Deb and I did some wandering over the past 14 years: New Cumberland; Raleigh; Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head, SC; Summerfield and Hudson, FL; Portland; Bainbridge Island, WA; Orient Beach, St. Martin; Montpellier, France; and now Alicante, Spain. We sold homes, gave away furniture and cars, downsized and lived out of backpacks and suitcases. Currently we're in Alicante, Spain, where we plan to settle (for awhile). I poked this long-dormant blog awake so I could chronicle our attempts to learn to live in a foreign land. Let's see what happens.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

A temporary U-turn

At the end of April, just two hours from our planned 6-month visit to Summerfield, Fl., we got a call that Deb's father was facing heart surgery. We packed up and headed north to Hanover, Pennsylvania. (We can do that - we're vagabonds.)

He underwent surgery and faces a challenging recovery, so we put the Florida experiment on hold and set up camp in our home town, where we haven't lived for 30 years. It has been a jarring, but at times comforting experience. It has been a joy to have time to become re-immersed in our families and I've enjoyed running into childhood friends, but the distance between their settled lives here and our choice to wander looms over every conversation. We are each living different world views.

As far as our exploration goes, this has been wonderfully helpful. We re-confirmed our desire to leave the weather of Pennsylvania. We have had a crash course in dealing with the implacable bureaucracy of the banking industry and the medical field. (My experience with many of the medical personnel we've encountered summons images of medieval clergy talking with disdain to the unwashed masses who don't understand Latin. However, others have been extremely sympathetic and helpful.)

And my father-in-law seems to be on the mend.
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3 comments:

  1. John.. OxfordMay 26, 2013 at 3:32 AM

    Hope everything goes well.. and the Buried Pyramid is excellent... disappointed at the end..because it was the end!!

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  2. Ervin SmithAugust 27, 2013 at 1:02 PM

    Jerry,
    I stumbled across your novel Imhotep. I am loving the read. As soon as I get it finished, I will get Buried Pyramid, then after that the third book.
    I so like your writing and am also in awe of your freedom as a "vagabond." You see I am turning 60 in two days...I am a want to be writer and tired of working in corporate rat race..

    Enough said...
    Ervin Smith

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    Replies
    1. Jerry DubsAugust 27, 2013 at 1:11 PM

      Thanks for the note. I hope you enjoy the books. I'm working on the third novel in the Imhotep series right now. I'm about 115 pages into it. Unfortunately, the blog has taken a back seat to other matters right now, however, I hope to get back to making weekly entries soon. We're wtill in Florida, but heading to Hilton Head for a few months soon. - Jerry

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