Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Life on the Road

Sometimes people ask about our life on the road, so I thought I would give a little insight.

I have worked for my brother in his golf course irrigation company since it's inception in 2003. Vol Fan joined the company in 2006 as a project manager. His position requires him to be on site - anywhere that may be. Since I work for the same company (and my boss is my brother!!), I get to travel with him.

Since working for my brother, we have lived in:

  • Fernandina Beach, Florida (which is on Amelia Island)
  • West Palm Beach, Florida
  • Boynton Beach, Florida
  • Hampton, Virginia
  • Banner Elk, North Carolina
  • Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Kissimmee, Florida (at present)

I really enjoy being on the road. Usually we are in one location long enough for me to explore to my heart's content. When I go on vacation, I always have a feeling of having to rush here, rush there and still not getting to see and do all the things that I had wanted to do. Since we are usually in each location for several months, we can take time to explore, shop, and dine out!!

I have really tried to embrace each area that we have lived - wanting to eat at local restaurants (no chains!), try new things, see new places, etc. Since being on the road, I have:

  • Held an alligator
  • Had a parrot perch on my shoulder
  • Watched a space shuttle launch - live and up close
  • Rode in an air boat
  • Visited 21 national parks
  • Snorkeled over a coral reef
  • Drank my way around Key West
  • Lost 30 pounds
  • Gained 15 back
  • Biked in the Everglades
  • Kayaked with manatees
  • Eaten at some great restaurants
  • Eaten at some not-so-great restaurants
  • Bicycled on the beach
  • Learned to boogie board
  • Shopped (well, not exactly shopped but I looked) at Cartier, Chanel, and Jimmy Choo on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach
  • Watched the USS Enterprise return to port in Norfolk
  • Zorbed

Thankfully we get to travel together. It would be absolutely miserable if you had to be on the road alone for long stretches of time. Also another perk that we have is that we are in each location long enough to rent an apartment rather than living in a hotel room. Only having 4 walls to look at day after day would be overwhelming!

But there is a down side to travel. On days like today, I really miss my family. It is a little on the rainy side. I am caught up with all my work. The laundry is done. The house is clean. With no company except Anthony Bourdain on the television, it gets a little lonely.

6 comments:

Busy Bee Suz said...

Interesting. We moved many times for many years, and I always liked going to new places. Of course we stayed a bit longer than you.
I grew up in West Palm Beach, how funny. Being a floridian I have experienced many of the same things as you...cool.
Sounds like you both enjoy your life and get along well.
Sorry you have a bored moment with the TV.
I have a friend that I went to H.S with and her husband has been in charge of different golf courses all over the place, S.C and Florida. They keep moving and I lost touch with her, last time I heard from her they were in Winter Garden FL. Do you know her? Her name is Tina.
Take care, Suz
How come I can't save your blog on my blog roll? It says something about feed burner. Do you have a clue?
wow, I am rambling.

Anonymous said...

I'd be happy to stop by for a visit if that would cheer you up! It's awesome that you get to immerse yourself in each area as you travel. I agree that one week of vacation doesn't give you enough time to really discover the personality of each spot you visit.

When (IF) we ever retire, we plan to buy a winnebago and travel. By then we will be able to stay in one spot as long as we wish :) There is so much to see in the beautiful USA, and I envy your ability to pick up and go.

I Am Woody said...

Suz - If we don't know Tina, we probably know some of the same people. The golf course industry is all about who you know and rubbing elbows, etc. Vol Fan went to convention in Feb - he said he didn't realize just how full of shit he was. I've been trying to tell him for years!! And I haven't a clue about the FeedBurner thing. I'm just lucky to be able to post!!

Big Hair - Come on by - the more, the merrier! I've got plenty of wine!! We've always said that we want to do the RV thing too. I've been trying for a couple of years to convince Vol Fan that we need to just go ahead and get one now. So instead of having to pack/unpack, we can just start the engine and go!!

Desert Survivor said...

That's great that you get to do so much exploring and have the right attitude to do it. (Not everyone would try zorbing--and look what they'd miss out on!)
It's fun to see what you're seeing, sort of like a mini-vacation.

Donna Reed In Blue Jeans said...

Wow! That sounds pretty awesome to me. It's good, though, that you don't have children - I think it would be hard on them unless you home school. Do you have a "main" home that you keep all of your stuff, or do you carry all your worldly belongings with you?

And what the heck is zorbing?

Also, I have the same feed burner problem when I try to add you on my blog roll.

I Am Woody said...

Desert - Zorbing was a blast! I am like a kid in a candy shop with stuff like that!!

MTM - It would be hard with children, especially once they reached school age. Yes, we keep a 'home' in middle TN. Mostly we have learned how little we really need to survive - and have even paired down a lot of the things we have at home. Zorbing is a lot of fun - basically they put you in a big hamster ball and roll you down a hill!!