MEANDERING MOOSE

     I am now sitting in a McDonald's somewhere in Tennessee on a rainy day.  Often internet access is quite a challenge but McDonald's allows it for free.  So here I sit in my 1st McD's in 30 years reminiscing about our 6 months in Florida.      Although I have been to Florida several times, my impression of the state has always been the same: A hot, flat state with Disney World at its center; which is surrounded by a massive damp, muddy swamp full of alligators and spiders and snakes (Oh My!); which was then surrounded by beautiful beaches.  Frankly, a lot of this is true, but if you spend time traveling wherever your whim takes you, there is great beauty and interesting locations.  The state has hundreds of beautiful fresh water springs pumping millions of gallons of water into rivers and streams.  There are millions of acres of stately live oak trees draped in spanish moss providing a beautiful respite from the sun and heat. ...

     April 23 was the anniversary of our first year on the road!  I can't believe we have been gone so long.  "What a long strange trip it's been."  (Grateful Dead)  Of course we had our good days: Newport, OR Our bad days: Rome, Italy (No we didn't go there this year.) Our days of utter confusion and consternation: New Orleans Museum of Art But once in the zone: Whiskey Joe's, Tampa, FL It has been: Cincinnati Museum of Art      It has been a very steep learning curve, but we survived.  Upon leaving Connecticut in our new rig, we were anticipating a few years of no problems.  Wrong!  We spent 16 nights living in repair shops and learned that this is normal and should be expected.  After learning to chill, I am doing a lot better with these nuisances.  We also discovered that it seems like 80% of all campgrounds are directly adjacent to landfills, highways, airports, trains, obnoxious pu...