Enfin arrivées!

L’arrivée  a toujours l’allure d’une victoire! D’ailleurs, une amie nous écrit un message sur Facebook : Bravo! Vous avez atterri!  Très juste, c’est le sentiment qu’on a, d’atterrir.

En général, on se sent arriver chez nous au moment de traverser le grand pont de 7 milles de long qui enjambe la baie de Tampa. À ce moment-là, on n’est plus qu’à une quinzaine de kilomètres de notre parc, notre résidence d’hiver.

En arrivant, j’écris aussitôt ce message FB à l’intention de nos anges gardiens, qui nous suivent fidèlement tout le long de la route :

Youppi! Ça y est : on est arrivées! Saines et sauves, sans avaries, sans accident! 4 journées, 3 nuits : 2560 km de route. Tout comme nous, Mollie et Zappa ont hâte de se dégourdir les pattes -- elles sont de merveilleuses voyageuses!

Ici, petite pluie toute douce -- la première depuis longtemps, paraît-il, donc bien nécessaire. Il fait 19C -- 63 F! Ce soir, on dormira la fenêtre ouverte.Comité d’accueil : notre ami Jon a écrit un message en français sur sa tablette et nous le fait entendre en nous offrant une bouteille de vin espagnol. Presque tout le monde est déjà là, ne manquait plus que nous !

L’impression d’arriver chez nous (!) et la joie de retrouver nos ami-e-s. On trinque au Chardonnay en se souhaitant un bon hiver !

Pendant les premiers jours, c’est un défilé quasi constant de voisins et de connaissances qui passent nous saluer, prennent de nos nouvelles, se disent heureux de nous revoir ici. On s’informe pour savoir si on a fait bonne route, on nous apporte des petites gâteries, on s’offre pour nous aider à s’installer. Un accueil aussi chaleureux est extrêmement réconfortant : on se sent bien ici, acceptées et partie d’une communauté, comme on dit. Tout en respectant la vie privée de chacun et de tous, on sent une authentique camaraderie et aussi une véritable solidarité qui unissent ceux qui nous entourent.

Il nous faut plusieurs jours pour s’installer, bien entendu. Après une aussi longue route, la Maxie Caracole a besoin d’un grand ménage, dedans comme dehors! Faut vider les coffres, monter les tables, déplier les chaises, installer l’auvent, le pare-soleil, balayer, laver, frotter  – ça ne finit plus!

On brasse des sacs, on déplace des bacs de plastique, on vide les compartiments de rangement, on installe les appareils – notre nouvelle machine à cappuccino trône fièrement sur le comptoir de cuisine! Bref, il faut tout replacer à sa main, ranger les armoires, remettre de l’ordre dans les vêtements : tout y passe!

Il faut aussi faire une grosse lessive : laver tous ces vêtements chauds du voyage avant de les ranger … et sortir le linge d’été! D’été et de printemps (ou d'automne, c'est selon), car il y a des jours frais en janvier, en Floride. Donc, se garder une petite laine, une chemise à manches longues et un pantalon pour les jours frais. Et l’imper, parce qu’il pleut. Sans compter les multiples paires de chaussures : pour la marche, pour la détente, pour l’intérieur …

Curieusement, on aime bien faire toute cette besogne en arrivant et se débarrasser de toutes les corvées plutôt que de les étaler sur plusieurs jours. Quand tout sera fait, on pourra se reposer et s’amuser!

La météo annonce 27 C pour demain : la plage en perspective!

Travel Log

Here is the English version of the last post (Carnet de voyage)

It took us four days and three nights to go across the US from North to South, starting at the Vermont border right down to St. Petersburg, in the middle of Florida! In short, it is 1500 miles (2500 km) of unrolling sceneries, with towns and villages succeeding one another  (often times with the same names), and a variety of landscapes : mountains, forests, valleys, prairies and finally, yes – the SEA! Alleluia!

Here are a few thoughts gathered during the trip.

New Year’s Eve, December 31st, the last evening of the year. We stop for the night in a little village, Danbury, CT, not far from Newtown where the awful killing of 20 kids and 8 adults took place recently. As we leave a small shopping centre restaurant after dinner, we wish a Happy New Year to the owner, a smiling well-built fellow, who answers : « Yes, but the Mayas are still here! ». Trying to make sense of this bizarre answer, we figure he is probably referring to the falsely-expected end of the world that was supposedly predicted by the mayan calendar for December 22. I tell him everybody had it all wrong : what was predicted was only the end of a cycle, not of all times! And there he goes, throwing his eyes up towards the ceiling (or the sky?) : « Ah, well, you know, only the BIG GUY up there knows when this will all end! »

Sometimes, the attitude of some Americans is astonishing when they talk about their religious beliefs, which happens frequently, in serious moments as well as in light ones.  Many religions coexist in the US : catholics, protestants (of all brands), christians, jews, muslims, budhists, Jehovah’s witnesses and what not! They all have their churches or places for the cult, scattered all around and proudly identified by highly visible panels or posters. It seems to me that this high level of apparent religious belief is in a way a search for spirituality and taht it acts as a counterbalance for another typical american trait, materialism, i.e. the strong attraction to the object, the matter, the belonging, sometimes leading to excessive buying and possessing.

New Year’s Day – Colonial Heights, VA. We come across a couple traveling in their trailer and a small pickup truck, from Val d’Or, Qc, to Pompano, FL, trying to make it in only 3 days! They have all lights out before 8 pm and they’re gone by 4 :30 the next morning! What a trip!

We notice how Americans have fierce political opinions and how they like to display them! As a sign of patriotism, there are US flags all over : on official buildings, of course, but also on ordinary houses, on poles planted in lawns or on the corner of a street. Along the way, we saw many bumper stickers of all sorts : some were pro-Obama and others pro-Romney, of course, since the presidential election took place only a few months ago! But we also came across stickers in support of the fight against cancer or aids, others for the troops abroad or the veterans, for the environment and against pollution, and so on. There was even one promoting vegetarian food – EAT RAW, it said! But I did not see a single one concerning firearms (either invoking the constitutional freedom or supporting the control of firearms) …

Third Day – January 2^nd 2013 – back to normal traffic, after two days of holidays. On normal days like this, there is an incredible amount of vans on the highway, carrying all sorts of goods and products. The transport industry must be booming, judging from the high number of all sorts of transport vehicles : trucks, lorries, minivans, large vans, etc.! These are excellent drivers, they drive fast and they know the roads well but I still prefer holidays, when the road seems to belong to ordinary cars – they are less stressful and less noisy!

Each time I travel through the US, I appreciate the extent to which this large country has numerous, beautifully-drawn, well-kept routes and autoroutes in all and every directions! It is such a pleasure to drive here, especially since American drivers are usually very disciplined. Except around large cities like New York, the traffic flows at the indicated speed limit, even though one sees the occasional fast-riding buddy who speeds above the limit, crossing from one lane to the other, just to get ahead of this docile line of cars. But these somewhat acrobatic and daring drivers are often caught by patrollers and brought to reason …

Patrollers! They seem to pop up from anywhere at anytime, they ARE everywhere! And the uniforms! Since they change from State to State, you come across all types and models of them along the way : some arbor the midwest look, others look like cowboys; there are even some who seem just out of the German infantry, with bouffant trousers, high leather boots and the typical cap that seems to originate from a WW2 movie closet! They speed-up along the highway and their menacing gestures leave no doubt – you talk softly to these guys and better be polite with them!

Enough for today.
Next post : arrival, greeting, installation.

Have a nice day!