So, How Are Things Going?

We’ve given you lots of blow-by-blow descriptions of our days and the mechanics of life but haven’t really tried to sum it up. This is an excerpt from a recent email Cathryn sent my sister that struck me (Bob) as a good summary: “We're really enjoying this trip! The weather has improved Bob's disposition ten-fold (and it's never particularly bad to begin with, as you know) and he's happy as can be. It's so easy to imagine him living a full-time life as a beach hippie. We've gotten really good at living in the Chalet together and don't find the small space at all bothersome. I've mostly gotten over my annoyance and discomfort about bathrooms as we're now in warm temperatures, so no bathroom, however "basic" is cold or uncomfortable in that regard. That said, I'm still starting to wish we'd bought a slightly larger RV that includes a tiny marine-type bathroom, but honestly as long as we're camping in warm weather, it's ok not having one. My Spanish is improving with use, but still fairly tortured. I have an excellent Spanish accent, but poor grammar and limited vocabulary. Today, however, we walked into a hardware store and I was able to make the guy understand that we wanted to purchase a voltage meter so we could check the charge on our RV batteries, so I felt somewhat accomplished on a non-routine matter. Food, accommodations and directions are easy, but beyond that I struggle.” And now for Cathryn’s add to this particular post: an indication of our level of relaxation and adjustment to life in a small space. Bob brought his iPod on the trip and uses it frequently, including attaching it to tiny speakers inside the Chalet. Tonight he was doing email, and I (Cathryn) was researching campgrounds and options for where we might go tomorrow. A particularly nice song by James Blount came on the iPod. Somehow it inspired me to dance, and Bob acquiesced and danced the rest of the song with me IN THE CHALET! Needless to say, it was not highly active dancing as there’s so little room, but those of you who know Bob well, know that he NEVER dances except on the very rare occasions he is drinking scotch, and then only after the third one (which means almost never)! So I take it as an indication of his level of happiness that he was willing to dance with me without any scotch at all to grease the skids. (Note to Kelly B: see, we really do expect dance lessons on the Nordic Tug this summer – if there’s room in the 6-foot by 12-foot Chalet, there is room on the boat!)