The sun slants down in the west in its wintry fashion, and the day softens and winds down. Somewhere in space and time, Karin and I leave the campfire, the scenic viewpoint, the hiking trail, the local market, or wherever we happen to be, and we climb the steps up into Howie, our motorhome.

Immediately, a deep sense of peace and tranquility settles upon us. We are Home. We are safe, comfortable, secure, warm, cozy, well-fed, and completely familiar with our surroundings. Howie might be parked on the rim of the Grand Canyon, or in a Walmart back lot. We might have settled in for the night in a desolate stretch of forgotten desert, or we might be flanked by fellow RV-ers in a crowded park. We might be sitting next to a quarry full of 65-million-year-old dinosaur bones, or snow-bound in Ely, Nevada in a casino parking lot. Regardless of where Howie is, we are, profoundly and soul-satisfyingly, Home.

And look at the “sacrifices” we have to make. Our little rolling abode is much like a tiny one-bedroom condo, with all the amenities in place. We enter into our living-dining-kitchen area – – –

– – – and Karin makes us a healthy and nutritious dinner on the galley side, while I typically catch up on reading or Internet or blogging across from her at the dinette. We have stove, oven, microwave, freezer-fridge, and a double sink.

We have full DC and AC power for our appliances, TV, etc., plus a solar panel bank on the roof to re-charge every day. On cloudy or shady days, our built-in 4KW generator picks up the slack.

Late in the evening, we take hot showers and use the other “facilities” – – –

And as the evening ends, we retire to our super-comfy Queen bed, with down comforter no less.

We have all of our own clothes, bedding, furniture, kitchen utensils, and the other paraphernalia of life. Nobody else has used them. We know where everything is stashed away, and we have everything we need for daily life (well, mostly). We have enough supplies to last us for at least a week, and usually 10 days or more.

We have heat, water, food, shelter, Internet and each other. No wonder we feel so much at Home.

Life is Good.