One of the advantages of living the RV lifestyle is exploring new places. Cliché? Maybe. But some of us truly do have wanderlust, while others prefer the comfort of their stationary sofa. No one way is right for all people, but for those of us who must roam, the second option is a prison sentence.
Now we find ourselves in the Hill Country of Texas (we are me and my husband of 39 years). This is a state we usually drove through to get someplace else, like the trip we took from Arizona to Vermont. Having spent some time here, I now see the charm.
Even though our politics are very different, I find the people genuinely sincere and friendly. The term “Blessings” is not said without heart.
Hill country provides opportunities for exploration. We usually take a Sunday drive to see “where that road goes”. Having hills provides surprises around the bend, while the flat parts of the state do not. No need to go down that road because we can see where it goes for many miles.
Last Sunday we headed towards San Antonio to get supplies at Costco. I must clarify that we are not staying inside a busy city. Town is not far, but too far to walk or ride a bike to get basic groceries.
We are addicted to Costco and have our favorites, so we have been know to drive one to two hours one way to get those items, and more (who can go into Costco with a list and come out with just the list items– honestly).
The first 20 miles takes us through ranch country that feels like Willie will step onto the porch at any moment to take a break. It is a different kind of desert and lifestyle than we have experienced in Arizona for example. Not anything like what I imagined.
On the way home while on this quiet part of the highway, I noticed something big coming up on the right. It was black and sat in the ditch between the road and the fence line. But it was moving!
As we got closer, we saw 30 or 40 buzzards – some in the ditch, some on the fence. Knowing that buzzards eat carrion, I searched for the poor creature that no doubt made a bad decision to cross the road in what little traffic there is. There was nothing but large black birds covering the ground.
As writers, you know that my mind went wild after that making up stories. I’m not a fiction writer, but I have read a lot of Stephen King.
I started thinking that we humans have free will and decide whether we are omnivores, carnivores, or herbivores (vegan). As a species, we are born omnivores.
Animals, however, have several types of classifications:
- Carnivores – animal based diet
- Herbivores – plant based diet
- Avivores – bird based diet
- Insectivores – insect based diet
- Bacterivores – bacteria based diet
- Frugivores – fruit based diet
- Folivores – leave based diet
- Omnivores – plant and animal based diet
- Piscivores – fish based diet
My mind continued to write a new story. In times like these I often ask myself, “What if?” I know those buzzards are carnivores and eat meat just like we do. They have their favorites, like small mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and carrion.
A horror story was forming.
What if buzzards decided that humans are meat?
What I saw in that ditch and fence line was a major threat if they decided to have a little human for dinner. The visual in my head was a movie I would never choose to see.
I have a mantra that the RV life offers location freedom, time freedom, financial freedom, and creative freedom. As a person with major wanderlust, location freedom motivates me the most to continue this lifestyle.
Ask me anything. I know you have wondered if this life is right for you. As a creative, it fills the well each time we choose that road or wander around new towns. Each trail is different and offers a spot to meditate and reflect.
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