and pulled our Dutchmen to the Tampa area.  I can only say that it is an honor and a privilege to help my brother and his family through this final chapter of his life.

At 17 years my senior, Dennis and I grew up in different worlds.  He was fighting in Vietnam when I was an infant.  As a child, I moved to the west coast of the U.S. (California), while my brother remained in Florida.  So, we had differences in age and distance.  But, he managed to be a major influence throughout my life.  When our parents were going through a messy divorce and using us kids as weapons against each other, he was the stabilizing force.  As I went into bootcamp, my brother and his wife took in my pregnant wife and daughter and helped get us on our feet.

From his time in the Navy Construction Battalion, Dennis learned to fix and/or build just about anything.  He started and ran a dive welding business and opened a meat market for his wife.  He possessed and passed to his children an amazing work ethic.

Nearly 20 years ago, Dennis lost his wife to cancer.  He never recovered from that as she seemed to take his drive with her.  He vanished for awhile, but managed to re-invent himself in the IT world, installing mail sorters for the U.S. Post Office.

Once again, distance became a barrier.  I was working on my career and Dennis was travelling and working 80 hours a week to support a new wife that was not of the same calibre, and drained the rest of the life from him.

It was my goal to re-unite us 3 brothers for a combined project.  Now, that will not be possible.

My brother will supply the universe his much needed energy.

See you on the trail,

Kit

Adventures of the Trail Blazers

Hello fellow explorers,

Items we stuffed into our backpacks

Kat and I have returned from our jaunt in the wilderness.  To recap, we set out to backpack from Amicalola Falls State Park to Springer Mountain.  According to the sign, it is a mere 8.5 mile hop, skip and a jump.

Such an inviting entrance

Now, we have had plenty of experience at hiking pretty lengthy trails.  But this was our first time carrying any substantial gear (for camping, eating, etc.)  To be fair, there are plenty of signs warning that it was a very strenuous effort level.  But, we figured, no worries.  How hard can it be?  We have run 10K's, biked for many, many miles.  What's a little hike.

Surprisingly, no kitchen sink in the pack, but everything else ...

So, we departed, carrying way!!!! to much weight.  Did I mention that this was our first time doing this?

When we arrived, we realized that we had left one of our water bottles at the camper.  No big deal, we had 2 full 3 litre bladders and 2 more bottles, we could easily refill them along the way (right?).

Then, about a half mile into the hike, Kat tripped and fell, striking her knee pretty hard.  It bruised and swelled right up.  So, we used common sense and headed home.  NOPE.  Kat insisted on pushing forward.  I understand her feelings.  She has Lupus and does not like to have physical limitations hold her back.

Thus, we pressed on.  Our pace was slow and steady.  Kat favored that injured knee considerably and ended up twisting her ankle over and over again.  But, still we pressed on.  (Please do not confuse our stubbornness with wisdom).

This trail consists of climbing and descending at least 3 sizeable mountains, more than 2000 feet ascension.  This was where, taking our dogs was a big advantage.  Zorro, our very loyal 70 pounds of pure muscle was more than happy to use his strength to pull Kat up the inclines.  She attached his leash to her belt loop and he showed boundless energy.  Nova, at 38 pounds seemed intent on pulling me up too.  Amazing the power and stamina that they have.

Water ended up being a rare, precious commodity

Our slow pace and extra demand on our dogs meant that we used more water than we intended.  We had to make sure the dogs stayed hydrated, even before our own needs.  So, we noticed that we were getting low in a very treacherous area aptly named Nimblewood Gap.

My pack was much too heavy and not well balanced.  Fortunately, 2 experienced lady hikers (Mary Lou and Patty) helped me to resolve that issue and re-arranged the items hanging on my pack for better balance.  It was a major difference as I did not have to stop so often to remove the pack.  They also told us that water was about an hour ahead.  Thanks Ladies.

After hiking, what seemed about 80 miles, we saw a sign that said it was still 3.4 miles to Springer Mountain.  That was quite discouraging.

 Finally, we saw the sign pointing in the direction of the water.  I was expecting a babbling brook or stream, but was surprised to find the smallest trickle of water coming from a rock.  The water barely pooled.  I would not even be able to fill a normal water bottle with this.  Fortunately, I had packed a small plastic flask and was able to lay it flat and fill it about a quarter full and transfer water to the bottles a little at a time.  We were so tired and thirsty, that we drank the water, not waiting for purification.  (A big risk, but we lucked out and did not have any symptoms of Giardia or other microbial ailments).

Again, we marched on, not really enjoying the landscape, just wanting to get to our destination.  Finally, after a couple more hours, we reached our shelter.  Looking at the horizon, we had about 1/2 hour of light and we needed more water.  So, Kat set up camp and I followed the sign the water.  This time, the hike was a half mile and down a very steep incline.  Any steeper and it would have required a repel.  At the bottom was another spring, but this one made the other spring look like a roaring river.  I filled up as many containers as I could with the little light I had, huffed my way back up the incline and reached camp as it was getting dark.

After getting a fire going and boiling some water to make dinner, we actually started to feel better.  I hung our food to prevent it from bear pilfering and we made our way to laying out under the stars.  Then I remembered why I don't like to sleep on the hard ground.  I don't sleep very well.  We both took some OTC pain medicine and finally passed out from exhaustion about 3:30 AM.  Fortunately, I had brought a small propane heater as it got quite windy and cold over night.

Part of what had kept me awake was worrying about Kat's knee and ankle.  If she swelled up even more over night and was unable to hobble back, we would be in a world of hurt.  There is not a hint of cell service in those mountains.  Also, it was Monday and we seemed to be the only hikers in the area, so getting help would not be so easy.

But, after a terrible night's sleep, we both actually awoke refreshed and committed to getting back home.  The anti-inflammatory worked wonders for us both, over night.

 So, I ventured down the hellish hillside and topped off our water containers, we had breakfast and put one foot in front of the other all the way back.  What took us 8 hours the prior day only took us 5 to return (lighter packs, more organized and sheer determination).

Once again, our dogs were invaluable.  Zorro would stay right near us, when not assisting Kat up the hills (between squirrel chases that is).  Then when a large incline was coming up, he would just walk back to her to see if she wanted help.  He was very heroic.  I had to keep Nova on the leash at all times.  She has the worst dog ADHD that I have seen, she would chase squirrels and possibly bears, raccoons or whatever and not come back in a timely manner.  But she was still more than happy to walk and walk and walk on the leash.  As we got back to the car, and dead on our feet, they both were still in full squirrel hunt mode.  Amazing energy.

Exhausted, but happy Nova sleeping on Zorro at end of trip

 So, we survived our first backpacking trip.  It almost turned into a survival story due to lack of preparation and underestimating the terrain.

It seems so silly now.  We didn't just decide to run a 10K one day, we started off small and worked our way up.  We should have approach backpacking the same way.  And so we shall going forward.

 Kat and I are still recovering from our aches, pain and blisters, and she is starting to edit the pictures that she did take.  Although, they are not as many as we thought due to her knee bruise.

But, we hope to learn from our mistakes.

Happy Trails -- Kit

Getting our Green Horn on

Hello all,

Sorry we have been too busy to post of late.  We have been having lots of fun bike riding and generally exploring the area.  Tomorrow, we are going to undertake a new adventure (for us).  Kat and I are going to backpack from Amicalola Falls to Springer Mountain, which is the official Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail.  We will then break out the tent, spend the night and hike back.  Our backpacks are all packed up and loaded in the truck.  We are getting up early tomorrow and heading out.

We are complete amateurs and have probably packed way too much, but it is something that we have always wanted to do.

We have notified family and co-workers in case we don't make it back in a reasonable time.

I am sure Kat will have tons of photos to edit and post.


See you on the trail,

Kit