Summary of our First Winter as Snowbirds

Wow, it is hard to believe we have been home for two weeks already, and yet, in another way, parts of our first winter down south are already slipping from our memories.

It literally seems like "years ago" that we were in Minneapolis, and Memphis, and Nashville !!

Of course, our morning hour-long coffee breaks are still alive and well. 

We talk of things past, things present, and things still yet to come.

Things past include all the absolutely wonderful friends we have made.  Our hearts have been touched, and our lives enriched by these relationships.

Next, we remember all the brand new sights to our excited eyes.

It feels like we have taken a small part of each community along with us in our hearts and in our memories. 

We feel changed in some indescribable way, through this experience.  I guess that is what travel is all about.

For the present, well, we are loving our condo.  Teresa is not a big bubble-bath type of gal, but, I know for a fact she has been soaking away in our luxurious tub more than a few nights.

And I just can't seem to get out of the shower in less than twenty minutes.  Pure luxury, my friends.

We are seeing more friends and family with each passing day, and I think by Easter, we will be pretty much caught up.

I have a couple of solid leads on the job front, but I sure am enjoying my time spent each day with my bride, so I am not in any kind of rush.

Teresa is enjoying being a fulltime homemaker, and is not sure if she wants to work or not.  Either way is perfect by me.

As for the future, well, we know that we LOVE heading south for the winter.

Yes, Regina and all of Canada had a wonderful winter, and we are thrilled about that, because we are always concerned about our kids coping in the unforgiveable winter weather.

But let's be honest, it is not 80 degrees, and you sure would look silly sitting on a beach towel by a frozen lake with your favorite drink in hand.

One of our goals this first year out, was to see which part of the country we would like to return to in future years.

That is a tough one to answer, because they were all great.

We really liked Texas, then when we got to Arizona, we really liked that, but then when we were in California and especially Palm Springs, we really liked that as well.

One thing we both agree to though, is that the Outdoor Resort Palm Springs RV Resort and Country Club was by far the nicest stop in our winter journey.

In fact, we are still in communication with a salesman there, as we consider buying a lot.

We are also talking about selling our beloved little motorhome.

She faithfully carried us over 12,000 kms ( 7400 miles ) and became a real home-away-from-home for us.

Because our rig is only 27 feet long, it is perfect for constantly being on the go, and touring.

But if we are to stay in one spot for any length of time, we think we would like something a little bit larger.

And since our future travels will be more concentrated in one area, a larger rig would be manageable.

One of our ideas is to leave a rig down south, and drive our car back and forth.  This would surely offset our humongous gas bill of over $3500.00, and would even give us enough to fly back home for Christmas.

Oh ya, Christmas.  We have decided that either we will fly home, or not leave until after Christmas in our future travels.

Of course, when our grandchildren get older, that all might change.

And yes, I did say grandchildren, because our second grandchild is due sometime in May !!

As you can see, even though our travels are over for now, we have lots going on.

I think I will keep the blog going, but I will only post occassionally when something newsworthy happens. ( Stay by your computers in May for big pink or blue news ... LOL )

Thanks to everyone who followed us on this amazing journey. 

Your support, comments, and ideas helped shape our first year away into an unforgettable event that touched our very souls.