Paul Carlino
Reading is Fun!

I learned to read a long time ago. But somewhere along the path of life I fell out of the habit of reading for pleasure. Then along came the “LIttle Free Library” . . .

Reading is Fun!
Featured Articles, Mexico, USA
Paul Carlino
Vaccination Day

Follow us on our 72 hour odyssey from Central Mexico to Laredo, Texas to get jabbed with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine . . . only hours before the Center for Disease Control puts a pause on further administration of the shot . . .

Vaccination Day
Paul Carlino
Road Trip to Summer Vacation

We had already spent ninety days quarantining from Covid, so another seven days in a car driving to the US would be a piece of cake.

Road Trip to Summer Vacation
Featured Articles, Living in SMA, Mexico, Moving
Paul Carlino
Our Mexican Revolution

San Miguel de Allende was significant to the origins of the Mexican Revolution that sought independence from Spain.  Was it just coincidence that our newly transplanted Vanamos family chose to establish residency there . . .

Our Mexican Revolution

Virginia

, , , , , , , , , ,

This is the End - Or is it Just the Beginning?

, , , , , , , , , ,
This is the End - Or is it Just the Beginning?

This is the end. In the words of the somewhat famous and totally unpredictable Jim Morrison of The Doors, this is the end, my only friend, the end.

My family and I just completed a year-long overland adventure through Mexico and Central America. We left Virginia on August 1, 2015 and drove our 1985 Volkswagen Westfalia camper van - which we named Wesley - through Mexico and Central America. We’ve now landed softly at the family lake house in New York’s Catskill Mountains where we will take contemplative walks in the woods and frolic in the clear lake water before launching back at the end of the month into the hard work of being middle class Americans.

, , , , , ,

Family Road Trip Through the USA

, , , , , ,
Family Road Trip Through the USA

After driving nearly 14,000 miles in eleven months to Panama and back, Wesley had delivered us to Laredo, Texas, with 12 days to go 2,000 miles to NJ for my niece's baptism. With our spectacular border crossing in the rear view mirror, we found a Worldschoolers family north of Houston who is in the midst of selling their house and belongings in preparation for their own around- the-world-adventure. Israel, Michelle, and their three boys Joaquin, Jovani, and Judah, were gracious hosts who allowed us to use their beds, eat their food, swim in their pool, and stick around their house for two days while the epoxy we used to seal Wesleys’ leaky engine coolant recovery tank cured. This tank was the part that burst its seams while crossing into the U.S. and Israel talked me into taking the extra day to remove the part from the engine compartment and seal it rather than invest many dollars in extra coolant to keep the tank topped off during our drive home. It was a good call and has spared R and me a lot of anxiety during the long days of driving.

, , ,

On the Road - Kerr Lake

, , ,

For the first three nights of our year-long overland trip to South America we stayed with my in-laws friends - the very generous David and Thao - in Williamsburg, Virginia, and looked like typical tourists - standing in line at amusement parks, over-eating at buffets, and swimming in the hotel pool. Coconut and J had a nice time visiting with my sisters and nephew who came down from New Jersey for a final hug before we turned our bow south. That time finally came on Monday. Even though we would like to make it all the way to Tierra del Fuego in this year, R and I have planned that we won't do more than 4 hours of driving on any day and won't drive consecutive 4 hour days. That might mean we won't make it to the tip of Argentina, but this trip doesn't necessarily have to have a destination to be a success. With our paper map spread on the floor of Wesley and our four-hour threshold in mind, we fingered Kerr Lake in Boydton, Virginia, as within range. The GPS confirmed it to be a 2.5 hour drive and once we accounted for Wesley's more leisurely pace, we pinned it as our target for the day.

R and I met at school in Williamsburg, however, so we before we hit the highway we took a detour down nostalgia way and visited some of our old haunts - including, believe it or not, the school library. After nearly 20 years most of these places remained surprisingly familiar. And of course, because no trip to Williamsburg is complete without a visit to the premium outlets, we made a stop so I could replace my threadbare and musty sneakers that were past due on fixing.

R and I outside the school in Williamsburg were we met. Photo courtesy of J.

R and I outside the school in Williamsburg were we met. Photo courtesy of J.

Finally, with the air temperature past the boiling point and knowing that being in our unairconditioned Wesley is only tolerable when we are at cruising speed - 45 miles per hour - we set off for real on our journey - to borrow a term from John Steinbeck - into bumdom.

R had a revelation after a day spent at WaterCountry USA while she was hanging our wrung out swim suits from a line stretched from the front of Wesley to the back (essentially through our kitchen, family room and dining room) that we are actually going to be living in a van for a year - and she realized that made her happy. What a difference this emotion must be if you choose this life compared to if you are forced to live it.

Our view of Kerr Lake from camp

Our view of Kerr Lake from camp

The drive south on Interstate 85 to the John H. Kerr Reservoir was uneventful, but by the time we pulled into campsite # 240 in North Bend Park, we were all ready for a swim. J decided, however, that it would be better if we set up camp first so we would get even more sweaty and then go for a swim. So that's what we did. J gathered firewood, Coconut pitched her tent, and R made happy noises as she pulled out our dinnerware and bedding. The swim in the lake after this bit of chores was extra refreshing and it wasn't long before J had made a new friend - Luca - and was running up and down the beach chasing after a Frisbee and living the dream - carefree and happy and not wanting for anything but more of the same.

J built a fire at camp. Sweaty work and it was rewarded by a swim in the lake.

J built a fire at camp. Sweaty work and it was rewarded by a swim in the lake.

Coconut enjoying a book at our camp on Kerr Lake

Coconut enjoying a book at our camp on Kerr Lake

After the sun went down, and we were reminded the sky actually contains stars and not just planes and light pollution, and with Coconut zipped into her tent and J in the top bunk dreaming whatever dreams almost 10-year old boys dream, R and I enjoyed the lake breeze with the doors on Wesley flung wide open - just like the opportunity in front of us.