“How long does it take to get down there?” he asked as I piled boxes and bags into my car.

“Well, I think it’s 12 hours or so, but I’m taking two and a half weeks,” I told him.

“Two and a half weeks?” he asked, his eyes wide with amazement.

“Yeah – I’m stopping to visit friends along the way,” I explained.

And so here it is that I write this post from my first stop: Galloway Township, New Jersey.  I’m at the home of a dear friend from college whom I haven’t seen in two years.  (For the full run-down of my year of living without a permanent home, click here.)  Everything I’ll need for the next four months is in my car (or so I hope).  But you wouldn’t know it by looking at it.  I don’t have an SUV stuffed to the ceiling.  I’ve got it all in a Beetle convertible – and most of it on the backseat and floor, under the windscreen.

Of course, I don’t need any furniture.  Or cooking supplies.  During my tenure at the John C. Campbell Folk School, I’m given a furnished room and full board as compensation for my work.  So my car is mostly filled with clothes, books, and crafting supplies (yarn and beads).

Figuring out what to take was one thing.  Figuring out what to do with everything else?  A little more daunting.  But that’s a story for another day.