Bay Photos by Donna

“Closed the shop,
Sold the house,
Bought a ticket to the West Coast…..”
                                     (from “My Life” by Billy Joel)

I heard those lyrics a few weeks ago and knew they would be the start of this post when I finally had a chance to write it.  Some of you already know…..

Yes!  We closed our business!
Yes!  We sold the condo!
And Yes!  We ‘bought a ticket to the West Coast’!

We listed our waterfront condo on the market the day we left for Florida, and it received a contract quickly.  Since returning, life became a whirlwind of boxes and bubblewrap.  The kids got ‘new’ stuff and charity got even more!   Geez, I never knew we had accumulated so much stuff in 36 years.  I am still trying to ‘unload’ some of it!

Our condo is now sold; and we’ve relocated in Delaware with family and are living in our RV full-time while we tie up loose ends, appointments, help our kids settle in their upcoming new homes, hug the grandkids as much as possible, and finish preparing our RV to hit the road early June for the West with our first reservation at a campground near the Grand Canyon.  And from there, who knows?  We’re still not sure ourselves!!  But we’re super-excited about the new adventures, sights, people, cultures, and all the meandering inbetween we will experience around the United States.   I’ve been telling everyone we’ve become RV road gypsies!

So who’s already thinking, boy oh boy, Donna’s gone cuckoo?!  😲  No need to admit, we’ve already had a few eyebrows ‘arch up’.  On the other side of the coin, in the five years we have been RVing primarily the East Coast, we’ve met so many full-timers who absolutely love it, as well as others who say we are living the dream they would love to do themselves some day.

Maybe we’ll only do this for six months, a year, or maybe five, not sure yet.  I think we’ll know when we’re ready to resettle into a home dwelling when the time comes.  Preparing to leave family is the most difficult.  We’ll obviously return to family for holidays and events.

But right now I am so psyched with our new “home is where you roam” lifestyle.  I’m presently researching places out West and Northwest.  Reading RV blogs that are enriched with info.  And loving the simpler life already!

So now it’s time to say farewell to my beloved Osprey….

Having boated the Chesapeake Bay region for 30 years, we have loved and enjoyed its never-ending beauty, especially Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  When we moved there 10 years ago, it was this Osprey nest platform off my third floor balcony that interested me with photography and recreational birding.

My view of Marshy Creek

My view of Prospect Bay

My view of the southend of the Kent Narrows Channel

The Osprey quickly became daily entertainment.  Over the years that followed, I bought new cameras.  New lens.  Then bigger lens.  I talked to experts and gobbled up all there was to know about Osprey.  I took probably thousands of photos of just them.

And just as quickly, the Osprey family that lived on our platform became part of ‘my family’.  I knew them inside and out.  What their calls meant.  The facial expressions they made.  How hard they worked.  The heat, wind, & storms they endured.  The success with little ones.  And the committed bond they had for each other.

They were a joy to my heart and soul.

A couple years ago, it appeared both Osprey failed to return from migration.  Our platform tried to attract new ‘owners’ but it wasn’t to be each season since.  Luckily our area was still a summer home to many Osprey, and I certainly continued to get my fill of them year after year as I’ve shared through my posts.  I’m hoping this season a new Osprey couple will find the platform a suitable home for others to enjoy as I did.

Since the reason and beginning of my blog starred the Osprey, I thought it befitting my ‘last’ Chesapeake Bay area post be a tribute of my recent Osprey that were taken from my balcony during the last few weeks before we moved out.

My camera equipment was the last to get packed, surely you’d know that!   🙂

Never-ending work, even at sunset!

This next short series are of the same Osprey in the above photo.  He returned to snatch up more nesting materials from our riprap just an hour before we did our final walk-out.  I couldn’t have been more thrilled!  WOO HOO!!  And thank you!!!

My 3rd floor balcony was sooooooo perfect for the fly-bys of all kinds of bird species I shared with you.  It was certainly special!

I admit I am already missing my daily Osprey fix.  But although I may have said this was a farewell, I have already seen Osprey flying over Delaware.   🙂

In the meantime, at our Delaware campground, I am chasing Blue Jays when I have time.  They’re providing me my best Blue Jay photos to date.

So as a chapter closes and the celebration of a new one begins for hubby and I, I hope you’re interested in continuing to follow my blog as I share my bird and scenery photos from our RV travels.  I’m sure there will be a few throwbacks from the Chesapeake Bay; I still have folders I’ve never had time to view from last year.

I cannot wait until early June to get our wheels rolling.  The Blue Jays and I will keep you posted!

“To travel is to live.”
       – Hans Christian Anderson