Driving -- Thurs., Apr. 4

Driving and playing tour guide, pointing out sites, Lake Mead
National Recreation Area.

I love to drive. It's a good thing because we've chosen full-time RVing as our lifestyle. Yes, that means we LIVE in our 5th wheel trailer. In October 2011 we sold our home in Hawaii and made the decision to travel the United States. We do not have the means to retire, so we "workamp," which basically means we work and camp. But that's another topic.

Throughout my life I've enjoyed a good road trip with tunes crankin' on the radio. A favorite is Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down a Dream."

"It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down
I had the radio on, I was a drivin'.
Trees flew by, me and Del were singin'
Little Runaway, I was flyin'.

"Yeah, runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads,
Runnin' down a dream.

"I felt so good like anything was possible
Hit cruise control and rubbed my eyes..."

Tom Petty captures the feeling of a road trip.

"I felt so good like anything was possible"... When I drive, I look at the scenery, listen to music, sing along, and contemplate life. Driving is good therapy, that's when I have time to review my life and where it has taken me.

There are some people, Bob included, who happily listen to books on tape while driving. Not so for me. I can't concentrate on a book...my mind is fully engaged watching the road, keeping an eye on other drivers and thinking. I guess that's when my mind finds time to solve all of life's mysteries ("workin' on a mystery").

I interpret "Runnin' down a dream" to mean exploring the country, having freedom to meander or stop wherever/whenever we want, meeting friends and relatives along the way, finding interesting history, places and hidden gems.

One of these days maybe you'll see me "Rockin' Down the Highway." (Doobie Brothers)

Travel Bug wishing she was driving off into the sunset.

Freedom, What it Means -- Wed., July 4

San Antonio, Texas:

The meaning of freedom and the significance of the 4th of July holiday were foremost in my mind when I thought about a topic for today. To me, freedom is not taken for granted. Our freedom is achieved at a cost (my humble thanks to our forefathers, the people of our country, our allies, and our troops) and gives us certain inalienable rights:

1. Freedom of religion, speech, peaceful assembly, and to petition the government for redress of grievances.
2. A well-regulated Militia shall not be infringed; right of the people to keep and bear arms.
3. No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
4. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
5. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
6. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
7. In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
8. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
9. The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
10. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Amendments 11-17 are more complicated. You can view them here: Bill of Rights Amendments 11-17.

Let's never forget What it Means to be an American this Fourth of July, copyright by Van D. Hipp, Jr. of FoxNews.com

Welcome to a new subscriber Lynn who writes two blogs: Daily Om and Words to Live By. Thanks for joining us!

Travel Bug out enjoying the sunshine with hubby. Photos below.

Pool at Traveler's World (unknown person at pool)

Laundry room has 8 washers/8 dryers, A/C, TV, iron and ironing board.

Bob enjoying the day.

 And one of Sunnie being, well, Sunnie!

Mine,  mine, mine!

Freedom and the Open Road -- Mon., June 18

Cotulla, Texas:

"To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else." 
~Bernadette Devlin

This is so true. Both of us lost our jobs in Hawaii in June 2011. In order to go on the road and travel we gave up (sold) our "sticks and bricks" house and almost all our possessions.

Did we have fear? You bet!! Could we find work on the road to support ourselves? How would we pay for everything?

Fast forward one year...We've been "on the road" in our 5th wheel trailer for eight months and have worked six months. We've been from Hawaii (where we lived, owned a house and worked) to Oregon (our home state for over 30 years), bought our 5th wheel and trailer in Oregon, drove to Fallon, Nevada and worked for Amazon.com in Fernley for two months during the holiday season.

Bob got a job as a commercial roofing service manager in Sparks, Nevada for three months. We took off in April to travel to Texas with stops in Las Vegas and Phoenix to see family and friends.

We spent two days hiking in Big Bend National Park and a few days exploring the Texas Hill Country before landing in Kerrville, Texas to attend the RV-Dreams Rally.

For the past six weeks we have been working as security gate guards at an oil field in south Texas. In July, we will take two weeks to drive to Yellowstone N.P., spend two weeks camping and hiking; go to the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore in Sept. We will then head over to the North Dakota/Minnesota border where Bob will work the sugar beet harvest for three weeks.

From there, we will drive back to Oregon, park our rig, and board our cats to take a month-long trip to Australia. It was not possible to do all these things when we were tied to high-stress, low-vacation-time jobs, our house and all our belongings.

So while we lost our house and most of our possessions, we gained freedom to go where we want, when we want. Make no mistake about it, though, we also need to work!

Gate guarding update:

We received our Security pocket ID cards and name badges today. Thank you, LOMA Gate Guard Services!

Our gate has slowed to a crawl so Bob asked our supervisor today if we'll be moved. The supervisor said as long as the oil company wants us here, we will be on this job site. So, it looks like we'll be here for a while and it's going to be slow. Gives me more time to write and do photography.

After the cats' bag trashing incident last night, we moved all the plastic bags into a nice cloth bag. No more shredding the paper bags. Bowie came to terms with the new arrangement right away.

"Oh, look, Mom and Dad gave us a new, cushy bed!"

Time for my nap. Just a little yawn.

And now for my siesta. Wake me in a few hours, will you?

Roadrunner reappeared in front of our dining room window, bug in mouth. Isn't  he gorgeous?

Did a little dance, fluffed his tail and wings.

Then did what roadrunners do best...ran away.

"If you write to impress it will always be bad, but if you write to express it will be good." ~Thornton Wilder, writer (1897-1975)

Travel Bug out.