So, just who are we?

We're those types of persons who seem to live in their vehicles -- and, sometimes, live is literal.

We have trucks, not cars. For us, cars just don't hold enough stuff. Well, my grandparents had a Willy's Jeep and then a Ford Econoline van that my grandfather (an inventor and mechanical engineer) revamped the interiors to meticulously cram in everything needed to live while on the road.

Actually, our story -- or traveling and collecting habit -- starts with my grandfather, Alfred, and his artist sister, Laura. Aunt Laura was 20+ years older than Granddad. She never married because she never wanted to give up her art. She taught at the Chicago Art Institute for decades, and during the summers would haul her little brother along to help her set up her easels, change the tires on her Buick, and whatever else a teenage boy could do to help out. This was back before 1920.

Aunt Laura loved the Southwest! She painted all the landscapes and people she saw, from Santa Fe and Taos, and even down to Mexico where she spent time with Diego Rivera and Freda. And everywhere she went, she collected "pretty things". Not things to use, mind you, just things that she thought were pretty -- bits of cloth, pieces of pottery, blankets -- you name it!

In 1928, my grandfather married my grandmother, Alda, and they took their 3-month honeymoon on the back of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle -- which my grandfather modified with a tent that attached to it. They went from Keokuk, Iowa all the way to the California coast and back, all on roads that were barely roads back then. Needless to say, my grandmother was now in love with the Southwest.

So my grandparents moved to California. I think they would have moved to the desert, but my granddad had a job in the aeronautics industry in California. I remember constant travels with them to the desert where we studied plants, animals and rocks. Of course, many of the rocks we found were brought back to adorn our gardens and table tops. And we seldom left home without books to look up all the fascinating things we saw! And once back, we spent hours reliving our adventures through my gramma's stacks of slides. Yes, she was a prolific photographer!

Okay, so fast-forward to today. There's me (Christine) who loves plants. I can be a walking encyclopedia at times when it comes to plants. There's my son Jacob (who is 35) who is the walking encyclopedia of rocks and a true gold prospector. And then there's Derek, my grandson all of 9 years old, who is into chess. Chess??? Where did that come from? Well, he also likes rocks, plants and animals, adores his Uncle Jake, and tries to help him find GOLD. I think he likes bugs better than gold, though. I have one other son, but he lives in California so he can surf and fish. He prefers the city to the Southwest deserts and mountains, so is rarely traveling with us. But he does create art.

So now you basically have an idea of who we are and why we're on the road a lot -- and why our yard looks like a junk pile (I vow to someday make it look like a yard!). I will try to keep you tuned in to our travels and what we find. Sometimes it's just ho-hum, but a lot of times are really exciting!