Homeward Bound (On, Wisconsin!)

I love it when I can make a title out of nothing but song titles.

Yes, the rumour is true: we’re moving to Wisconsin. (The reason you haven’t heard the rumour is because I’m starting it now.)

New Jersey is beautifully sunny. The friends we’ve made here are connected at our core.

But we just can’t afford it.

Moving into our own home would cost, between first month’s rent and security deposit (typically a month and a half’s rent) we’d be looking at $3,500 or so to move into a place, not counting utilities, internet, etc.

And then $1,000 minimum a month for a place that was a little too small, or an apartment (hard hard hard for me.)

In Rice Lake, where my Mom lives, we can get a 2 bedroom house, single family dwelling, not condo, duplex, whatever, with a garage and basement, for $525. One month deposit. Some places want a utilities deposit, so it’s about $1,400 total to move in. Yeah, utilities, etc. But internet can wait, ’cause the Rice Lake Library was our hangout for a month at a time when we’ve visited my Mom.

It’s been a wonderful (non)winter in Jersey. Just as when we left Montreal, Albuquerque, Denver, St. Paul, and Vancouver, there are people we’ll love and miss for the rest of our lives.

But it’s time to go.


If you’re between Philly and Madison and could bear 4 overnight guests during the 2nd week of April, please give us a shout.

If you’ve been considering some web work, writing a book, or getting some admin help, and just haven’t gotten around to it, we’ll need to earn about $1,000 in the next 3 weeks to make this trip and land on our feet without excess stress. Again, give us a shout.

And if you’re in Rice Lake and have a spare bed, book case, or chair you’d be willing to let us have or use, um, yeah, that; give us a shout.

Living in Blackwood New Jersey for the Winter

Yep, we’re living in Blackwood New Jersey for the winter. Technically the physical address we’re living at is in Turnersville. But our mailing address is Blackwood. Our son James is coming out in a week or so to stay with us as well. We’ll stay through February at least. Unless something drastic happens to change it all. Which in our lives, you just never know. But for now we’re here, making it home and want to share ‘home’ with you.

We’ve been enjoying some very nice weather. Though the temperatures are cold at times, it’s been very sunny. And I like sunshine! There was a bit of fog this morning; it burned off fairly quickly.

Blackwood Rail Trail Caboose
Blackwood Rail Trail Caboose

We’re in Gloucester Township, near Blackwood Lake. The Blackwood Rail Trail Caboose is here and you walk down a path and over a bridge. It’s beautiful!

bridge in Blackwood

We still hope while living on the East coast this winter to get to travel to some various spots – New York, see the Atlantic ocean, maybe pop over to Delaware. Stay tuned!

A Week to New Jersey

We finished our house sitting gig in Minnesota and are now back in Rice Lake for a couple of days. Fiona has some assessment testing at school today. Wednesday morning we leave for an overnight stay with Joshua in Chicago. Thursday we’ll drive to Cincinnati and stay with the author of Around the World in Easy Ways. We’re really looking forward to meeting Lisa and talking about traveling with kids.

Friday is still up in the air. We’re hoping to find someone to stay with in West Virginia and have some feelers out there. Saturday it’s Philadelphia and overnight with Rick Wilson, co-author of Hits and Niches to be released next month.  And then it’s New Jersey Sunday!

Leaving Colorado and Heading Back to California for a Short Visit

We’ve enjoyed house sitting again for Rita in Colorado. They are coming back one day early so we’re leaving a day early. That’s okay. Nomads must be flexible! We’re so flexible that a week or so ago we changed our plans entirely and decided to head back to California for a short visit.

Fiona hasn’t seen her big sister Rachelle since she got married in March. And since we need to be in Wisconsin the first part of September for a short visit and to pick up school stuff for Fiona, then have a three-week house sitting gig in Minnesota and have just made arrangements to spend several months this winter in New Jersey, we thought we’d better go see some family in California before it’s a year since we saw any of them.

So tomorrow we leave Colorado, stay one night in the Salt Lake City, Utah area (we still need a place to stay there for one night by the way), another night in Reno Nevada with Couch Surfers, and we’ll be in Roseville California Saturday. Fiona gets to spend several days with Rachelle. After a few days there, we’ll head down to San Diego to visit with Joel’s brother and family.

Then there’s that Route 66 trip…