A
little bit about us…
Photo by Sally Middleton
When Rick reached the age of sixty, he retired and
we began to live our dream of traveling the back roads of this
beautiful country.
We'd always maintained that there was more in the
U.S. then we could ever see and we had no need to travel further,
but in 2005 we traveled to England. Uh ! Oh! Now we can't wait
to see more of the "rest" of the world.
One day, while we were out and about, Rick picked
up a piece of wood and started carving. And he's seldom had a
carving knife out of his hand since. It turned out he is good
at it and it's been great fun to watch him stretch his creative
wings. God gives us many gifts…I guess He was waiting until
Rick 'retired' to give him this special one.
When I was a tot I spent hours bandaging my poor long suffering
grandpa and sure enough, when I grew up, I became a RN. I thoroughly
enjoyed the years I spent in nursing. And, in later years, when
I switched to a career in freelance photography I had a ball with
it. Is that luck or what…two careers that I loved?
Then came along 'digital' photography…Oh boy was that an
eye opener! All the fun without a huge camera bag full to the
brim with SLR equipment to 'tote'. (Read…that Rick got to
tote!) AND a darkroom inside a computer…no chemical smell!
I still see the world through the lens of a camera but now it
is pure fun…no hassle!
I started out shooting with a Nikon Coolpix 995 digital camera
and then moved on to a Panasonic FX. In 2003 I switched over to
a Nikon D-70 digital SLR camera and finally to a D-80 digital
SLR. I have loved everyone of these cameras. I still hang on to
the 'little guys' and enjoy them because they are so easy to carry.
They work well for 'grab shots' and candids. The 'big guns' can't
be beat for landscapes and wild life and with a Nikon 18-200VR
lens give me a great range.
When we are on the road I keep this 'visual journal' of our
travels. And it tickles me so many of you nice folks 'come along
for the ride'!
These years have been filled with the most fun we have ever experienced
and while we have 'toyed' with selling the house and have, in
fact, rented it for a year we still can't 'quite' let go of it.
Though in many ways the months we are on the road feel more like
our 'real' life than when we go back to Hemet.
'OUR HOUSE'
For five years the 'go buggy' was a 26-foot Lazy Daze. I loved
that RV but the thought of going full time began to occupy our
minds. When we came across a '98 Bounder that would give us the
one thing we had been lacking…a bedroom that was separate
from the rest of the house…we couldn't resist. In the past
year it passed the 'road test' with flying colors. I wrote up
the 'remodel' that we did on the Bounder in "Bits and Pieces".
It's been fun turning it into home!
We've
found this to be an awesome life style. We have seen more wonders,
experienced more adventures, met more friends and experienced
more freedom than I would have believed possible! And every morning,
when we walk out our front door, we see a whole new world…ready
to be explored.
In May of 2006 I (Judy) had an open heart surgery for replacement
of my aortic valve. It's been difficult sitting around while I
regained my health but shortly we should be able to 'cast forth'
and I simply can't wait!
Warm regards,
Judy and Rick
