Preparing for the TripDec 23, 2009
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| I believe I was born a wandering Gypsy. Truly, I have some Irish Gypsy heritage in me. This is perhaps what made me uniquely suited to marrying into the military. I loved knowing that I'd never be stuck in any one place for too long. So after my partner Jorge retired from the military, I feared settling in too comfortably in Florida where we settled down. We purchased a travel trailer so we could experience all the state parks and other diversions Florida has to offer and bring our 2 little dogs with us. So when some good friends invited us to their annual New Year's Eve party in the D.C. area, we didn't let the idea of snow and cold dissuade us. Hey, the novelty of snow could be kind of fun! Weeks of planning went into this road trip. I had lists of "do-not-forget" all over the house. Sure, it would be a little challenging toting 2 dogs and braving the cold, but that's what a grand adventure is all about! In preparation mode, we pulled the travel trailer up to the house from storage to test run the systems and load up our gear. Enter snag #1: The heater didn't work. No biggie in Florida, but quite a different story in northern Virginia! The repair place that gave it the once-over a few weeks prior re-examined it and found out that we had been the victim of an unscrupulous ex-employee who had collected money for repairs that were never done. We received a refund for the work, but knowing that we weren't the only victims of this scam was not going to keep us warm. Unfortunately we were set to leave town in 2 days so there was no time to order and install a new heater. So we brought a space heater from home - one of those oil-filled electric radiator types thinking that would be more than adequate - more on that later. What the hell, we figure. It will be a grand adventure! Just a few days of familial obligations for the holidays, and we'll be on our way with intrepid spirits and the bite of the travel bug! |
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