Just because we are grandparents and getting older does not mean we can't enjoy playing with toys. And no, we have not entered our second childhoods - yet. Before hitting the road fulltime we both had laptop computers for work and personal use. We brought along a laser printer and a scanner. Next we purchased a Kodak digital camera and H-P color inkjet printer. With these toys we create our website, print our travels with pictures for our parents, print photo post cards and business cards, save digital photo albums, send and receive e-mails and keep track of our budget and finances.

We have an Earthmate GPS (Global Positioning System) that connects to a laptop computer. With Street Atlas software we can plan our trips including every turn and stop. With Norm as pilot and Linda as navigator we track our travels down the road. The laptop shows our location on the map and speaks to us - "turn west on highway 30, 1 mile, 1 minutes 20 seconds" - so we never get lost. If by chance we miss a turnoff the laptop informs us we were not paying attention, then it routes us back to our mistake.

Our cell phone allows us to stay in touch with family. We have the AT&T One Rate Plan so we are never charged long distance or roaming fees. We added a cell phone modem so we can connect to the internet, anywhere and anytime. If we want to send and receive e-mails or check the stock market we can pull to the side of the road and log on. The modem connects at a slow speed but we can usually do e-mail in two minutes with another three minutes to download our latest financial information.

Norm being a technical type guy bought a Silverleaf Monitor to connect between the motorhome's engine/transmission computer and the laptop computer. As we drive it gives reading on over twenty vital areas of the motorhome. We know our instantaneous miles per gallon, coolant, oil and transmission fluid temperatures and many other items. If we should ever develop a problem the monitor will inform us and give a description of the problem.

Linda has many hobbies and astronomy has always fascinated her. Norm bought her a computer controlled telescope with assorted lenses and eye pieces. Once set up the telescope will find any object in the sky and track its movement. The first night she used it she saw four moons around Saturn.

Yes, we love our toys. They help keep us busy, keep us informed and teach us new lessons. We hope we never get too old to play and learn.

(Since writing this story we have bought an inflatable boat with a Mercury outboard motor and a Honda Reflex motorscooter.)