On The Road Again !! - Friday, September 30, 2016

Yes, it has been awhile since I have posted.  Our lives and travel plans were put on hold since May.  My mom's health took a bad turn and we were needed to take care of things.  Fortunately, she is doing better, but it took the last 5 months to get there.

In May, we were workcamping at Huntington Beach SP and preparing to head to Maine for the summer on June 1st.  Mom took ill on May 24th and was hospitalized on May 27th.  At that point our plans changed.  We knew we wouldn't be going anywhere for the summer.

We were very fortunate that Huntington Beach said we could continue to workcamp as long as necessary.  They had a maintenance vacancy until September.  That was a real blessing as finding ANY campsite ANYWHERE at the beach in the summer is very difficult.  So Bill spent the summer workcamping while I tended to helping mom regain her health.

I would love to say that she is back to normal, but unfortunately she must create a "New" normal. She was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis and must wear oxygen 24/7.  It became apparent quite quickly that low oxygen levels have caused major memory issues and she could not be left without help.  Long story short... we had to move her from Independent Living to Assisted Living.  Bill and I made that move happen the end of August.  That way she had time to make some adjustments to her new environment and we had time to see that all the pieces were in place for her care before we were scheduled to end our workcamping and get back to living our life a bit.  It is still a work in progress but at least we are making progress :o))

So Bill and I left Huntington Beach yesterday headed to the Florida Keys for 7 weeks.  YES, WE KNOW THERE IS A HURRICANE OUT THERE!!!!  So here we sit at Walkabout CG in Woodbine, GA waiting for Matthew to make the turn north and hopefully spare The Keys and Florida Coast.  We will stay here until we see where he is headed and head in the opposite direction if he turns his track towards us.  In the meantime, we may run down to Silver River for a couple days and do one of our favorite kayak paddles on the Silver River!!!  Can't wait to get back to nature and be re-nourished by its wonders.  My camera is screaming...take me, take me!!!!

We are always amazed by the serendipity in this lifestyle.  Yesterday was no exception.  Bill and I were headed down Route 17 just south of Charleston, SC.  I mentioned to Bill that I was wondering where several of our RV friends might be right now.  Specifically, I said I had lost track of  "Gail & Rick as well as Bruce & Laura!"  It was only 5 minutes later that our phone rang. When I looked at the phone, it said Laura.  I went immediately to which caregiver Laura might be in relation to my Mom.  Yes, I am still on high alert and will get better at relaxing.  When I heard a voice on the other end say, "Hey, are you on 17 heading south?"  I couldn't believe my ears...it was Laura of BRUCE & LAURA... They were right behind us!!


We managed a quick visit at the Georgia Rest Stop and made a promise to see each other this winter in Florida.


Yep...
we are so happy to get back to the life we love
 and 
the wonderful people we have met along the way!!!








11 comments:

  1. So nice to hear from you again. Glad your mom is adjusting to her health situation, and that you were there to make it easier for her. Stay safe and keep enjoying life!

    Selene & Hank

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  2. So nice to finally get an update on you two! Sorry to hear your mom isn't well. Enjoy your time in Florida!

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  3. I saw that on Facebook yesterday, how serendipitous! We are back in CA, not workamping, ugh, so having to pay $972/month for a site while we are here helping MY mom out. She ended up with congestive heart failure back in July :( Maybe George will have to get a real job for awhile, lol. Good to hear from you two!!

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  4. It's been a long, hot summer for you both with challenges to get your mom situated with the best care possible. Now enjoy your travels, I know it will take something more than a mere hurricane to slow you down! :cD

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  5. We lost track of you too! I am so used to keeping tabs on people via Facebook. With you guys, it was always your blog. Sorry to hear about your mom. We are going through a similar situation with my mom right now and it looks like assisted living is very much in the near future.
    Hope Matthew doesn't rain too hard on your parade. 7 weeks in the Keys sounds fabulous! Enjoy the time and keep in touch!

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  6. So glad you are on the road again. Safe travels and can't wait to see you this winter. Pretty neat about seeing Bruce and Laura on your way south.

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  7. Yes, getting back to nature does re-norish the body and soul. That's why we are going to Huntington Beach after this visit with family in Roanoke Rapids. Sorry we will miss you but hope to see you this winter in Florida.
    Seeing Bruce and Laura while traveling. That is so cool! Enjoy the Keys!
    Syl

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  8. Hope you'll be on your way to the keys soon although a swing down to Silver River would be a great thing too. I checked today and I couldn't figure out whether Matthew was heading to Florida after his Caribbean gig or not.

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  9. Nice to see you blogging again, and hopefully you will be able to get on to the keys! I hope things stabilize with your mom's health and you're able to recharge yourselves! We'll be at Santee NWR October through December, and then will probably dip back down into Florida for Jan - March. Maybe we'll cross paths again somewhere!

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  10. We are sorry to hear about your mom but happy on the other hand that she has stabilized. And very happy to hear that you guys can start getting back to normal, at least partially.

    Dave & Diane (Throwing Caution to the Wind)

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  11. What a wonderful life to be in an RV and just go wherever the wind, or hurricane, takes you. The weather forecasters are still up in the air, but it looks like it will miss the keys and head towards the Carolinas. Get in that RV and start heading to Key West now. You should pass Matthew on the way down.

    Clifton Dawson @ MI Senior Care

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