Wandering Wahls

We’re Facebook fans of GO RVing (along with MOAA of course – become a fan of MOAA, and they’re on Twitter as well, with useful info). GO RVing sent this article link: “RV Camping Was Made for Kids.”

My first thought was: Where has the author been? Of course the RV is a great way to travel with kids! (MSNBC should have gotten a hold of us.)

My second thought reminded me that I forgot to mention our camping trip with the Paganellis in our last post. During our RV trip (before we settled), we met the Pags in Carlsbad, NM to camp and see the cave. They were in their tent and we in the RV. Around midnight, a beautiful day had turned into a blowing storm with winds knocking their tent almost parallel to the ground. We had them come into the RV, and we woke to snow – and a full house: 4 adults, 6 kids, and 1 German Shepherd: all in a 41-ft RV that barely slept 8. Now that’s RVing with kids!

(Compare this experience to when our families tent camped at a campground in France – there the excitement was when we were kicked out of a public pool for wearing swim trunks instead of Speedo type swimsuits.)

I do miss those RV days.

I discovered an interesting foreign perspective about U.S. consumers:

The air mattress we bought in Germany has separate warnings for Great Britain and the U.S. The U.S. warning mentions that the mattress is “Not for use in water” and “These warnings are to avoid serious injury.”

I understand soccer vs. baseball, scones vs. apple pie, and Indian vs. Mexican (cuisines the countries have taken over domestically) – but how is it that we Americans wouldn’t know that the warnings will help us avoid serious injury? And don’t the Brits take things into the water that don’t belong there?

Anyway, the mattress was taken out because we hosted the retirement party and final two weeks of stay for good friends, Lt Col Ben and Susan Paganelli. Our families met in Germany. They lived up the street from us; have three children of the same age and gender; and, also sent their kids to the local German school. And we enjoyed having a beer together in as many countries as we could fit into our holidays. Talk about commonalities.

It’s funny how providence (and the military) works. The Pags are sent to Germany, and then we are. They’re sent to Colorado Springs, and then we end up here. Now they’re off to Washington, and we’ll see if providence guides us to a new “used” Class C RV so we can go visit.

The parting was a repeat of a part of military life though. The military is a great life because it provides us with so many good friends. But along with the introductions come the departures and the sad goodbyes. But, without the goodbyes, we wouldn’t have the friends. And, with the Pags, we got to say goodbye twice. And, the parting included our hosting a great party. That worked out well.

Ah, life on the farm. We found a field mouse in one of our window wells. I was about to get Joe’s pellet rifle, or at least one of the dogs, but Mary Claire handed me a shovel and a bucket so that I could save the mouse and let him go in the scrub oak. That’s easy for her to suggest, she doesn’t have to carry the bucket with the mouse, wondering if the darned thing can scamper up and onto her. She also didn’t consider that this little guy might end up in our house come winter.

The mouse was a distraction from school registration: this process is another transition to life back in the US. Previously, our children have experienced a Japanese Montessori school, German public schools, and home/road schooling. So, when they enrolled in the school here last January, it was their first time in a US public school (though we selected a charter school).

Now, as we experience the beginning of the school year for the first time, we’re going through the whole back-to-school registration and buying sprees. We have the lists and we’re off to the BX, Kohl’s, Target, Wal-Mart, etc. for binders, pencils, uniform clothes, etc. This is not a very “green” process though, which is surprising considering how schools teach the kids about respecting the environment. I wish the school had a less extensive shopping list or process. In Germany, the school registration was much easier – and “greener:” Registration was done through the mail, the kids met the teacher on the first day, and for supplies we made one trip to the local bookstore, told the clerk our school and grade, and he returned with all books and supplies: One stop shopping at its best.

Things are good though. The kids are excited. The 8th grader is in Honors Science, the 6th grader is in 8th grade math, and the 3rd grader is in the same class as his buddies. And, the only whining we hear is that cross-country practice is too hard on the older two. I can live with that.

We’re getting used to summer life in the states. Joe went to a week-long Boy Scout Camp at 9,000 feet in the San Isabel Mountains; learning how to rock climb, track animals, accidentally cut someone with their own knife – all the things a boy should know. While he went to camp, Mary Claire drove with the other two children to Wilton, CA for a family reunion. Since my summer teaching doesn’t end until this week, that left me home alone with the puppies – and spending most of the time filling in holes along the fence line where they had dug out (luckily Joe hid his pellet rifle).

I picked Joe up over weekend and drove him to the airport so he could join everyone in California for the reunion and the Weird Al concert. I offered him PF Chang’s and James Bond movies on Netflix if he stayed, but Weird Al won out. A funny thing happened on the way from the Scout Camp to the airport though.

I was wearing my Assistant Scout Master uniform and we stopped at a rest stop – for stop and a rest. Well, I was walking to the car and a guy saluted me! I know medical marijuana has been approved in Colorado, but I didn’t know recipients were driving the highway. The Scouts don’t even salute me, or even listen to me for that matter.

The point of this entry though is that I gave Joe my cell phone for the trip, in case of flight delays and such. Additionally, MC had the GPS. It’s not that we use the cell phone often, or the GPS, but it was odd leaving the house and knowing I was out of communication with my family. Additionally, my ATM number is secretly scrambled in my phone, so I couldn’t get cash. Gosh, I just feel so eighties.