Note: Playing catch up on the blog, as usual. This is from mid-May through mid-July time frame.
Our trek back to Indiana was a quick one. We were back in Indiana after leaving Arkansas 8 days earlier. For us slow travelers it was a change of pace, only staying put 1-4 days at each place.
The trip back involved stopping in to see some family and friends. We spent a few days with our friends from Indianapolis who now live in northwestern Tennessee. Josie loved hanging out with their dog.
We also had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with my great uncle, his daughter, and her husband. Shane enjoyed playing music with my great uncle (who is 95).
One more stop in at a friend’s house where Josie had another dog friend to play with for the overnight stay. And like that we were back in Indiana for our 2 month hiatus from the road.
During our hiatus we stayed in our RV but the RV itself was parked for quite awhile at our family’s homes. One in a suburb of Indianapolis and the other out in the country of southern Michigan. Both were nice for working on projects (new desk & couch build) and visiting family and friends. Shane had the opportunity to wrench on a friend/customer car while we were in town. He quickly realized he does not miss working on cars.
After being away for 5.5 months it was wonderful to catch up with our loved ones. The quality time was priceless.
Nightly dinners, hikes with the grand dogs, house sitting while the kids went on a cruise, and catching up from our time away. We had a short visit from our dear friend Annie and her dog Deedee (pictured below hanging out on my lap). Plus we had the chance to visit one of our old hangouts on Mass Ave, the Chatterbox. It looked the same and really brought back memories from many years ago.
Not pictured, I visited with the lab folks I used to work with. It was great seeing the gang again. And we really enjoyed our evening with Mike and Lisa. It was fun to host them for dinner, drink some wine, and stay up way too late (like we seem to do every time we get together).
As much as I love the nomad lifestyle, I will say I enjoyed house sitting. It was nice to have the large space of a two story house. Plenty of room to spread out.
Shane and I had some space to ourselves during our house/dog sitting time. He played bachelor and slept in the RV. I on the other hand stayed in the house with 3 dogs and loved every minute of it.
We basked in long showers and the joy of cooking in a much larger space than our usual.
During our stay in Indianapolis, we finally transformed our lounge space into a proper couch area. Repurposing our old couch cushions and building out the base we were able to give our couch the proper width. There were a lot of Amazon deliveries during our stay including new couch covers and a bed cover for the warmer months.
After some discussion we also decided it was time to custom build a desk to better suit our space. Partly so I would have a work space with an office chair and partly to take in the beautiful views we often have on the slide out side.
Sadly, I had to get rid of my old 1960’s writing desk. It served it’s purpose but it was time for a new configuration. And we love it. The couch is much more cozy with some nice large pillows to serve as our back cushions.
Shane built the desk to his specifications and with the help of Triston (son) they gave it a nice stain. It turned out quite nice. Shane’s skill set continues to grow in our nomadic lifestyle.
We spent one weekend away from the kids’ house and took the dogs along with. Our good friends, Troy + Toni, were gracious enough to host us along with our RV for a weekend of catching up, good food, drinks, and fun. The dogs loved having some time out in the country where they could roam freely and hang out with the neighbor’s dogs. I did not get a photo but one evening we had 7 dogs all hanging outside with the group. Everyone got along wonderfully.
We did a dog swap for a few days when we traveled to Michigan. Leaving Josie behind with the kids, Justice accompanied us for some time by herself in the country.
The time spent in Michigan was filled with catching up with Shane’s family. Lunches out with dad and his buddies. Hanging out on the patio enjoying cocktails and loving the quiet sounds of summer in the country. We certainly felt more in our element in the beautiful Michigan countryside but enjoyed both of our stays.
We both acquired a couple of new toys. A hammock for me. A wench & roof rack storage for the Jeep. Shane’s new toy to help get us out of any stuck situations.
When an unexpected death occurred we found ourselves glad to be nearby to support the family. Shane’s cousin, who lived just down the road, died suddenly of a heart attack, right after the 4th of July holiday. She was 54. It was a stark reminder just how precious this life is.
Another reason we are grateful for this opportunity to travel, work, play, and live our best life right now.
The hiatus from nomadic life was nice from a seeing our family perspective. Yet the open road called to us and we answered with a resounding “yes we are ready to be on the road again”.
After much consideration, we decided against going to Maine for the summer. The late start coupled with high gas prices made the decision easy. Instead of Maine, we headed back north to the UP. The place that truly made us happy and soothed the soul last summer.
I felt my excitement grow as we neared our departure day. Instead of being disappointed by not going to Maine, I felt myself smile. With one trip under our belt, we felt more equipped and ready to explore this beautiful part of Michigan yet again.
Oh damn, we have to spend another summer in the UP. I suppose we will survive. 🙂
And in case you are wondering, we swapped dogs back before departing for the UP.
Josie back in her spot in between the two of us as we head north.
Ralphie Rough Road 
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