In a word, December has been exhausting, with issues carrying over into my new year. Luckily, it’s time to digest the multitude of people, places & experiences that shaped 2022 before I step forward into the next 365 days:
- Read 67 books (bump to 70?) - Eat one fantastic reuben sandwich with Maryland gal pals - Enjoy a number of outdoor concerts; a joy I’ve missed the past few years - Look back from day one of this journey and begin to put thoughts to paper. Yes, 2023 has officially begun but I’m still pondering what’s next on the agenda, and you?
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In early 2014 -- my roaming "test year" -- I found the small town of DeLand, Florida when I signed up for one of my first WorkAway volunteer exchanges. It was an interesting experience as my 20-hour work week focused on boat sanding and painting while living with a family of 7 (five kids!). They had recently returned from years in Costa Rica and planned to start a river tour business along the St. Johns River. Unfortunately, I didn't keep in touch, but I did recall DeLand as a sweet little town in the lakes region, just west of Daytona. From Georgia, I wanted a fairly short drive, a solo break, and a few days to simply play. I lucked out with an affordable bed in a bikeable neighborhood offering views of a half-dozen lakes. Since I was just a few miles from the Historic District, afternoons were spent window shopping, on an art walk, book buying, and visiting the Stetson U campus in very pleasant 80-degree weather. DeLand has certainly held its small town personality, but area development has brought the auto brigade coming through all day long. Yet, for Florida, it's still pretty calm and quaint! Next stop is South Florida -- yikes on development and traffic -- with an extended visit that will seem like a WorkAway! More to come...
The journey south continues with a week-long stop on Blythe Island, an unknown area along the East River, just a few miles NW of Brunswick, Georgia. I arrived to a few days of warm, sunny weather in a community of 700+ people in a slow-paced neighborhood where I could walk, bike, and peruse a regional park with a campground (future reference!). However, the official occasion is to celebrate a Florida friend's 60th birthday, tour the Golden Isles, drink eggnog and eat pie. When Mark arrived, we plotted the outdoor itinerary, but as the week went on the weather wasn't very cooperative. Rain, fog and cool breezes were the norm, so a few movies and a few games of Rummikub were added! Nevertheless, we headed out daily to enjoy historic Brunswick, St. Simons and Jekyll Islands. Brunswick became a British settlement as early as 1738 and has a town layout similar to Savannah with squares and parks in a grid style. During my last visit to this area (in 2017), I'd camped for a month on Jekyll (and loved it), while simply day-tripping elsewhere. In Brunswick, I'd toured the main commercial streets, but this past week we enjoyed the Historic District of homes and greenspaces as well. Each of Brunswick’s 14 original squares in the Old Town has a story; and two major squares have retained their original size and shape. Many photos tell the story... I've now landed in DeLand, Florida, but do send good karma my way. The Element needs to take me another 236 miles south in the morning and continues to act up.
It’s late October -- time to regroup following a heavy social schedule, and time to point south as fall begins to feel a bit brisk. The goal is to bring back my “summer feeling” in a temperate climate. What does that mean? It’s waking early feeling rested, spending half the day playing outdoors, chatting with strangers, and perusing the area; while the other half is focused on writing, reading, travel planning, and catching up on life’s chores. After kicking tires in too many locations across the Carolinas, I was called back to a favorite spot I discovered in the spring. Yes, I’ve been living solo in Farmville, NC for the past month in a very affordable, grand old home. The owner lives elsewhere, but there was the possibility of multiple housemates arriving at any given time. This never occurred, so oddly enough, I had the place to myself in the same historic neighborhood I so enjoy. The first week was quite pleasurable with warm weather, a successful visit to my favorite thrift shop, crusty bread from Cafe Madeleine, and a 2-hour tour of the local museum. Ice, Ice, Baby |
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May 2024
AuthorCyclist, writer, teacher, avid reader, bike/ped advocate, nomad, pie lover Categories |