lb@large

The car is yellow. Nothing special about that, if it wasn’t for the fact that our car is normally tan. Not now, though. And, believe me, there’s nothing good about that yellow. It never was one of my favorite colors, and that sure isn’t about to change these days…

The top of our vehicle is covered with half an inch of yellow dust. Pollen. Apparently the state of Maryland is known for this phenomenon. If only we had known. I don’t mind pollen. It’s part of nature. I love nature. It gives color to everything around me. I love colors. But, it makes Mark very sick. And, I love Mark!

I knew he had allergies. Once in a while on our travels, there would be a couple of days of runny noses, wet tissues, and some sneezing. Nothing to worry about. Sometimes, he’d have to get his asthma medicine out and spray a few times. That was that. Sure, he had allergies, but it wasn’t a big deal and easy to live with. Until now.

When we arrived in Maryland, April 25th, we found a great National Park to camp. Greenbelt NP is situated in the woods, close to Washington DC, Baltimore and Annapolis. For about a week, we camped under the trees and saw the landscape turn yellow. Mark started to suffer from his allergies and was soon enough hooked to all kinds of medicines. Nothing seemed to help. Runny eyes and nose made us run out of toilet paper every two days. Benadryl made him feel weird and sleepy. The asthma medicine was used daily. We dealt with it.

Our new friend and yacht broker Tommy has a nice uncle who has a great best friend, and before we knew it, we moved to a big farm near Annapolis. We set up camp in the long grass, not knowing for how long. The world around us was less yellow. Green was dominating now. There was grass everywhere, in this friendly Hippieland. These long-haired fellows made us feel very welcome and 2,5 weeks later, we are still there.

The nights have been tough, though. Packed like sardines in our tent, the four of us keep waking up, because of Mark’s bad health. Sneezing, sniffling, blowing the nose… blood gushing for hours. Tissues piling up and filling air holes wherever present. Coughing, sniffling. Chchchchagh. Slime brought to the throat, collecting in a goopy pile and swallowed back in. Sounds (and is) disgusting, but keeps the nose from bleeding and the sleeping bag and pillow from collecting red stains. Mark’s nose is stuffed and he can barely breathe at times. It has been going on for weeks now. We’ve tried everything. If only the American government would provide its citizens with better health care, people could afford to go to the doctor when actually needed…

After a third medicine trial, things looked like they were improving. But… Mark’s hands and toes turned red. Lobster red, as if burned. Now, we did deliver a boat in the Bay almost a week ago. It was freezing cold, but the sun was out. Why does this color show up three days after the exposure to the sun? We have no clue. Is it another allergic reaction? Time for Benadryl again and hopefully we can stay awake to keep tracking the weird actions of Mark’s body!

Yep, it’s quite a change. Despite our older age, our comfort level is sinking. We down-graded one more step in the way we are living, and I think we’re about at the bottom now. We went from Mark’s apartment in California, to a 36-foot boat, to an 11-foot truck camper, to a car and a tent, two and half years later…

Our Toyota Tacoma is doing her job. Weighed down in the back, because of all of our gear, she steadily covers all the distances we travel. Every night she manages to bring us to a certain camping spot, or the occasional cheap hotel that allows dogs. Then it’s time for a break, while we unpack some bags and tubs, her butt lifts up and we all settle in for the night.

The campgrounds range from primitive forests without facilities (free) to national or state park ones that have picnic tables, fire rings and hot showers, to an unmowed grassy field on a farm. We always try to park the car next to our site, to have easy access to our stuff. Everything is stored under the camper shell, packed high in the back, so each time we want to get something, things get moved around. When we set up camp, extra room becomes available… the best time to do some grocery shopping and fill up the holes.

Our recent house is a three person dome (igloo) tent from the late nineties. Each time we “build” her, she becomes more tight and shows more rips. But, a couple of minutes later, we have a roof above our head and we make the interior cozy with pillows, blankets and sleeping bags. That’s about all that fits, if you add two dogs, one Mark and a Liesbet to the equation. Oh, and we do use an air mattress now. After two weeks of hard “floors” and painful backs, we invested in a big hand pump to blow the thing up. What an improvement! If there’s rain in the forecast (and we were able to find that out and the weathermen are right for a chance), we fabricate an extra roof with a tarp. With all these improvements, there is no excuse anymore to stay in a motel!

When we’re ready for bed, the four of us get inside and take our positions. The people finagle themselves into their sleeping bag, while the dogs get pushed and shoved to one side of the tent. From then on there is only one rule: do not move or move in synchrony!

So, we are tugging along, repeating the camping rituals wherever we stop. Mark and I go through the movements that are becoming a habit. Kali and Darwin enjoy being with us and protect our belongings. More than once we wished we still had the truck camper, though. A little bit of comfort is mostly appreciated and we miss having a fridge. Buying two slices of lunch meat and a tomato a day, is getting old. Not to mention having to “cook” canned food on a one burner stove every night… Soon enough, this lifestyle will be over, though, and after two days in a normal house, all the comfort will be taken for granted again!