Van life.....

Am I crazy, or just overly influenced by the bombarding of constant Outside Magazine articles on the way driving around a van through the world can change your life completely?  And how it can be done so easily, or so they make it seem?

My friend's and family will tell you that I'm a person who rarely is content with what they have to some point, I'm not content, I'm very happy with what I have and the life I live.  I do, however question how life could be different if I were to live it another way.  Say, packing up and traveling across the country and living out of a motorhome or van.  I see plenty of people doing it, it cannot be that crazy of an idea.

My kids and wife would love it, and so would my dogs.  We're all outdoor people and love camping, road trips, seeing new things and meeting new people.  And there's no short supply of things to see or people to meet, that's for sure.

Sadly, like most people in my shoes it's just not the right time, nor the right funding to do such a thing at this moment in our lives.  It's the ultimate and most widely used excuse but it's a good one and unless something major changes, it's the one we're using.  Not to mention my parents and two out of the four brothers would thing I was mad.

One day I hope to solely travel, but for now I think it's just going to have to be weekend trips and extended vacations as they come down the pike.

New York Wilds Family Camping Trip

For this years camping trip, we opted out of our normal foray of going to a sportsman's lodge in Maine and strictly went camping.  We're planning on going to Disney which is why we bailed on Maine, even though both my wife and myself we're reluctant 1/2 way through the decision process because we enjoy Maine so much.

We went to a very close second to Maine, the Adirondack's, more specifically Forked Lake.  Forked lake is a very primitive camping experience, all but a handful of sites are paddle or hike in only, which a vast majority of them being paddle in only.  They do allow motor boats but there's never too many of them as people much rather enjoy the simplistic stroke of a canoe or kayak paddle to the drone of a motor.  We've been to Forked Lake three times, all of them fun and more or less dry.  This year we were threatened with the chance of rain every day, but only one day did it rain and that just so happened to be the day we were packing up and moving onto our next destination.

I was soaked, as I took the bulk of things out in the kayaks and canoe.  My family was damp but since I packed my rain coat up in the stuff they carried, I paid the price by getting soaked.  A small price to pay since it wasn't too bad, it was nice and warm out and the rain was refreshing even though it too was warm.  Ironically every time I got to the car/unloading area, the rain stopped.  Then when I got back to the campsite it started raining again, and it'd rain until I got to the car, then stopped again.  This happened twice.  not bad, but annoying and when I got in the car with the A/C working I froze my ass off.  I don't think I officially dried off until the next day.

Our time in the Adirondak's was wonderful, the kids were happy and playful and doing things out of their initial comfort zone.  Which for some is more of an accomplishment than others.  They used the outhouse provided without argument or disgust even though I thought there'd be some argument upon the call of nature.  We've stayed at that site before, it's a nice site with a nice view and the nights came alive with the sights of campfires around the lake and laughter filled the night sky.  People just like us were enjoying the time there.  The water was warm, the weather more or less perfect and everything went more or less well.

I love the Adirondak's, I never thought I'd feel that way about another place besides Maine.  Although it's got the same feeling, but it's different in a lot of ways.  In some ways better, and others not.  One of the more special ways it was nice this time around was that my hesitant stepdaughter decided on her own to join us on our adventure, even though she hates long drives and not being in reasonable distance to the wifi or cell service.  I think she had a great time.  She said she did and the various looks of happiness showed that she enjoyed it more than I ever thought she would.

The perfect time of day

Since building our small deck last summer we finally have a full summer to enjoy it.  This year has been less than typical, more rainy than hot and cooler at times than rainy or hot.  But whenever it's nice enough we spend as much time outside as we can, enjoying dinner or the stars or just watching the kids play.

I find that right around seven or eight in the evening is when it's the best to be here.  The sun's last beams of light and heat are filtering through the stand of evergreens next to our property and the grass takes on a more beautiful shade of green.

The crickets come out in droves and the other bugs mostly go to bed.  It's dam near perfect.

After what feels like a very frustrating day of doing non-work administrative stuff, it's nice to come out here, sit and listen to the night come alive and the day drift off to sleep.  It makes all the late nights, the constant sweating, the busted fingers and headaches all worth it.

Wanting Life to Mean Something

How do you know if your life really means anything?  Or you're really making an impact on the ones you love and the people around you?

I feel like I do.  But how do you know?  Is it by how people return the gestures and favors you've done over the years?  Is it how well behaved your kids are or how your relationship is with said kids.

I sit behind a desk every day between 9 - 5 with an ungrateful and very annoying coworker.  I'm not out hitting the trails with my family or alone, I'm not paddling some serene lake or photographing the wonders of nature.  But I sit, work and wait.  Yes, I hate it.  Who doesn't?  You cannot love going to work every day and muddling through until you get home to do more work, dishes, scoop the puppy poop or laundry.

Yes, my life means something, my kids and wife make it that way.  But that's in general, it's not something down to earth meaningful as in I'm not out fulfilling my life's desires.

Ironically, when I was a young adult, my dreams were to have a family and kids so I guess in a sense I am adding meaning to my life.  But then as I became more of an adult and more stuck in the rut of life, YouTube doesn't help, I am now set on a new desire, a new added meaning to life.  To get out there and explore, see the world starting with whats around me and what's in our country.  I could go to a national park every year and probably never get to see them all in my life.  And I've been to three or four already.  It's a dam shame.  The only thing to do is plan and do.

How do you keep meaning in your life?  Or does it change from one year to the next?

What's really needed in life to be happy...

I guess it's a question that has a different answer for every person on this wonderful earth.  I can only truly speak for myself and guess about others thoughts on what makes them happy.

For me, being able to do anything I want is what really makes me happy.  If I want to get up and drive four hours to some remote neck of the wonderful Pennsylvania Wilds, I can do it.  If I want to hike 15 miles over the weekend with a backpack full of supplies, I can do it.  If I want to rush down the shore on a warm Friday even to enjoy the sights and smells of the Jersey shore I can.  Being outside is what means everything to me, most of the time, and spending time outdoors with the ones I love only adds to the enjoyment.

I love my Jeep, especially when the weather is perfect and there's not a cloud in sight for days.  I can take the top off and soak in the sun and wind with every mile driven.  At night, the stars come out and when you stop at a traffic light you can really appreciate them, much more so then you would ever done when driving a normal car.  Getting the Jeep dirty on some forest road adds to the excitement and joy of life to me.  It feels vigorous and adventurous.  Just seeing the thing in the driveway reminds me that there's an adventure waiting for me just on the horizon.  Whether I'd be strapping on the kayaks, mountain bikes, filling the back with backpacks or just the family and our dogs for an evening at the lake, it really makes me happy to get in and drive it.

Another thing that makes me have a happy life is outfitting my Jeep.  Putting on lights, a lift and bigger tires are all part of the fun and adventure that goes with owning a Jeep.  You see people driving down the road and you think to yourself, they're either coming or going to an adventure when they're driving a Jeep.  Especially the ones with the accessories on them, those people really have too much money or time, cause they're always prepared for adventure!

Watching my family bond over a campfire is one of the things that I need in life to make me happy.  Some amazing times are told around the primitive entertainment of the fire ring.  My daughter or son sitting in my lap or cuddling with me under a blanket and one of them mentions seeing the man on the moon or telling me to watch the stars with them, is truly something that makes my life happy and I need.

Friend are truly something that people need to make your life happy.  Sure there's people living in the wilderness with not a soul around and are happy as a clam in sand, but I bet most of them would jump for joy at the chance encounter of a welcomed visitor or family member paying them a visit.  It's always nice to have our friend's, new and old, come by and enjoy libations and good conversation.  The laughter echoing through our house makes all the preparation and cleaning all worth it.  The sound of our children all playing together and laughing, possibly making lifelong bonds that cannot be broken is one of the sweetest sounds you'll ever hear.

The crashing sounds of the ocean at night, when the wind is just right and the stars are really popping... that is really needed in my life.  Holding the hand of a loved one while standing on the edge of a continent, while mother nature quietly and effortlessly plays you a song that makes your soul dance.

I guess there's no real answer, or definitely not a short answer.  There's lots of things the I need in my life to make me truly happy, not just get by, but be truly happy.  At the bare bones, my children, wife, puppies and nature are what I need... material things aren't always necessary but they sure help making the memories even more sweet.

What is it about the sea?

I've spent a lot of time down the shore in my life.  I've been going to the New Jersey shore since the day I was born, I think literally.  I've been very lucky to have parents who enjoyed the shore and passed that love onto me. 

I spent most of my life being driven to the shore, riding in the back of a station wagon, shoehorned in between luggage and food.  Watching the world go by at a different point of view than the other people in the car.  Once at the shore, I spent most of my time on the beach, playing at the nearby park, fishing with my dad, brother and uncles, riding my bike or spending time on the boardwalk with friend's.  It was the best.  I remember those times as if they were yesterday.  The smells of the boardwalk and the ocean, the sounds of the birds and the waves crashing and the thrill of riding a big wave in on a boogie board.  I brought a few friend's to the shore and they have all grown to fall in love with the shore as well.

When I was old enough to drive myself, I spent late nights there and early mornings coming home to get to work on time.  Sometimes I'd go to and from the shore more than once a day for whatever reason.  I tried to get there every weekend I could.  I even tried living there during the summer, but although the idea was great, the follow through was terrible.  Too much drinking, too little responsibility and not enough of the kind of fun I longed for.

Ever since I was young I wanted to live at the shore, I thought that it'd be just as it was all those times I went to the shore with my family and experience all the memories I did in my youth.  So I tried instead of just for the summer, I'd live there all year round.  When I was in my twenties I had the opportunity to move in with my older brother and live at the shore for three years.  It was an experience to say the least.  First living with my brother was interesting, we had not lived together for many years since he was in college and then moved to the shore right after.  It was much different than I expected.  The shore still had all the charm that it did as a child but the adult part of me missed out on the friendships I had at home and the firehouse I had dedicated so much of my life to.  I tried to fit in, I joined the local fire company, tried to meet people through my work connections and my brother's connections but it was different for me, very hard.  I will always find this very interesting because I've always been a very social person and easily made friends.  After a snafu with the vehicle insurance, I had no choice but to move home and forgo living at the shore.  It was a hard decision, I loved it dearly there and miss it often, if things were just a little different I think it'd have worked out better.

Now that I'm older, my parents sold our original shore house and bought a newer, bigger and better home.  I now take my family down, my kids love it with the same passion that I always did.  They ride their bikes around the block, play at the beach until the sun goes down, make friend's at the playground and spend nanny and pops money on the boardwalk.  It's a different kind of great feeling and memory.  I hope to keep the tradition alive as long as I can.

Thankful for what I have.....

My wife recently has told me more than once that she doesn't think I'm thankful for the things I have and that I desire too many things, especially materialistic things. 

There's some truth to it, I do desire a lot of materialistic things, but they're aren't your average everyday things like fast cars, boats, riches or huge houses.  Sure there are things I long for, a shore house that my parents don't have to struggle to afford and one I can go to any time I want and watch my kids love every minute of the world of seashells, sea birds, crashing waves and sand.  I want all the right camping equipment and clothes for my kids to be able to use on our adventures in the woods, I'm almost there with that one...  I long for the perfect accessories for my Jeep, this one is a little selfish but not entirely.  I want the Jeep things so that I can get out into the woods and share my love for Jeep life with my kids and be able to handle any terrain I'd likely come across.  I want to build the perfect road trip vehicle, one that has the room for my kids to enjoy the drive, plenty of room for our stuff and our dogs, and one that can safely get us from point A to B, rain, sleet, snow or shine.

Yes it's greedy.  But I think it's justified.

I want one thing more than anything else, freedom.  The freedom from work and the confines of an office which keep me away from exploring the world that surrounds us with my kids and my family.

Money helps, really it's a must.

Well until I either win the lottery or figure out how to accomplish those goals without excessive money, I'm guess I'm good with the things I have.  And that's fine.  I do truly appreciate everything I own and enjoy every minute of using those things.