There are worse things than coming home. Weather in this part of upstate NY is great in the Summer. My brother, my friends, my favorite chair, my home bed, familiar restaurants and stores are all here. You get the idea. We all have our comfort zones and for most people, that includes their home base.

Not a bad sunset just outside my sliding door

I’m not always a list maker, but this summer I’ve made plenty. In part to keep myself focused but to also recap all the things I need for another trek on the road in the new RV. If you have been following the blog, you will know I bought it in Tuscon, AZ while on a road trip in my van, then drove home and finally flew back to Tuscon to get it. Although I had clothes and some cooking supplies with me, I had to figure out as I travelled what additional things I needed. I ordered some essentials on Amazon (Thank you Prime) but the list kept growing as I spent more time living in the RV.

I finally got the RV registered in NY & it turns out that AZ has a reciprocal sales tax agreement with NY. Great news. I got full credit for what I paid in AZ. It only took about 2 hours at the DMV.

It’s so easy to fall into my bad habits here at home. I’m staying up later, sleeping in later, being less active, and generally more bored. Summer recess. That’s what it seems like. Taking advantage of the so called endless time creating an aura that there is always tomorrow.

CSS, Divi, procrastination, BBQ, sedentary, WordPress, drought, growing herbs, hot peppers and tomatoes, hot weather, election 2016: What do these seemingly disparate things have in common? These are my home obsessions. I could add liquor but that just doesn’t sound right.

Some of my hot peppers

But I’m keeping my brain busy by learning as much as I am able about WordPress, my choice for building websites. Some examples are under the About tab. I’m learning about coding, forms building, optimization, SEO, analytics analysis, customization using CSS and whatever else challenges me. I also continue to co-manage a KCBS BBQ competition, Oinktoberfest, held here in Clarence, NY. So far, retirement has been fairly busy for me. It’s just determining my ultimate goal that seems to be holding me back.

A shot from Oinktoberfest

One of the 60+ teams that competed this year

My quest for change in my life has also led me to downsize from my 1600 sq. ft double to a single 800 sq. ft manufactured home. Squeezing all my accumulations into half the space was a challenge. Nothing ever goes according to plan.

Another sunset at home

There was an official recall on my RV for the Ford diesel motor. I took it to the dealer early November and due to the back orders of parts, did not get it back until the week after Thanksgiving. My plans had been to leave right away after Thanksgiving, but there was more work needed on the interior of the RV. The weather had so far spared me the need to winterize, but time was running out. Coupled with the recent move, all of these events delayed my packing for the trip and getting the RV ready for a 5-6 months trip. I finally left December 8. Stay tuned for updates.

My Home for the next 5 or 6 months