June 2013:
The month of June saw lots of excitement, anxiety, pressure, and joy. Cian turning 3 months old was a threshold remark as the Pediatrician marked him with a clean bill of health and ready to travel with no concerns to be worried about. A good time to travel. Cian was full of lots of smiles, laughter, and joy – he cried little and smiled a lot. The month was all about packing up and moving out. The first part of the month involved lots of staging, packing, and getting inventory ready for the festivals we would hit along this journey in our Great American walkabout to discover where we wanted to nest and spread our roots. Somewhere with culture and community, arts and entertainment, freedoms and new ideas, and a good place to raise kids. We were going up the Northeast coast of America to New England across the upper part of the American Midwest to the Pacific Northwest. We would fund the journey by vending several festivals along the route.
Wrapping up work and giving notice, some preliminary packing up for the move when we did find a place, and getting inventory in order. Daily walks with the little man and encouraging his explorations into the bright and silly. I really realized how much I love kids and babies, how fulfilling parenting is, and sharing life with new minds to help mold and educate.
Three months old and Cian was ready for his adventures as were mom and dad. Wrapping up work and preparing ship for its journey across America. We had some mileage laying waiting ahead of us. It was going to be a bold brave adventure for sure – finding ourselves and our new home.
Packed up and ready to go, farewells said at work and to the lovely crew of very talented programmers was said. Going away parties, lunches, and dinners as my boss was also leaving the same month. Securing the hatches at home, RV loaded with festival gear, sundries, and supplies we embarked on our journey north.
We visited Etain’s Irish family and cousins in North Carolina while heading north to Virginia. Lots of family fun and festivities were had. Trips to Trader Joes and explorations of the surroundings wherever we could get away parking the RV. While having a home on wheels had its benefits at times, parking and maneuvering streets was a hindrance, making us miss seeing some sights along the way we wanted to explore.
We had a great visit with our friend Kay in Virginia camping out at a state park under the full moon’s light. The magic of the woods, fireflies, and radiant glow of the moon was awe inspiring. Good times were had by all.
Exploring the rivers and woods, hiking the trails, and getting back to nature was definitely a highlight for the month. A grand release of the stresses that were building up on us were finally releasing. Re-connecting with historic friends and extended family along the way was a very important highlight along the expedition.
On into West Virginia we went to visit some magical extended family, explore the lovely Berkeley Springs and soak in its waters, and tromp around the village. I had outfitted the RV with solar panels and apparently did something wrong as 5 days into the journey smelled some burning and heard a pop – the solar charge was so impressive it blew the controller and almost caught the RV on fire. Hunting along the path for solar shops was a loss. Virgin broadband WiFi device didn’t work the whole journey either requiring buying another and exchanging the old. Never worked as we determined Virgin’s broadband to go was a scam.
Visiting extended family and friends in Pennsylvania as we entered the lands of the Amish culture made us wish we had more time to spend there. We pit stopped at Hershey Park for Cian’s first amusement park, taking rides, learning about chocolate, making our own chocolate bars, and indulging in the richness was a theme for the visit.
Amish culture for whatever reason always intrigued me, admiring the simplicity of the people, their community, and their way of life. We got to find some Pennsylvania dutch hex signs for our new home as well as other Amish charms. We embraced the countryside as we headed north to New York for even more Amish territory to be had.
Visiting more Irish family and cousins in New York as Etain stocked up on Irish sundries at a local Irish grocer, we had some great family outings, went to the old haunted house I lived in New Rochelle (where I grew up as a wee one), and explored thoroughly the village of Sleepy Hollow where the Legend of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman came to be. We met a Irish cousin from Seattle as well who joined us for the Headless Horseman hunt.
Onwards we ventured to our next festival – New York Faerie Festival as we wandered around the world of the fae into encounters with mermaids, orcs, trolls, goblins, pixies, and even the tooth fairie! Weather was a bit muddy and damp, slippery and sopping, but it was a grand event nonetheless.
Cian was having a fantastic time in the world of the Fae loving all the creatures and beings he encountered. Water was his fascination, most likely from having partial mer-blood, made him enjoy the river ever more so. New friends were made, old friends encountered, and magical tidings took place. Trolls requiring shiny things to cross bridges, mermaids playing harps along the river, pixies dancing in the woods, great arts and crafts to shop around, and a small economy car pulling up across from our RV holding 3 llamas, 3 girls, and a mom.
The Goblins adored young Cian, the prince of Endurance as they made him smile and whimper trying to figure out these ghastly and humorous characters from Down Under. June was definitely a magical month for us all as we left the realm of the fae and headed west to the Great Lakes and Midwest.
Year in Review: [ January ] [ February ] [ March ] [ April ] [ May ] [ June ] [ July ] [ August ] [ September ] [ October ] [ November ] [ December ]