"To take roots to me means cutting off avenues of escape, avenues ofcommunication with the rest of the world. So that against the wish forrepose, there is an impulse to remain mobile, fluid, to changesurroundings." - Anais Nin from the Diary of Anais Nin Vol. V.

I dream of my escape. From the center of Stewart Elementary`sbaseball field, our physical education coach waves me farther into theoutfield with exaggerated hand movements. "More left," he yells."Further back." Its a position that may get a lot of action onSportCenter, but the fifth grade recess outfield grants me a cherishedtime-out. With the temperature topping one hundred degrees, my goal isto move as little as possible. If only I had a pocket-sized bedroom Icould snap together like a plastic Playskool shed. A refuge I couldbring with me anywhere.

There is an entire culture of people who must have had the same dream:a group for whom the need to be home is pressing; yet the thought of aSuper Wal-Mart cul-de-sac community is a nightmare. A mobile homeshould be, by definition, mobile. If mobility involves cutting yourhouse in half, removing its contents like pieces in a dollhouse, andpropping it up on a semi truck with a "CAUTION WIDE LOAD" sign, howmobile is it? What we refer to as "Mobile Homes" in America should berenamed Manufactured Homes or even Non-Permanent Homes. The mobilehomes I`m interested in are truly mobile. They allow owners to changetheir view given a stretch of road and an afternoon.

"When you live in a RV, you`re always home," writes a woman who claimsher recreational vehicle as her permanent residence. With moreamenities than some apartments, the plushest of recreational vehiclescan include separate living, dining, bathing and sleeping areas, awasher and dryer, central heat and air, a refrigerator and evensatellite television. However well-equipped, space remains a rarecommodity in motor homes. "Full-timers" trade extras like potterydishes for plastic-ware and limit their wardrobe to a few sets ofcasual wear and one dress outfit.

Mobile living doesn`t necessitate constant transit. Rest stops,abandoned roads and friend`s backyards can provide free short-termbreaks from the highway. For longer stationary periods, manycampgrounds offer RV-friendly lots for around ten dollars a night. Mostoffer water and gas hookups for an extra charge and more nature thanany strip mall lined sub-division will ever have it`scommitment-phobic`s American dream.

Some mobile travelers have embraced the "other" two-thirds of our earthas a great personal oasis, hugging the earth`s coastline in houseboats.With only a dangling connection to the sea bottom, a houseboat ismoving even when it appears to be still. It can provide a sense ofperpetual motion, with the faithful promise of a dock each morning.Houseboats became popular in France in the late 1920s. Anais Nin spentsome of her most creative years in her houseboat on the Seine. InAmerica, houseboats had their heyday among artists in the 1950s, beforecity code regulations drove up costs.

The floating home can still be an inexpensive alternative topermanent housing. Of the one hundred or so houseboats in MississippiRiver`s Latsch Island Community, twenty-five are occupied bylive-aboard residents, and many of these floating homes have beenassembled by their owners using construction site discards, old carmotors, and barrels for flotation. The seventy-ninth Street Boat Basinin New York City is home to 120 year-round residents. One Boat Basindweller rotates each year between working as a sound engineer at alarge radio production company and sailing the eastern seaboard. Otherstake advantage of Manhattan`s rich job market, working as temps andsaving just enough money for the next sea voyage. Not exactly the "Sexin the City" Manhattan lifestyle.

Suped up RVs and constantly
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