"I'm going on a trip and I'm going to bring . . ."

Remember that old children’s game? -- I’m going on a trip and I’m going to bring ____. The way I remember it, the next child repeated the sentence, and added an item. Around the circle we went with each child repeating the items in order and adding one. If the group was large – or if you went around long enough – the list of items repeated in order grew lengthy and it became more difficult to think of something to add to the list.

We’re going on a trip, and we’re bringing quite a lot, though someplace along the line we became rather more rational and decided to leave the kitchen sink. And I have one outfit that has been in and out of the suitcase three times. Nellie will also stay behind at a boarding facility where Ken will visit her from time to time. It has been more difficult for us to leave her behind than I had imagined. Be that as it may, everyone will survive.

Anyway, I’m going on a trip, and I’m going to bring my iPad. I’ve had more fun customizing it with podcasts, books, and documents, and therefore the usual bulky books and study materials that ride at my feet will stay behind since they are now digitized and riding in my iPad. The other day we bought a Zagg Bluetooth keyboard, and if I get used to it, I should be able to post the blog most evenings. I’m not sure yet how we’ll manage pictures, though. There’s a gizmo for that, but I don’t have one. We’ll just have to see. Perhaps there’s a gizmo in my future.

So, books and notebooks and my laptop will be left at home, but I did make one concession to hard copies. I have a collection of maps for our drive south from Philadelphia. We have about four gadgets that will show maps, but in my opinion, nothing shows the big picture like a “real” map. So, I requested maps from all the states through which we will travel. Most state tourism websites offer them free of charge, and that made me feel like they really wanted us to visit – and they should! Some southern states that shall remain nameless wanted me to pay for the maps. That seemed less friendly. Every state should encourage tourism by providing a free map and a “hope to see you soon!”

As Mike lit a fire to warm our little house this morning, he announced that this would surely be the last fire of the season because when we get back, it will be summer. He wishes! The fires may indeed become less frequent, but we will undoubtedly need a few between now and June. KW