I don’t know why, but WordPress is not allowing me to insert current photos into the blog. That first one of my on the unicycle is from before. It tries to download the photo and then says, “Failed to write file to disk.”
You can go to my Facebook page and see all the photos there.
https://www.facebook.com/isityou/
(Do you wander or just wonder?)
With my words, I hope to throw some oblique light upon your life.
By writing this blog I want to inspire you to see life in a different and/or better way and find joy how you can.
*** Remember, to read past blog posts, go to kitsummers.com/blog/
*** If you are reading this through Facebook, check out my blog on my website.
*** If you are not my Facebook friend, yet, please befriend me.
*** The freedom I am experiencing in my travels is a marvelous thing!
*** Going where I want, when I want, and seeing wonderful places and people.
*** I will have places to show you and tales to tell.
*** I will have secrets to unfold and good news!
I WANT TO TAKE YOU AWAY WITH ME
ON WONDERFUL ADVENTURES!
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INTRO TO THIS WEEK >>
As I have written before, each week is like a new start in life, deciding where I will be going and what I will be doing.
For a few years, I’ve been putting out my blog, their many people who like my words. I get no money for doing this, do it out of the joy of my heart. But, I would love to find a way to be compensated for the time I put in.
Perhaps I could find a sponsor? Or somehow monetize my efforts? Do you have any ideas for me to make that come to be? I hope I have added to your life with entertainment, inspiration, humor, and an enjoyable read with my writings.
Right now the blog goes out to about 10,000 readers. This is increasing as I gain new friends.
All over the Everglades, I saw couples enjoining the place. Made me envious, I want so much to be in love and with someone. Age 62 now, will I ever meet her?
Kimberly, I hope to hear from you, there is still time.
Tina, you’ve destroyed me—once again.
Back on Route 41, going west, just don’t know where.
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WORDS TO INSPIRE YOU! >>
Inspirational quotes and motivational sayings have an amazing ability to change the way we feel about life and can change our thinking.
This is why I find them so interesting, challenging, and important on our path to joy and happiness and finding ways to inspire ourselves. Inspirational quotes provide us with a quick and timely burst of wisdom to get our focus back, offering the inspiration needed for the day or occasion.
I hope to inspire you with my words.
Words have power.
At any age, you can (and should) make changes to make your life better.
You see, the way you think and feel about yourself, including your beliefs and expectations about what is possible for you, determine everything that happens in your life. It all derives from your quality of thinking.
When you improve the quality of your thinking, you change the quality of your life—sometimes instantly!
Just as positive words can make someone smile, and/or, a well-timed amusing quote can make someone laugh, your own thoughts react to the world in real-time. You have this control.
You have complete control over only one thing in the universe — your thinking — and that’s where motivational quotes come in!
To keep your motivation, you have to use each day as an opportunity for improvement, to be better, to get a little bit closer to your goals. It might sound like a lot of work—and with your busy schedule, next to impossible.
But the best part is, the more you accomplish, the more you’ll want to do – the higher you’ll want to reach! So, as long as you have the hunger for success, you will always have the power within you to achieve it.
Self-talk is so important—THINK RIGHT!
Motivational words, yes, they’re just words.
But they’re positive words; they will keep you on track.
I hope the words I pick do help you.
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BE INSPIRED BY THESE WORDS>>
Never let your emotions overpower your intelligence.-Drake
Nothing lasts forever but at least we got these memories. – J. Cole
Don’t you know your imperfections are a blessing? – Kendrick Lamar
Reality is wrong, dreams are for real. – Tupac
To live will be an awfully big adventure. – Peter Pan
Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. – Maya Angelou
There is no substitute for hard work. – Thomas Edison
What consumes your mind controls your life- Unknown
Strive for greatness. – Lebron James
And still, I rise. – Maya Angelou
The time is always right to do what is right. – Martin Luther King Jr.
Now, it’s time to get out there and do
something incredible that you can rejoice in!
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MY DAILY JOTTINGS >>
3/19—Just posted my blog. For some reason—I am incredibly happy right now—not sure what it is. In the last few days, I was in and around Miami. Not a nice place to visit, and I wouldn’t want to live there. But you know me, that goes for any city. I will take the country/wilderness over any city.
I’ve decided to head south to Flamingo, Florida, once again. To get there, you drive through the Everglades all the way. At this point, I plan to spend some days there, as the warmth returns up north.
I have plenty of food to last me, although, as I wrote before, I have been planning on not eating for two weeks straight sometime upcoming. And, I plan to do it really “fast”, if you know what I mean?
Planning to run out of current perishable food next by Friday and then I start? Will you join me and also stop your habit of eating for some days?
3/20—The last four days I have been in the Miami area. Toooooooooooo much city for me, I will be going into Everglades Park today.
I love being able to go when I want and where I want. For me, if I do not like something or somewhere I make changes to something so I like it more. A suggestion for you, if you don’t like something, make changes so that you do.
I didn’t go all the way down to for the Flamenco today, did about halfway and stopped at the Homestead Library. I will be sleeping in their parking lot tonight, seems like it will be safe and quiet.
I’m surprised that more people don’t live this lifestyle. There’s always somewhere to park and sleep and usually you’re out of your house all day anyway. Examine your life and see if you might be able to do the same. Not even full-time, do it for a week or a weekend.
Flamingo is part of Everglades Park. I’m about halfway down there. I pulled off at a pond/lake area. There are a few people here, I’ll be here for tonight.
Yet, it is only 3:13 in the afternoon and I’ll just find stuff to do. At the moment I am the only one here. I’m hoping that the rangers don’t come and check later tonight for people sleeping here. I will let you know.
The temperature gauge says 89f. Well, I love it here, up north it is in the 40s, 50s and below.
Last night I slept at a viewing area. No one came by to check on me, slept well. some big black birds came by to visit, I think they are crows. I had some chips and crackers that I wasn’t consuming, so these were for the birds, who loved them.
3/21—I knew I would be going to a campground, so I stopped a few places along the way to gather wood. And boy, did I get a lot! As I wrote before, all the wood around a campground is usually already found and burnt up, that’s why I gather wood outside the campground.
I moved down to Flamingo Campground. I made sure I came on a Sunday so there won’t be many people here. I asked for the best campsite she knew of and I got spot 41, which has a tree to shade me, and is a nice area. I’m happy.
For the fire, when I have a branch that will not break, I burn the middle of it, and then when the middle burns down, I take it out of the fire then I can break it, then put the two pieces back in. That’s why you see some long branches in photos, I couldn’t break them.
So comfy sitting in my chair watching the fire, knowing I will sleep in the van comfortably tonight with no light and sound. I’m am a happy boy!
I get half-off, so it was only 12 bucks to have a campsite to sleep and have a fire. I was here from 11 this morning and I will be here until 11 tomorrow. So it’s only about 50 cents an hour for this splendor. You’ve got to get out and do this if you can, find a way!
I discovered yesterday that alligators are nocturnal. And I thought they were just lazy, laying around all day. Perhaps I’ll go early AM when I awaken and see what they’re doing.
Miami is near, but I’m sure that most people in that city have not been to this park. So close it is, but people won’t take the time to find this magnificence.
When I was young, my mom would rent a motor home and take the whole family, I had two brothers (both died in auto accidents) and a sister, out for trips. We loved the outings, they were perfect for us.
Also, My sister Sandy and her husband Tommy would take Gary and I out to the Wilderness. We loved this, such a big part of our life.
Now I get to live that life full time, out here in the wilderness living in my vehicle. A lifestyle that I will never change.
I discovered that at the visitor center they have a wifi connection that you can get outside in the parking lot. And, they will charge up my power station when I need it. So, good on both ends.
I had the ingredients—healthy and tasty—had to again—TACO TIME! Good as usual.
There is always music out here in the wilderness; the rhythm of the earth. To perceive this, “music”, your heart and mind must be quiet to hear and comprehend it. I have discovered and that being alone is quite good for you.
By the way, that creature that had broken into my milk container, I have not heard him at all. Must have gotten out of the van and on his merry old way.
In the strong winds, overhead two big Hawks were looking for a meal, it was magnificent to see. They didn’t have to do a thing to sore in the wind. But, one was eyeing me as if I was a meal, but passed me up after all.
This evening I made a huge fire, it was brilliant. I did leave wood for a fire tomorrow morning, as well.
3/22—I like when there are embers and coals from the night before and all I have to do is bury some newspaper—then it’s flame on! Like last night, had a splendid fire this morning, too.
After my morning fire, They had showers available, so I did. Feels so very nice to be clean.
5:13 in the evening now. Still in the park, I moved into an area that has big lawns right next to the water, quite nice. I will let you know later how it turns out.
3/23—I parked and slept in an area for tent camping. This is a huge area covered in grass. Being a Tuesday, there are few people here. I found that in the bathrooms are showers, so for the future, I will.
Where I am now, I have shower, I have food and a way to cook it with my wood-stove, there is wifi available, there is electric when I need. A new home for Kit?
As you know, I have about 100 books on board the van to read. Currently, I am reading
‘Surprised by Joy” by CS Lewis. Hard to keep up, the writings are from years past. In fact a new kind of language for me. So, I’m taking on the challenge and will read through the book.
I loved the Narnia books that I read during Jr. High. CS Lewis is a master writer and I thought anything he wrote would be magnificent. It turns out I am not enjoying some of his books.
TODAY I HAD NO COSTS! I stayed in the van, read and worked on stuff. Juggled ln the grass, rode my bike, read books.
When I don’t travel, I have NO costs. When you live in a place, say you pay $1,000 a month in rent. That works out to be $33.33 you pay daily, along with your utility costs, no matter what; and that’s at the low end.
3/24—I moved back into the grassy area. It’s been about four days and I needed a shower. As I said before I’m not around anyone long enough to cause a stink, I take a shower when I get to itchy.
On the way over here, once again, I stopped and at a couple places and gathered a bunch of firewood. I bring it in large pieces to where I will have the fire. Then I break everything into smaller bits, each about one foot long.
From the photo, you see that I organized them into kindling, small, medium, and large.
Yikes! Had another bee in the van. When I do, I don’t kill them, I grab them really quick with my fingers and throw and then out the open side door. Bees are a good thing.
Here’s something of interest. I had wondered why people say, such as for 5pm, 5 “o’clock”. I found this —The expression “o’clock” comes from a time in which people were using various ways of telling the time… The expression “o’ clock” was used to distinguish the fact that someone was referring to the clock’s time (and not solar time). They would say “It’s nine of the clock” which later became “nine o’clock”.
Today at the Flamenco Visitor Center I met Matt Luminez, who in living in the town next to where I grew up in San Diego, Ocean Beach; he is next door in Pacific Beach. Matt is developing and growing a company which will make EpiPens (they are to help with people allergic to bees), at a low cost for people who need to use them. We had a short but a good talk.
3/25—I seldom a shower for two days in a row, I did today. It was available, and free—shower time. Feels quite nice to be a clean Kit in the sun.
The wind was blowing much again this morning. So, no fire for me, today. I hope the next people who have a fire there appreciate all the wood I left for them for their big fire.
I think I wrote already, tomorrow will start on my fast and I’ll so it really quick. No eating for two weeks for me! Last year I went for a week with no eating, didn’t affect me in the least. So this time, two weeks only drinking green tea and that consuming any food.
I like challenges, and this one will be healthy. I’ve read that it is good to stop eating for a time for your health. Next time, perhaps have a challenge of 40 days of no eating?
It’s also nice to clean out the van. I had some deli meats and 5 different kinds of chess. Also, crackers and cereal that I was not eating. I will put these out for the birds. I’m sure the turkey vultures will love the meat I left for them. Rather than just throw it away because it will eventually go bad, I get it to the animals because they like it and it is not wasted.
This morning I saw a couple out for a bike ride. For most people whom I see riding, their seat is too low. You will ride better and more comfortable with your seat higher. When you’re sitting on the seat, your leg on the lower pedal should be almost straight. Do you ride with your seat too low?
Now I’ve come over to the visitor center to get onto their wifi.
There are some things I want to do is the van. So I left the Everglades to head back to Miami– yuck (you know how I like cities.)
As I was getting out of the Everglades, there was a guy with a water truck who was watering the fields. Part of the water was falling onto the road so, quick-thinking me, I got the van wet and then wiped it off and cleaned off. Looks much better now.
I think I wrote, starting tomorrow I will not eat for two weeks. Only drink green tea. I’ll let you know daily how it’s turning out. I just went into medical place in weighed myself, 160 lb right now. Although, I’m feeling heavier than that for some reason.
Back to the Naranja Library, I’ve been here a few times before. A big place, there are many people here; a good thing. I can get the wifi in the parking lot. And, when the library is closed, these is an electrical outlet outside.
Spring is on the way! I’ve put my lettuce, spinach and cilantro seeds in soil to be grown in the van. They are starting to pop up already. I will soon be eating healthy plants grown in my van!
3/26—Went into Miami to check out some auto wrecking yards to see if they have what I need. Some time ago while driving at night, I hit a deer, you might remember. I broke my turn signal light and I need a new one, along with a couple of other items.
I went to one, they did not have, said it was too old (my van is from 2001.) I checked on another, no, there, too. In this mix I had to drive through the city, which I don’t like, as you know.
It was Friday and I knew that most wrecking yards would be closed for the weekend. I did not want to stay around until Monday, yikes. In my mind, I just said, “ENOUGH”, and had to get out of the city. I returned toward route 41, some areas I like. I can find the parts I need later, in smaller cities.
In Google Maps it has somewhere to click set a home location. I simply put in, “VAN”, it had no idea what I meant (some comedy for you.)
I am in no rush to be anywhere. Along route 41 is West Dade Library, where I am at now. I expect I will be here for the night. A quiet area this is, I’ve stayed here before.
And, by the way, this is the first day I have had nothing to eat. I only drank green tea. I am not hungry in any way and have full energy.
I’m lonely out here, I would love to hear from you.
Either through Facebook or email, kitsummers@gmail.com
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MY CHALLENGE FOR YOU THIS WEEK >>
Spring is here soon! Have you started planting your vegetable garden yet? For over 30 years I have planted vegetables outside and have eaten well. You can even plant edible food indoors.
There is no excuse, you can find all the info you need on planting and growing on the internet. Jump into it, the growing of your plants will bring great satisfaction to you.
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NEXT BLOG>>
As Spring is coming, time to head toward the north and then toward Texas, I think. Any ideas from you? And, if you are anywhere along my southern drive, I would love to visit. Let me know.
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