Hello, friends, it’s been a while.
I wish I had made a post every week this month like I have in the past, but here we are. I will fling this update on this last day of April and will have at least said a little something recently. April is my least favorite month for many reasons that I choose to release as I welcome in May, and with that, our chance to leapity-leap. I honor the past but choose to wallow in the joy of my current chosen life as it is and will always be a celebration of what one can survive and what one is capable of creating, with a wheelbarrow full of courage and a wee mustard seed of hope.
As mentioned, Dan and I were busy doing the 9-4 until a couple of weeks ago. We knew we would be cleaning, packing, and stacking in the pre-summer heat if we took those jobs, and yep, here we are.
Casa de Cordray proper is a hybrid mixie. Our humble abode consists of three moving parts. We have our trusty high-top community center transport van (solar powered and self-contained) Erik van Home. We have a medium-sized cargo trailer that holds my art studio and writing desk, Dan’s portable recording studio and ham radio shack, hanging wardrobe, extended pantry and HBA (health and beauty aisle), enough food, water, staples, and cast-iron cookware to feed an Army, camping stuff, and assorted boxes of tools and etc. The contents of both of these rolling units varies depending on where we are going, why we are going, and how long we will be gone.
The third moving part has wheels under its skirting, although I doubt this tin pinata has rolled an inch since its date of birth, sometime in 1979. With its designation as our home unit, vacation bungalow, arts and crafts house, and plan B residence, it’s an important part, the non-rolling desert-version section of Casa de Cordray. Once upon a time, we only owned the rolling home (the van). Then we added the cargo trailer (hey look! an extra room!) and eventually a vintage park model unit stationary fenced in backyard retirement perch.
Where once we had one place to put it all, we now have three. Each part has its own hundreds of moving parts. If everything actually does have a place, it can only find its way home if something else moves and makes room. It is the eternal Tetris game. A finite number of items must shift and slide into its most convenient and useful location while others step aside, lounging inconveniently in boxes, bags, and bins that are stacked everywhere, waiting to be told if they are staying or going. The dogs silently freak with imploring eyes if we venture out to run errands. They have the same urgent question.
But of course they are going! A slimmed down stack of belongings is being prepared and loaded for a few months on the road. Giddy we are, and hot as over-roasted marshmallows already. 102 heading to 103 degrees on the patio thermometer means we did a bunch this morning but will siesta in the roastier parts of this day, then resume after dark. That’s all you can do. Nap, hydrate, slow down, speed up every chance you get, and make ready. Oh, Great Spirit give me strength and thank you very much for the chance to make ready for the next mighty fine adventure.
The air off the back porch has not made it to sizzle-pop-fry status, but it is most certainly bubbling along at a full simmer. From here until we estimate we might be easing out of the driveway is blessedly downhill in the temperatures department for at least a brief stretch starting tomorrow morning. It takes what it takes to earn our freedom, and what it takes right now is to keep chugging along and holding the vision while defeating the obstacles (like one coil-pack boot that ripped and separated, causing Dan four hours labor to change one spark plug whilst being broasted).
I will continue to peruse the maps while watching the weather to decide our first stop. Current plans include time spent camping in New Mexico and possibly Arizona on the way out or on the way back home to Quartzsite in the fall. We hope for hammock-hanging trees here and there and a few sandy beaches around lakes, and sunrises and sunsets over both new and familiar mountain ranges.
I am looking forward to getting back to my writing and to celebrating 10 years of nomadic life in June, and five years of marriage to the love of my life at the end of this week. Toast those nomadic Cordrays on Cinco de Mayo, por favor! What a joy to celebrate true love late(r) in life. Happy Anniversary, my love! I am glad you chose me. I will always choose you, and know you feel the same, the icing, the sprinkles, and the cherry on my happy-life cake.
I am looking forward to writing a lot more of these “is it a blog post or is it a newsletter” entries, so stay tuned because the scenery around us will be changing soonly. Insert a large amount of yippee skippy in here because you know I have it on me.
True love makes your eyes shiny and makes you serve “I didn’t make this but bought it at the grocery store hummingbird cake” (of course) to the handful of beloveds in attendance. Layla was sure she would have the first plateful and promised to grab Libby some if she had the chance.
Just do the next right thing and above all else keep moving forward.
And, squeeeeeee!!! Watch for the launch. It’s crazy how gorgeous the desert is this year due to the last season’s heavy monsoon rains. I can’t wait to see how it looks outside of our neighborhood, because good golly Molly is it purty around here.
Our leapity-leap best to you and yours,
Brenda Cordray
“The Desert Rose”
Good for you Guys. And Happy #5 - already? almost seems like yesterday when I got the news of your pairing up. Glad you're getting back on the road, too. I'm still not ready or sure or prepared or motivated or something - to get back out there. My experience took a LOT out of me and changed me and my outlook on life a whole lot. I'm actually making my first long distance trip on May 8th, but it's for business for my last client (of 43 years) and I'm flying not driving to and back from Chicago (my first flight in probably close to 15 years). So, I'm envious of you guys getting back out on the open road. I've put less than 8,000 miles on My McVansion in the past, nearly 4 years. I'm in a quandary as to whether I want to keep it and renovate it - or sell it and begin some kind of new life - not that I have a clue what that would be. So, I'm overjoyed for you guys and I'll be vicariously enjoying the nomadic life through your upcoming adventures - at least for a while, yet. BTW, Brenda, tell Dan I now have an antenna (end-fed long-wire) for 10 - 40 meters up - and I'm getting ready to put the rig on the air again - first time since you visited us a couple of three years ago. Happy Trails my dear friends. I'll be watching for your posts.
Yes it's been 5 marvelous years, full of travels, adventures, and mostly love. So happy for you being you, and you bring with me on this journey. ♥️