Introduction

Sara Beth (SB) works for an idea company called UOP.  It invents and implements technologies used in the petrochemical industry.

She oversees the construction and installation of instruments at refineries all over the world.  She goes where the company needs her, and I travel with her.  I'm her husband, a road spouse, a transient home maker.

For the next few years, we don't know when or where we're going.  The soonest we'll know is a week or two before we're there.  The uncertainty is both a benefit and hindrance.

It's a benefit because we go almost anywhere and experience more than the average tourist.  Most refineries are located in rural or industrial areas, and jobs can last a few weeks to a couple years.

It's a hindrance because we might go to some inhospitable and uncomfortable places.  We can't learn the language of, make plans for, or pack according to a specific place.  We have to be content in being unprepared without the comfort or amenities of home.

Our home is wherever we fall asleep at night.  We live out of suitcases and hotels and eat almost entirely from restaurants.  We can't visit our friends and family, unless we're between jobs or there's an emergency.  We're on our own.

Road life isn't a vacation; it's an adventure.  We're travelers, not tourists.  Yes, SB's on the road to do a job, but we also have to live in whatever society we're thrust into.  Adapt or go stir crazy.  I choose the former.