Summer is clearly going to have its good points and bad points. Wednesday we walked/hiked about 3 miles to get to the Gila (Pronounced Hee-la) Cliff Dwellings, and man was it hot. That was the bad part. On the way back to town, we passed Gila River, and decided to go dip our feet in to cool off. We ended up doing more than that, or at least, I did. The current was pretty swift, and the water was a great depth for swimming and floating. I walked about 100 yards or so upstream and floated down to where Paul was waiting for me to make sure I could get out of the water ( since the current was really strong). I ended up making that trip about 5 times and had a blast doing it. It was a fun way to cool off on a hot afternoon. So thats the good part. We can swim and boat if the weather gets really hot!
The cliff dwellings, as a snapshot of history, were pretty interesting. The Mogollon Indians have lived in this area for a long time, but the Cliff dwellings were built and occupied for only a hundred years or so, in the late 1200s. There are 7 caves that contain over 40 rooms, some of which have been destroyed over time, but some are still in reasonably good condition. You can walk through several of the rooms and get a sense of how they lived, although not much is actually known about the actual inhabitants and why they left.
The road to get to the monument is a very long and windy road, with ups and downs and lots of curves. It was only 44 miles, but its a 2 hour drive. The thought of having to pull the trailer down that road had Paul and I laughing continuously. As we were driving, Paul also commented that he would hate to be the propane truck driver making a delivery-two minutes later we actually saw a UPS truck booking it down the road.
As it was, it was a very scenic drive through dense forest. In fact, I was completely convinced that I was going to see my first bear, elk or eagle while driving in that forest, so I spent the entire day with my camera in my hand and my finger on the button. No such luck. We did see 4 separate herds of deer in just that one day- however, I have decided that if there is one animal universal to every state, its deer (the universal bird would be the Mourning Dove. They are everywhere!). I barely take pictures of deer anymore, unless they are particularly cute.
Yesterday we left Silver City early in the morning. We were planning on travelling about 300 miles but we also wanted to stop and do a short hike along the way. It’s a hike through Whitewater Canyon, and the trail was partially built by using Catwalks above the canyon. The canyon is really deep with a lot of water rushing through multiple waterfalls. It was about 2.2 miles, so it didn’t take too long, but was worth the effort. On the road there, we had to ford our first river while towing the Everest. It wasn’t all that deep but it had a strong enough current to splash water up pretty high.
After hiking and eating lunch, we were on our way. There was a wind advisory, so Paul definitely had both hands on the wheel. We wanted to make it to Winslow Arizona (such a fine sight to see!), but we were tired enough to stop sooner than that had we been able to find an RV park that was suitable. We didn’t find anything, so we ended up going just past Winslow, and stayed at Meteor Crater RV park. Its near a meteor crater, surprise, surprise. We actually went there several years ago with the kids.
Today there was another wind advisory, so we hit the road early with the intent to stop early in the day. We called an RV Park in Needles CA, to see if they had a spot for us, and were told they did. I was thrilled, since the weather was hot, and the RV park is on the Colorado River, and has a pool and hot tub. When we arrived, however, the girl pretty much laughed at us and said they were booked completely. Once we explained that we had called ahead and was told there was space for us, the manager found a place for us for the night, which was nice of him. We spent the afternoon at the pool and hot tub, and later on, watching all the RVers arrive. There were an amazing amount of RVs that arrived towing boats behind them, instead of a car.
Tomorrow we will be one day closer to Fresno.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
City of Rocks, Silver City NM
One of the smarter things that Paul and I did in the last three days was to "pre-pack" the trailer. We took two full loads up there and set things up as much as we could. Its amazing how much stuff we had to bring back after being gone for 2 months. Because of our time spent pre-packing, this morning was easy and pretty much stress free. We put together our last minute stuff, and the cat, and took off right after breakfast. We weren't going too far today, only about 170 miles, which also kept the traveling stress free. We arrived at our campground around lunchtime, which was none too soon as far as Dozer was concerned. He must have forgotten what it was like to travel in the truck because he was one unhappy kitty.
After lunch we headed to City of Rocks State Park.
Both Paul and I had the same thought - that it would be an incredible place for kids. It would be so much fun to play hide and seek or tag! The volunteer told us about the trail through the boulders that we could take to the end of the park (its a small park) but we abandoned the trail after about 2 minutes in order to climb among all the rocks. We had a great time scrambling around for a couple of hours.
We were surprised that there is a campground in the park- with very unique campsites nestled in and around the rocks. Its nothing like anything we have seen before and really seems like it would be a great place to stay for a few days.
The boulders were created by a volcanic eruption a long time ago, and have been eroding away slowly. This area was inhabited by early indians, around 1300 A.D. and in later years by the Chiricahua Apache.
Once we had our fill of rock climbing, we explored Silver City for a little while, but we weren't really in the mood to shop and most of the stores close early, since its only Tuesday.
Tomorrow we head to Gila National Monument to see the cliff dwellings.
Both Paul and I had the same thought - that it would be an incredible place for kids. It would be so much fun to play hide and seek or tag! The volunteer told us about the trail through the boulders that we could take to the end of the park (its a small park) but we abandoned the trail after about 2 minutes in order to climb among all the rocks. We had a great time scrambling around for a couple of hours.
We were surprised that there is a campground in the park- with very unique campsites nestled in and around the rocks. Its nothing like anything we have seen before and really seems like it would be a great place to stay for a few days.
The boulders were created by a volcanic eruption a long time ago, and have been eroding away slowly. This area was inhabited by early indians, around 1300 A.D. and in later years by the Chiricahua Apache.
Once we had our fill of rock climbing, we explored Silver City for a little while, but we weren't really in the mood to shop and most of the stores close early, since its only Tuesday.
Tomorrow we head to Gila National Monument to see the cliff dwellings.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Reservation madness!
Wow, I have to stop making reservations! We usually wing it and don't make too many reservations at all, unless there is a compelling reason to do so. I guess I figure my compelling reason right now is: it's summer.
We have never traveled in the summertime and I don't want to be caught with no place to stay, so I have been researching constantly for the last day or so (nothing else to do anyway!), and I've made a few reservations. We have our site reserved in Silver City, since thats our first stop, we have our site reserved in Fresno, since there's really only one RV park in the city, and we want to be there. We made our reservations for an Escapee's Park near Yosemite, so that we will definately have a place to stay there. Its not the closest place to the park, but its inexpensive and we like the people. I also re-looked at the lodge inside the park and found a heated tent available for the night before, and the night after our "scheduled" Halfdome hike, so I modified that reservation. I am guessing there were more available tents because people have canceled their reservations for them. That makes me a little nervous, because the Yosemite website has moved the projected opening of Halfdome hiking to June 1 at the earliest. Our date to hike it is June 9th, so, there is a definate chance that it won't be hikable by then, but we have until June 1 to cancel our tent reservation without penalty. If we aren't pretty sure we can do the hike, we'll cancel the tent because just the "tent" accommodation is costing us $120 a night. Certainly not worth it if we don't need to be up at 5 am.
I also reserved 3 nights in Great Smoky Mountain National Park in TN, for the last few days before we have to be in Columbia, SC. When I started looking at Zion, Rocky Mountain, and Bryce, I had to call a halt. Whew. ( I am pretty sure that's more reservation information than anyone wanted to hear.)
We were going to go up to the trailer to check it out and bring the first load of stuff back, but it's 91° outside and Paul's been outside all day already (chopping wood to bring with us.) We'll go tomorrow instead.
We have never traveled in the summertime and I don't want to be caught with no place to stay, so I have been researching constantly for the last day or so (nothing else to do anyway!), and I've made a few reservations. We have our site reserved in Silver City, since thats our first stop, we have our site reserved in Fresno, since there's really only one RV park in the city, and we want to be there. We made our reservations for an Escapee's Park near Yosemite, so that we will definately have a place to stay there. Its not the closest place to the park, but its inexpensive and we like the people. I also re-looked at the lodge inside the park and found a heated tent available for the night before, and the night after our "scheduled" Halfdome hike, so I modified that reservation. I am guessing there were more available tents because people have canceled their reservations for them. That makes me a little nervous, because the Yosemite website has moved the projected opening of Halfdome hiking to June 1 at the earliest. Our date to hike it is June 9th, so, there is a definate chance that it won't be hikable by then, but we have until June 1 to cancel our tent reservation without penalty. If we aren't pretty sure we can do the hike, we'll cancel the tent because just the "tent" accommodation is costing us $120 a night. Certainly not worth it if we don't need to be up at 5 am.
I also reserved 3 nights in Great Smoky Mountain National Park in TN, for the last few days before we have to be in Columbia, SC. When I started looking at Zion, Rocky Mountain, and Bryce, I had to call a halt. Whew. ( I am pretty sure that's more reservation information than anyone wanted to hear.)
We were going to go up to the trailer to check it out and bring the first load of stuff back, but it's 91° outside and Paul's been outside all day already (chopping wood to bring with us.) We'll go tomorrow instead.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
A gameplan begins to form.....
We will be leaving El Paso next week. Paul has finished all the projects that needed to get done, and we feel like life here has settled down a bit, and his mom will be ok.
The biggest decision we had to make has now been made. We are going to Yosemite and Fresno. I already booked a place to stay outside of Yosemite since the campgrounds in the park fill up the day they are available for booking. I put a reminder to myself in Outlook to remember to book Yellowstone for next spring. Paul would like to stay there a month, and it would be nice to stay part of the time inside the park.
Because of the snow in Yosemite and the roads still being closed, I called and spoke to a ranger yesterday to find out if its worth coming out there in early June. The road closure doesn't affect Half Dome, except, if its closed due to snow, then there may be snow on Half Dome as well. He thought we should be ok if we come the 2nd week in June, so thats what we'll do. We hunted for a room in a lodge inside the park for the night before our Half Dome hike, since its an hour and a half ride in from our campground. The only thing available was an unheated tent, so we booked it for a Tues. night. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for a long hike on Wednesday.
With that timetable, we'll have about a week to get to CA, so the maps have been out and a rough course plotted. Our first stop will be Silver City, NM (finally).
The biggest decision we had to make has now been made. We are going to Yosemite and Fresno. I already booked a place to stay outside of Yosemite since the campgrounds in the park fill up the day they are available for booking. I put a reminder to myself in Outlook to remember to book Yellowstone for next spring. Paul would like to stay there a month, and it would be nice to stay part of the time inside the park.
Because of the snow in Yosemite and the roads still being closed, I called and spoke to a ranger yesterday to find out if its worth coming out there in early June. The road closure doesn't affect Half Dome, except, if its closed due to snow, then there may be snow on Half Dome as well. He thought we should be ok if we come the 2nd week in June, so thats what we'll do. We hunted for a room in a lodge inside the park for the night before our Half Dome hike, since its an hour and a half ride in from our campground. The only thing available was an unheated tent, so we booked it for a Tues. night. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for a long hike on Wednesday.
With that timetable, we'll have about a week to get to CA, so the maps have been out and a rough course plotted. Our first stop will be Silver City, NM (finally).
Monday, May 17, 2010
Back in El Paso
My flight flew through Denver this time around. I don't think I have ever flown through, or even seen, Denver before. We had to reroute around some tornadoes apparently, and it was pretty cloudy, but my view out the window was of mountain after mountain. Somehow I think they would be more impressive from the ground though. We'll see, hopefully.
Yesterday I felt pretty lousy- I think it was the combination of dehydration and the change in altitude. Doesn't bode well for when I get to the REAL mountains. I guess we'll just have to stay there long enough for my body to acclimate!
After all the eating I did last week, I decided I better get my body moving again. Plus, IF we go to Yosemite, Paul really wants to hike Half Dome, so I really need to get into better physical condition if I am going to attempt that (it's 14 miles with a 4800 ft elevation gain). I started the preparation by walking 2 miles down the hill, then 2 miles back up. I'll do that every day for a few days, then try to add to it.
Well, interesting- while typing away, I decided to google Half Dome. Due to an unusual amount of snow, it won't be opening for hiking when its supposed to be (May 22). Also, apparently you need a permit to hike it Friday through Sunday- not that we would hike it on a weekend anyway, but good to know. At this point it probably won't be open until at least the beginning of June. We wouldn't get there until then anyway, but I am not sure I want to be the first up the hill, so to speak.
Meanwhile, Paul is diligently working to fix the driveway, which is a long process, since it's broken into pieces in some spots. Its hot enough here now that he can't really be out there in the heat of the day unless its a cool day or there's a breeze.
Yesterday I felt pretty lousy- I think it was the combination of dehydration and the change in altitude. Doesn't bode well for when I get to the REAL mountains. I guess we'll just have to stay there long enough for my body to acclimate!
After all the eating I did last week, I decided I better get my body moving again. Plus, IF we go to Yosemite, Paul really wants to hike Half Dome, so I really need to get into better physical condition if I am going to attempt that (it's 14 miles with a 4800 ft elevation gain). I started the preparation by walking 2 miles down the hill, then 2 miles back up. I'll do that every day for a few days, then try to add to it.
Well, interesting- while typing away, I decided to google Half Dome. Due to an unusual amount of snow, it won't be opening for hiking when its supposed to be (May 22). Also, apparently you need a permit to hike it Friday through Sunday- not that we would hike it on a weekend anyway, but good to know. At this point it probably won't be open until at least the beginning of June. We wouldn't get there until then anyway, but I am not sure I want to be the first up the hill, so to speak.
Meanwhile, Paul is diligently working to fix the driveway, which is a long process, since it's broken into pieces in some spots. Its hot enough here now that he can't really be out there in the heat of the day unless its a cool day or there's a breeze.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
the answer to the question
The answer to the burning question in everyone's mind is no. Jess did not get on a jury, lucky for us.
We left Detroit in the middle of the afternoon. She was told at one point that her panel would be chosen for a jury, but then 15 minutes later they said it was settled and they could leave. That was nice for us.
We headed back to the hotel and just relaxed for a bit while I waited to go out to dinner and she waited for her friends to come and get her.
Dinner at Los Amigos with Beth and Lynn was good -they have a new menu, surprisingly, although I ordered my usual Enchiladas Verdes- with a diet coke. I am really used to Paul being there to drive, so that I can drink my Margaritas...but...I have gone 50 years of my life without getting behind the wheel of a car after having even a single drink, and I don't really want to change that. I am what they call a "cheap drunk". Sometimes after only one drink, I can feel the effects, so I never take the risk.
Today was my day at Valassis, the place I used to work. I had made plans to have lunch with a friend of mine (Sue) who works there. Of course I showed up early since I wanted to make the rounds and say hi to everyone. I didn't see everyone I was looking for (where were you, Matt??) but I saw a lot of people. I really enjoyed working there, and the people I worked with, and it was bittersweet to see them all after 10 months on the road.
When Paul and I come back in August, I'll do a better job of making plans to see people. This trip was pretty whirlwind.
At around 3 pm I had already gotten 4 calls from Jess wondering where the heck I was, so I finally headed out to pick her up. We drove down to Muncie this afternoon, arriving around 8 pm. Tomorrow afternoon I fly back to Texas, arriving at 8:30 pm.
We left Detroit in the middle of the afternoon. She was told at one point that her panel would be chosen for a jury, but then 15 minutes later they said it was settled and they could leave. That was nice for us.
We headed back to the hotel and just relaxed for a bit while I waited to go out to dinner and she waited for her friends to come and get her.
Dinner at Los Amigos with Beth and Lynn was good -they have a new menu, surprisingly, although I ordered my usual Enchiladas Verdes- with a diet coke. I am really used to Paul being there to drive, so that I can drink my Margaritas...but...I have gone 50 years of my life without getting behind the wheel of a car after having even a single drink, and I don't really want to change that. I am what they call a "cheap drunk". Sometimes after only one drink, I can feel the effects, so I never take the risk.
Today was my day at Valassis, the place I used to work. I had made plans to have lunch with a friend of mine (Sue) who works there. Of course I showed up early since I wanted to make the rounds and say hi to everyone. I didn't see everyone I was looking for (where were you, Matt??) but I saw a lot of people. I really enjoyed working there, and the people I worked with, and it was bittersweet to see them all after 10 months on the road.
When Paul and I come back in August, I'll do a better job of making plans to see people. This trip was pretty whirlwind.
At around 3 pm I had already gotten 4 calls from Jess wondering where the heck I was, so I finally headed out to pick her up. We drove down to Muncie this afternoon, arriving around 8 pm. Tomorrow afternoon I fly back to Texas, arriving at 8:30 pm.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Downtown Detroit
I posted a "riddle" on my Facebook page: Q: Whats worse than jury duty?
A: Sitting in a car, in downtown Detroit, in the cold, pouring rain, with thunder and lightning thrown in for good measure, while you wait for someone else to be released from Jury duty.
I do have my laptop and Internet access, but I forgot to bring my book that I wanted to read. That's what happens when I get up before 6 am I guess. I really don't dislike jury duty, in general, since I always think to myself that if, God forbid, I needed a jury, I would want people like myself (or in this case, my daughter) to be on it. This time around though, it would be nice if she doesn't get on one. If she does, I will have to change my flight back to Texas. No big deal, just a little annoying. Its a 35 mile hike back to the hotel and since she isn't allowed a phone, and could be released any time now (please!) it isn't worth driving back and forth. So, here I sit.
Yesterday was a pretty busy day, which started with Jess's physical (she's young and healthy- what a surprise), after which, she actually got all of her blood work done, since she hadn't eaten anything. She's getting her cholesterol tested for the first time. We met up with some of the neighbors for lunch at Applebees, then ran from there to drop Jess off to get her haircut, so I could get to the dentist.
Not a very exciting day- lunch was great though. Last night Jess went out with her friends again, and I met up with a couple of friends from work. We sat at Chilis for hours talking. I had a great time catching up on all the news etc.
Tonight its out to Los Amigos with some neighbors. Los Amigos is one of mine and Paul's favorite restaurants, but it sure isn't because of the food! They make a pretty good Margarita, but just as importantly, they have half price drinks before 6 pm, and you can always find a coupon for "buy one entree, get one free"- which means we can get out of there for under $25- for dinner and a pitcher of Margaritas. Great deal!
A: Sitting in a car, in downtown Detroit, in the cold, pouring rain, with thunder and lightning thrown in for good measure, while you wait for someone else to be released from Jury duty.
I do have my laptop and Internet access, but I forgot to bring my book that I wanted to read. That's what happens when I get up before 6 am I guess. I really don't dislike jury duty, in general, since I always think to myself that if, God forbid, I needed a jury, I would want people like myself (or in this case, my daughter) to be on it. This time around though, it would be nice if she doesn't get on one. If she does, I will have to change my flight back to Texas. No big deal, just a little annoying. Its a 35 mile hike back to the hotel and since she isn't allowed a phone, and could be released any time now (please!) it isn't worth driving back and forth. So, here I sit.
Yesterday was a pretty busy day, which started with Jess's physical (she's young and healthy- what a surprise), after which, she actually got all of her blood work done, since she hadn't eaten anything. She's getting her cholesterol tested for the first time. We met up with some of the neighbors for lunch at Applebees, then ran from there to drop Jess off to get her haircut, so I could get to the dentist.
Not a very exciting day- lunch was great though. Last night Jess went out with her friends again, and I met up with a couple of friends from work. We sat at Chilis for hours talking. I had a great time catching up on all the news etc.
Tonight its out to Los Amigos with some neighbors. Los Amigos is one of mine and Paul's favorite restaurants, but it sure isn't because of the food! They make a pretty good Margarita, but just as importantly, they have half price drinks before 6 pm, and you can always find a coupon for "buy one entree, get one free"- which means we can get out of there for under $25- for dinner and a pitcher of Margaritas. Great deal!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Canton, MI
Now that I am in Canton, I definately have very mixed emotions. I love the traveling that we are doing, but I really miss the people here- my neighbors, and my friends at work. I feel happy to be here, and ready to visit with as many people as I can. I spent this morning with Pennie, a friend of mine who just had her first baby- born on February 26, same as my daughter Jess! We caught up on the basics of whats going on in our lives, but its not quite the same as being involved on a regular basis. It was really good to see her though, and Mason, her son, is, of course, absolutely adorable.
What I don't miss, and really had forgotten about, is the rain. Being out in California, New Mexico, Texas etc. its essentially desert. It hardly ever rains, and when it does, it stops pretty quickly. Today it rained all day. I mean ALL day. And it was COLD, and RAW. I had forgotten that chilled feeling you get when its that cold and rainy. I hope I am not getting spoiled.
This afternoon I got my haircut for the first time in 5 months- boy was I desperate- but determined to wait so I could have Peter cut it. I also made several calls to other friends, to finalize plans for lunches etc. Killed the battery on my cell phone- I guess I talk too much. Since Jess and I can stay until Friday, I plan on heading up to visit my work friends on Friday morning, or possibly on Thursday if I can. Its a little strange I guess that when I talk about my job at Valassis with people I meet, many times I talk in the present tense, as if I still work there. Paul notices it and comments sometimes. I guess I still feel like an honorary employee or something.
They say that our strongest memories come from our sense of smell. That was brought home to me in a weird way this afternoon. One of the things on my to-do list while I am here is to check on the things we have in various storage spots. I went to check on our 10' x 30' storage unit that contains the remains of our household goods. As soon as I walked into the building, it hit me. Just the smell of the air inside the "climate controlled" building brought it all back to me. It wasn't a bad odor, or a good one, just ...detectable. Walking down the corridor I was re-living the process of downsizing that we went through last year. I could still feel the sense of excitement, the exhaustion, the heat, and the craziness that I felt last summer. Every trip we made to that building was tiring and yet put us one step closer to being done with the work part of leaving on our adventure. Paul was always very careful to pack our stuff in as tightly as possible, since we had a lot of stuff and only one storage unit, so it was always time consuming to pack it. It also had to pretty much be done at night, since I was still working. On top of that, I had to act energetic during the day at work, since I hadn't even told anyone our house was on the market, never mind that we had sold it and had moved out!
I always felt bad about that, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do....in this economy, lots of sales fall through, right up until the day of closing. It could have taken a year or more to actually sell. Anyway, all that was going through my mind as I took pictures of our stuff since we couldn't remember if we had any room for anything more ( we could fit about 4 more bins).
Tonight I am relaxing alone in my hotel room. Its been such a whirlwind week, I wanted a night to decompress. Jess has gone off with her friends for the night, with a big smile on her face. I should head to the Fitness room, so I can work off the cookie I ate, but naaaahh.
The hotel we're staying at is a Fairfield Inn, in Canton. When I was looking for a hotel, I did some research, and decided to use Priceline. I've used it before- sometimes its great, sometimes the hotel is a dump. But this time, I know the area so I felt pretty confident that I wouldn't hate whatever hotel I won. Originally I put in a bid of $22 a night, and it was rejected. I know that seems ridiculously low (going rate here is $89), but there's a forum that posts "wins" for Priceline, so I knew someone got this hotel for $23 a night. I upped my bid to $24 and it was accepted. What a deal! Especially since they not only have an incredible breakfast buffet, but Mon-Wed. evening they provide a complimentary dinner. Tonight I ate Lasagna and meatballs with salad. Tomorrow night its Tacos. All for $24. Can't beat it!
What I don't miss, and really had forgotten about, is the rain. Being out in California, New Mexico, Texas etc. its essentially desert. It hardly ever rains, and when it does, it stops pretty quickly. Today it rained all day. I mean ALL day. And it was COLD, and RAW. I had forgotten that chilled feeling you get when its that cold and rainy. I hope I am not getting spoiled.
This afternoon I got my haircut for the first time in 5 months- boy was I desperate- but determined to wait so I could have Peter cut it. I also made several calls to other friends, to finalize plans for lunches etc. Killed the battery on my cell phone- I guess I talk too much. Since Jess and I can stay until Friday, I plan on heading up to visit my work friends on Friday morning, or possibly on Thursday if I can. Its a little strange I guess that when I talk about my job at Valassis with people I meet, many times I talk in the present tense, as if I still work there. Paul notices it and comments sometimes. I guess I still feel like an honorary employee or something.
They say that our strongest memories come from our sense of smell. That was brought home to me in a weird way this afternoon. One of the things on my to-do list while I am here is to check on the things we have in various storage spots. I went to check on our 10' x 30' storage unit that contains the remains of our household goods. As soon as I walked into the building, it hit me. Just the smell of the air inside the "climate controlled" building brought it all back to me. It wasn't a bad odor, or a good one, just ...detectable. Walking down the corridor I was re-living the process of downsizing that we went through last year. I could still feel the sense of excitement, the exhaustion, the heat, and the craziness that I felt last summer. Every trip we made to that building was tiring and yet put us one step closer to being done with the work part of leaving on our adventure. Paul was always very careful to pack our stuff in as tightly as possible, since we had a lot of stuff and only one storage unit, so it was always time consuming to pack it. It also had to pretty much be done at night, since I was still working. On top of that, I had to act energetic during the day at work, since I hadn't even told anyone our house was on the market, never mind that we had sold it and had moved out!
I always felt bad about that, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do....in this economy, lots of sales fall through, right up until the day of closing. It could have taken a year or more to actually sell. Anyway, all that was going through my mind as I took pictures of our stuff since we couldn't remember if we had any room for anything more ( we could fit about 4 more bins).
Tonight I am relaxing alone in my hotel room. Its been such a whirlwind week, I wanted a night to decompress. Jess has gone off with her friends for the night, with a big smile on her face. I should head to the Fitness room, so I can work off the cookie I ate, but naaaahh.
The hotel we're staying at is a Fairfield Inn, in Canton. When I was looking for a hotel, I did some research, and decided to use Priceline. I've used it before- sometimes its great, sometimes the hotel is a dump. But this time, I know the area so I felt pretty confident that I wouldn't hate whatever hotel I won. Originally I put in a bid of $22 a night, and it was rejected. I know that seems ridiculously low (going rate here is $89), but there's a forum that posts "wins" for Priceline, so I knew someone got this hotel for $23 a night. I upped my bid to $24 and it was accepted. What a deal! Especially since they not only have an incredible breakfast buffet, but Mon-Wed. evening they provide a complimentary dinner. Tonight I ate Lasagna and meatballs with salad. Tomorrow night its Tacos. All for $24. Can't beat it!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. Oh, and shopping too.
Friday we started the day late. We were so tired from Thursday that there was no way we could get up at the crack of dawn and get moving again. I didn't want to push it anyway, since Jess had to start work at 4pm and be on her feet until 9:30. Jess's boyfriend came over to see the new apartment and the three of us went to lunch on campus, then Jess and I made the rounds of all the bookstores to try and sell their books back. We didn't have too much success, so we'll try Amazon as well.
The original idea was that she would spend Friday night with me at the hotel, but she really wanted to spend the night in her new home, and I don't blame her. She also doesn't have a lock on her bedroom door yet, and wanted to be there.
There's been a little drama with the apartment. A girl who is subletting for 3 months moved in 2 days before Jess, and brought her boyfriend with her. Apparently she announced that he would be living there with her, and all the furniture that would be going into their next apartment was being stored in the living room of Jess's apartment. That wasn't acceptable to any of the girls already living there, and when we came to move in, all of their furniture was indeed in the living room. It was a misunderstanding all the way around, since the couple had been told by the girl who was anxious to sublet to them, that no one would care if they were both living there.
The way this apartment complex works is that a lease is signed for each individual bedroom, and, like a dorm, you can put in "roommate" preferences if you don't have enough friends for the other bedrooms. You can also specify pets or no pets, and co-ed or no co-ed. Jess had specified no men, so it has been an interesting 3 days, watching this play out. This guy had no where else to go, but the apartment complex finally found him an apartment to move to- so he moved out on Sunday. Whew.
Saturday didn't happen the way it was supposed to, but all in all it was a good day. We were supposed to get up and clean, but somehow our shopping list had grown so long, that we decided to shorten it by buying some of the things on it. We made the rounds again to all the stores, bought enough stuff to fill the car. Our best bargain was a set of dishes- 4 place settings-plates, bowls, silverware, mugs, glasses, etc.,- 36 pieces for $10!! We couldn't pass it up. Once we got back we started cleaning the kitchen, since there was no way we'd be cooking dinner in it without cleaning it first. Ick. We got pretty far but there was so much to do, we didn't finish. We had made plans to go out to dinner with David and his dad, who was here to drive him back to Wisconsin for a week. They were done with their moving at around 8 pm, so we met them at Chilis for dinner, then brought them back to see the apartment. Davids parents had bought Jess a ton of kitchen stuff, so for her it was like Christmas morning. Her eyes lit up when she saw that they had included a set of dishes- 4 place settings. AND- it was the EXACT same pattern that we bought at the store! She was absolutely thrilled.
Yesterday was Mother's Day- We spent most of the day cleaning the kitchen. Very exciting, but at least we feel like we accomplished something. We also did more shopping. Once we got back and added up all the receipts for everything, I decided we are done shopping!
Jess cooked dinner for us last night. It was a fun time for both of us, with music playing in the background, we had a great time. Afterwards she put together her brand new vacuum, and for the first time in her life probably, voluntarily uttered the words " I am going to vacuum the living room. " We had a good laugh over that.
Today she works until 4 pm and then we leave for Michigan for a few days.
The original idea was that she would spend Friday night with me at the hotel, but she really wanted to spend the night in her new home, and I don't blame her. She also doesn't have a lock on her bedroom door yet, and wanted to be there.
There's been a little drama with the apartment. A girl who is subletting for 3 months moved in 2 days before Jess, and brought her boyfriend with her. Apparently she announced that he would be living there with her, and all the furniture that would be going into their next apartment was being stored in the living room of Jess's apartment. That wasn't acceptable to any of the girls already living there, and when we came to move in, all of their furniture was indeed in the living room. It was a misunderstanding all the way around, since the couple had been told by the girl who was anxious to sublet to them, that no one would care if they were both living there.
The way this apartment complex works is that a lease is signed for each individual bedroom, and, like a dorm, you can put in "roommate" preferences if you don't have enough friends for the other bedrooms. You can also specify pets or no pets, and co-ed or no co-ed. Jess had specified no men, so it has been an interesting 3 days, watching this play out. This guy had no where else to go, but the apartment complex finally found him an apartment to move to- so he moved out on Sunday. Whew.
Saturday didn't happen the way it was supposed to, but all in all it was a good day. We were supposed to get up and clean, but somehow our shopping list had grown so long, that we decided to shorten it by buying some of the things on it. We made the rounds again to all the stores, bought enough stuff to fill the car. Our best bargain was a set of dishes- 4 place settings-plates, bowls, silverware, mugs, glasses, etc.,- 36 pieces for $10!! We couldn't pass it up. Once we got back we started cleaning the kitchen, since there was no way we'd be cooking dinner in it without cleaning it first. Ick. We got pretty far but there was so much to do, we didn't finish. We had made plans to go out to dinner with David and his dad, who was here to drive him back to Wisconsin for a week. They were done with their moving at around 8 pm, so we met them at Chilis for dinner, then brought them back to see the apartment. Davids parents had bought Jess a ton of kitchen stuff, so for her it was like Christmas morning. Her eyes lit up when she saw that they had included a set of dishes- 4 place settings. AND- it was the EXACT same pattern that we bought at the store! She was absolutely thrilled.
Yesterday was Mother's Day- We spent most of the day cleaning the kitchen. Very exciting, but at least we feel like we accomplished something. We also did more shopping. Once we got back and added up all the receipts for everything, I decided we are done shopping!
Jess cooked dinner for us last night. It was a fun time for both of us, with music playing in the background, we had a great time. Afterwards she put together her brand new vacuum, and for the first time in her life probably, voluntarily uttered the words " I am going to vacuum the living room. " We had a good laugh over that.
Today she works until 4 pm and then we leave for Michigan for a few days.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
Oh my goodness, am I tired. Yesterday I was up at 4 am for an early flight from El Paso to Indianapolis, IN.
It took me a good chunk of the day to get here. Once I did, though, I got to meet up with my daughter. We grabbed some dinner and then went back to her dorm to finish packing her bins so she could move out of her dorm and into her apartment. Several hours later, we had to call it a night, and figured we'd have to finish in the morning.
I remember the day she moved into the dorm last year. It was 97 degrees outside, and soooo muggy. It was also the same day we (including her) met her boyfriend David and his dad, for the very first time. On one of our hundreds of trips out to our truck to get her "stuff", we were joking with David's dad, saying Jess had at least 13 bins, plus assorted other containers, lamps and furniture. David had 3 bins. We had a good laugh over the differences between them. Little did we know that shortly thereafter, Jess and David would become an "item". I think he still shakes his head at all her "stuff".
Today was a little different. The weather was warm, but not in the 90s, luckily for us. It was just her and I for the day, which is a lot of bin carrying for 2 people. Not everything went according to plan, but overall, we did great, and got everything done that had to be done.
We started the morning by getting her "checked in" to her new apartment, which basically means we went and got the key, so we could get in once we had her things. From there we headed to get the small UHaul truck. My rental car is a Hyundai Accent, a little too small for bin moving.
Our first mistake occured at the Uhaul place. There was no handtruck in the truck and when we asked about it, the woman said she would lend us one if we wanted, but we decided that since they are available for use at the school, and her apartment has parking very close by, we could do without it. Ha. I have no idea where all the carts were at the school, but there was more than a 1 hour wait for the next available cart, AND you had to stand there in line to wait for it. Huh? It made no sense at all, but no one seemed anxious to change the rule anytime soon. We immediately started calling David in the building next door to see if he could grab one, which he did (once we woke him up), luckily for us!
Stepping out of the elevator after one of our trips down, Jess dropped her keys, including the new one to the apartment. As unbelievable as it seems, the keys fell into the gap in the floor, down the elevator shaft. The elevator company had to be called to come out and retrieve them. While we waited for that (3 hours) we ate lunch and finished packing the truck.
Eventually we made it to the apartment, dropped everything into her room, and returned the truck. On the way back we stopped at about 3 "dollar" type store to pick up some cheap supplies. By that time we were ready for dinner, so we stopped for that too, and made it back to the apartment at around 7 pm. After spending 2 hrs unpacking we made another trip, this time to Walmart, for more supplies.
I finally left to go back to the hotel at around 11 pm.
Tomorrow we have more errands and unpacking, but Jess also has to work at 4 pm, so it will be a short day for us.
It took me a good chunk of the day to get here. Once I did, though, I got to meet up with my daughter. We grabbed some dinner and then went back to her dorm to finish packing her bins so she could move out of her dorm and into her apartment. Several hours later, we had to call it a night, and figured we'd have to finish in the morning.
I remember the day she moved into the dorm last year. It was 97 degrees outside, and soooo muggy. It was also the same day we (including her) met her boyfriend David and his dad, for the very first time. On one of our hundreds of trips out to our truck to get her "stuff", we were joking with David's dad, saying Jess had at least 13 bins, plus assorted other containers, lamps and furniture. David had 3 bins. We had a good laugh over the differences between them. Little did we know that shortly thereafter, Jess and David would become an "item". I think he still shakes his head at all her "stuff".
Today was a little different. The weather was warm, but not in the 90s, luckily for us. It was just her and I for the day, which is a lot of bin carrying for 2 people. Not everything went according to plan, but overall, we did great, and got everything done that had to be done.
We started the morning by getting her "checked in" to her new apartment, which basically means we went and got the key, so we could get in once we had her things. From there we headed to get the small UHaul truck. My rental car is a Hyundai Accent, a little too small for bin moving.
Our first mistake occured at the Uhaul place. There was no handtruck in the truck and when we asked about it, the woman said she would lend us one if we wanted, but we decided that since they are available for use at the school, and her apartment has parking very close by, we could do without it. Ha. I have no idea where all the carts were at the school, but there was more than a 1 hour wait for the next available cart, AND you had to stand there in line to wait for it. Huh? It made no sense at all, but no one seemed anxious to change the rule anytime soon. We immediately started calling David in the building next door to see if he could grab one, which he did (once we woke him up), luckily for us!
Stepping out of the elevator after one of our trips down, Jess dropped her keys, including the new one to the apartment. As unbelievable as it seems, the keys fell into the gap in the floor, down the elevator shaft. The elevator company had to be called to come out and retrieve them. While we waited for that (3 hours) we ate lunch and finished packing the truck.
Eventually we made it to the apartment, dropped everything into her room, and returned the truck. On the way back we stopped at about 3 "dollar" type store to pick up some cheap supplies. By that time we were ready for dinner, so we stopped for that too, and made it back to the apartment at around 7 pm. After spending 2 hrs unpacking we made another trip, this time to Walmart, for more supplies.
I finally left to go back to the hotel at around 11 pm.
Tomorrow we have more errands and unpacking, but Jess also has to work at 4 pm, so it will be a short day for us.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Change of focus
Life has settled down a bit now, and our focus has changed. We aren't busy like we were before, so we look for things to be busy doing. Gerry especially has been trying to stay focused on what needs to get done. There were no services for Tom, so the usual hustle and bustle of making arrangements is missing.
Tom and Sue flew home to CA on Wednesday, making it even quieter around here!
Next Wednesday I fly out to Indiana to get Jess moved into her new apartment, and then we'll take a short trip to Michigan. I am hoping to see as many people as possible while we are there, but wow, our days are crammed with appointments. Hopefully Jess won't get on a jury, since I'd have to change my flight back if she does!
Once I get back, Paul and I will seriously look at where we go from here. The names Yosemite and Yellowstone have been thrown around, but Yosemite sure is a long way in the wrong direction for us.
We need to be in South Carolina in July/August, so whatever we do has to fit in that timeframe. We have been toying with the idea of eventually building or buying a house on Lake Murray in SC, but don't want to make a decision until we spend part of the summer there to see how hot and muggy it is.
Tom and Sue flew home to CA on Wednesday, making it even quieter around here!
Next Wednesday I fly out to Indiana to get Jess moved into her new apartment, and then we'll take a short trip to Michigan. I am hoping to see as many people as possible while we are there, but wow, our days are crammed with appointments. Hopefully Jess won't get on a jury, since I'd have to change my flight back if she does!
Once I get back, Paul and I will seriously look at where we go from here. The names Yosemite and Yellowstone have been thrown around, but Yosemite sure is a long way in the wrong direction for us.
We need to be in South Carolina in July/August, so whatever we do has to fit in that timeframe. We have been toying with the idea of eventually building or buying a house on Lake Murray in SC, but don't want to make a decision until we spend part of the summer there to see how hot and muggy it is.
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