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  <a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7735574/home">&quot;Home&quot;</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p>Full-Timers refer to stationary living structures rather smugly as “sticks and bricks”. “Home” is a concept. My sticks and bricks structure is occupied by my tenants, but I am still “home”; with my friends, my community, my neighborhood. I don’t need GPS to get around. I know the restaurants. But if I’m being honest, “home” is still in quotes. It is strange, and strangely normal to be here for the month. I did a scheduling blitz before I arrived, and booked every single night with friends and family, except…</p><span class="read-more pdf__hide"><a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7735574/home">Read more</a></span></div>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2026-03-24T09:15:23-04:00" title="March 24, 2026 09:15">03/24/2026</span></p>

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  <a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7723382/creativity-retreat">Creativity Retreat</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p>It has been a minute. I didn’t want to do a new blog post until my situation changed. Stuck at the Quality Inn in Deming, NM while I awaited the van repair, I had to create a schedule for myself or go crazy with boredom. There was a movie theater, so I saw ALL the movies. I often walked the three miles to La Patrona, a great Mexican restaurant recommended to me by Beth, a friend I met at the Xscapers Bash. But other than that, there was absolutely nothing to do. So my schedule was as follows:</p><p>Coffee and…</p><span class="read-more pdf__hide"><a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7723382/creativity-retreat">Read more</a></span></div>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2026-03-05T07:05:41-05:00" title="March 05, 2026 07:05">03/05/2026</span></p>

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  <a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7710891/wind-and-rain">Wind and Rain</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p>Well, with days to kill in the hotel next to the auto repair shop, I finally created a piece of music, added photos, then recorded a spontaneous poem to go with it. I was journaling this morning about my relationship with music these days (See “Keep Moving”), and while I'm not promising fundamental change, I did write myself into a realization. Here's what I wrote:</p><p>“As I am in waiting mode again, the question of music arises again. I've spent a couple days basically twiddling my thumbs. I could absolutely be…</p><span class="read-more pdf__hide"><a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7710891/wind-and-rain">Read more</a></span></div>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2026-02-12T18:06:45-05:00" title="February 12, 2026 18:06">02/12/2026</span></p>

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  <a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7709327/best-laid-plans">Best Laid Plans</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p>Fellow nomad and friend Christy recommended I get back in the saddle of Instagram. She said it’s a great way to keep in touch with friends you meet on the road. So, I’ve made a few posts of pretty sites, and will try to keep it up. It’s convenient to use my own music, too! Amidst the daily firehose of horror coming from our “administration” and our Grifter in Chief, maybe posting images of Nature with pensive piano music can help drop our cortisol levels a bit. You can find me at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/blakerowe1">https://www.instagram.com/b</a>…</p><span class="read-more pdf__hide"><a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7709327/best-laid-plans">Read more</a></span></div>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2026-02-10T23:32:50-05:00" title="February 10, 2026 23:32">02/10/2026</span></p>

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  <a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7705088/keep-moving">Keep Moving</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p>My friend Susie gave me a book when I visited her ranch in Shasta. It’s called Keep Moving, by Maggie Smith (not the actress). A bunch of aphorisms really resonated with me. Here are some,&nbsp; mixed in.</p><p>I think it’s time for an update on how I’m feeling these days. I continue to choose to literally and metaphorically “keep moving” forward. There are days when I just want to drive. Sometimes it feels like I’m doing some sort of penance for still being alive. Other days I feel I’ve been given the gift of a…</p><span class="read-more pdf__hide"><a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7705088/keep-moving">Read more</a></span></div>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2026-02-03T15:09:41-05:00" title="February 03, 2026 15:09">02/03/2026</span></p>

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  <a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7700987/one-is-silver-and-the-other-s-gold">One is Silver and the Other&#39;s Gold</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p>But first, more geology. Did you know that there were once even more sedimentary layers on top of the layer we walk upon at the Grand Canyon? I didn't. I did a day trip to Petrified Forest National Park and learned a whole new set. Some of these layers also eroded to reveal the petrified trees, which crack at almost predictable sections as the dirt settles away. Underneath the ground where I stood lie all the layers revealed at Grand Canyon. And once I get to Zion National Park, I'll see layers that were…</p><span class="read-more pdf__hide"><a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7700987/one-is-silver-and-the-other-s-gold">Read more</a></span></div>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2026-01-27T20:21:16-05:00" title="January 27, 2026 20:21">01/27/2026</span></p>

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  <a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7697063/the-trail-of-time">The Trail of Time</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p>Deep Thoughts Alert; existential musings ahead.</p><p>I had a good week at the Xscapers Bash. I’ve written so much about the joy of meeting new people and hearing their stories from all walks of life, I surprised myself by deciding NOT to join social gatherings at every opportunity. Sometimes I’d survey the groups of people chatting, and just decide to go be by myself in the van. At first I was judging myself for feeling shy and timid, but then realized I was doing what I preferred to do, rather than what I…</p><span class="read-more pdf__hide"><a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7697063/the-trail-of-time">Read more</a></span></div>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2026-01-21T01:37:14-05:00" title="January 21, 2026 01:37">01/21/2026</span></p>

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  <a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7692379/many-ways-to-live">Many Ways to Live</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p>Aside from astonishment at the sheer magnitude of the Rock, Gem and Mineral Show in Quartzite, and walking across the London Bridge in Lake Havasu, I had some other impressions to share from the last few days. The night before I drove to the designated GPS coordinates in the desert for Vanlife Pride, a gathering for “queer folks and allies”,&nbsp; I walked into town from my campsite for a sit-down dinner at a restaurant. I have learned the wisdom of sitting at the bar or the counter; it’s much easier to strike…</p><span class="read-more pdf__hide"><a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7692379/many-ways-to-live">Read more</a></span></div>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2026-01-12T19:51:59-05:00" title="January 12, 2026 19:51">01/12/2026</span></p>

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  <a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7688402/travel-itinerary-update">Travel Itinerary Update</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p>I’m so glad I mentioned going to Quartzite, because my friend Betsy from home introduced me to Amy and Fred who are here! We met and had a wonderful day together. I’m sharing all my travels plans so this can happen more often. I really enjoy meeting friends of friends, so let’s keep it going! Think of people you know who would like a visit from me. I can always stay in the van, and it can be anything from just having lunch together to staying with them a few days.</p><p>Think about yourself; wouldn’t you like to…</p><span class="read-more pdf__hide"><a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7688402/travel-itinerary-update">Read more</a></span></div>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2026-01-05T22:21:06-05:00" title="January 05, 2026 22:21">01/05/2026</span></p>

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  <a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7687620/practicing-waiting">Practicing Waiting</a>&nbsp;
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  <div class="message"><p>I remember a TV commercial growing up where someone asks a chauffeur standing by a car what he is doing. The chauffeur replies, “Practicing waiting!” It’s a phrase that has stuck with me through the years, and I practiced waiting quite a bit this past week. I also remember at a meditation retreat Joseph Goldstein saying, “We always seem to be leaning into the future; even at a retreat like this, with literally nothing to do, we may be sitting mindfully, and a thought comes in how nice a cup of tea would be…</p><span class="read-more pdf__hide"><a href="/road-to-joy/blog/7687620/practicing-waiting">Read more</a></span></div>
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    <p class="post-info"><span data-time="2026-01-04T15:43:40-05:00" title="January 04, 2026 15:43">01/04/2026</span></p>

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