Wanderlust

"Wanderlust (Middle High German: wandern, to wander, and Lust, desire) is a German loanword. It is commonly defined as a strong desire to travel, or by having an itch to get out and see the worldWanderlust (Middle High German: wandern, to wander, and Lust, desire) is a German loanword. It is commonly defined as a strong desire to travel, or by having an itch to get out and see the world."

Getting it bad.

As a kid my family traveled and camped a lot. 4 weeks a year we would wander somewhere. Colorado was a favorite destination. Riding in the back of a vw412 for 12 hours strait at the time seemed tiring. Living out of a camper small enough to be pulled by that car for 7-12 days at a time. Looking back on life they are some of my fondest memories I have. Watching the land change with every mile as I stared out the window as we left Detroit for somewhere new. No TV at all the whole time just the radio and Paul Harvey shows.

In 1979 we moved from Troy Michigan to Marietta Georgia. Folks had enough of the snow and rusted out cars. I even remember the day my Dad snapped and had enough of it. It was about 6:15 am on a Monday morning. It snowed all weekend. Shoveled the driveway several times. I was a paperboy at the time. I had to deliver to 56 houses before school. Streets were deep in snow so today I was walking it with a sled. Nope none of this throw it out of the window of your Camaro BS. I walked it up each door and put it in the paper rack on the mail box next to the front door. Yep even the mail man pushed a cart in those days. Some people would request the paper between the storm door and front door. It was extra tip money. I was 11 years old at the time.

So the Day dad snapped I was standing right next to him......I think I heard it....It was a low grumble in his throat as we stood in the garage and watched the door open and realized the wind had drifted the snow over 6ft and almost totally covered the garage. Dad looked at his rusty 914 Porsche and new he would be driving Moms equally rust VW 412 to work that day. I grabbed my Sled and drug it through the Laundry room to the side door to get out and go get the papers at the front of the neighborhood.

That summer we were vacationing south. Went to FL, AL, GA, SC. Dad was stationed at Warner Robbins in the 50's During the Korean conflict. GA and Macon in particular war places Dad knew. A year later we were in Marietta GA house hunting on or Vacation and my Dad had already put in for the transfer. We moved into our new home October 8 1979...My Birthday.

I think the more temperate weather lessened my Dad's wanderlust. Didn't seem to travel nearly as much. Went on a couple trips. 1 week in most cases and sometimes only once a year.

In November of 81 Dad bought a brand New VW Vanagon to replace the rusty 412. It was a stick shift. Mom kept driving the Auto 412 not wanting to deal with the hills and clutch. It was like the Taj mahal to my sister and I. We each had out own seat and could spread out some.

In 83 My Dad succumbed to a heart attack. Mom in fear of not having any money sold everything, The Vanagon, the camper, Dads 1961 BWM 69RS 600 for pennies on the dollar. Gave me the 412 and bought a Datsun 210.

Did very little camping since.So here I am married, 2 kids and wanderlust. My Friends scattered across the land. Somehow most have settled along the lower US. Phoenix seemed to attract several friends. My sister in San Angelo TX, Another friend In Dallas. Open invitations by Internet friends in CO.

4 Years ago We lost Janice's Dad. We inherited a 1959 Airstream Basket case. My wanderlust on the rise..we are slowing doing a frame off restoration for Family trips. Have a monster 454 powered suburban to drag it along at 10mpg. Visions of camping dancing in my head. Making pancakes on a Coleman stove for the kids. Daughters squabbling over something, Ivy aggravated over it with her hands wrapped around a hot cup of coffee. Seeing the sights just like when I was a kid just in a lot better accommodations.

I also have a 1986 4Runner that I am preparing for Expedition travel. Back country camping in places like Monument Valley, Valley of the Gods, Running the 4wd pass into Silverton Colorado, The Maze, Needles, Yellowstone and doing as much as I can on dirt roads and trails. Wife's fear of heights has her not wanting to make these trips. She won't do well on a 10,000 ft pass with a 500ft drop off on her side of the truck.

One Day I will set my camera on the hood of my truck and I will take a picture of myself exactly from this spot.

Why the hell a blog? An introduction

Honestly, I just thought it would be a place to put my travels and thoughts. This is actually my third blog. This one will cover my travels both alone and with friends and family where as my others are sort of personal space where I keep in touch with friends.

I don't have many pictures of myself. The lovely lady of mine has a few but not going to go digging for them. This particular picture is a few years old. I don't have the beard and mustache or even that truck anymore. Still have the gut though.

I'm a daddy of a beautiful little 5 year old girl. I have a moody teenage Step Daughter, two dogs and a Lovely wife that I have been married to for 11 years. She puts up with my BS for some reason so I can't ask for much more.

I had a big wake up call on 10/31/2003 at 6:25pm in the form of a heart attack at 37 years old. It's heredity rearing its ugly head. I'm doing ok now but it scared the hell out of me. I have 20-30 minutes of time that I can't account for. Three stints after it was all said and done. took me a good solid year to get back to where I felt good.

It taught me a big lesson about making the best of what you have. I feel I am a different person from the experience. I'm thankful for every day I wake up.

This is my little one Zan. According to www.howmanyofme.com she is the Only one in the last US census. My wife and I think that's pretty cool that we managed to come up with a totally unique name for her. We thought we were making it up but it is a name in some Asian cultures and it means "happiness". We have also found in Persian cultures it means "the mind", "knowledge,understanding" or "Reasoning and Logical Thinking". In Chinese it means "praise". They all fit her quite well. Zan's Big sister Melissa. She's a moody teenager that knows it all.

My lovely Bride Janice. Strongest person I know. She has to be to put up with me. We actually met on the computer through a local BBS called Hotlanta. Just hit it off and we have been together ever since.

The last two members of the family are Britney (brown) and Rusty (red) aka "The destruction twins" . They are half Britney Spaniel and half Llewellyn Setter.

I intend to document my life and travels. I have a great many interests and I thought it might be interesting to put them down and have something for my kids to read when they are a little older.