TURTLES carry their homes on their backs.

My mother-in-law and her best friend recently set out on an epic journey to visit all 50 states of this great country. They are traveling in a red Honda CRV named Gypsy. This winter they will complete their journey with a trip to Hawaii, I guess saving best for last.

Let me back up a bit to say that when they announced to their family and friends that they were selling their homes and most of their earthly possessions, moving what was left to storage and hitting the open road, not many of us really thought it would happen.  You see my mother-in-law’s house in Burlington was dubbed “Grammy Land” by her grandchildren who astutely surmised that they could get away with just about anything once they crossed the magical threshhold of Grammy’s kingdom.  It was filled with sugary breakfast treats, toys and children’s books aplenty and late night movie watching marathons complete with all the popcorn they could eat.  The walls were lined with the family story in photos and the cupboards were filled with a treasure trove of cups, saucers and dishes collected over a lifetime.  Christmas was when Grammy’s house really shone, decorated with reckless abandon that made even Macy’s envious.

The debate among the siblings, whispered quietly in the hallway outside of the kitchen, ranged from disbelief to a dawning awareness that they were actually serious about this little adventure.  I bought them a book on weather patterns that year at Christmas in the hopes that they would read it cover to cover to learn about the danger signs for storms.  Looking slightly quizzical, they politely thank me.

It took Mom and Sue about a year to sell both houses, time they used wisely to plan their route and stock up on provisions for a life on the road. They bought a new computer and started a blog to post photos so that their families could stay connected while tracking their slow crawl across the country.  They set up a deliberate routine to handle the change of a different motel room each night.  Their car became the most important possession they owned, treating her like royalty, stopping often for full body tune ups.  Mostly, they had each other to share the day with and to plan tomorrow’s adventure.

 It has taken them two years to complete their 50 state journey.  They tell us they are seeing the world with different eyes after all they have experienced.  We asked them if they are ready to settle down now.  Looking at each other, in low tones they mumble something about their curiosity in our Canadian neighbor to the north.

Here they go again!