It’s been awhile. Are you still there?

It turns out that making cookies is the perfect culinary craft for trailer life. Thanks to the internet, I got inspired, which progressed into a comprehensive how-to exploration into the art of cookie making on YouTube. Then I got some cookie cutters, disposable pastry bags and decorating tips and gave it a shot.

After a few months in a mountainside cottage rental, I am glad to be back in the Airstream, volunteer hosting at a California state park. And thanks to a local friend, I’ve got a Suzuki GS550 to ride while I’m here. Thanks so much Bruce! My rig can't accommodate a motorcycle without some major changes (new tow vehicle or trailer), and I'm not yet ready to make that kind of change, so I'm feeling pretty lucky to have this bike available to me.

One of my favorite books of all time is The Wind in the Willows. Written in 1908 by Kenneth Grahame, the edition I have is slip-cased and has gorgeous color illustrations by Charles van Sandwyk. I haven't read it in years but today I opened it up and came across this passage in the chapter called "The Open Road":

I’ve got around 100 square feet of living space in my 20’ Airstream trailer. For a house on wheels, I think that’s pretty good. It’s easy to maneuver, easy to get into tight spaces, and really, it’s got all I need to live comfortably – a kitchen, bathroom, shower, bed and table.

The first time I was face-to-face with Francis Ford Coppola, I played it pretty cool.

My friends and I had scored free tickets to a silent auction and dinner in Napa Valley’s favorite upscale town of St. Helena, but it wasn’t a fancy event. People milled around in the airy barn-like hall sipping wine. I mostly sat with my friends at a table, getting up now and then to check on the auction items I had bid on. It never occurred to me that Mr. Coppola might be in our midst.

Well, it was bound to happen. I've outgrown my original travelogue, www.thesilversnail.com. It's hard to believe it was six years ago when I liquidated my apartment and hit the road, and if it wasn't for the Silver Snail website, all I'd have is a few hard drives with a few thousand photos...and memories.