SnowBirding 101

A beautiful maple tree in Solmar, near
Wayne's home in Sequim, WA.

The first thing about being a SnowBird (my choice of caps) is that you have to have a very sensitive ear, eye and nose for the weather.

At the first hint of frost, or the real thing, you must be ready to hoist your pack, or pump up the bicycle tires, or fill up the fuel tank for your transport (small van, large RV or boat of any size) and begin deciding what will go with you and what will stay.

Of course the size of the transporting device will determine a lot of the choices... and yet, even with a 40-ft. RV, weight is a constant concern. My Christmas tree is small, white and very light. Wayne's Christmas things are heavier, but it's his RV so he can have more latitude about what he wants to sacrifice.

There could be a reality TV show (there are so many already) about the Freezer Wars. I don't want to give up all the raspberries I harvested from my bushes this year. He doesn't want to sacrifice the cold space to fruit. I think there is merit to having plenty of butter (KerryGold) as he prefers something else to put on his toast. I was harsh about cleaning out the house food storage, noting that anything dating back to '01 really could not be put on board. He was resistant to giving up packages of things he could recall buying on sale back then. But then he was more than ready to give up a couple of pork roasts so I could have a couple of packages of bison meat. It was an interesting process. Finally the inventories complete, the freezer stuffed and assorted materials required for my cooking loaded, we can close out that exercise.

Not likely that the Seahawks 'man cave' will
be discarded, unless they disappoint greatly.

He just came in and announced, "We are going to weigh that motor home on Monday." And I said, "And then bring it back here and empty things out?"

Square dance shirt
under construction

He has all his tools, I have my art supplies. He has all his books and research materials for his ancestry project, I have a sewing machine to make square dance outfits (and some fabric, but for me - very little).

He has a camera, so do I. He has a computer, so do I. And it all adds up... every single ounce. If we were loading a boat I could just look at the waterline. In fact, I remember doing just that several decades ago as I was preparing for the journey that would take us to the Bahamas.

Snowbirds, as a rule, tend to leave their northern abodes and go south, often for months at a time. But their lives, hobbies, interests continue. For some there are groups in each location to facilitate those objectives, other folks simply find the other locations allow more time to follow those projects. But often some things must be brought along to continue, like building a quilt or working on ancestry.

And all those guilty pleasures we are storing and taking along will have a cost in fuel. I know that. Wayne knows that. And in time we may decide to lighten up by leaving more things behind... but probably not this trip.

We laughed at each other last night as we sat and watched a movie, ate some popcorn, because it really is 'home' we are settling into, taking with us. And Snowbirds do have to make a nest, along the way and at the destination(s).