6/2017 Our Freedom Folly Is Complete

Newport RI 1996

Dear Zoe and Jack,

Our Freedom Folly is now complete.   Little did we know that it would be almost 3 years after moving into the RV before we would move into our new condo.  As frustrating as the delays have been, we are grateful for our extended Freedom Folly adding more friends, family and wonderful adventures to look back on. 

We realized deep into this journey that it was a life altering enlightenment of sorts and a macrocosm of our life's work.  We know that the Source of all this joy resides within us all and simply needs to be acknowledged.   More extraordinary things are in store for us as age has nothing to do with one's ability to seek, learn, change, and grow.  Having you two most special souls along with us on this journey has been awe-inspiring. 

In closing, with our hearts full of love and bursting with pride for both of you, keep the words by Lee Ann Womack always close .....   



               I HOPE YOU DANCE

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'
Don't let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance

I hope you dance

From Unconditional Love,

Mom and Dad

5/30/17 Thoughts On Our Travels

Most Unexpected 
-One year turned into 2 +
-Not missing the house
-2 years out and still enjoying the nomad life

Worst Experience 
Deb - almost having a head on collision with a tractor trailer truck while passing another truck going uphill when our truck lost power
John - Camped at Strawberry Festival Campground in Florida next to the dumpsters which were loaded all night long

Biggest Challenge 
Deb - Finding campground space during summer and winter in Florida
John - Finishing the first SSG report in between the MANY moves we made in the first year
Both - Waiting around RI for condo to be finished when we stopped traveling in June 2016

Best Places
Too many to count

Places To Revisit
Wow, lots!!!

Best Beach Camping
Point Magu California where RV's bottom step is in the sand 

Best Random Discovery 
Camping and exploring Graham Cave off Route 70 in Missouri

Best View From The RV
Sitting on top of the RV talking to the hot air balloon pilots as hundred of them floated over us during the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

Most Laid Back
Site 24 at Old Pavilion RV Park, Keaton Beach Florida campground on coast (wiped out in a storm shortly after we left :(

Most Beautiful Drive 
Oregon coast through the redwoods

Scariest Drive 
Deb- Pacific Coast Highway, California (large sections closed down in 2017 due to bridge failure from floods and landslides)
John- None, he is a cool cat.

Biggest Effect On Our Life 
-Deb is looser, less of a planner, more go with the flow
-John able to focus on the purpose and meaning of his life


Best Food 
Muffuletta Sandwiches at Central Grocery in New Orleans

Coolest City 
Old Quebec City

Most Surprised by 
San Antonio, pleasantly
New Orleans, dissapointed

Best Advice 
Mississippi Bayou Park Ranger - we asked how big are the gators, he said "how big is your kayak?"


Dumbest Decision 
Trailblazing through the Tucson desert getting teeny tiny cactus hairs embedded in our  bare legs

Saddest
Our kitty Luna passing

Craziest thing we did 
9000 miles the first two months of the Folly; 7000 miles the first month on the trip Virginia to Washington State  to CT, then 2000 miles the second month CT to Nova Scotia and back to RI.  

Most Important
- Jack graduating OCS as a Naval Officer
- Zoe graduating WSU with her PhD
-Vising our Canadian cousins with Steve, Aunt Norma, Uncle Bill and Gayle in Nova Scotia
- Having the courage to undertake this Folly, for finding joy in the adventure and loving and respecting each other even more when it was over

5/12/2017 Doctor Zoe and Oregon

Graduation Day for John's PhD 1991 and Zoe's PhD 2017

ZOE DEFENDED HER DISSERTATION (Yeeha, Yahoo, God is Woman and She is Great!!!) on "Minimizing and Mitigating Wolf/Wildlife Conflicts" in late April then flew to DC for the Smithsonian Earth Optimism Summit where conservation

Earth Day March

organizations discussed positive approaches to nature preservation. We joined her for the rain soaked but fulfilling Earth Day March.  It was more like a "stand" as 40,000ish people peacefully and happily inched down Constitution Avenue toward the Capital. 

 It was a fantastic experience to be back at Frostburg University where in 2009 she defended her Masters Thesis on "Habitat Variations of Bobcats and Fishers".  But this time she was presenting her PhD findings to large enthusiastic crowds at University of MD's Environmental Research Lab and at Frostburg University.  As usual, she gave a poised and engaging presentation which prompted many interesting questions from the audience.

Zoe, Gabe And His Girls

Two weeks later we are at Washington State University watching as Zoe 's PhD and Gabe's Master degrees are conferred.    When someone referred to her as Doctor Hanley, she looked around and replied, "no, that's my father, I'm Doctor Z". Working on this project has been a LONG slog both physically and emotionally for both of them but they should be very proud to be recognized in the wildlife community for their objectivity on this most controversial and politically explosive topic.  Congratulations Zoe and Gabe!

Hiking at Silver Falls Oregon

Couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit cousin Megan in Salem Oregon.  Their beautiful new home high on a hill on the outskirts of town is a peaceful gardened sanctuary.  Hawaii friends (and fellow RV'ers) Dean and Janine were in town for their sons college graduation and a grand time was had by all over dinner at Megan's house.  

4/19/17 Final Map of Travels

As we reflect on the this most momentous adventure in our lives, this map shows all states where we camped.    Utah, Tennessee, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Alaska are left to explore on future folly's!!!!!

We later added the Hawaii sticker to our map in honor of our visits in July 2016 and January 2017 even though the camper didn't quite make it there ;)   

Hawaii or Bust

4/7/17 April Fools - We Move Into The Condo

APRIL FOOLS - We Moved Into The Condo.
No really, we did.  Seriously, we are sleeping in our own bed in our own bedroom while the sun rises through the bedroom windows as we look out the deck slider to the ocean.  Honestly, we are IN!!!!!!!

John's Den

Of course it was after more weeks, then days, then hours of delays until we were literally at the last day to close before loosing our mortgage rate lock.  On April 7th at noon, we still didn't know for sure if we were closing at 4:00.  But the bank inspector took pity on us and through the construction haze with many things still left to do, he allowed the closing.   Two days later we have new furniture delivered in the morning and in the afternoon we move in everything from the storage unit.  We are finally home again, after beginning our Freedom Folly in Fairfax, Virginia on June 30, 2014.

Guest Bedroom

Master Bedroom

The beauty of the space, the lovely scenery out our windows, the joyful peace we feel inside more than fulfills our years of  expectations.  Life is Good!

And we love the history of this place.  Sitting atop the unique geology of the Champlin Woods Glacier Park, Dr. Champlin bought the land in 1916 and errected the Oaks Inn on the site where our condo building is now located.  In the late 1920's the property

was converted to a horse club stables, with polo grounds across the street.  During WWII the fear of German uboats coming up the bay to attack the Naval Base in Newport resulted in many coastal batteries being established including one at the Oaks Inn site.  As part of the Harbor Defense of Long Island Sound, the US Army converted the Inn to a military headquarters from 1942-1944 surrounding it with four 155 mm  guns on panama mounts.  The Inn and military buildings were demolished in late 1990's but the battery mounts existed until bulldozed in 2008 for development of our condo  units.  

Oaks Inn Harbor Defense Map

3/31/17 Jack's Ship Battle "E" and Family Service

Jack's ship won best ship in the squadron earning the prestigious Surface Force Battle "E" after winning all five Command Excellence Awards!!!!  The iDrive Warships website says "the award is coveted among U.S. Navy vessels as it recognizes the ships and crews that best exemplify readiness and their capability to perform assigned wartime tasking. It also acknowledges a command’s demonstrated ability to perform efficiently in an operational environment and sustain overall superior performance in each department.  The awards are a direct reflection of the

Chung Hoon in Dry Dock

Sailors’ hard work and dedication to the ship and their role in the Surface Force."  As Auxiliary Officer, Jack continues to pour blood, sweat and tears into the ships dry dock overhaul and into his sailors development and performance while managing to carve out a few hours for paddle boarding.  

Thailand Snake Charmer 2000

Capt Jack 1st Grade Play

Millions of people in countries all over the world continue to peacefully protest.  The silver lining of our current chaotic and disheartening state of affairs is motivating people like ourselves to become politically active and take responsibility for the state of our nation and our world.  Who'da thought way back then that our kids would choose careers supporting these noble goals :)  Saying we are proud of them doesn't begin to express our gratitude for the women and man they have become.

"Fix Not Fight" at No Labels March

John and I have pitched in to promote greater respect, balance and cooperation in our government. Deb joined, a local Huddle and the RI Progressive Alliance and John joined the No Labels organization.  These groups and thousands of others are gathering millions of us to work constructively toward positive change. 

Speaking of construction:

Loading Construction Materials Through Our Deck 

     

1/31/17 Hawaiian Mana Still Lives Here

Surfer Honoring Mana

I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful

Sun rise before me, moon set behind me
Makai (ocean) to the left of me,  mauka (mountains) to the right of me
Blue skies above me, soft sand below me
Sweet breeze all around me, mana (spirit) within me

I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful

On one of our almost daily walks across the street to Kailua beach, we all walk down the beach to Kalapawai Market for coffee and a scone.  As the sun rises before us and the moon sets behind us in what is the most enchanting place on earth for us, John starts singing the gratitude song we learned at our Center For Spiritual Living then we add a few Hawaiian twists and have something that can almost capture the visceral emotions pouring from our souls. We connect with the lone surfer also honoring spirit as the sun rises.

Our Lani at 149B N. Kalaheo

Renting the same little house at 149B N. Kalaheo that we had on our July trip feels homey.  Jack is off work for much of the week while Zoe is in town and we spend it mostly at the beaches.  We have wonderful dinners with our old neighbors Jody and Mike and good friends Dean and Jaynine, and in Honolulu with Bev and Gary, John's mate from nuclear power school in 1972.  We share fresh baked malasadas from Agnes Portuguese Bake Shop with Deb's beach walking buddy Bobbi and her husband at their lovely Hawaiian home. The month goes by too quickly as John does a good job balancing work with pleasure, Deb scours the thrift stores for furnishings for Jack's place and Hawaiiana for her YaYa's and decides to buy her and John beach bikes to get around town.

Maunawili Falls

John at 13th Hole Kaneohe Marine Base

We take a few challenging hikes up the old Pali Highway to Maunawili Falls and another with the Sierra Club along the Windward coast to the Makapu'u lighthouse.  We see lots of whales, witness several powerful blow holes and swim in tidal pools along the way.  Breakfast on the north shore watching 20 foot swells never disappoints.

Temple of the Gods

Deb thumbs a ride with a feisty group of women to the Women's March in Honolulu to join about 8,000 men, women and children in what ends up being part of the largest protest IN THE WORLD described by wikipedia as follows.  "The Women's March was a worldwide protest on January 21, 2017, to advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights and other issues, including women's rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, the natural environment, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, freedom of religion, and workers' rights. The rallies were aimed at Donald Trump, immediately following his inauguration as President of the United States, largely due to statements and positions attributed to him regarded by many as anti-women or otherwise offensive. It was the largest single-day demonstration in U.S. history." 

As Deb's collection of beach glass, shells, driftwood and Hawaiiana grows, John gives up a loosing battle as a last minute trip to the Thrift Store brings a suitcase to haul it all back.  We plan to be back several more times as Jack will remain on the Chung Hoon for another tour as Navigator.  But first he has to spend three months at the Surface Warfare School in Newport RI beginning of 2018 taking Advanced Division Officer and Navigator courses.  The cosmos aligns as we find yet another reason for moving to Westerly, about 50 minutes from Newport!!!

Women's March Honolulu

1/1/2017 New Years Mt. Baker Washington

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017 is spent on the Canadian boarder about 2 hours northeast of Seattle in Baker Mountain Ski area where we celebrated New Years Eve and spent the week snow shoeing, cross country and downhill skiing and snowboarding.  Couldn't get the ski boot to fit comfortably around the injury on John's leg so he stuck to cross country skiing.  It was great to have Gabe join us for a few days where the snow conditions were excellent and the cabin was a skiers delight.

Nooksack River, Demming Washington

Gabe and Zoe took us down the road to the Nooksack River near Deming where we did wildlife tracking and witnessed one of the largest annual eagle migrations in the lower 48 states.  We saw about 80 of them on the drive from Seattle and dozens the day we stopped near the end of the salmon run, watching as they feast on the the migrating salmon who are dying after spawning.

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/living/family/article22204641.html#storylink=cpyThen