Trying at type something daily in this for your read, but I will be posting my words just once or twice a week, not wanting to inundate you.

With these words I want to inspire you, to help you to live a better life. When you want to read past blog entrees, remember you can always go to:    https://kitsummers.com/blog/

What a wonderful trip is ahead. I am enjoying writing to you, yet, if you no longer want to receive, let me know and I will take you off the list.

Walmart provides free parking for campers and people who want to stay somewhere for the night in their vehicle. This is a scary corporation, but nice of them to allow people to stay the night in their parking lot.

We have stayed at a couple Walmarts so far.

The employees and people who frequent the store are a “different” set. But, we have all been customers at Walmart at one time or another. When I walk through the store I pass many people. Very few make eye contact, say “hi”, or are friendly.

People are so self-contained, it’s scary. As I walk around the store everyone is in their own little world, not friendly with anyone. I am just not seeing that in others in this store and much in the public, too. I am just not sensing any friendliness in so many people.

I try to be friendly and connect with everyone I can in a sociable way. I think that if everyone did this the world will be a better place. How about you? Which side are you on?

I do hope you are not one of these Walmart—people.

At least it is somewhere to park for the night, yes? But, I must say, I mentioned before that Tina gave her notice to quit and is finishing up this week before we start on the road. Get this, she works at—yes—Walmart!  She works in the back doing the accounting and control of merchandise. She likes what she does, but says that the political structure of this company is awful and higher ups are often unpleasant people. A few nights ago we stayed at a Walmart that had free wifi, a good thing.

You are wondering about connecting to the internet while traveling, yes? All McDonald’s have free wifi, as well and numerous locations all around the US (US—those letters remind me of something I just read. Many people call the United States “America”, but it is not. There is South America and Central America, too, don’t forget they are “America” as well. Or, as Dorothy calls our country, Amerikka, this dangerous country we reside in.) And, right now we are eating dinner at a place called “Wingman”, free wifi here. Starting to be more and more places everywhere with free wifi, a good thing.

Today I am off to Planet Fitness for a workout and a shower. Yes, that is just one way we keep from smelling too human. With my insurance the cost is only $10 a month and I can bring a guest (Tina!) each time for free. Nice to get a good workout in while on the road and a good shower at PF for only $5 each a month. There are PF gyms all around the US and most are open 24/7, so we can always be in shape and showered (how about you, are you in shape and showered?)

Also for showering, Tina sent away and we received a showerhead and hose that hooks up to any sink. So, we can also shower in the family/handicap single person restroom anywhere.  Eventually I will have a water container, water pump and shower head to use in the back of the van with the doors open. So, there is that way, too.

After a night at that Walmart, the next day was spent at another park. Nature is so fantastic; I like to spend as much time in nature as I can. You will read many more words of our wilderness experiences. More and more to the out of doors we go.

Let me tell you of some aspects of the van we live and travel in. I built a seat that is six feet in length. The top lifts by way of hinges and there is storage under. On the other side is a shorter version of the same, and I put in a mechanism that makes it into a tabletop that lifts so that we can sit on the other side and work or have meals on the tabletop.

The back rest for the seat lifts out to be placed between the seating/table area to make a full size bed. We have a memory foam mattress that is used for seating/backrest, and then this is then laid out to turn into our bed. This memory foam is very comfortable as a seat or a bed; we sleep well.

The kitchen area is in the back of the van. This can be accessed from the inside or the outside with the doors open wide (when you are using it from the outside.) As the doors are open, I installed a tabletop on each door that folds down to use in cooking. Cooking utensils and cookware are mounted on the doors and backside of the van. I had mentioned about having a water tank and pump for the shower water, this same nozzle will be used at the sink in the back for kitchen water.

You can walk from the front driving/seating area to the back easily. There is storage in each bed, and also in overhead cupboards that came with the van. Being a conversion van, it is a little wider than most vans. There is a skylight on each side, under the skylight I built a shelf that holds a one foot long planter, secured down; there are three.

In these planters we are growing much lettuce, spinach and cilantro. So, a moving vegetable garden travels with us. In the future we will be growing more and other things (the banana tree will look fabulous growing out of the top of the van.)

Solar power will be upcoming, along with a refrigerator and TV. So, all the comforts of any home I can think of. In fact, we are already more comfortable in this than any home we remember. The smaller you can make the “things” in your life, the better life will be, I have found.

I cut covers for each window out of Reflectix. Then, on the other side of each I used spray glue and glued on black cloth on each. The Reflectix reflects sun and heat, so when it is sunny hot that side goes out. Black attracts heat, so in cooler environments we put the black out. When these are on they totally block any light from coming into or going out of the van.

Last evening we were in another park environment, his time with a big salad and bottle of wine to share. By the end of the evening we were both quite happy and feeling good.

Through this I am seeing that each of us can change our life, anytime, into something that we like much better. As you might know, through my life I have had to change my life much, through accidents and various circumstances. If you do not like your life—make a change—make things better for yourself.

Tomorrow is Tina’s last day of work, and then we start our life together on the road. Today, once again, I was at a nice park, doing some more work on improving the van. I do hope we pass near you; I would love to see you and let you see our home on wheels. After the park I went to Planet Fitness to put in a good workout. Then I took a shower and I feel quite clean and refreshed right now.

Right now back at a McDonalds using their free wifi. Air conditioned, not many people, quite pleasant. Along with connecting to the internet, I can plug in a charge my electric things.

I am sure you have heard of how scary McDonald’s food is. We seldom partake. But, not fair of us, we do get a salad or something at times.

Had a mishap this evening. After picking up Tina from work to take her to an eye doctor appointment, which was soon after she got off. I was about to turn into the parking lot of the eye doc and watching cars coming toward me. I did not see there was a small island, which I drove over. Bounced the van pretty good, in fact, one of the planters with lettuce growing came down to the floor with a crash, yikes.

Tina knew of a carwash place that had a good vacuum, so off we went. It looked a mess, but the cleaning up went rather quickly. So, tomorrow I will replant and this time I will use a double secure system to hold things in so that will not happen again.

In my life, through various traumatic things, I have learned that recovery can be quick, and you can return to something even better than before. I have devised was in my mind to make the van better, and just see, once again, if something bad happens you can make it back—to an even better outlook on life.

I will write you soon again. How about you, will I hear from you?

Right now I am typing this in the early morning as I am looking out at a beautiful tranquil lake. There are many birds making their morning sounds and the smell in the air is a deep nature smell. There is a mist over parts of the lake as I feel invigorated for this new day. This picture of the lake I see is like from famous painting of lake settings.

Last night, on our way back from Delaware after getting my computer fixed, we went to Marsh Creek State Park to sleep over:

(http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/marshcreek/)

We stopped and picked up a hoagie to share. Sitting on a park bench and eating this simple meal with the view we had was a joy. As we were driving in we saw two deer in a field next to the road getting an evening meal themselves.

Driving to the lake area we passed many houses worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, perhaps, millionaire estates? Yet, we got to park “our” home right next to the lake and had a brilliant night in a fantastic location with beauty all around. When you are living and traveling in a van you can park about anywhere to sleep, even at the beach in Malibu, perhaps.  So, your home is in fabulous places when and where you want.

Must be about five am and I just awoke from a pleasant sleep to this paradise we are experiencing. Tina is in the van getting some more slumber and I am sitting on a park bench about 30 feet away typing these words; a true–lap-top–with computer on my lap.

Last night when we arrived we were on the east side of the lake. Sunset as the sun was dropping into the lake was breathtaking. We took an evening drive around the lake and found a boat ramp area were we found a nice place to park for the night in the meadow and trees. This morning, being on the other side of the lake, we witnessed the sun arising over the lake, truly a lovely sight to see.

Yesterday was a special day. My daughter, April, graduated high school, with a big ceremony at Villanova University. They say there were upwards of 4,000 people there, many excited people seeing their kids finish high school.  Like my daughter Jasmine did and does, both excelled in school and learning. More than just learning facts of life, they learned how to use their mind to think correctly, something so many people do not do.

You can find April on Facebook (she is a beauty), search for April Summers in Media, PA.

Why, looky there, April got to carry the school flag and be on stage during the ceremony with just one other student (can you tell I am the proud daddy?) Of course, there were some boring speeches by school staff, but the two hour program went quickly.

A group of us went for lunch at a very nice restaurant after. For the ceremony, I was sitting between Tina and Mary Ellen (until about 7 years ago Mary Ellen and I had been married for 23 years before we ended things.) It did feel quite strange sitting between those two females that have been and are a big part of my life.

While we were in the mode of selling Tina’s very nice home, her daughter happened to need a place to live for her and her son, Eric. She was able to get a loan and moved into Tina’s home last week, as we are moving out. They are fitting in quite nicely.

This excursion out to Marsh Creek was a test drive to see how it is to go somewhere nice and sleep in the van; we are going to have a fabulous life on the road. Tina gave her notice to quit last week and her last day is June 18. So, all set to start this new life of living and traveling the US living in this spectacular van that I built into a home.

We are glad we are giving up our home. Just right now the trash collectors and coming by—at two bucks a visit, twice a week. The expenses of living in a home are much—rent or mortgage, taxes, utility bills, miscellaneous upkeep—just to name a few. In the van—the cost of gas to get places and keeping the engine up—and that is all. We have a chance to live a full life, as opposed to simply going to work on a daily basis to pay all the bills.

There will be a big bon voyage and Leah moving in party on June 28 and be off the next day toward Maine and parts unknown. You are welcome to join us; we would love to see you. Please contact me if you can make it.

Adios>>>>>>Kit, 610-400-3233, kitsummers@gmail.com

PS I will have photos soon, still learning.

As you know, I have not been writing in my blog, time to start again.

Changes are a coming–a new life is starting–again.

Joy is on the way, I will be putting this on my blog often.

Please let me know about your life, it’s been awhile.

Some big changes you may not be aware of:

• 2009–My wife of 23 years and I broke up, devastated for a time.
• 2010–Was hit by a truck, the second time in my life, much of my body broken.
• 2011–Was put in jail on a false change, where I had to spend a month of my life.
• 2012–Had to get away to recover, I was able to set up juggling workshops in Australia and New Zealand, so off I went, after driving across the US, for a 5 month trip.
• Met Tina through the internet and the love continues to grow.
• Tina and I purchased a van, which I converted into our new home and we are going to travel and live in the van for upcoming years.

The van we have is fantastic. When we bought, the 2001 Dodge van only about 95,000 miles.This van was owned by Saint Joseph University Golf team, who used it to get to tournaments. Everything runs excellent. This drives outstanding.

We plan to live in and travel for upcoming years. With cell phones and internet we do not have to stick to one location. We can easily stay connected wherever we are in the world. I also have a pass for life to get into any national park/forest at no charge; will be nice.

Speaking of the world, we plan on traveling to each state, including Alaska. And, we can do the in any country in the world, which we are planning to do. Once we arrive we buy a van and I will build into another home.

After removing all the seats I rebuilt the inside.

• I built wooden boxes with strong frames on each side, plenty of storage.
• A futon mattress fits on one site as a sofa; very comfy.
• The other side I put in a lift table that comes up to eat on or do computer/office work.
• The back of the sofa is a board that fits between the boxes to make a full bed when we lower the futon.
• I will be putting in a 25 gallon water tank, including a pump and water heater.
• Until then, we will shower with this: http://www.campsaver.com/summer-shower.
• And, we will have a membership with Planet Fitness, which have locations nationwide, all have a shower to use.
• I put in a small sink, made of bamboo, in the back/kitchen area.
• We will be able to partially close the backdoors, put a shower curtain around, and get clean in the shower.
• We have a portable pleasant potty to take care of business.
• The doors open wide. On each door I attached a table that folds out.
• More storage was built into each door.
• Tina can stand in the van, I have to duck down alittle.
• We bought a bike rack for the back, carrying our two bikes.
• There are skylights on each side, so I put planters and we are growing lettuce, spinach, and cilantro.
• Later I will put solar panels on the roof for all the electrical power we need.

Remember, it’s not what stuff you have that give value to your life–but how much life you have lived.

Tina and I will be living the life that WE want.

We are taking the time to truly live life, rather than suffer through it.

We will travel with the warm weather, in hotter up north, milder toward the south.

Here is where our trip will initially take us:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Hereford,+PA+18056,+USA/Pine+Creek+Gorge/Finger+Lakes+National+Fores++t,+Burdett,+NY/Ferris+Lake,+Caroga+Lake,+NY/Green+Mountain+National+Forest,+Rutland+County,+VT/Portland,+ME/Bar+Harbor,+ME/Quebec+City,+QC,+Canada/@43.5407167,-77.1689281,6z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m52!4m51!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c42f3423d86709:0x1e58132fc5e62125!2m2!1d-75.5480491!2d40.4469017!1m5!1m1!1s0x89ce56e3f6fabe0f:0x4c822e00960b4b6e!2m2!1d-77.3260479!2d41.270941!1m5!1m1!1s0x89d08ce581f444c7:0x1d8d67558b732e93!2m2!1d-76.791356!2d42.515146!1m5!1m1!1s0x89dedb779206174d:0x54e1edd514845bae!2m2!1d-74.675173!2d43.296876!1m5!1m1!1s0x89e03f233080ae9d:0xd7d7af3973f1357f!2m2!1d-72.993297!2d43.044141!1m5!1m1!1s0x4cb29c72aab0ee2d:0x7e9db6b53372fa29!2m2!1d-70.2553259!2d43.661471!1m5!1m1!1s0x4caebe4815802593:0x88e91a6528cad91b!2m2!1d-68.2039123!2d44.3876119!1m5!1m1!1s0x4cb8968a05db8893:0x8fc52d63f0e83a03!2m2!1d-71.242796!2d46.8032826!2m1!2b1!3e0

I will be writing my blog as often as I can about the experiences of Tina and I on the road.

Did you read of my trip to Australia and New Zealand? Here is part:

https://kitsummers.com/blog/page/8/

In Paris with Viktor Kee!

February 7, 2015 – Getting back to the writings for my blog (https://kitsummers.com/blog/), as you know, after my trip to Australia and New Zealand I kind of got away from writing for the blog. This will be the beginnings of many words upcoming. I love adventures, this is a new one.

Around January 20, 2015, Viktor Kee and I connected via Facebook. He told me of his foundation

http://viktorkeefoundation.com/

and that they were meeting at The Cirque de Demain in Paris in a week to talk about his foundation. He wanted me there with them. So, on January 28, I flew to Paris for six days to be at:

http://www.cirquededemain.com/

Here is a video of Viktor and his amazing juggling and performance:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEJF0YM94u4

So, we talk and only 5 days later it was off to Paris.

I am so happy to be able to help people through his organization.

The day before I was to leave was the big snow storm. They had said it would be the worst in many years—it amounted to very little after all. It’s terrible how forecasters always forecast the worst a storm can possibly be, so that way everyone tunes in to watch the news. I do like challenges, and going to Paris so quickly was a big one.

As I left home there would be a two hour bus trip to JFK airport, which went quite smooth. Before I left I did not know if the bus would get me to the airport in time to get through the international detailed check out before I could leave. Everything had to be quite precise to get me there on the correct times. Then, at the airport, getting through the lines was not too long a process. Viktor booked me and I flew over on Aeroflot Airlines. Being a Russian airline, we flew from NYC over to Moscow, then, after a plane change, back to Paris. So, now I can say that I visited Moscow, yes?

Once on the plane I settled is comfortably for the 12 hour flight. I have trouble sleeping on planes, so, no sleep over or on the return, as I expected. Sleep is a strange thing; we all require sleep, but what a waste of time. I do better on four or five hours of sleep, rather than the eight we are told we all need.

Before I left I printed out a map and the area of the hotel I was booked at, so off I went to get on the Metro. Just one stop to change trains, then, after arriving at the end metro, it was a short walk to get to the hotel. I think it so rude of me not able to speak the language of the country I am in; many spoke English and I had no problem asking directions.

Something scary that I saw while walking in Paris, I passed by three people in camouflage outfits each carrying a machine gun. This world has gotten scary. And, in the airports, more police with guns (to protect us?)

Held at Cirque Phenix (http://cirquephenix.com/), the Cirque de Demain (http://www.cirquededemain.com/) circus competition was magnificent.

Sharing a room with Craig Quat, we are both going to be doing work for the foundation. Craig has an amazing background and has achieved excellence in many areas. Craig is devising ways to teach people to juggle—even working with the blind— take a look—https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8QRPU1EEuY

In fact, Viktor is assembling an amazing group of high level teachers; I am so glad to be a part of what they do to help people. Another amazing teacher I met in Paris was Marco Paoletti, who helped me toward getting back toward juggling 5 balls. Marco was a student of Sergei Ignatov, the great Russian juggler. I’ve known Sergei for many years (even having him over for dinner at my house) and he is a great teacher. Now Marco is teaching young people in Argentina who are disadvantaged to juggle and live a better life. Here is Marco — http://www.maggler.com/  and, here is about Marco and Viktor’s Foundation — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtJU8ifXxmU

 The Cirque de Demain Circus Competition—In the circus competition, all of those competing were very high level at whatever skill they showed. This is as special competition for performers under the age of 25; only human talent; no animals anywhere. I saw many techniques toward circus arts that were quite unique and top level. Of course, jugglers stood out for me. And, these two jugglers were so unique and special—excellence is what I witnessed.

Elegant and classy—Aleksandra Savina of Ukraine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLkU1kZrsWU

After graduating from Kiev Academy of Circus, Aleksandra went on to perform many places. Along with having an excellent skill level with the hoops, her showmanship was outstanding. Another hoop roller, I first met Bob Bramson in 1978, who is an excellent juggler and a master of hoops; I thought it would be hard for someone to surpass his skill, yet I saw someone who could match him in Aleksandra.

 Jimmy Gonzalez, a true artist.

http://jimmy-gonzalez.com/

The creativeness behind this man’s technique is extraordinary. Coming on stage with a ball of clay, this clay was broken into chunks and juggled in astounding ways. More than just juggling, Jimmy told a story with the clay and his show went over superb. In fact, Jimmy was awarded four special acknowledgments.

What a wonderful time I had at Cirque de Demain. I sadly checked out of the hotel and off I went back to the airport. On the flight back from Paris to Moscow I was sitting near a Russian girl who spoke good English. Olesya was returning from a fashion design event in Paris. There was an empty seat between us (so there was room) and I happened to have 3 scarves for juggling with me. In a short time Olesya was juggling! a wonderful thing to see.

After landing in JFK airport and taking a bus from the airport to New York City, I met up with my daughter, Jasmine, who is studying fashion design and living in NYC. I was staying the night at Cindy Marvel’s apartment (she lives in Boulder, Colorado) and she was not there. Here is Cindy juggling at the 2003 European Juggling Convention:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NCMD-UNOYc

Currently staying at Cindy’s is Kyle Driggs, another excellent juggler. Find out more of Kyle:  kyledriggs.com.  Before I learned of Kyle from Cindy I knew of his name, yet did not know his style or juggling ability. After watching Kyle’s video I am so impressed with his performance. Take a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgwbLEAWEPk

After the bus ride down to Allentown, PA, Tina picked me up and I went back home (so good to see Tina again.) Now to get back to what I am working on in my life—to help other’s to have a better future.

In writing this article it brought back memories of recent trip to Paris, and what a wonderful time I had.

Written by Kit Summers, Kitsummers.com, kitsummers@gmail.com, 610-400-3233