~breaking camp~

Today I packed up much of the Airstream - that is, the things that have made the Airstream my home for the past two years (yes, TWO YEARS).  Tomorrow I drive up to Virginia, and this week I'll check out the home I've rented in McLean - and stay there for a few days while I participate in a grant panel.  The house is just over 1200 square feet, small to most - but for me, who has adapted to living in 216 sq. ft., I truly can't imagine needing that much space, and I envision the dogs and cat and I in a huddle in one room, accustomed to the closeness.

I'll return to the Airstream next weekend - and then in two weeks I'll head back up to Northern Virginia for a one-year visiting scientist thing, with my possessions from a storage unit crammed into a U-Haul - dogs and cat in the car.  I'll enjoy a real kitchen, and walls for the paintings I've collected over the years.  There will be bookshelves... filled with books.  I'll be returning to Charleston and the Airstream every six weeks or so - for a full week - but then it'll be more like camping for a week, transient weeks where I'm guessing I'll live on take out and peanut butter... and huge gulps of salt air.

So... I suppose you could say that I'm breaking camp tonight, a camp that lasted for two years - one that kept me dry, warm (at least most of the time), cool (love the AC in this thing) and above all, it allowed me to weather this difficult period of unemployment with something resembling a home.  For these things, I am grateful.

Comments

[Ad Ingle]

But, you will continue to keep us informed by blogging, right?

Congratulations, and have a good time.

[katherine]

The end of an era...kinda sad. It's been quite an adventure! I love this image, blurry and strange, like the feeling you get when you're leaving everything familiar to you, as if through tears.

Onward!

[Sheran]

Change...it's something, isn't it? I am so glad you have this opportunity, but I sure will miss hearing about your garden.

[Annie in Austin]

I remember when you were planning that eagles' nest of a replacement house and thinking about the temporary adventure of the Airstream. Twelve years ago today the movers were loading our belongings onto a truck bound for Texas - that was also supposed to be a temporary adventure but here we are.

None of us are living the life we expected, are we, Pam! And for most of us, the composition of the pack keeps morphing with time, too.

I'm looking forward to reading the new adventures of you and yours in Virginia... good luck with everything!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

[Janet, The Queen of Seaford]

Safe travels to you Pam. From one adventure to another......enjoy!

[John B.]

"If there were no rocks in it, the stream would have no song."--Carl Perkins, rockabilly singer and secret Zen master.

I'm looking forward to following you "here" on your new adventure.

[Benjamin]

Well, that's sorta good news, isn't it? Lovely economy that it is.

[Elephant's Eye]

Haven't been here in a while, but it seems things are looking up for you!

[Pam]

Thanks folks. This is a good thing, although right now I'm pretty exhausted and not so thrilled about the move. And John B., rocks do serve a purpose, so thanks for the reminder!

I've rented a home in McLean, VA with a horrible yard, virtually nothing resembling a garden - but the landlords are okay with my crazy dogs, so it works. For the next year I'll be traveling back to South Carolina every 4-6 weeks for a week, staying in the Airstream, and keeping things somewhat functional both at my lab at USC and in my garden. So - an acre of land, an Airstream and a lab in SC, a rental home, a new office, and then my Dad's place (that I help manage) in Virginia... when I think about it, I get a bit overwhelmed.

But I'm grateful for this opportunity (with the Nat'l Science Foundation) - and at the very least, it'll be an adventure. I just wish I had time to take a nap! ps Sheran, I hope to talk about the garden, even still - at least during my visits back. I'm a bit blue abandoning it... as you might imagine.