Moominmama's Adventures

In which Moominmama learns about Reconstruction, the amazing life of Robert Smalls and meets a tiny terrapin.... South Carolina is just the other side of the Savannah River, and Beaufort, S.C. is a short drive from there, a part of the Sea Islands, which has a remarkable history on several fronts. Famous women like Harriet Tubman and Clara Barton walked Beaufort's streets and cared for the injured during the Civil War. Chief among the town's claims to fame was its capture by Union soldiers early in the war (late 1861), making it the testing grounds of Reconstruction well before war ended.   As plantation owners and other whites fled this productive agricultural region -- not nearly as well fortified as Charleston or Savannah -- the Union assisted the roughly 10,000 formerly enslaved people to get a toe-hold in the new economy, quickly showing the world, as Robert Smalls would later say: "My race needs no special defense. For the past history of them in this country proves ...

In which Moominmama presses fast forward on Spring, visits the ocean and learns about slavery in Savannah.... The transition over four days of driving from brown fields, to trees with a hazy hint of green and then color everywhere was like time lapse photography. I drove into the exuberance of yellow forsythia by the time I hit North Carolina and watched it give way to leaves and blossoms everywhere through South Carolina into Georgia. What a sight for sore eyes! My final overnight en route to Savannah was near Fayetteville, N.C. at a horse farm that doubles as a mental health center. The greeting committee consisted of a white dog and two black pigs. By morning I was sharing the field where the Moominhouse was parked with what I think were donkeys or ponies, so I was careful to close the gate behind me when I pulled out. Yesterday, Moominmama ventured into the historic district of Savannah, which also happened to be the center of the slave trade in the city. Sistah Patt Gunn, a retire...

  In which Moominmama leaves winter behind and heads for the ocean... Farewell White Mountains and the frigid north! The adventure begins. But like most adventures, it requires abandoning the comforts of the familiar: friends, family and favorite ski trails. I got my first non-family hugs this week from newly vaccinated friends, energizing me for the trip. After extracting the Moominhouse from its winter home and loading it with provisions, I said farewell to my friends Erika, Steve, Noah and Charlotte, who sheltered the Moominhouse -- and Julia, who sheltered the Moominmama -- and I pushed south to escape the chill.  I have solar power and propane heat, but my water system is full of anti-freeze. I'm using water from a couple jugs and pooping into plastic bags (biodegradable) until I get far enough south to avoid freezing the trailer pipes. Then I can rinse out the system and use the sink, shower and toilet onboard. Looking forward to that! Over the next few days, I'll take a...

In which Moominmama gets ready to hit the road...  Readers of Tove Jansson's books about Moomintroll know all about the adventures of Moomintroll and his friends: Sniff, the Snork Maiden, Snufkin and even Moominpapa with the eerie Hattifatteners. But Moominmama has always been the keeper of the home, the baker of birthday cakes and the washer of dishes. She is unruffled, the source of stability for her adventurous friends and family. For me, as a mother who grew up with, and then shared, the delightful Moomintroll stories with my kids,  the characters and their adventures have a special resonance. Now it's time for me to leave the children to their young-adult lives and take to the open road. I'll be sending these missives as I roll along in a 17-foot caravan, a Canadian-made Alto Safari Condo, christened (with champagne, of course) the "Moominhouse." To all my friends and family, I'll start by heading south to Georgia, the Gulf Coast and then northwest until ...