I have already mentioned that I do a fair amount of traveling and will do more in January, heading to Florida for 2 months or so, the first experiment of Fish Face outside the Midwest. So how about I give some account of what these experiences are like.
So the first thing I suppose is our van. It is one of those four rows of seating vans mostly seen used by churches and park districts. All but the front seats are removed to make room for the shirts and booth equipment, a bunch of bins, 8 foot grid panels, booth. For most shows, and the pending Florida trip, a small trailer is pulled. Now when I say small I mean it is the smallest thing made containing a bed, sink, fridge, stove, cabinets, heater, and we even have a window air conditioning unit. It must only weigh a thousand pounds or so because it can be rolled across flat ground by one person. It’s a pretty cool looking little contraption; it attracts a fair amount of curiosity. When traveling I can stop just about anywhere to eat or sleep, perfect for my business travels. Actually a lot of the crafters travel with living accommodations. 40 to 60 foot RVs are the norm. Crafters are sent to the same parking lot to leave their RVs, so I end up in my little trailer surrounded by these behemoths with their satellite TV and generators constantly running. Some of the younger crafters get a real kick out of my trailer because they too have lived in not so elaborate conditions. It’s actually kinda funny, the van I drive is longer and maybe even taller than the trailer I sleep in.
There have been shows that I have stayed in my tent, which I lived in for about 5 months recently so that’s alright, I enjoy tent life. I haven’t been without snow in the winter my entire life, and I assume there isn’t any in Florida, but I don’t know how cold of temperatures I should expect. I am for sure bringing my tent and going to sleep on the beach any time I can, I can’t imagine it gets much below 40 degrees even at night during winter in Florida, still bearable with all the warm stuff I have to wrap up in in my tent.
If all goes well this year, I will be going back to Florida for this trip every year. I’ve read great things about canoeing in the Everglades and other mangrove areas, so this year I hope to find somewhere near my route where I can spend a couple days canoeing and camping next year.
