Inertia... and movement

“It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world.”
― John Green, Paper Towns

We have camped in garage parking lots most of the week and tried to kill time in the crazy heat during the day. Humongous slugs had found the only spots of grass in the shade before we did and the cold cement blocks that looked appealing as make-shift tables and chairs to play Uno were infested with mosquitoes and rolly pollies. We played charades in a stinky waiting room, dripping with sweat while JF tried to finish a rush translation.

And then, there was this. A little oasis of nature and friendship for the girls and I while JF spent another 24 hours in mechanics parking lots.

The girls kept picking wild strawberries for Jacob who was delighted

And finally, as the sun was setting, he arrived with the bus, with a kick ass solar system and pulling the Westy, ready to leave. We said our goodbyes and started driving west under the full moon. The adventure had begun.

The good enough weekend

It was not the great weekend I was hoping for, but it was quiet, the lake was warm and we made roasted cinnamon apples in the dutch oven over the fire. And we made some progress. Slow and painful one step forward, two steps backward kind of progress. 
But sometimes good enough just has to be enough.  
I am still learning to be OK with that.

 

Important last minute stuff...

It is our last days at my mom's (or so we think...) and we have been busy doing last minute stuff:

Testing the new coffee machine before hitting the road (you should have seen his smile!).
Watching movies on my mom's big screen TV
Having a painful tooth pulled 
Taking care of an abandonned kitten that lives in my mom's condo parking lot
But mostly, packing up all the goodness that comes with sharing our daily lives with loved ones.

Transitions are never easy, especially when the departure date keeps being pushed back and you don't have a place to call home (and a painful tooth), but I can truly say that we have made the best of a tough situation. My mom is nothing short of amazing for having put up with the 5 of us in her 3 bedroom condo. 

We are finally moving into our bus for good tonight and will leave for 2 days of camping to regroup and connect with the joy of simply being together. Then, we still have some little things to get done as well as the solar panels installed on the bus next week and we should be good to go!

 

In the garden, with friends

What are the odds that a new part being ordered arrives defective? Well, I guess *someone* does not want us to leave right away (you know who you are!!). The unexpected extra time we have here allows us to linger a bit more with family and friends, in the garden and around a great meal. And we're not complaining!

Go to the forest

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When children fight, go to the forest.
When children have mischievous ideas, go to the forest.
When children are bored, go to the forest.
When you feel out of sort, go to the forest.

Again and again. Go to the forest. It is so very healing.

Making the best of a frustrating situation

While the bus sits at the garage, waiting for the power steering pump to be fixed, we are enjoying our friends' and family's company for a little bit longer. We participated in Steph and Dave's water garden project, ate amazing Chinese food prepared by Vic, Nini's Chinese helpexer, went to visit Carmen's farm and got some fresh crunchy lettuce from her garden and tasty dandelion for our juices, swam at the lake in front of the boys' house, and much more. Good times, I tell ya'.

In Between

Now that we are homeless, we thought we would move right into the bus. Well, it was quite an optimistic thought to be able to hit the road only a few days after closing on the house sale. The bus and Westy needed some work done before leaving for such a big adventure and you know how a missing part leads to an order that has not yet arrived to discovering something else that needs attention... to crashing at my mom's for a week. 

It is a lot of fun to have all this unplanned time together and as we are tying up loose ends before hitting the road, we are making the best of our time with Mamie and our family and friends.

We are getting the solar panel installed on the bus next week as well as more battery power for our electricity needs. We hope to be ready to leave soon... but all we can do is surrender.