Eugene O'Neill just gets me.
I've been moved to begin this blog again for several reasons, not the least of which is the nagging need to simply put to paper the thoughts that have daily clouded my head for some time now.
We've been on the road for 4 months now, having just arrived in St. Petersburg, Florida about a week ago. It's been a long, somewhat dreary few months and to go so suddenly from the grey of St. Louis winter to the Florida ever-summer has been beautiful, but has left my body feeling somewhat out of whack. Sleeping and eating haven't come naturally to us lately, but our rhythm is beginning to develop. We've been camping in the backyard of my cousin and his fam, which has its own charms and delights, among which are the otherwise missed sounds and sights of "nature".
These past few years have moved us to extreme distances, both literal and figurative. It's sometimes hard to wrap my brain around, but I've lived in 5 states in the last 3.5 years. Which is only worth nothing because 3.5 years ago, whilst moving from Oregon to Colorado, I stated with such determination, "This is It. For awhile.". That while would be short, as 6 months later I wound up, to everyone's great surprise, in Los Angeles. And, now, a year and a half later, here we are on the opposite coast, almost as far from Los Angeles as possible within the United States, having stopped momentarily in several places along the way.
St. Petersburg and L.A. have a lot in common- the trees, the wildlife, the sunny beaches, air thick and heavy with salt and moisture. Unlike L.A., though, St. Pete has a very laid-back and friendly feel. To wit, every person we've met here has appeared genuinely interested in conversation, rather than selectively screening your words for possible contacts that may help them in the future.
We know this is a temporary move (though, to be fair, none of our plans have gone as we expected, so...), but St. Pete feels like an okay place to land for a few months.
