There is an unusual harbinger of winter which occurs here, unlike anything anyone in the North has ever seen. In Arizona, it is called the arrival of the "snowbirds;" here it is known as the arrival of the "Winter Texans." These are those Yankees who travel from the climes of the usually cold north, such as New York, Minnesota, Montana, and, yes, even Nebraska. Now, since we are officially Texans, and particularly since we appeared here in September, rather than November, we are NOT in that catagory. Nope, we have a catagory all our own, one which mystifies and intrigues even others who roam around in motor homes. We are those strange ducks known as "Full-timers."

There really are not too many of us, for several reasons. First, most people have grown up and lived in one central area for much of their lives and are reluctant to leave those familiar territories where all of their friends and families are located. However, more importantly, most women absolutely refuse to leave their houses/homes and give up their "things." Countless numbers of men have told us that they would so enjoy the opportunity to do what we're experiencing, but "the missus just won't do it." Probably many of you feel the same way.

The first time we attempted being full-timers, we were not too sure how we would feel when we did it, but we decided to take the plunge anyhow, although we kept two large storage areas fully loaded here in Kerrville, and also had a huge antique shop at the Sunrise Antique Mall here. So, in actuality, we had not really given up too many of our "things." We soon discovered that we really didn't need those possessions. So this time as we approached the beginning of becoming full-time wanderers again, we unloaded most of our belongings. The antique business is totally closed; most of the furniture from our Omaha house was sold; and we have downsized to one 10x15 storage space in Omaha. Amazing! And, we have realized, once again, that moving from a 2800 square foot house to our 40 foot RV (OK... opened up it is about 480 sqaure feet) suits us perfectly. Our home has a great stove with an oven; a microwave and convection oven; and a fully stocked side-by-side refrigerator-freezer with an ice-maker. We have some art hanging; there are photos of most of the family on a bookshelf which is packed with unread books, just waiting for us to slow down a bit. There are so many projects that are packed away here and there, that we could stay busy for years, if we could just find the time to work on them. Best of all, we have each other, and we never seem to get tired of each other's company or run out of things to talk about. The only problem I have found is that my clothes get wrinkled in the limited space. Now that's such a big worry, isn't it?

So, even though we are somewhat of an anomaly to many, we are quite content to wander for a while. It rather reminds me of Tolkien's quote, "All who wander are not lost." Anyone want to join us?