It’s great to have the ability to be flexible!!!
I had my camper all packed, except for food and a few other things, and I planned to leave Florida on July 20th and head west across Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, etc. into Texas.
Well, I changed my plans.
Last year I went to the Swinomish Tribe in northern Washington to experience Canoe Journey, Paddle to Swinomish. I really enjoyed the experience and was also able to volunteer at the event, as well as help my friends that are vendors.
So, two days ago, I decided to book a flight and fly to Washington state on July 28th and go to Canoe Journey again. This year it’s hosted by the Squaxin Tribe and it will be held in Olympia, WA just south of Seattle.
Here is the link for the event: https://paddletosquaxin2012.org
Here is a link for a U Tube video on the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
I’ll be staying in my friend Bear’s RV at the event and in addition to watching the protocol ceremonies, getting food for my friends that are vendors, helping in their booths, I will also be volunteering at the event in some capacity. I’ve learned it makes it more fun to be involved at events rather than just being a spectator. I’m really looking forward to it. Hopefully, it won’t be as cold and rainy as last year’s canoe journey. Last year we were 1 1/2 hours south of Vancouver. This year we are about an hour south of Seattle.
So now, I have to get some of my clothes out of the camper to pack for this 10 day trip, then come back and do laundry, repack the camper, get the fridge cold and stock with food, then leave for my trip west towards Texas, then Albuquerque, NM.
I don’t know what my internet access will be, so when I am able to I will post pictures and stories. I may not be able to do it until I get back to Florida. I’m hoping I will be able to see the canoes landing, but since it will be off site and I won’t have a vehicle to use, I won’t know until I am there. I did get to see them land last year, even though it was really cold and it was raining really hard.
I am so very blessed and fortunate that I can have these wonderful experiences and opportunities. When I checked the cost of airfare, since I sorted of waited until about 10 days before I decided to leave, I found the airfare to be a bit much and was thinking if I wanted to spend the money. However, then I realized how much I just spent on dental work that was not fun, and thought why not spend money and do something fun. So that’s why I decided to go to Washington.
Over the years, as many of you know I have had lots of operations and medical procedures that cost a lot of money, not to mention my monthly medical expenses. So, it’s been great that I can also spend my money on fun trips and adventures.
I know that many of my friends, and people I am meeting on my travels, read my stories on this site. I am so grateful that you are sharing my trip and experiences with me. I’ve had people tell me that I am inspiring them, or that I am living their dreams. I hope that you continue to join me on my journeys and share them with me.
A few years ago I had a license plate made for the front of my camper van that says “Live Your Dreams” and the plastic covering it got sun damaged and the saying could not be read anymore. It’s been like that for quite a while, so the other day I went to the store and finally found a clear plastic license plate cover. I replaced the faded plastic with this new one and now it’s clearly visible when anyone looks at the front of my camper. I hope that it gives people food for thought to live their dreams too.
I plan on being in Waco the end of August so I can attend the Sorghum Harvest and Festival in Elm Mott, it is not as large as their Thanksgiving Fair and Festival, but it will still be fun and I will get to see my friends that live there.
