Senior College

A few years ago I discovered the Belfast Senior College at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast, Maine.  The SC had been in existence a few years before I discovered it.  I wish I'd known about it earlier.

The idea of lectures and activities lead by talented, experienced, knowledgeable, instructors is wonderful.  Especially since they require no papers or homework. 

I have now taken a number of courses ranging from "The Life of a Cell"  to "A Look at Cuba" by a man who had been there.  My favorite was a four session look at the life of the Roma (gypsies).  Each session was a video.  One traced the history of the Roma, through music and dance, from India to Spain.  Another was a romantic comedy using subtitles. ("White Cat, Black Cat)  That is one of my favorite movies of all time.

As of September, 2011 I'm taking "Maine History to 1865" and "Basics of Good Reasoning".  So far "Reasoning" looks to be one of the best courses I've taken.

If you are over fifty look around in your area.  There is a very good chance there is a Senior College nearby.

Planning "the trip"

Sometime in the next couple of months I am leaving on a major trip, using the Aliner as my nomadic home.  This will be the first time I have ever just taken off for parts unknown, alone.  So far I have chosen a few places to stop, but almost nothing is definite.  There will be a stop in CT to visit daughter Audrey, her husband Wes, and the two grandkids; Maria and Peter.  There will be a stop in VA to visit daughter Beth and her stepdaughter Melissa.  Other than that I will be looking for places that offer inexpensive camping spots and access to water for the kayak.  I will also be geocaching and playing ham radio.  There's going to be plenty to do.

A stop at Assateague National Park is probable as is a stop at Croatan National Forest.  Neither is certain.  This type of freedom brings on a strange feeling.  How will I ever function without a definite plan of where I am going next and a filled in calendar for the future.
Planning what to take for supplies in the camper and truck is a real mental exercise.  I know that I will probably take way too much stuff, but I also know there will be things I will forget.  Having plenty of room in the truck leads to poor planning.  I am making three lists; stuff that stays in the camper, stuff that stays in the truck, and stuff that is loaded at the last minute.  The lists change daily.

To a large degree there is a need to duplicate the minutia of living in a house;  Cutlery, dishes, towels, etc.  As I clean out the house I find there is no need to buy things for camping, because I already have many items.

The planning for the travel is fun, planning what to take is a chore.

Money

Sometime during the night I heard a horrible noise.  The propane furnace turned on for the first time since spring.  All I could think of was dollar bills burning.  This house is a hundred and fifty years old and I have neglected the maintenance.  One of the results of that is it leaks heat horribly. 

The first couple of years after Jeannette died I actually was able to increase the savings account.  Since then I have had to tap savings to install a new furnace and to pay some smaller bills.  Now I have financed the new camper.  The political attacks on public employee pension systems means that my income will probably not keep pace with inflation.  I can only hope the savings will last.  If interest rates on CDs and IRAs ever increase it will help.

I buy lottery tickets knowing the odds against winning.  I rationalize that I am buying daydreams.  The small amount I spend on the tickets would never generate enough income to make a difference.  On the other hand a lottery win would allow me to make a difference in many lives and give to the organizations I now support with tiny amounts.  Such is the stuff of wishful thinking.

Camping

I recently bought an unusual pop-up travel trailer called an "Aliner".  Folded, it looks just like all the other pop-ups on the road.  Unfolded it has an A shape and uses no fabric or canvas.  It is completely hard sided.  There is a Youtube video showing the thirty second set up process.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqi7wOAxp4c

I have the "Sport" version with the "weekender" floor plan.  I think it is going to be perfect for a single person traveling alone.

Geocaching

In 2002 I became interested in geocaching.  My daughter and her husband bought me a GPS.  Since then I have found over 150 caches.  Not a large number compared to other people I know.  I do enjoy the hobby though and will be doing more as I travel.  One of my biggest assets is a smartphone with GPS and access to geocaching.com.  With that, no matter where I am I can ask for a list of nearby caches.

My geocache name is arthurh.

For more information go to www.geocaching.com

Kayaking

I own three kayaks.  A Seaeagle inflateable, a rigid single (Wilderness Systems 14 footer), and a Klepper Quattro.  The Klepper (a folding kayak) is my favorite.  The Klepper and the Seaeagle will be traveling with me.  That's the Klepper in the pictures.

fully assembled

travel mode

  

I'll be posting about excursions in the kayaks as I travel.