So, I admit I don’t have a really good memory! Then, take into account that we have been fulltime RVing for over 22 years and have been to all 50 states several times, how in the world do I keep track of our life and travels? Journals and a timeline do the trick!
The idea to do journals of our travels wasn’t exactly original. Of course, like many of my age, when I was a girl I had a little five-year diary. And, over the years, I had done sporadic journals of our family vacation travels. This is my first, from the 80’s, of family travels in our motorhomes. It was really just a small calendar notebook.
In 1990 while on a cross-country trip in our Corvette I kept a journal of our adventure in one of those cute bound Journal books.
One of my special inspirations was my Aunt Freda who kept journals during her entire married life! She and Uncle John’s thirteen children used her journals as reference when there was a disagreement about when a family event had occurred. She compiled entries from these into a priceless handmade typed book.
I use 5x8-1/2 loose leaf binders for my journals. At times I have tried writing them on my laptop but like the personal feel of cursive writing with one of my fountain pens.
Each year I design a cover which is slipped into front of the binder. Sometimes it takes several weeks after the turn of the year to come up with an idea which seems to fit the coming year. These are samples. Then I make a handmade bookmarker; this year its a tassel but other years I’ve used shells, buttons or beads.
After a few years on the road and a bunch of journals we found it hard to remember where we had been and/or when we had been there so I made a timeline. Now, we can go to the timeline for specifics and then go to the appropriate journal to settle the “argument” about when we last visited the Corvette Museum! (Correct answer: 2004)
I like the idea of documenting and keeping track of things so this serves me well. Let’s see now, what was the name of that group we saw in Branson? Give me a minute, I’ll check…
