Dunkirk NY – The last three weeks have been all about travel. First, a visit to my parents for a few days, and then, a trip through the Outer Banks down to Charleston SC. I was searching for some sunshine and warmer weather, as the weather here in western NY has been quite cold, grey, and depressing. Regrettably, I did not find much of the weather I was seeking, as it appears the whole east coast is experiencing a colder-than-normal spring. Only one day got up into the 70s, and I got to tour Fort Sumter in a driving rainstorm. I have historically had bad weather luck when I travel. Right now the best thing I could do would be to travel to Oklahoma, because if I went there, rain would start to fall, which would ease their current drought and wildfire situation. Four days in Charleston yielded only one rain-free day, on which the temperature reached a high of 52 degrees. Not exactly what I was hoping for.
My wife and I travel in a small Class C RV. It’s cozy, and we can easily fit all we need to bring along into it. Personally I don’t much like the actual layout, but it serves its purpose. We bought it on an impulse 4 years ago, and so far we haven’t really had much trouble with it other than due to our own inexperience and incompetence. The fact that it is self-contained is its biggest asset. My wife is not a very mobile person at this stage in her life, and the RV provides all the necessities of home without having to walk to public facilities in the middle of the night. When I camp solo I use a tent or sleep in the car, as the RV is not exactly fuel efficient. We do not tow anything with us, although we are trying to solve the problem of easier mobility when we reach a campsite. We rented a car in Charleston so as to get around the city without having to use the RV, and I fear we may be forced into towing our smaller hatchback in the future should we choose to take extended trips. I did buy a rack on which to put my scooter, which would be great transportation, but my wife won’t ride on it. Compromises.
I hope the summer and the next few months will bring more writing opportunities. I am now preparing to play King Lear this coming summer, and I am in a state of terror and elation at the same time. It’s now been a little over a year since I stopped working and teaching, and I was giving myself about a year to decompress. I don’t think that process is fully complete, but I also sense that it is time to take on some challenges I’ve been thinking about as it pertains to writing. I still have to develop better internal discipline; that I think is the hardest hurdle to overcome.
While I was camped at Assateague National Seashore, I saw a number of the free range “wild” horses that roam the park. They really are not wild in the sense that they avoid humans; they are quite comfortable in the presence of humans, and on occasion they seem to hope to be fed, although this is discouraged by park officials. The scene around the horses reminded me a lot of when I was a kid visiting Yellowstone, and people would stop to feed the bears on the side of the road. Notions of what it means to be free and to be captive crossed my mind. Retirement has meant a certain amount of freedom, which I have enjoyed. But at the same time, I still feel a sense of being captive to people, places, ideas, habits. These, and other notions, are what I hope to explore a bit in the coming months. -twl