Tom was asked to help the grounds keepers getting the campground ready for the winter season. Cutting back shrubs, securing structures and such. He agreed and was volunteering through October and November 2014.
We were planning and preparing for our own first winter in the camper, when the campground owner approached us with a proposal. She asked if we, since we were the only campers around all winter, would be willing to keep an eye on things and make sure nothing freezes, report damages and mop the office/stairwell as needed. In exchange, we were invited to stay in the apartment above the office overlooking the Baltic sea. That was a "very difficult" decision to make! We moved to the apartment when the water to the campsites was turned off, and enjoyed the luxury of a large livingroom/dining room, a bedroom, a well equipped kitchen, and a bathroom with a deep soaking tub. We even had a car available to drive to the grocery store or get needed parts for the campground.
It was cold! It's always windy on the island, but during the winter months, it is brutal! We did not have much snow that year, but it was cold enough to freeze the coast.
We spent Christmas and New years in Kassel with our German Family. That was a lot of fun.
In March 2015 we travelled back to NH for a few weeks. On our return trip we ended up in Rota, Spain for a week. That's what happens when you fly "space A" on military planes. Unfortunately, there was no flight offered from Rota to anywhere in Germany. We ended up taking an endless, horrible bus ride from southern Spain all the way to Hamburg, Germany. From there it was only a short train ride to our island.
In May I surprised Tom with a 60. birthday trip to Berlin. We stayed at the house of a super nice Couch surfing host through www.couchsurfing.com. We toured the city, and on his birthday we enjoyed a show at the Friedrichsstadt-Palast. The show was called "The Wyld". Similar to Cirque de Soleil. Great performance, great costumes and all in all a huge surprise for Tom.
The summer was warm and we took trips to Hamburg, Lübeck, Bonn, Berlin, Mainz, Kölln, Kassel, Eutin, Dahme, took the ferry over to Denmark, and explored the island.
In June we purchased our own car. We got a cute little used and cheap BMW. It served us very well, and to this day is still in the family.
In October 2015 we came back to the US and stayed there until March 2016. We took a flight from McGuire AFB to Sigonella, Sicily. It was beautiful. We explored the city, climbed up Mt. Etna, traced the steps of "The Godfather" in Taormina, and then took the ferry over to Malta. We spend only 3 days there. It is on the list to go back and spend more time there.
After we arrived back on Sicily, it was no problem to catch a flight over to Germany. We had the great privilege to travel in the cockpit! That was a first time experience. I loved it!
Summer 2016 was cold and windy. Problems with our rented home in the US turned out to be a big and constant worry. We were contemplating, thinking, revising, until we decided to relocate back to the US and take care of business first and come up with a new plan. Now since we had figured out the SpaceA situation, it really didnt matter much where our headquarters was. We sold the camper and pretty much everything in it and came back to NH for good - for now.
From there we drove across Canada to Madison, WI.
For the remainder of 2017 we, once again, worked on the house to get it ready for the market...again. We really did not want to live in that house, in that State since a few years. We moved away for that reason. After long and hard thoughts we settled on a new location. Close to military bases from which we could fly out to destinations around the globe, and below the snow line. We zeroed in on Virginia and plotted our next move.
While in the planning stage, we managed to travel to TX, FL twice, a big Canada loop, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Germany.
Finally, in March 2019 we moved to VA. More tenants moved into our home. The market was not in our favor. That rent to own situation turned sour within a few month. In September they vacated the property and left us with much damage and dirt and financial stress. We spent from September to November working on the house - again. Finally by the end of November it was listed for sale. We went back home and anticipated a quick sale, only to find out, on Christmas Eve 2019 that the house suffered extensive water damage due to a frozen pipe. Back to NH we go to assess the damage. Is was not pretty...
We had it all back to normal by February. That's when covit19 started occupying the news. Long and behold, our home sold at the end of February 2020. After all was set and done, a HUGE burden lifted off our shoulders. We were free! But then again, the pandemic kept us home. We originally had plans to travel to Japan for cherry blossom season. That did not happen. All international travel on military flights stopped completely.
Today it is December 1. 2020. This crazy year is almost over, but I dont see the care free living, we enjoyed in the past, coming back any time soon. I'm certain that future international travel will require the covit vaccine. That will certainly curb my desire to travel.
We decided to venture out and explore the State of Virginia. We did 2 weeks of van camping along the "Wilderness Road". We started in Winchester, VA and traveled south to Cumberland gap. Then through N. Carolina back to VA.
We enjoyed it so much that we have two new trips in the planning stage. We are leaving December 16. 2020 to Florida. But that will be in a new post.
Stay tuned. This is going to be fun!
#vanlife #simplicity #vancamping
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