From Street Chaos to an “Above It All” View I like knowing where I am. I mean, I really like knowing where I am geographically. I’m not so good at “north, south, east, and west,” but in relation to landmarks such as Half Dome in Yosemite, the Shard in London, and the “Twin Estates” sign at the entrance to our new neighborhood, I’m an expert. When we had our cabin in Southern California, I could point out Strawberry Peak from anywhere in the San Bernardino Valley and say, “We

Fear, Courage, and 130 Steps Underground “Mimi, I don’t want to go down there,” four-year-old Benson said. In that make-or-break moment, my oldest grandson Kaysan quickly took Benson’s hand. “It’ll be okay,” he said. “I’ll help you.” For a split-second, I felt both proud and disappointed. Proud of Kaysan’s instant, loving response. Disappointed because I wanted to be the one who soothed Benson’s fears. As a long-distance grandparent, I long to “be there” for my grandkids—for

Long-distance Grandparenting Kashmir wants to wear my earrings. Kaysan wants to talk about Minecraft. And Benson wants to touch my earlobes. When grandchildren live a literal ocean away, every moment together is precious. Grateful for Every Meetup With Our Grandkids Since 2020, our daughter Jennifer and her husband Bilal have lived overseas, although they’ve occasionally spent seasons here in the States. We’ve enjoyed Florida, Idaho, Washington, and Alabama with them. We’ve a

Biking from Waveland to Bay St. Louis Riding a bike in the rain is mostly nobody’s idea of a good time. But I’m being perfectly honest when I say riding our e-bikes to Bay St. Louis in Mississippi was an absolutely stellar experience, even on a rainy day. And it’s a great example of how a simple perspective shift changes how we think about life’s storms. Yes, we got cold and wet. But also, we knew it wouldn’t be for long. At the end of the ride hot showers and comfy recliners

Systems Gone Wrong I was so careful while packing up our house in Alabama. We were about to go full-time on the road again in our fifth wheel. So with the luxury of time, I labeled boxes, took pictures of the contents, and staged long-term storage boxes separately from boxes that would travel with us. I did everything right, I thought. All to no avail. An Ever-Shifting Plan Our end goal, after RVing as long as we want or can, is to live near family in Oklahoma. So it made sen

It never crossed our minds that this one-night stand would be our first encounter with a faulty power post.

What Do Wetsuits, Kayaks, and Dinghys Have in Common? Wetsuits, kayaks, and dinghys all look great on Instagram. Swimming with the fish, paddling along a beautiful island coastline, buzzing among anchored boats in a quiet harbor—all things we wanted to do. So for our sailboat excursions we really wanted all three. We could just see ourselves sharing exciting adventures and exploring new vistas. At the very least, these three things would give us something to do besides lounge

How do you make a home when you’re constantly pulling up stakes and moving on, when you have different neighbors, churches, stores, and restaurants every week? What do you do to feel “rooted” and comfortable wherever you are? I remember our first night at a busy campground in Southern California when we set out on our 2022-23 RV journey. I was awake for hours as my mind raced: Are we crazy? Can we really do this?? What did we forget? And most importantly, Are we gonna be able

As promised, this week's posts is an in-depth review of the Hypershell exoskeleton device Roger recently purchased.

Decision Fatigue is Real. And Probably Emotional. Maybe you’ve been through it—that deep, wrenching struggle of what to give up and what to keep, what’s worth packing and what you’ll look at later and say, “Why in the world did I keep that? ” And the longer you pack, the higher decision fatigue wall, leading to choices you may regret. Speaking for myself, of course. The Perpetually Unused Glider Some people get sentimental over family heirlooms. Me? Apparently, I get emotiona

On Keeping Promises and Navigating Danger There’s a tried-and-true maxim among liveaboard sailors, the ones who have chosen the adventurous, nomadic lifestyle of the sea: You can commit to a date or a time, but never both. We weren’t liveaboard sailors, but we enjoyed several multi-day sailing vacations cruising among the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California. Talk about an exciting lifestyle! From isolated coves to bustling harbors, from fog to sunshine, from