Dolly Goes Around the World

Some people ask me, "What is inspiring such a bold move to give up a Texas home, secure surroundings and hit the road in your RV?" My desire to do this can be traced to a 29-cent book which my parents taught me to read back in 1961.

I read the book so often that I memorized Dolly Goes Around the World and recited it to Sister Joel's first grade class at St. Benedict's School in Johnstown, PA. I was only six-years-old, but even then I wanted to be like the blinky-eyed doll featured in the book traveling to the forests of Peru, on the pampas of Argentina, ashore in Hawaii and fishing in Alaska. Over the years, the book disappeared, given to a cousin or tattered and tossed out which I do not know. But the rhyming phases always reminded me that traveling means new experiences and fun.

Last spring, I found an antique book store with a copy of this beloved book. I ordered it online for the inflated cost of $32.99 plus shipping. This little literary treasure will go with Ed and I as we begin our explorations.