We headed north on May 15th of this year and arrived back in Florida on September 13th. ~4 months, 82 miles short of 4,000 and 15 new states added to our map. What a summer!!!!! Hard to believe we have now been in 40 of the 50 states in the US. This fulltime life has been amazing so far and we just don’t see it ending any time soon. (Although Homer will NOT be making any trips to Hawaii or Alaska)

Our longest stop outside of Maine on our way back south, was a week spent in Delaware. Delaware was on our list so I could spend time with my best friend from my navy days. A personal stop and not so much about the area, but about the person. I got to spend time with her, and we are those kinds of friends that no matter how many years in between seeing each other, we just pick up right from where we left off. A true treasure in my mind and I feel very fortunate to have her in my life.

Delaware – Deadly or Delightful? You decide…

Slaughter, Broadkill, Whorekill and Murderkill. All names of beaches in Delaware. Makes you want to get in a car and drive there right now, doesn’t it? None are really as awful as they sound, or are they? Delaware was settled by the Dutch and the word for creek in Dutch, is kill. Because most of these beaches are at the end of rivers or creeks, you get the kill at the end of the name. That’s the preferred definition if you live in Delaware.

There are some other lesser-known historical references to how these names were chosen. Most are based on battles between Indians and Settlers, way back when. One really odd one that stood out to me, was Whorekill beach. Evidently, the Siconese men of the area would share their women with the Dutch men as a gesture of friendship and celebration. Unfortunately, there were some misunderstandings in the languages and for some reason a lot of people died. More than once! They have since renamed this area to Lewes but even today, it makes me go ‘Hmmmmm’. All just interesting tidbits now stored in my mind. Check out this interesting piece I found online for more of the history and decide for yourself.

How legend says Delaware’s Whorekill, Murderkill, and Slaughter Beach got their names | David Healey author

The one outlier is Slaughter beach. This lovely piece of beach is a favorite mating spot for Horsehoe crabs. They come ashore, have some fun and sometimes get flipped on their backs by the waves. Not being able to right themselves, they die in the sun as the tide goes out. So really, this one is about the “slaughter” of crabs and mother nature’s infinite wisdom, and not so much about people. I just hope they go with a smile on their faces.

I-95 South

On our way north to Maine, we primarily traveled through the Appalachian Mountains and stayed to the west of the coast. I was done with the mountain thing, at least for this year. I let Dave know in NO uncertain terms, I was not going back to Florida that way. He said my only option was I-95 south. Big cities, lots of traffic and low bridges, he was “pretty sure” we could fit under. Pretty sure?

For whatever reason, going through the busiest of the east coast large cities on a Sunday, worked out perfect and I got as close to any of them with Homer, that I ever want to.

New York City

Washington, D.C.

Iconic bridges

We found I-95 South no better or worse than most of the other roads we’ve been on this year. Parts are smooth, parts are rough, parts are scenic, parts are boring. The best part, as tall as Homer is, we made it under every bridge, safely. No sound of an A/C unit being ripped off the roof, or a worse feeling of your cap running into the bridge deck. We did not detour off I-95 once we were on, as it appears most the really low bridges are on the exits. (We both noticed that every low bridge sign, we both held our breath until we were cleared of it though. Lol!)

Here’s the thing about us. Once we got back to our seasonal sight, we were all about getting everything set up for the long winter to come. OK, not so much winter, more about just being back to our home base. Here’s a big tip. You should for sure disconnect your car battery if you are letting it sit for 4 months. Positivity hat – the good thing is in the last year, both vehicles and Homer all have new batteries, so we should be good for another 5 years. Sheesh.

After 3 weeks of settle time, Homer is clean inside and out, purged, paint is touched up, and Dave is back to hitting golf balls on a daily basis. All my amazing craft supplies are ready to create some beautiful art and yes, our annual flowers are once again planted, and we are back to enjoying all those beautiful colors through the winter. Dave will be headed down to Bonita Beach to see his dad and stop in a Lover’s Key to see how their recovery is going from Hurricane Ian.

Our next big trip is mid-October as we head north, in the car this time, to meet our amazing new granddaughter and see how much our grandson has grown. Can you say excited? Our kids are great at the video calls, but there is nothing like getting to hug and cuddle those little ones. Oh, yeah. We’d like to see all our kids as well. Lol!

As for future trips this winter, I’m on the hunt to find me another troll, and we’ve heard about a spring 30 minutes from us that looks worth a visit. Wouldn’t you go if you saw this picture?

So, while Homer may be parked for a bit, the Sarff’s will continue to move around and explore more of the greater state of Florida through this winter. I can’t wait to see what we will find and share it with you.

See ya on the road,

Dave and Theresa