Today is our last day as full-timers …

Tomorrow we will pack up and tow, as we have so many times before, down the gray highway. But this time will be different. We’ll be going “home”.

It’s strange to think of it as home, since we’ve never really lived there. The house is really just a project for us. Since it will be in a state of renovation for some time, we’ll continue to live in the Airstream — in the driveway — while the work is being done. The one exception will be Christmas Eve, when we plan to set up on the living room floor for the night. (Hopefully Santa will not wake us when he arrives, since we’ll be sleeping right in front of the fireplace.)

Today has been unremarkable. I’ve been working and the kids have been playing. Eleanor has been organizing her stuff and talking to neighbors in the campground. This completely ordinary day has given me a little time to reflect on what has happened to us in the past two years of traveling.

One thing that is very apparent to me is the benefit Emma has gotten. Despite dire predictions by some, she is a full grade level ahead on most of her school skills, completely capable of interacting successfully with children and adults of all ages (so much for the “socialization” myth), and happy as can be.

I’m very grateful to all our friends along the way who pitched in to add to her education. For example, Bill taught Emma how to ride her bike without training wheels. Lou got her started on ink stamping and other craft-y things. Marie in Florida taught her to jump rope. Leigh taught her the cat’s cradle (and tried to teach her knitting). Tommy got her started on ukulele. Other unknown people we met taught her words of Spanish, how to identify various animals, how to behave in social situations, hula-dance, de-vein a shrimp, and a thousand other things. I am thankful for all those docents, park rangers, museum volunteers, retired teachers, and Airstream friends who added to Emma’s appreciation of the world. It may take a village to raise a child, but we’ve been blessed with an entire country of diverse people and that’s even better.

The next phase of the blog will be to document some of the adventures of our house renovation, but will not be stationary during that time. Two days after Christmas I have a trip to take, and two days after that we’ll be going to an Airstream rally. A week or so later I’ll be heading to Quartzite, and maybe Slab City. Other trips are also beginning to jell. Friends will be coming into town, and we’ll have the adventure of getting to know our new “home town”. We may even get to Mexico in February.

I think a step away from full-time travel to part-time will be good for us. It may make us renew our appreciation for the life we’ve had. I have to admit that we’ve become so accustomed to seeing new places that we may have lost some of that appreciation. I’ll be writing about the sensations of re-entry into a somewhat more conventional life over the next few weeks. And, during this time, we’ll have a chance to plot some entirely new adventures for late spring and summer 2008.