Frost on the Pumpkin

Frost on the Pumpkin

Watching the forecast as we weather the last week in northern Vermont. Craig is playing with the furnaces in the bus to keep pipes from freezing.  We're due to leave Shelburne Campground one week from today and head to  Killington Vermont for a few days.  Craig's deliberating whether to change the plans of driving the bus to southern Vermont while we attend VermontFest (Vermont's Fall educational technology conference) for 3 days, and actually leave it plugged into a campsite at Shelburne  Camping (open year round) while we are at the conference.  We'll be watching the 10 day forecast closely as we take care of all the odds and ends that need caring for this week.  

Not only are we preparing for leaving Vermont I am also frantically prepping for my 4 presentations at the annual Fall Ed Tech Conference (Vermont Fest).   The sketchy campground wifi at Shelburne Campground  make that a bit challenging.  Sometimes it's clear sailing; other times its a 30 - 60 second wait for a page load.   Thank goodness Craig has configured our bus to be able to easily switch back and forth between campground wifi and Verizon.  I'm learning to be very aware of which connection, and making  very deliberate choices of whether to click on the videos my friends post on Facebook or whether to wait another day before downloading the latest iOS update.  Gotta save that metered Verizon bandwidth for those times when in the middle of Google Hangout planning meeting, the campground wifi gives out forcing me to switch over to Verizon (which  ended up being a 2 GIG video conference) UGH!  

I am super thankful to my husband for setting us up so is possible to switch back and forth so easily. However,  I'm afraid I was NOT a good bandwidth steward yesterday ;-(   I must do a better job at monitoring and keeping us within our monthly Verizon allowance.    Today should be an easier day, since I'm heading out for a few appointments and will be able to squat at St. Albans City School between appointments - where the wifi is AWESOME  (thanks to the talent of their awesome network admin - who I happen to be married to!

Am I ready? I think so!

It was almost 10 years ago that I wished Craig Lyndes, a fellow edtech colleague, "Best of Luck" as he headed out on a one year trek with his motorcycle and a small motorhome. Many of Craig's fellow colleagues from around Vermont envied his ability to "leave it all behind" and pursue his goal to take a year to travel the United States. We watched his journey, which he documented faithfully in a travel log, using an old Windows 98 laptop equipped with primitive web design tools and FTP software.  (Craig's travel blog transferred to an ebook (2005) and (2006 - 2007)

Little did I know, that almost ten years later, I would be joining him, in ROUND 2 of a similar journey. Craig and I were married almost 4 years ago. I knew very well that he had wanderlust and didn't say YES when he proposed. Instead, I asked "What would I have to say YES to?" We talked for a few weeks about the differences in our need/desire to travel, and finally he convinced me that what I would be saying yes to was a commitment to a new journey that we would define together.

So for the next few summers I practiced living in an RV. The first few years, I practiced living in a 35 foot trailer with a sunroom add on, parked in a campground on Lake Champlain in Swanton, Vermont. Every fall, we would return to our apartment in Colchester, Vermont for the winter where I enjoyed long baths and large square rooms.

Then, Craig, pursued another dream of his - to own a BlueBird Wanderlodge- and placed a bid on a 1983 bus he spotted for sale on eBay.   For the next few summers, I practiced living in even smaller quarters as we traded in the camper/sunroom for a bus and LL Bean screen room parked in the same  lakeside campground.

This year, we took another big step and gave up our apartment to pursue an 18 month stint in the bus. After some negotiations, we came up with a plan of living in the bus 6 months in Vermont, 6 months on the road, and 6 months back in Vermont. (Grandchildren, were a major factor in this negotiations) The past six months (May - October) have been filled with the adjustments that come from giving up the apartment. (more on that in a future post). But alas the leaves are turning colors, and the snow looms around the corner, so it's time to take mobile living to the next phase. Am I ready? (I, think, so)