Both natives of Michigan, Larry and Carol met 25 years ago at a Parents Without Partners sing-along in Schenectady, New York.  After marrying and combining families, they lived and worked in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Nigeria, Utah and Michigan. Their frequent moves and the family's favorite pastime of camping primed them for their future lifestyle. 

When the children were gone, Carol and Larry lived in Nashua, New Hampshire, for 7 years.  They bought a piece of camping property in the North Country situated on the Connecticut River in the little town of Dalton, between Littleton and Lancaster.  Thereafter, almost every weekend was spent up at camp in their little trailer, and it was there that they met their mentors, Topsy and Alex Jarvie, who introduced them to the idea of full-time RVing.

Full-time RVing became Carol and Larry's dream; however, it would be a number of years later before they would muster the courage to make the leap of faith it required to divest themselves of their home and possessions to take to the road.  For a deeper understanding of the process by which they made this life-altering decision, see Carol's article How We Turned Fear Into Faith.

In the three years they were on the road full-time, in addition to many peak sight-seeing adventures Carol and Larry worked extensively with Habitat for Humanity, participating in blitz builds (where a number of homes are built in a week) in St. John's, Newfoundland; Americus, Georgia (the home of the Habitat for Humanity International Headquarters); Regina, Saskatchewan; and Birmingham, Alabama.  In addition, they worked at individual Habitat affiliates along the way.  Carol and Larry are members of the Habitat RV Care-A-Vanners, an organization of retired RVers who travel and work together at Habitat sites all over the country.

Carol and Larry also spent an entire summer working at three different natural disaster sites.  For two months they helped with cleanup and rebuilding in the Birmingham, Alabama, area after a deadly F-5 tornado demolished five outlying communities on April 8, 1998.  From there, they traveled to Salem, South Dakota, to help at the relief center for the survivors of the May 31, 1998, tornado that leveled the little town of nearby Spencer.  Their last stop was in Selby, South Dakota, where they mended barbed wire fences along with Lutheran mission teams, helping to lift spirits and give hope to those devastated by the previous winter's debilitating blizzards and subsequent flooding.

For a brief overview of Carol and Larry's disaster work experiences, see Carol's essay Your RV: A Vehicle of Hope, from the book Rocking Chair Rebels, a compilation of inspirational stories by members of the Escapees RV Club.

 The strength, dignity and resilience of the recipients of Habitat homes and the survivors of natural disasters, and the compassion and caring of so many volunteers, were both instructive and inspiring.  Two awarenesses stand out from Carol and Larry's experiences: 1) Our true security and prosperity have little to do with "things;" and 2) Stripped of all its trappings, life is sweet and precious, and love is its true essence. Carol discusses these understandings in her articles The Strength of the Prosperous Mind and Honoring Our Spiritual Kinship.

In the fall of 1999, after spending the summer at their camp in New Hampshire, Carol and Larry stopped by Koinonia Partners, the Christian farm community near Americus, Georgia, that is considered the birthplace of Habitat for Humanity.  They were responding to Habitat founder Millard Fuller's request in the RV Care-A-Vanner newsletter for volunteers to spend a week helping to renovate the facilities.  Captivated by the history and mission of the inter-racial community that was beleaguered during the desegregation of Southwest Georgia, Carol and Larry extended their stay, and four months later Larry accepted the position of Operations Manager for two years.  This was definitely an unexpected turn of events for the couple, but they felt they had been led there for a purpose.  After a year of living at the farm in their trailer, they purchased one of the small Koinonia homes built in the 1970's, the forerunners of Habitat homes.

Carol and Larry continue to volunteer at Koinonia when they are in Georgia, but are usually back on the road during the summer months.  (Summer in southwest Georgia is something one has to be born into!)  For more information on Carol and Larry's current whereabouts, see Latest travel update.

One of the unanticipated bonuses of their RV lifestyle has been the time and inclination to write. Carol chronicled their experiences in articles and their book, Vehicles of Hope: Serving Others on the Road to Satisfaction, available from 1st Books Library and Koinonia Partners online bookstore. Carol is busy working up promotional materials for the book. Larry penned his long dreamed-of novel, an action/adventure story set in Iran entitled Veil of Vengeance. Carol's inspirational gift book, Blueberries from Heaven: A Basketful of Wisdom, was published by Peter Pauper Press in spring 2001.

Carol and Larry's journey of faith continues to unfold in a marvelous way.  Every need they have had along the way has been met, strengthening their trust in their benevolent Creator and the goodness of life.  They wish you God's blessings on your journey, as well- Carol and Larry Tebo