Blog+Travel=Change

Seventy days!  That's how long it's been since we took out the Casita for a trip, no wonder things do not feel right in my world!

But all of that is going to change within the next few days as we are heading south (and, hopefully, into warmth) sometime after Christmas.  Our plans are to join a small group of egg campers in the panhandle, celebrate New Years, and then decide where to spend the next few weeks before heading down to south FL.

Don't know why I drag my feet about writing a post...and when I delay, there are so many topics to discuss.  There has been the winter solstice, always very important to me, and the end of the world that did not happen.  I am one of those who want to believe that we are starting a new civilization, one of heart, love and peace, like the age of Aquarius we sang about in the sixties.  Also there is Christmas and my coping skills to just get through it, the end of the year review, the history of this blog and the life changing experience of camping in the southwest last winter.

So where do I want to start this?  
Twelve months ago, I started blogging, a big deal for someone who has never had the courage to share thoughts and feelings in print, did not realize that my life was changing. The blog was started to keep me off of Facebook while traveling the southwest.
The winter trip to Arizona was wonderful, blissful, spiritual, peaceful and exciting at the same time. We would be heading back this week if there was not another western trip on the horizon for spring.

So a year ago we were excited and scared, 2000 miles is a long way from home and anything could happen.  But everything that happened, we handled.  
I quit writing as soon as we returned...after all, there was only a handful of people following us.  But in July the blog got resurrected by adding "in the Mountains" to the title while we were camped up on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
This is when the blog started changing.  Sharon,(http://www.tinycamper.wordpress.com), sent me an email asking campground questions and we started emailing. Through her encouragement, I kept writing.  Thank you, Sharon.

And I want to thank all of my readers including my special blog friends...you know who you are...for being there.  Merry Christmas and may your new year be full of wonderful, exciting travel adventures!

2012 had the Chatta-Egg going out every month but two, March and August.  Thought it might be fun to document the year in pictures.

January and February

This rock towered over our campsite at Tortilla in the Tonto National Forest.  I climbed it!

View of Canyon Lake and our campground from the top of the above rock.

Our favorite campsite of the whole trip...12 days in January and 10 days in February.  At Tortilla Flatts.

April

Bald River Falls in Cherokee Forest

Tellico Plains, TN

May

Cumberland Falls, KY

June

Little River, Elkmont Campground, Smokies

July

Davidson River Campground 

Brevard, NC

Blue Ridge Parkway view

Turks Cap Lily

September

Farnum Creek gathering

Milford Lake, KS

October

Happy Holiday RV park, Cherokee gathering

Thanks, again, for stopping by and allowing me to share our year with you.

Working hard and Remembering

It's a quiet Sunday afternoon and I am wondering, as frequently I do, what is the best use of my time.  My brain has been on overload for the past 3 weeks due to the stress of redoing a 44 year old rental duplex, a place near to my heart!  Windows and countertops have been ordered and we have cleaning and scrubbing and painting for weeks. I awaken in the middle of the night thinking of all the undone chores.  It's calling me right now, saying you have much more to do!

But it is now less than 2 weeks before we are to head out on our next trip.  And the Chatta-Egg will need attention before she goes on display with the other eggs that will be present in Kansas.  Tomorrow, first thing, I am going to go to my tire store and give them a list of acceptable trailer tires.  It bothered me that they had never heard of the Hercules tires that have been so good but now need replacing.  I am thinking that they know auto tires, not trailer tires.

Maybe I should explain why the duplex is so special.  It is on a mountain and in a river gorge and it was my home for 12 years before we married; possibly our home again some day in the near future.  It would be a perfect place to park the Casita in between all the trips we could take!

We have often thought of selling our place and full timing, especially after returning from long trips.  But, living in the beautiful area that we do, there is no need to stay away permanently.  We just need to be gone in the summer and winter.

Reading blogs has been my escape recently.  RV Sue and Crew, (www.rvsueandcrew.com) especially, and after she mentioned that it was her one year anniversary, it motivated me to go back and see where she was last winter when we were in Arizona.  She was in Ajo, many miles from Tortilla Flatt, but the desert looked the same. Beautiful!  It made me so homesick to look at her pictures.  Our winter trip to AZ was the biggest adventure of our life together, except for getting married!

view on the Apache Trail

I miss the desert. (But not in the summer!)

PS I have not figured out how to get the follow me button to work. Gave it my best shot today.  Will try again soon!