To be honest, I’ve struggled with this post. Initially, I couldn’t put my finger on why but here’s the thing – 2020 has just been a rough year. Our sixth year started out well enough – we were here at Hickory Hollow getting to know our granddaughter and loving our new role as grandparents – but back in January, it started getting rough. Like most of you, I’d like a do-over for 2020.
To help you understand, let’s talk a moment about our normal would have looked like. We were supposed to leave The Center for Mental Wellness (aka Cori & Greg’s winter home) and stop and visit our friends, Red & Pam. Next, we were supposed to visit David & Sharon, in TN. They are currently off the road caring for David’s elderly Mom. After that, there was an RV Dreams rally we were supposed to attend, where I would have been helping Linda and Bill had two installs to do. Next, we were going to OBX for a couple of weeks before making our way to PA, stopping for a few days to see Billy before arriving at our summer home on/about May 20. We were supposed to spend a week or two with my brother-in-law in July.
What it looked like instead was we pulled out of TX and made a bee-line to PA, arriving just as Hickory Hollow was opening for seasonals only. You may be saying “so what?” and “don’t you still have a better life than most?” both of which are perfectly legit questions. You also may be thinking “you choose this life – quit your bitching and suck it up” – also legit, but on top of our already sad and out of our control year, it was a lot. Actually, you may not be saying any of those things – but they are the things I was saying to myself when I started feeling overwhelmed. They are things I questioned when I found myself feeling sorry for myself.
We cannot forget there has been a lot of sadness for us this year. I wrote about my daughter’s miscarriage, followed by losing our new kitty, Simba, and finally Bill’s brother losing his fight with heart disease. Couple all that with a pandemic that causes us to fear everyone outside our “bubble” and the fight for the White House, its no wonder I’m not feeling excited about typing a post. It’s no wonder I’m feeling a lot of “when will things go back to normal?”
Having said all that – life has not all been bad. Bill and I have loved every minute with our kids and granddaughter. Billy has been coming out and helping Bill with a few of the installs, doing the things I would sometimes do, prep panels, make and help pull wires. Freya is a joy to be around and we are looking forward to meeting our newest family member in November. Hickory Hollow is a great campground and we have great neighbors here. We also took our “vacation” to NJ and spent time with friends and family and sat on the beach.
NJ wasn’t all fun and games, however, as we had made the decision to move our sea/land container, which required a lot of work to ready for moving. The container was on my brother-in-law’s land, and it was emotionally difficult for us, especially Bill, to spend time there.
In consideration of all that – writing a happy little post about year 6 has not been easy. It sure makes me look forward to a day when we can return to “normal.” What is that normal going to look like? I have no idea – I don’t think anyone does at this point, but I sure am tired of not feeling comfortable getting close to people. When Bill does installs, we are usually happy to add to our clients to our list of friends. It has been not as easy to do since our arrival in PA, as we want to keep our distance and stay safe. We don’t want to take any chances and get ourselves, our son, pregnant daughter/son-in-law, or granddaughter sick. Our last three clients, wanting to give Bill space to work without being in his way in close quarters, have left their RV’s and returned when the job was complete. While that has made it so much easier from an install perspective, it doesn’t help with the becoming friend’s side.
We did visit with friends though! I haven’t posted about it yet (I’m working on it!) but Jo & Ben visited on their way by from CO to see Ben’s parents in eastern PA. It was so nice and “normal” to see them! We also ventured out one day to visit Deb & Tim, who spent a large chunk of their s.ummer at Mountain Top Campground, about an hour and a half from here. We sat outside and enjoyed the weather while we caught up.
So, what does our future hold? I wish I had a crystal ball sometimes, I can tell you that! We have an install in October in VA, after which we will be in OBX before moving south for November and December. During that time, we will fly up for the birth of our newest family member! (thanks to our client, a doctor, who gifted us N95 masks to wear on the plane!) January, February, and March we will be in TX. After that, we just don’t know yet, except we will be back at Hickory Hollow at some point, probably mid/late May.
We have had a few discussions about what our life might look like long term. Several of our friends have purchased property and are setting down roots, with their plans being to travel part-time. We’ve spent quite a bit of time at Cori & Greg’s and I’ve got to say, I do love what they are doing. They have some land with a garage, small bardominium, and 4 RV spots for visitors. I can see a similar set-up in our future, but there are BIG questions – where do we want to live? What is our budget? The answers aren’t easy. My friend Tracy, of Camper Chronicles, did a blog post with updates from our fellow “Class of 2014” members. You might find it interesting – I know I did. You can find it here. Jim & Barb of Jim & Barb’s Adventure, Jim & Diana of ExploRVistas, and Dino & Lisa of MNDrifters are three of our friend couples that have blogs that you can take a look at to get an idea of what I’m talking about.
My friend Tracy always says the way she judges how good her year has been is to look back on pictures, so without further ado – here is a pictorial look back on our Year 6 – hope you enjoy!
Looking back, we did have our share, perhaps more than our share of bad times, but we also managed to have some good times as well. Like most, we are still being cautious about COVID, and are looking forward to a day when we don’t have to wonder if everyone we see could be infected. Looking at and choosing which pics to add to this post helps me to feel better about our year 6 of full-time living. We did miss a few things, but we have also been among the lucky ones – no one in our group has gotten sick, we have a great campground to stay at. Bill is still able to do installs – with some extra precautions being followed. I guess it’s good to sit and review sometimes and rid oneself of the “pity-party” attitude. Thanks for letting me vent.
Previous Post: Year 6 Numbers in Review
Looking ahead: Wrapping up PA for the Season! AND Upgrading Running Gear and Brakes!
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Great post, Kelly. That’s a full year, even without a pandemic! So very sorry about Bill’s brother and your daughter’s miscarriage…and Simba, too.
Thanks Jim. I really hesitated hitting “publish” but I decided I couldn’t possibly be the only one feeling the way I do – and I don’t want anyone feeling alone on top of it. Thanks for the condolences – it has been tough in that regard.
Thanks for sharing what this horrid year has been like on the road. I had decided that I was going to try to go ahead with my travel plans. I figured I could maintain social distancing and good hygiene on the road. I got down to New Orleans when things really started to get serious. I decided that it would be a better idea to ride this out at home, so I headed back. Since then, I have been gardening. I harvested tons of tomatoes, and then had to learn how to can on top of learning how to garden! I glad the season is almost done.
I hope the future improves. Maybe our paths will cross down the road!
Thanks Kim! I do believe it was easier for us, in our 5th Wheel, bringing our own bed, kitchen and bathroom, to travel in consideration of COVID verses traveling and staying in hotels and having to eat out and use public bathrooms, especially at the beginning. But you are right – if we had a “home base” we probably would have gone there. Sounds like you made the best of your time!
I am not native to TN, but have lived here since 1981. Folks from NY seem to like the plateau area of TN , such as Livingston, Crossville, etc. They go with the RV’s during camping season and then out with 4 wheelers in the creeks and mud. We will stay in Nashville, TN probably due to just the closeness of his family. One hour away. We thought Idaho, got kin there but the fires and lack of rain is a thought. We are both born and raised in Northern California. Moved a lot in the military. Interesting choices for you guys. Good luck and blessings.
Thanks Carol. It has been good for us to be near family also.
This here has been difficult for a lot of us, tho I think my frustrations pale in comparison to the year you have shared. We have a base in San Diego, close to the grand girls, and travel from there. Ceratinly not much travel this, so we remain ‘parked in paradise’. Above all stay safe and thanks for sharing.
Thanks Jeff – stay safe out there in CA – safe from COVID – and the fires!
It seems like 2020 has been a lousy year for everyone. We lost our beloved dog. My husband’s brother and his wife were found dead in their bed (they died hours apart and we won’t have a cause for months due to the back up at the state lab but are told they died from “natural causes” which is hard for us to believe) and my husband is recovering from a cancer diagnosis. I’m not feeling sorry for myself because I know other people who just lost their home in our California fires. So I always know that someone has it worse. This is just one of those years that we will all never forget. We have each other and good friends and are finally on the road and traveling safely. It’s different not having our sweet girl with us as she was born to travel. We brought her ashes to scatter at some of her favorite places. Life must go on.
Sorry to hear about your losses! How terrible about your husbands brother and sister in law – it’s hard enough to lose someone you love but to not get an answer as to what exactly happened only makes it worse. Sending hugs and wishing you a better year to come. Thanks for reaching out!
Great post Kelly! Like you our full time RV life this year was filled with alot more stresses. We were fortunate to spend it with some of our RV friends as well and add a couple more to our friend bank that we workamped with. The happiness we felt in our small tribes of RV friends and then with family this summer has far surpassed the wrench the pandemic threw into our plans, that mostly had to be changed. We too missed our chance to spend time with Pam & Red at the GD rally this year and will hopefully get to catch up with them next year. Make the best of what’s left of 2020 and hopefully we will bump into you out on the road!
Thanks Julie! I think Bill and I made the best we could of this year – we love all the time we’ve gotten to spend with Freya! It sounds like you made the best of your year as well. I am so looking forward to putting this pandemic behind us – sadly I think it’s going to take awhile before we feel comfortable in large crowds. I would love to meet up on the road!
We’re all navigating 2020 in our individual ways trying to stay virus free and at the same time getting the best out of life that we can. Thank you for sharing you two! Jody and I always look forward to and enjoy your posts!
Thanks Eric! Glad to hear you are staying safe! Love and hugs to you and Jody! Miss you!
You guys have had a rough year even without all the unsettling things the country is dealing with. It’s a testimony to your personal strength that you continue to find a silver lining. I still can’t believe that so many of us had already found a part time sticks and bricks when the pandemic hit, enabling us to hunker down safely. You’ve done great at making the best of where you are and what you need to get done! Tracy is sure right as your pics tell a lovely story of friends and family amid all the chaos :-)))
Thanks Jodee! I so appreciate your perspective! Bill and I hope our paths cross again with you guys! Hugs!
Well done, Kelly! I know you struggled with writing this post, but you covered everything well. How it hurts my heart to see little Simba! I don’t think I will ever forget that sweet little kitty! he was so special!
Thanks Linda. It also hurts my heart to see Simba!
Kelly, good job writing a very honest post. I think the only RVers who have really had a “good” year are the ones who decided to ignore the risks and pursue their travels anyway. We and everyone else with enough common sense to find a place and stay put shares the same feelings of loss and frustration that you have expressed. We know we did the right thing, but for people who thrive on traveling and having new experiences, it sucks.
We had planned to travel throughout Utah, Wyoming and Montana this summer, but apparently God had other plans. Instead we dealt with the death of my mom in February and the recovery from our accident on Dec. 26, which entailed 5 weeks in a condo in Las Vegas while the RV was being repaired. The pandemic struck while we were in the condo, so we isolated at an RV park in Vegas once we got the RV back, and then ended up boondocking on a friend’s property in southern Utah for the last five months. It’s pretty, but extremely isolated and rustic. We are longing to get back on the road at least in some form.
But I’ll say this: by the time I got to all your pictures (including the one of us when we visited with you last fall!) and all those smiling faces, I felt better for you, as you obviously did too at that point. It reminded me that while things still seem pretty bleak right now, we WILL come out of this and be able to return to traveling and seeing our friends without fear of dying from COVID-19. There are still some rough months ahead of us…but it’s months, not years, and eventually this year will be just a bad memory that’s an asterisk on an otherwise wonderful life. Hang in there!
David – thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. I want to say again how sorry we are about your Mom. I still get chills when I think about that video of your accident – how scary that had to be. You are so right – ultimately we did and are continuing to do the best we can under the circumstances – and I am grateful that we have had a great place to be during these difficult times. I just wish people would wear their masks so this thing goes away! (Or minimizes anyway!)
Hugs to you and Cheryl – stay safe and hope our paths cross again!
P.S. Thanks for all you do with Escapees!
Great catching up with how your and Bill’s year went Kelly. Party on!
Good to hear from you! Hope all is well with you and your family!