Home…..

Hi all! The Lemonade Club is home.

After several weekends of partying campers at the Spirit of the Suwanee Camp and Music Park and a decreased feeling of safety and security in what had been wonderful bubble, we made the difficult decision to leave Florida. Initially, we were headed to PA to visit our friend Moonie and to stay on his farm for a bit to shelter in place there. But after some soul searching and the reality of the significant number of cases of COVID all along the eastern seaboard, we decided that home would be a safer bet.

I asked Carol and Bella to find another place to live which was extremely difficult for me, but something that I had to do since Carol is still working outside the home and I wanted to provide a safe place for all of us to return to. During the process I learned that Carol and Bella had likely been exposed to COVID, and later learned that their potential exposure had occurred at the house. We had to create a timeline for our re-entry to Casa Cummins which would allow cleaning and also time for the house to sit vacant for me to feel comfortable returning. They were able to find another option and move out on the 10th, which allowed the house to rest empty for several days prior to our return.

We left Florida on May 6 and made a 9 day, 1670 mile trek across the panhandle of Florida (to avoid Georgia), Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma to return to Colorado. We took our sweet time, and found that travel in an RV with plenty of fresh water and soap is an ideal way to travel in an pandemic. No public restrooms, no hotels. Our space, our timeline. I had stocked up on food and essentials prior to leaving so our need to shop along the way was limited to gas for the rig and a gallon of milk every few days.

We were able to spend two nights in Fort Worth, TX where my dad lived for many years and where my parents went to TCU. My dad was able to introduce his granddaughter to his parents and sister at their gravesite. We were able to drive around town and Big Daddy was able to recall who lived where and which dorm my mom lived in on campus and share this with Marleigh. What a cool thing. Oh, and we were able to get some Texas BBQ from a takeout restaurant at our campground. Bonus. From Fort Worth, we travelled to Canyon, Texas near Amarillo. Here we were able to see the country’s second largest Canyon- Palo Duro Canyon and are grateful to the Marshalls and the Lords for a super cool recommendation.

We arrived home on May 15 having let only a few folks know we were returning. Grateful to be back, the driveway was colored with beautiful chalk art and the door was adorned with an awesome poster with welcome home notes from those who knew we were coming. It is a very strange thing to return having been gone for 6 months and knowing there would be no hugs, no party, but were so happy to see love notes and gifts from those who knew.

Transitioning from 350 square feet to 2300 is kinda sweet. We all have our own space. I have a king sized bed with an honest mattress and door on my bedroom. (What? What?!?) Oh, and the hot tub. The. Hot. Tub. Ahhhhhh. I had gotten an small inflatable hot tub while we were in Florida, but nothing compares. And that picturesque view of the mountains. What an amazing place to call home.

At some point during our time away there was a leak in the basement, in Big Daddy’s space, and that has really been a bummer. His space was soaked, carpets, drywall, baseboard, tile. The Sunday we returned was spent lifting carpet and pad, and having a remediation company come out with dehumidifiers, fans and mold killing solvent while a plumber tried to identify the problem and an engineering company tested for asbestos. I went from bus driver to project manager overnight and that has consumed the majority of my time since we got home. Drywall was removed on Monday in two rooms and a closet and we are still looking to determine the cause of the water and next steps. Because of the influx of workers each day and having his space torn up, Big Daddy has returned to his home in Silverthorne, which was not part of the plan, but he has settled in remarkably well.

We have also been busy washing every piece of linen in the house and reclaiming our space… so much of it!!! We have off loaded almost a years’ worth of life from Dericka, cleaned her and today I take her in for repair work. We are not sure how long it will take, but this will give us a natural break to focus on being at home, living into our space, cleaning, organizing, purging and rebuilding the basement.

While our adventures are on hold, we hope that there will be more adventures this summer! Starting in August of last year, I have put over 11,000 miles on the RV 10,500 miles on the Jeep, we have visited 26 states and countless monuments, battlefields, attractions, State and National Parks. What an amazing experience! Thanks for following us, for your well-wishes and prayers.