Good afternoon from a chilly Fairbanks...
It is afternoon, and it is currently 39 degrees F.
Busy, busy, busy... I am now a licensed driver in Alaska with a True ID license coming my way in the mail in the next few weeks. I have Gaddy the Caddy scheduled for new Feet (studded tires with the proper compound for 40 below temps and she is getting her innards set with heaters, warming pads and trickle chargers to stay warm when she is parked outside. She lives in a heated garage so she will be warm when she is at home.
I find myself fixing things up to suit the way I live. The furniture that came from a local shop arrived on Wednesday. Rob and Kate's bed is beautiful, solid wood. They ordered two night stands and the one has it's far feet on the rail for the closet. It has draweres underneath on both sides and doors that open up at the foot for more storage.
My recliner came too. It is a very nice, a tad lighter brown than the one I left behind with swirls of a darker brown throughout the material. It heats the seat and back when pressed and vibrates the lower back as well. Right now, it is facing the new TV in the craft/sewing room. I am looking for a suitable stand to put it in and then everything will move to the opposite corner of the room. But seein as how I still have no word on my belongings, it is a very big room, so it is no problem.
I switched my phone service today to AT&T. No worries, I moved my phone number to the new service, so there is no need to learn a new number for me. I also got a new phone. My old one was beginning to have charging issues and a wireless phone is of no use if it cannot charge. I got a Galaxy Note 10. It has a bigger footprint and is easier for me to hold and the icons and letters are bigger which helps aging eyes.
Rob & Kate were here for the better part of the day. They arrived a tad after 8AM. Kate was teaching an early morning Tai Chi class. Rob had an 11AM conference call, Kate returned before he was done. They had lunch. Then Rob and I went out to the Post Office, then took my garbage to the Transfer Station before heading to AT&T to set me up on their account. I was able to keep my number from Verizon and purchased my new phone. Everything transferred from the old phone just fine, but I have to re-enter user names and passwords.
Tonight I made a double batch of Copper Pennies from the carrots I picked this week to take to DND tomorrow night. It will seem strange to see all of the players in real size instead of three or four inches tall.
So, all is well. Still plugging along getting the kitchen organized. No word on the furniture. Guess I will be calling on Monday,
Have a great weekend.
Friday, September 27, 2019
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
The first full weekday in Fairbanks......
Good Morning from Fairbanks.....
So, I have started my first, full week in Alaska. During the day the temperature has been getting up into the high 40s or the low 50s. It is quite comfortable with a lightweight jacket. We are supposed to be having snow Wednesday night into Thursday but it is not supposed to last long as the temps will rise enough to melt it all.
As for daylight, I arrived at the time where it is pretty much the same as what I left behind. The sun is fully up by around 8 AM and setting around 7:30 PM. Since we drove, I have not had the jet lag that one has when you fly. We drove through all of the time zones and adjusted our sleep cycle on the road, so I have gotten into my new time zone easily.
While I was working on my last post, I was in the upper part of the house (living room, dining room, kitchen, 2 beds and a bath) at a card table that Rob and Kate brought to the house. I was typing away while Miles was stretched out in the beautiful sunlight that was streaming through the sliding glass door from the deck. Suddenly he began to bark. And he was barking and barking and more barking, all the while he is backing away from the door. I knew there was a critter somewhere that he had seen. I figured that as the critter moved away, he would stop barking. But no, he kept making a fuss and now was moving carefully from side to side while not getting any closer to the door. So, I turned and moved my head to try and see what he was barking at.... sitting right where the sliding door would have opened and a beautiful, orange Tabby cat. Just sitting there... looking inside as if to say.... who in the heck are you and what happened to the cat that used to live in this house? In time, the cat moved away which then had Miles running from the deck door to the front window (which he is too short to see out of) and back to the deck. Drove the poor dog nuts to not see where the critter had gone.
Yesterday I set out to the DMV to try to get my car registered and my drivers license replaced. I managed to do 1 1/2 of the goals. Alaska has begun to issue Real ID licenses that will be accepted by TSA at airports. They have a full page of documents that you must provide in order to get one. I had all but one. Sometime back, when identity theft became a big thing, it was suggested that you no longer carry your Social Security Card. So mine is safely locked in one of two lock boxes that lived under my bed. I brought them with my, but the bag of keys, that they keys are in are either on the moving van or in a box that should arrive today from Brian's house (I shipped several boxes of items that I had loaded in my car so they would not end up on the van. I had Brian mail 5 boxes from Minneapolis. 4 have arrived, the 5th will hopefully arrive today) I had to take a written test, which I passed... barely, as they phrase some questions oddly and the school zones in Alaska are 25 MPH not the 20 MPH in Pennsylvania. The results of that test are good for one year.
I did manage to get my car registered. I have a beautiful "artistic" tag showing a mountain view behind my tag number. Miss Gaddy feels very special wearing it. I need to find someplace that can add a license plate holder to the front of my car so I can mount the front plate. As I filled out the application I noted a "senior exemption" 65+ line in tiny letters with a little box, so I checked it. When my number was called, the lovely lady assisted my in filling out all of the boxes and proceeded to tell me that I was... as a senior... allowed one registration for free. Good news. Because my car was more than 8 years old, I also qualified for a Permanent license plate. It has a little sticker on it that has a 'P' on it with a serial number. As long as I have that car/plate I will never have to pay any yearly registration fees, here in Alaska!!! No inspections either. I am really beginning to love being a resident of Alaska.
Headed home, parked Miss Gaddy and opened the garage door. Took the boys for a walk around the yard, secured them inside and back into the garage to get a screwdriver to put my new plates on the car. Found the screwdriver and turned to go to the car and stopped dead in my tracks. This was my view....
Just take a good look, Miss Gaddy in the foreground, Mama Moose in the background. On that side of the driveway are three raised beds of various kinds, collard greens and Kale, peas, some small flowers that could be bachelor buttons and either a broad leaf parsley or coriander. The structure she is standing over is a small greenhouse type structure with no roof. There was a cabbage looking tall plant inside there. Well, not any more. The only things she left were the flowers and the parsley. She is Huge. The greenhouse is just a tad below my shoulder in height and as you can see, she could have easily stepped inside the structure, She choose to just bury her head inside to eat the nummy treats.
The second picture was taken from inside my bedroom where I could lean against the window for a more steady shot.
I headed out to Walmart (4th trip) to get some things. The shower in my bathroom has a step down to the bathroom floor, I have to step on the tile that covers the step to get to the bathroom rug, That first step is a tad slippery. So I picked up a longer bathroom rug to try to carpet the step and then found one of those suction cup bath tub mats which I now have "attached" across the top of the step to try to make that step easier. I also shopped but did not buy a replacement for the toaster oven that I left in PA and a bigger microwave oven as the one is this house is really tiny. I use my microwave quite a bit, so replacing that may be the better move for me to be comfortable in my kitchen,
After getting the shopping done and getting the bath step set up for my next shower, I headed upstairs to place an Amazon order for the Sous Vide water container that the movers missed as they thought it was a trash can but I did not have room in my car to bring with me. Thank goodness it was not expensive!! As I do, when on my computer, I turned to look outside and this is what I saw....
This time I dashed as fast as an old lady can to get my good camera. Seems that Momma Moose has to young moose with her. These were the kids in my front yard. I the top picture you can see the one raised bed in the front yard that has carrots growing (I will be pulling them today). The "kids" had come over, through an open space in the fence and checked out the carrots and then nibbled some leaves and limbs from a small tree in the corner of the front yard. They wandered around for quite a while and then one just hopped over the fence. I watched the second one who investigated the new deck and then followed suit and hopped over the fence.
These pictures were taken from the living room window and the light was fading. The lights were on inside and so you can sometimes see reflections on the inside of the glass. In the top picture you can sort-of see the steps to the deck coming down to the yard while baby moose 2 was peeking out from hos walk around the deck edge.
They wandered across the street and evidently found Momma over in the yard of a neighbor. Soon one of the dogs in the neighborhood spotted them and had a whole bunch of dogs barking. My boys did not join in the chorus. But this sent the three of them dashing back to their woods which butts up against my fence. What you are seeing is a large blob of brown fur with many legs, as they escape the barking dogs.
I shared the pictures with Rob and Brian. I think Rob is amazed that I have now had closer encounters with Moose in my several days in Alaska than he and Kate have had in their 18 years. They are big, beautiful animals. I am just happy that Momma chose not to come into my garage on her first visit. Can you just imagine????
The rest of the day was dull by comparison. Just sorting through stuff and making phone calls. My furniture is still sitting in Great Falls, MT. Victoria from Allison's Relocations will touch base with me on Friday to update me on any movement. It may be another three weeks or more before it arrives.
Tomorrow the local furniture store will be delivering Rob & Kate's bed for their room on the upper floor as well as my electric recliner that will lift, go flat, massage and heat. At least it will not be a lawn chair or a folding chair or my blowup queen bed!!!
More tomorrow. The mail lady just delivered the box, so I will see if I can get my driver's license today.
So, I have started my first, full week in Alaska. During the day the temperature has been getting up into the high 40s or the low 50s. It is quite comfortable with a lightweight jacket. We are supposed to be having snow Wednesday night into Thursday but it is not supposed to last long as the temps will rise enough to melt it all.
As for daylight, I arrived at the time where it is pretty much the same as what I left behind. The sun is fully up by around 8 AM and setting around 7:30 PM. Since we drove, I have not had the jet lag that one has when you fly. We drove through all of the time zones and adjusted our sleep cycle on the road, so I have gotten into my new time zone easily.
While I was working on my last post, I was in the upper part of the house (living room, dining room, kitchen, 2 beds and a bath) at a card table that Rob and Kate brought to the house. I was typing away while Miles was stretched out in the beautiful sunlight that was streaming through the sliding glass door from the deck. Suddenly he began to bark. And he was barking and barking and more barking, all the while he is backing away from the door. I knew there was a critter somewhere that he had seen. I figured that as the critter moved away, he would stop barking. But no, he kept making a fuss and now was moving carefully from side to side while not getting any closer to the door. So, I turned and moved my head to try and see what he was barking at.... sitting right where the sliding door would have opened and a beautiful, orange Tabby cat. Just sitting there... looking inside as if to say.... who in the heck are you and what happened to the cat that used to live in this house? In time, the cat moved away which then had Miles running from the deck door to the front window (which he is too short to see out of) and back to the deck. Drove the poor dog nuts to not see where the critter had gone.
Yesterday I set out to the DMV to try to get my car registered and my drivers license replaced. I managed to do 1 1/2 of the goals. Alaska has begun to issue Real ID licenses that will be accepted by TSA at airports. They have a full page of documents that you must provide in order to get one. I had all but one. Sometime back, when identity theft became a big thing, it was suggested that you no longer carry your Social Security Card. So mine is safely locked in one of two lock boxes that lived under my bed. I brought them with my, but the bag of keys, that they keys are in are either on the moving van or in a box that should arrive today from Brian's house (I shipped several boxes of items that I had loaded in my car so they would not end up on the van. I had Brian mail 5 boxes from Minneapolis. 4 have arrived, the 5th will hopefully arrive today) I had to take a written test, which I passed... barely, as they phrase some questions oddly and the school zones in Alaska are 25 MPH not the 20 MPH in Pennsylvania. The results of that test are good for one year.
I did manage to get my car registered. I have a beautiful "artistic" tag showing a mountain view behind my tag number. Miss Gaddy feels very special wearing it. I need to find someplace that can add a license plate holder to the front of my car so I can mount the front plate. As I filled out the application I noted a "senior exemption" 65+ line in tiny letters with a little box, so I checked it. When my number was called, the lovely lady assisted my in filling out all of the boxes and proceeded to tell me that I was... as a senior... allowed one registration for free. Good news. Because my car was more than 8 years old, I also qualified for a Permanent license plate. It has a little sticker on it that has a 'P' on it with a serial number. As long as I have that car/plate I will never have to pay any yearly registration fees, here in Alaska!!! No inspections either. I am really beginning to love being a resident of Alaska.
Headed home, parked Miss Gaddy and opened the garage door. Took the boys for a walk around the yard, secured them inside and back into the garage to get a screwdriver to put my new plates on the car. Found the screwdriver and turned to go to the car and stopped dead in my tracks. This was my view....
Just take a good look, Miss Gaddy in the foreground, Mama Moose in the background. On that side of the driveway are three raised beds of various kinds, collard greens and Kale, peas, some small flowers that could be bachelor buttons and either a broad leaf parsley or coriander. The structure she is standing over is a small greenhouse type structure with no roof. There was a cabbage looking tall plant inside there. Well, not any more. The only things she left were the flowers and the parsley. She is Huge. The greenhouse is just a tad below my shoulder in height and as you can see, she could have easily stepped inside the structure, She choose to just bury her head inside to eat the nummy treats.
The second picture was taken from inside my bedroom where I could lean against the window for a more steady shot.
I headed out to Walmart (4th trip) to get some things. The shower in my bathroom has a step down to the bathroom floor, I have to step on the tile that covers the step to get to the bathroom rug, That first step is a tad slippery. So I picked up a longer bathroom rug to try to carpet the step and then found one of those suction cup bath tub mats which I now have "attached" across the top of the step to try to make that step easier. I also shopped but did not buy a replacement for the toaster oven that I left in PA and a bigger microwave oven as the one is this house is really tiny. I use my microwave quite a bit, so replacing that may be the better move for me to be comfortable in my kitchen,
After getting the shopping done and getting the bath step set up for my next shower, I headed upstairs to place an Amazon order for the Sous Vide water container that the movers missed as they thought it was a trash can but I did not have room in my car to bring with me. Thank goodness it was not expensive!! As I do, when on my computer, I turned to look outside and this is what I saw....
This time I dashed as fast as an old lady can to get my good camera. Seems that Momma Moose has to young moose with her. These were the kids in my front yard. I the top picture you can see the one raised bed in the front yard that has carrots growing (I will be pulling them today). The "kids" had come over, through an open space in the fence and checked out the carrots and then nibbled some leaves and limbs from a small tree in the corner of the front yard. They wandered around for quite a while and then one just hopped over the fence. I watched the second one who investigated the new deck and then followed suit and hopped over the fence.
These pictures were taken from the living room window and the light was fading. The lights were on inside and so you can sometimes see reflections on the inside of the glass. In the top picture you can sort-of see the steps to the deck coming down to the yard while baby moose 2 was peeking out from hos walk around the deck edge.
They wandered across the street and evidently found Momma over in the yard of a neighbor. Soon one of the dogs in the neighborhood spotted them and had a whole bunch of dogs barking. My boys did not join in the chorus. But this sent the three of them dashing back to their woods which butts up against my fence. What you are seeing is a large blob of brown fur with many legs, as they escape the barking dogs.
I shared the pictures with Rob and Brian. I think Rob is amazed that I have now had closer encounters with Moose in my several days in Alaska than he and Kate have had in their 18 years. They are big, beautiful animals. I am just happy that Momma chose not to come into my garage on her first visit. Can you just imagine????
The rest of the day was dull by comparison. Just sorting through stuff and making phone calls. My furniture is still sitting in Great Falls, MT. Victoria from Allison's Relocations will touch base with me on Friday to update me on any movement. It may be another three weeks or more before it arrives.
Tomorrow the local furniture store will be delivering Rob & Kate's bed for their room on the upper floor as well as my electric recliner that will lift, go flat, massage and heat. At least it will not be a lawn chair or a folding chair or my blowup queen bed!!!
More tomorrow. The mail lady just delivered the box, so I will see if I can get my driver's license today.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Home and getting settled...
Greetings from Fairbanks, AK.
Sorry for the lack of posts, but tiredness from traveling 4100+ miles, getting the car unloaded, getting settled in as much as one can with no furniture and trying to figure out where everything is going to go in this new place has occupied my time thus far.
First, the trip was uneventful. Until the final day, we had lovely weather. Sometimes it was a bit gray with misty fog, but it usually burned off to nice, sunny weather. The last day it rained. I enjoyed having Rob with me and that we shared driving or else I might still be driving. He lugged suitcases in and out, so that was nice. And it was nice to have someone to share a meal with on the road. He was relieved when we had gone through the border crossings. When he drove this journey 18 years ago, the area between the borders was evidently quite rustic, with no real pavement and many large potholes. It has since been paved and was not a problem for any car that decided to make that journey. Whew, that was a relief for all of us.
The boys did very well. They are the perfect travelers. Once they are buckled in (yes, they have seat restraints) and the car begins to move, they get comfy in their spaces and sleep. They wake up when we stop and pee upon command when they are on their leashes. Winston did have an anxiety meltdown in the car one day. So we dug out his Thundershirt and gave him some Benedryl and all was well. He still has his shirt on but has not had any issues since.
We arrived at the house on September 20th (Friday) around 12:30 PM. Kate had been waiting for us and had gone out to get falafels for everyone. They were quite good, but I was almost too tired to eat. The falafel shack is closing soon, heading for warmer climates.
We unloaded the car in the rain. Yes, there is a garage, but the car had a car top carrier and extra rails, so we had to get those off first in order to move it into the garage. It was a light rain, so it was just uncomfortable and not drenching.
The house is better looking in person. Compared to my little house on Route 10, it is huge. But I am sure, as all of my stuff arrives (no time line on that yet) it will get smaller fast. The house was built in the 1980s and she shows her age in places. The upstairs bath and kitchen have not been redone in quite a while, so I am sure they will make the list to get done first. But the rooms are large and will do everything we want for many years.
From inside, I do not hear a sound. When I look out the front window, all I see is my yard and some beautiful mature trees.. some varieties of spruce and many birch trees, Looking out on the deck side, I can sometimes see cars driving on the street, but not many and they make no noise. I have neighbors, but unless I look out specific windows or turn a certain way while gazing out, I do not see them. I occupy a corner lot and the way the house is situated, It is almost as private as the Route 10 house was and yet, I have a neighborhood that, when I am less tired, I might even be able to walk the dogs and none of us will be run over by tractor trailers. How novel is that idea?
Rob and Kate finally left on Friday afternoon and I began the task of sorting through what Rob had brought inside. I was madly making a list for Walmart. Since I may be here for anywhere from 4 to 6 more weeks without my stuff, I had to get some basic things so I could sleep and eat. Yes, Rob and Kate had suggested that I go to their house, but the idea of my dogs in their space and the 45 minute drive to get there, did not sit well. Besides, It was time we all have our spaces.
I had trouble getting on the internet as Rob had failed to give me all of the correct characters in the password. I got the dogs settled and fed, then headed off to Walmart. It is less than 5 miles from me and a straight shot on the closest main road. I had to check out twice as my cart filled up quickly with inflatable bed, bedding, towels, etc. So I checked out, put that stuff in the car and went back in for food staples. Then I had to unload and sort through it all. The steps are proving to be a challenge as I am not used to them, but I am sure in the next couple of weeks or months I will have retrained my legs to do them better.
It was after 11:30 PM that night before I curled up on my new bed, under new sheets, watching the little TV I had packed in the car top carrier and falling asleep. I did wake once, being a tad chilly (it is getting below freezing here most nights) so grabbed some covers from the car, kicked up the heat a tad and went back to sleep.
Rob came over yesterday afternoon. We went shopping for dining room furniture. We saw a couple of things we liked, Kate will have to chime in before we buy anything. The upper level of the house is a joint venture in the common rooms. It has to work of all of us and any company that we might invite over. They have a very nice bed arriving Wednesday, along with my electric recliner. So I will finally have a comfy chair to sit in starting that day. We also went to Costco. I had left my biggest TV behind for Marji and Danny. They came and shopped the House of Jane the morning I left. So we found a really good deal on a TCL Roku TV Series 6 55" which would fit in the back of Miss Gaddy, now that she has been returned to her original state without bars to keep the dogs where they belong while traveling. I also got a soundbar so there will be excellent sound without many speakers and wires going everywhere. We brought it back and have it set up in the craft room, which will serve as craft, sewing, quilting and TV room for me, It is a 4K TV and the picture is stunning. Everything is going along well. There was one more trip to Walmart for cleaning stuff and odds and ends that I found I was missing from the previous trip. It is hard... and costly, to start up housekeeping from scratch.
Today is a trip to Fred Meyers, another local department/grocery store. Not looking for anything specific, just getting the lay of the land.
Please know that I am safe and sound. I will be digging out my camera and taking some detailed pictures of the house in the next couple of days. I will be posting the now pictures and then after my stuff gets here pictures. I think of you often and miss you alot. But I am excited about this new chapter and hope that some of you will be coming to visit in the next few years. Love to you all and Lava you to the ones who understand that one!!!
Sorry for the lack of posts, but tiredness from traveling 4100+ miles, getting the car unloaded, getting settled in as much as one can with no furniture and trying to figure out where everything is going to go in this new place has occupied my time thus far.
First, the trip was uneventful. Until the final day, we had lovely weather. Sometimes it was a bit gray with misty fog, but it usually burned off to nice, sunny weather. The last day it rained. I enjoyed having Rob with me and that we shared driving or else I might still be driving. He lugged suitcases in and out, so that was nice. And it was nice to have someone to share a meal with on the road. He was relieved when we had gone through the border crossings. When he drove this journey 18 years ago, the area between the borders was evidently quite rustic, with no real pavement and many large potholes. It has since been paved and was not a problem for any car that decided to make that journey. Whew, that was a relief for all of us.
The boys did very well. They are the perfect travelers. Once they are buckled in (yes, they have seat restraints) and the car begins to move, they get comfy in their spaces and sleep. They wake up when we stop and pee upon command when they are on their leashes. Winston did have an anxiety meltdown in the car one day. So we dug out his Thundershirt and gave him some Benedryl and all was well. He still has his shirt on but has not had any issues since.
We arrived at the house on September 20th (Friday) around 12:30 PM. Kate had been waiting for us and had gone out to get falafels for everyone. They were quite good, but I was almost too tired to eat. The falafel shack is closing soon, heading for warmer climates.
We unloaded the car in the rain. Yes, there is a garage, but the car had a car top carrier and extra rails, so we had to get those off first in order to move it into the garage. It was a light rain, so it was just uncomfortable and not drenching.
The house is better looking in person. Compared to my little house on Route 10, it is huge. But I am sure, as all of my stuff arrives (no time line on that yet) it will get smaller fast. The house was built in the 1980s and she shows her age in places. The upstairs bath and kitchen have not been redone in quite a while, so I am sure they will make the list to get done first. But the rooms are large and will do everything we want for many years.
From inside, I do not hear a sound. When I look out the front window, all I see is my yard and some beautiful mature trees.. some varieties of spruce and many birch trees, Looking out on the deck side, I can sometimes see cars driving on the street, but not many and they make no noise. I have neighbors, but unless I look out specific windows or turn a certain way while gazing out, I do not see them. I occupy a corner lot and the way the house is situated, It is almost as private as the Route 10 house was and yet, I have a neighborhood that, when I am less tired, I might even be able to walk the dogs and none of us will be run over by tractor trailers. How novel is that idea?
Rob and Kate finally left on Friday afternoon and I began the task of sorting through what Rob had brought inside. I was madly making a list for Walmart. Since I may be here for anywhere from 4 to 6 more weeks without my stuff, I had to get some basic things so I could sleep and eat. Yes, Rob and Kate had suggested that I go to their house, but the idea of my dogs in their space and the 45 minute drive to get there, did not sit well. Besides, It was time we all have our spaces.
I had trouble getting on the internet as Rob had failed to give me all of the correct characters in the password. I got the dogs settled and fed, then headed off to Walmart. It is less than 5 miles from me and a straight shot on the closest main road. I had to check out twice as my cart filled up quickly with inflatable bed, bedding, towels, etc. So I checked out, put that stuff in the car and went back in for food staples. Then I had to unload and sort through it all. The steps are proving to be a challenge as I am not used to them, but I am sure in the next couple of weeks or months I will have retrained my legs to do them better.
It was after 11:30 PM that night before I curled up on my new bed, under new sheets, watching the little TV I had packed in the car top carrier and falling asleep. I did wake once, being a tad chilly (it is getting below freezing here most nights) so grabbed some covers from the car, kicked up the heat a tad and went back to sleep.
Rob came over yesterday afternoon. We went shopping for dining room furniture. We saw a couple of things we liked, Kate will have to chime in before we buy anything. The upper level of the house is a joint venture in the common rooms. It has to work of all of us and any company that we might invite over. They have a very nice bed arriving Wednesday, along with my electric recliner. So I will finally have a comfy chair to sit in starting that day. We also went to Costco. I had left my biggest TV behind for Marji and Danny. They came and shopped the House of Jane the morning I left. So we found a really good deal on a TCL Roku TV Series 6 55" which would fit in the back of Miss Gaddy, now that she has been returned to her original state without bars to keep the dogs where they belong while traveling. I also got a soundbar so there will be excellent sound without many speakers and wires going everywhere. We brought it back and have it set up in the craft room, which will serve as craft, sewing, quilting and TV room for me, It is a 4K TV and the picture is stunning. Everything is going along well. There was one more trip to Walmart for cleaning stuff and odds and ends that I found I was missing from the previous trip. It is hard... and costly, to start up housekeeping from scratch.
Today is a trip to Fred Meyers, another local department/grocery store. Not looking for anything specific, just getting the lay of the land.
Please know that I am safe and sound. I will be digging out my camera and taking some detailed pictures of the house in the next couple of days. I will be posting the now pictures and then after my stuff gets here pictures. I think of you often and miss you alot. But I am excited about this new chapter and hope that some of you will be coming to visit in the next few years. Love to you all and Lava you to the ones who understand that one!!!
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Good Morning from Haines Junction, Yukon...
I know, some of you saw the Facebook post that I had arrived in Alaska. Nope, not quite yet. I just changed my current home to Fairbanks, as I am really not a resident anywhere at the moment. Tomorrow, September 20th, I will take up residence at my sew home.
Yesterday was not anything special. It was over 6 hours of driving. The mountains were stunning, but not as snow covered as in previous days. We traveled along more flat lands, either in valleys or mountain passes. No wildlife. The pretty leaves are falling, so much of the stunning colors are now on the ground and blowing away.
We are heading to Tok, Alaska. Today will be the hardest day of the entire trip. Today we will drive to the Canadian checkpoint and then there is a 40 mile strip of road that is not paved but covered with chipped base. It has not been touched this year, according to a young lady who was a flag person at a road construction sight. She was a talked\r and we were first in line for the pilot truck to come guide us to the other side of the construction. The US did not send funding for this to be repaired, so it is likely to be really, really in poor shape.
This small section of road between the Canadian checkpoint and the US border may take us an hour or more to traverse as we will have to drive slowly to avoid blowing a tire or causing damage to Gaddy. It is the sole reason we had the hitch put on my car where we have been carrying a full sized spare. There will be a lot of praying and careful, slow driving to come out on the other side with no harm to the car and to us.
Rob keeps trying, to prepare me for re-entry into Alaska. I gather that 18 years ago, when they came through, the people there noticed that the shots for their cats had expired and they almost were not granted entry. But I made sure all of my documents, shots and things were in order, so I am hoping it will be as disappointing as entering Canada.
We did stop for gas at a place yesterday called Jake's Corner. It was a gas stop, RV campground and restaurant. At this point in the trip, we are driving past gas stations and rest stops stop are manned during the summer but the owners head south before the snow season starts. That is why we are carrying 5 gallons of gas in the car now. So, when you are about at half a tank and find an open station, you top off your tank. Rob says there is a station just before the Canadian border and we will start off with a full tank from Haines Junction, YT and then top off before the checkpoint. That should be enough to get us to Tok, AK. We have a room there for tonight and then a 2ish hour drive to Tolovana Drive!!
Keep your thoughts and prayers coming, especially today.
Yesterday was not anything special. It was over 6 hours of driving. The mountains were stunning, but not as snow covered as in previous days. We traveled along more flat lands, either in valleys or mountain passes. No wildlife. The pretty leaves are falling, so much of the stunning colors are now on the ground and blowing away.
We are heading to Tok, Alaska. Today will be the hardest day of the entire trip. Today we will drive to the Canadian checkpoint and then there is a 40 mile strip of road that is not paved but covered with chipped base. It has not been touched this year, according to a young lady who was a flag person at a road construction sight. She was a talked\r and we were first in line for the pilot truck to come guide us to the other side of the construction. The US did not send funding for this to be repaired, so it is likely to be really, really in poor shape.
This small section of road between the Canadian checkpoint and the US border may take us an hour or more to traverse as we will have to drive slowly to avoid blowing a tire or causing damage to Gaddy. It is the sole reason we had the hitch put on my car where we have been carrying a full sized spare. There will be a lot of praying and careful, slow driving to come out on the other side with no harm to the car and to us.
Rob keeps trying, to prepare me for re-entry into Alaska. I gather that 18 years ago, when they came through, the people there noticed that the shots for their cats had expired and they almost were not granted entry. But I made sure all of my documents, shots and things were in order, so I am hoping it will be as disappointing as entering Canada.
We did stop for gas at a place yesterday called Jake's Corner. It was a gas stop, RV campground and restaurant. At this point in the trip, we are driving past gas stations and rest stops stop are manned during the summer but the owners head south before the snow season starts. That is why we are carrying 5 gallons of gas in the car now. So, when you are about at half a tank and find an open station, you top off your tank. Rob says there is a station just before the Canadian border and we will start off with a full tank from Haines Junction, YT and then top off before the checkpoint. That should be enough to get us to Tok, AK. We have a room there for tonight and then a 2ish hour drive to Tolovana Drive!!
Keep your thoughts and prayers coming, especially today.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
From British Columbia to the Yukon...
This morning started out with a thick mountain fog. Those of you who visited me in Fancy Gap will understand mountain fog. Today was not the totally thick mountain fog where you cannot see your hand in front of your face fog, but a dense fog that kept you on your toes as you drive fog.
We had gotten gas and this time we filled the has the gas can. We are now ready for anything,
It did not take long before we were driving underneath the fog cloud and in time the fog lofted to reveal a beautiful, bright sunny day.
We were traveling along twisty, turning mountain roads. Today they were all two lane until we got to Watson Lake where the occasional passing lane reappeared. But the farther we got and the more twisty the roads, the more we were finding picture postcard views of the mountains along the way.
As you can see, there is already snow on these mountain tops. Our high temp was only in the high 40s.
We also had close encounters with more of the local characters. We saw mountain goats along the road, but we missed getting pictures, Then we ran into individual and herds of Bison, Some were just lumbering along, many had curled up in 'nests' of mud or dirt that they had carved out with their hooves. They were amazing animals to see up close.
Rob did manage to get a video of the one herd, but he needs to edit it as what he took takes up a lot of digital space.
We also managed to see some of Santa's Reindeer along the side of the road. They must be in training for Christmas.
These are magnificent animals and look even more so in the wild, where they belong. They really appear to own the land and we are the trespassers.
We also came across fire scars in the land. We passed through several areas where fires had happened in years past and the new growth had already begun. One of the characteristics that we saw was when the fire did not burn the entire tree, and did not kill the tree when it did burn. These trees, in this case birch trees, had their growth only at the tippy top of the tree. Rob nicknamed them Lollipop Trees.
It was a really fun day and made the drive... my 12th day being in the car... go very quickly.
So we have 2 more nights on the road and three more days before I will be at my new home. Getting really excited and hoping that the days will fly by like today did.
We had gotten gas and this time we filled the has the gas can. We are now ready for anything,
It did not take long before we were driving underneath the fog cloud and in time the fog lofted to reveal a beautiful, bright sunny day.
We were traveling along twisty, turning mountain roads. Today they were all two lane until we got to Watson Lake where the occasional passing lane reappeared. But the farther we got and the more twisty the roads, the more we were finding picture postcard views of the mountains along the way.
As you can see, there is already snow on these mountain tops. Our high temp was only in the high 40s.
We also had close encounters with more of the local characters. We saw mountain goats along the road, but we missed getting pictures, Then we ran into individual and herds of Bison, Some were just lumbering along, many had curled up in 'nests' of mud or dirt that they had carved out with their hooves. They were amazing animals to see up close.
We also managed to see some of Santa's Reindeer along the side of the road. They must be in training for Christmas.
We also came across fire scars in the land. We passed through several areas where fires had happened in years past and the new growth had already begun. One of the characteristics that we saw was when the fire did not burn the entire tree, and did not kill the tree when it did burn. These trees, in this case birch trees, had their growth only at the tippy top of the tree. Rob nicknamed them Lollipop Trees.
So we have 2 more nights on the road and three more days before I will be at my new home. Getting really excited and hoping that the days will fly by like today did.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Beautiful British Columbia,,,,
Another dismal morning. Clouds and a light mist greeted us from our "No frills" room. It was not too bad and we both slept well. We had good coffee (I brought a little Keurig and some ground Tim Horton's coffee to enjoy) and we each had something for breakfast from the "car food box".
We loaded up the car, which is now turning to a two toned white over dirty beige color from the rainy, muddy road grime. I walked the dogs who were looking at me with the look on their little faces saying.... "No Mom, not another ride in the car!!!"... I did not have the heart to tell them that we have 4 more days AFTER the ride today. But it is surely a shorter time than it was back on September 6th.
Today we headed north, Up to now it has been mainly west on the Trans-Canadian Highway, But from Grand Prairie, we headed north and almost immediately came into much more mountainous roads. We had opted not to fill up our extra gas can today as there seemed to be enough probable gas stops on our route. We willed up outside of Grand Prairie and headed on our northern journey.
The leaves get more colorful with each day. Today there were plenty of yellows. But there were also more oranges now and we are seeing a smattering of red and maroon. The roads go up, up, up and then like a really tall roller coaster, dooowwwn. The roads seem to go straight and the engineers did nothing more than follow a straight line over the hills and valleys.
I did the majority of the driving as I felt good and Rob was comfortable as a passenger. The only issue was when I thought we were going into a truck passing zone, only to find that it was actually a right turn lane. So breaking hard, we managed the turn and caught our breath before turning around and getting back on the road. Oops.... We were both a tad more watchful of the road after that.
Now, I always begin looking for gas when my gauge gets to the second mark. I think it is about 2/3rds used at that mark. But during this trip, I have also let it get to the little gas pump mark before filling up. But as the miles stretched on and the few little gas stations that were on our route were closed for the season, I begab to appreciate having an extra 5 gallons (good for about 100 extra miles) in the car.
We finally came upon a strange station out in the middle of nowhere. It seemed to be two storage containers that had one hose on each container. One was tank 1 and was diesel fuel. The other was tank 2 with the "booth' at one end. You went into the booth, swiped your credit card and indicated which tank you wanted. Then you went out to the vehicle, put the pump handle into your tank and pushed a start button to get your gas. I have no idea how much it cost and only the numbers on the tank to indicate how much was pumped... in liters. It will be interesting to see how much I was charged. But I did not care as we once again had a full tank. Tomorrow we fill the gas can as tomorrow the stations will be even fewer and far between.
We officially got on Route 97 which is officially known as the Great Alaskan Highway. Rob tried to get a picture of the official sign in Dawson Creek, BC. I will try ot snag it from him to share with you.
The Northern Rockies are beautiful and some of the taller mountains already have snow on the peaks. Look hard and you might see it.
We also saw a local, wandering along the road. Rob slowed down.... he was driving by this time... so I could shoot the picture.
Beautiful, isn't she... or he... as long a it stayed right where it was.
Tonight we are in Forth Nelson, BC. Tomorrow we head for Watson Lake, in the Yukon Territory. Counting down... four more days until we arrive at my new home. Keep those prayers coming, we really had that hedge around us today.
We loaded up the car, which is now turning to a two toned white over dirty beige color from the rainy, muddy road grime. I walked the dogs who were looking at me with the look on their little faces saying.... "No Mom, not another ride in the car!!!"... I did not have the heart to tell them that we have 4 more days AFTER the ride today. But it is surely a shorter time than it was back on September 6th.
Today we headed north, Up to now it has been mainly west on the Trans-Canadian Highway, But from Grand Prairie, we headed north and almost immediately came into much more mountainous roads. We had opted not to fill up our extra gas can today as there seemed to be enough probable gas stops on our route. We willed up outside of Grand Prairie and headed on our northern journey.
The leaves get more colorful with each day. Today there were plenty of yellows. But there were also more oranges now and we are seeing a smattering of red and maroon. The roads go up, up, up and then like a really tall roller coaster, dooowwwn. The roads seem to go straight and the engineers did nothing more than follow a straight line over the hills and valleys.
I did the majority of the driving as I felt good and Rob was comfortable as a passenger. The only issue was when I thought we were going into a truck passing zone, only to find that it was actually a right turn lane. So breaking hard, we managed the turn and caught our breath before turning around and getting back on the road. Oops.... We were both a tad more watchful of the road after that.
Now, I always begin looking for gas when my gauge gets to the second mark. I think it is about 2/3rds used at that mark. But during this trip, I have also let it get to the little gas pump mark before filling up. But as the miles stretched on and the few little gas stations that were on our route were closed for the season, I begab to appreciate having an extra 5 gallons (good for about 100 extra miles) in the car.
We finally came upon a strange station out in the middle of nowhere. It seemed to be two storage containers that had one hose on each container. One was tank 1 and was diesel fuel. The other was tank 2 with the "booth' at one end. You went into the booth, swiped your credit card and indicated which tank you wanted. Then you went out to the vehicle, put the pump handle into your tank and pushed a start button to get your gas. I have no idea how much it cost and only the numbers on the tank to indicate how much was pumped... in liters. It will be interesting to see how much I was charged. But I did not care as we once again had a full tank. Tomorrow we fill the gas can as tomorrow the stations will be even fewer and far between.
We officially got on Route 97 which is officially known as the Great Alaskan Highway. Rob tried to get a picture of the official sign in Dawson Creek, BC. I will try ot snag it from him to share with you.
The Northern Rockies are beautiful and some of the taller mountains already have snow on the peaks. Look hard and you might see it.
We also saw a local, wandering along the road. Rob slowed down.... he was driving by this time... so I could shoot the picture.
Beautiful, isn't she... or he... as long a it stayed right where it was.
Tonight we are in Forth Nelson, BC. Tomorrow we head for Watson Lake, in the Yukon Territory. Counting down... four more days until we arrive at my new home. Keep those prayers coming, we really had that hedge around us today.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
An Experiment Gone Wrong....
Good evening from Grand Prairie, Alberta. What a day!!!
We had a wonderful night at the Comfort Inn in Airdrie, Alberta... a suburb of Calgary. It was a beautiful hotel and just recently opened. Two lovely beds... or perhaps we were just very tired. The convenience center had mid-sized fridge and decent microwave. There was a Keurig coffee maker with a supply of K-Cups. Everything was clean and new and there were enough plugs for all of our devices.
The front desk had put us at the end of a hallway that was close to an outside door for easy access for the dogs. They had the hotel trollies for luggage which meant we could do the loading in one trip instead of several. It was lovely.
Rob went out for chicken for dinner and we enjoyed that in the room. I shared mine with the boys.
We rearranged the trunk of the Caddy this morning as we will be filling up the 5 gallon gas can at our next stop. Gas stations are becoming farther and farther apart. Tomorrow we will be heading north to Fort Nelson, British Columbia. We will be on Mountain Time and if we were to draw a line due west, we would be on the same level as Juneau, AK
Tomorrow we will pass the halfway mark of the journey with Rob. I actually left Parkesburg on September 6th. Thus far I have been on the road 11 days. We still have 5 days of driving remaining. Rob calculated I have been in a car driving or being driven for close to 45 hours. Yikes, no wonder my butt feels like it is in a constant state of buzzing. I cannot wait for this to be over... but I would not change a thing.
Today we drove into more mountainous sections. The hills roll and the occasional long hill up or down made for beautiful vistas. I am reminded so much of the mountains around Fancy Gap and the trees of Alaska. It is beautiful. The clumps of trees are more yellow now and there are now areas of a flaming orange. No reds yet, but I am sure they are coming. Fall is in full bloom here.
Looking at the yard of my new house, all of the leaves have fallen off that tree, so there will not be any fall colors for me at my new house.
As for the experiment, Rob convinced me not to make reservations at a hotel for tonight. We decided just to head here and find a room. We drove to one of the motels that were on Rob's list, pulled into the place and I immediately thought, "no way". It was just sending out all kinds of nasty vibes, So Rob got his phone out and saw a Comfort Inn nearby, so based on last night, we headed there. We followed his phone directions and when the phone said we had arrived, we were on top of a small mountain, in a neighborhood of single family homes. No hotel anywhere.
So back to the main road, we pulled off and once again went to Rob's phone. We located all of the pet-friendly places. We decided on a Motel 6 that was no-frills. And it fit our needs nicely.
The first thing Rob did after we got settled was get out his computer to find our possibles for tomorrow night. We will not go to our next overnight stop without a reservation.
I have been taking pictures along the way, but I have not been able to get them to download on this little computer, I do not have the correct adapter for the card. I guess I will have to wait for the van to deliver all of my stuff. I will post them once I can get them off of my cards.
In the meantime, Gaddy the Caddy is still covered in bug guts and today we added muddy water and lots of road grime. She is going to nead a good detailing when we reach Fairbanks.
Thanks for following along and all of your positive thoughts and prayers.
We had a wonderful night at the Comfort Inn in Airdrie, Alberta... a suburb of Calgary. It was a beautiful hotel and just recently opened. Two lovely beds... or perhaps we were just very tired. The convenience center had mid-sized fridge and decent microwave. There was a Keurig coffee maker with a supply of K-Cups. Everything was clean and new and there were enough plugs for all of our devices.
The front desk had put us at the end of a hallway that was close to an outside door for easy access for the dogs. They had the hotel trollies for luggage which meant we could do the loading in one trip instead of several. It was lovely.
Rob went out for chicken for dinner and we enjoyed that in the room. I shared mine with the boys.
We rearranged the trunk of the Caddy this morning as we will be filling up the 5 gallon gas can at our next stop. Gas stations are becoming farther and farther apart. Tomorrow we will be heading north to Fort Nelson, British Columbia. We will be on Mountain Time and if we were to draw a line due west, we would be on the same level as Juneau, AK
Tomorrow we will pass the halfway mark of the journey with Rob. I actually left Parkesburg on September 6th. Thus far I have been on the road 11 days. We still have 5 days of driving remaining. Rob calculated I have been in a car driving or being driven for close to 45 hours. Yikes, no wonder my butt feels like it is in a constant state of buzzing. I cannot wait for this to be over... but I would not change a thing.
Today we drove into more mountainous sections. The hills roll and the occasional long hill up or down made for beautiful vistas. I am reminded so much of the mountains around Fancy Gap and the trees of Alaska. It is beautiful. The clumps of trees are more yellow now and there are now areas of a flaming orange. No reds yet, but I am sure they are coming. Fall is in full bloom here.
Looking at the yard of my new house, all of the leaves have fallen off that tree, so there will not be any fall colors for me at my new house.
As for the experiment, Rob convinced me not to make reservations at a hotel for tonight. We decided just to head here and find a room. We drove to one of the motels that were on Rob's list, pulled into the place and I immediately thought, "no way". It was just sending out all kinds of nasty vibes, So Rob got his phone out and saw a Comfort Inn nearby, so based on last night, we headed there. We followed his phone directions and when the phone said we had arrived, we were on top of a small mountain, in a neighborhood of single family homes. No hotel anywhere.
So back to the main road, we pulled off and once again went to Rob's phone. We located all of the pet-friendly places. We decided on a Motel 6 that was no-frills. And it fit our needs nicely.
The first thing Rob did after we got settled was get out his computer to find our possibles for tomorrow night. We will not go to our next overnight stop without a reservation.
I have been taking pictures along the way, but I have not been able to get them to download on this little computer, I do not have the correct adapter for the card. I guess I will have to wait for the van to deliver all of my stuff. I will post them once I can get them off of my cards.
In the meantime, Gaddy the Caddy is still covered in bug guts and today we added muddy water and lots of road grime. She is going to nead a good detailing when we reach Fairbanks.
Thanks for following along and all of your positive thoughts and prayers.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Howdy from Calgary, Alberta....
Well, it was another day of driving for Rob, the boys and I. We were on the road before 9:00 AM, leaving Moose Jaw in the dust.
Once again the roads were straight and looking over open fields with the occasional cow. Every now and then the road curved to the right or to the left. Once in a while there were smallish hills that broke up the terrain.
We drove past a great many high voltage electrical towers. There was a great deal of energy being sent very long distances using those lines. And all through the fields there are small wells that appear to be pumping either oil or natural gas. And along with those wells, are small tanks and lines that most assuredly move all of that fuel to other areas of Canada to keep them warm in the winter.
And the entire time, wandering through, around and under the towers and wells are small herds and medium herds and large herds of cattle. I do not think that they are aware that their peaceful world has been damaged by man's need for "more power".
The fields are a patchwork of harvested crops, mature crops and green grass and weeds, I would imagine that from a plane, there would be a marvelous quilt of beautiful fall colors. There are deep browns of the soy beans waiting to be cut, there are lovely neutral colors of the already harvested wheat and hay having a light golden color in this quilt of life. Then there are a wide variety of greens from new crops to wild grasses. The clumps of trees add deep green and yellows of the changing leaves. It is pretty from the ground. It would have to be spectacular from the air. God is far more creative than any of us will ever be in this lifetime.
The boys remain fine. Winston did have a meltdown in the car just before we stopped for the night. He began barking for no reason and then trying to either get out of the window (it was closed) or crawl into the front seat (his seat belt kept that from happening). We got him calmed down some until we got checked in to the Choice Inn, where I got his Thundershirt on him... which calms him down some more... then I give him a Benedryl which has slowed him significantly. He will be fine and dandy in the morning. His anxiety attacks seem to be triggered by a high pitched sound which he must have heard from either something on the radio ir outside the car.
Speaking of the car, Miss Gaddy, the Caddy, is doing well. She is humming along, mile after mile and kilometer after kilometer. I did not know that there was a way to change Miss Gaddy's instruments to read in kilometers, but Rob found the way, so it is easier to stay within speed limits here in Canada.
We did not make it to the quilt shop here in Calgary. Being a Saturday, the shop closed at 5:00 PM. Our journey with stops for gas and dog walks had us arriving after they had closed. So I guess Canada will not be a part of my quilt of where I have been.
Rob did laundry in the lovey laundry in our hotel. Then we had some delicious comfort food from a Chicken on the Go shop just down the road. So he is all set for the few days that we have left. Tomorrow we will be getting to Grand Prairie and the next day we begin to add a 5 gallon can of gas to our load... just in case as gas stations will become few and far between. Getting to Alaska is not as glamorous as one might think.
And then there are the bugs. My windshield looks like a bug graveyard. Mostly grasshoppers, we see them in the grsses when we walk the dogs. We have pretty much gone through a gallon of windshield washer fluid. And the front of Miss Gaddy, well she is peppered with yucky grasshopper carcasses. I will be looking for a detailer shortly after arriving to get them removed.
Last, but not least, Rob has been watching the weather in the areas that we are heading to. Looks like we will be driving through some snow... mixed with rain. I am not going to see much of a fall at all as it was hot and stinking summer when I left and it may be more winter than fall after I get to Fairbanks, Just keep us in your prayers, They have been working very well thus far.
Once again the roads were straight and looking over open fields with the occasional cow. Every now and then the road curved to the right or to the left. Once in a while there were smallish hills that broke up the terrain.
We drove past a great many high voltage electrical towers. There was a great deal of energy being sent very long distances using those lines. And all through the fields there are small wells that appear to be pumping either oil or natural gas. And along with those wells, are small tanks and lines that most assuredly move all of that fuel to other areas of Canada to keep them warm in the winter.
And the entire time, wandering through, around and under the towers and wells are small herds and medium herds and large herds of cattle. I do not think that they are aware that their peaceful world has been damaged by man's need for "more power".
The fields are a patchwork of harvested crops, mature crops and green grass and weeds, I would imagine that from a plane, there would be a marvelous quilt of beautiful fall colors. There are deep browns of the soy beans waiting to be cut, there are lovely neutral colors of the already harvested wheat and hay having a light golden color in this quilt of life. Then there are a wide variety of greens from new crops to wild grasses. The clumps of trees add deep green and yellows of the changing leaves. It is pretty from the ground. It would have to be spectacular from the air. God is far more creative than any of us will ever be in this lifetime.
The boys remain fine. Winston did have a meltdown in the car just before we stopped for the night. He began barking for no reason and then trying to either get out of the window (it was closed) or crawl into the front seat (his seat belt kept that from happening). We got him calmed down some until we got checked in to the Choice Inn, where I got his Thundershirt on him... which calms him down some more... then I give him a Benedryl which has slowed him significantly. He will be fine and dandy in the morning. His anxiety attacks seem to be triggered by a high pitched sound which he must have heard from either something on the radio ir outside the car.
Speaking of the car, Miss Gaddy, the Caddy, is doing well. She is humming along, mile after mile and kilometer after kilometer. I did not know that there was a way to change Miss Gaddy's instruments to read in kilometers, but Rob found the way, so it is easier to stay within speed limits here in Canada.
We did not make it to the quilt shop here in Calgary. Being a Saturday, the shop closed at 5:00 PM. Our journey with stops for gas and dog walks had us arriving after they had closed. So I guess Canada will not be a part of my quilt of where I have been.
Rob did laundry in the lovey laundry in our hotel. Then we had some delicious comfort food from a Chicken on the Go shop just down the road. So he is all set for the few days that we have left. Tomorrow we will be getting to Grand Prairie and the next day we begin to add a 5 gallon can of gas to our load... just in case as gas stations will become few and far between. Getting to Alaska is not as glamorous as one might think.
And then there are the bugs. My windshield looks like a bug graveyard. Mostly grasshoppers, we see them in the grsses when we walk the dogs. We have pretty much gone through a gallon of windshield washer fluid. And the front of Miss Gaddy, well she is peppered with yucky grasshopper carcasses. I will be looking for a detailer shortly after arriving to get them removed.
Last, but not least, Rob has been watching the weather in the areas that we are heading to. Looks like we will be driving through some snow... mixed with rain. I am not going to see much of a fall at all as it was hot and stinking summer when I left and it may be more winter than fall after I get to Fairbanks, Just keep us in your prayers, They have been working very well thus far.
Straight Lines and miscues...
Greetings and Salutations from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
I have heard the name Moose Jaw in stories, but I really thought it was a fictitious place. But, here I am, in Moose Jaw.
The day started out with more drizzle from the day before. The mist had lifted, but there was a good bit of drizzle for the first hour of our drive. We have moved to the Trans Canada Highway which is 4 lanes, going straight from one place to another. It is not a limited access highway, but there is nothing ON the highway. In order to get to gas stations, you have to turn right or left off the highway to service roads where the businesses and homes are located.
The roads in the lower part of Canada are straight. The screens of the GPS devices and phones with maps are clear except for a straight line going down the center. The fields are huge abd most have been cut. The soy beans are the only crop left in the fields. There are periodic clumps of trees, but today I am beginning to notice that among the clumps of green are the yellow of fall. Rob says that as we head north, we will see the colors and then bare trees. He also noted to Kate, just a few minutes ago, that the day we are going to arrive in Fairbanks, there will be rain followed with some snow. Welcome to Fairbanks.
We learned some things about Saskatchewan today. First as soon as you cross their border, our cell phones changed time zones. I thought it was into Mountain time, but Noooooo! There is a part of Saskatchewan that does not observe Daylight Savings Time, so we went from CDT to Central Standard time. The next actual time zone we encounter will be Mountain time but we will not have to change our clocks since it will be the same time. Silly Canadians.
We passed by many large, open areas of crops and open fields that have LARGE wind turbines. Rob got some pics as we drove by, but I have not seen them yet. They stretch as far as the eye can see and seem to be gracefully turning in the wind in the area. Canada seems to be really pushing green power.
We also learned about "Zipper Merge" in Regina, SK. There was some construction on our way around Regina and the signs clearly stated that everyone observe Zipper Merging. This is when one allows for other cars to merge before a lane closes. It is something should teach here in the States. Our side of the construction must have been doing it correctly as we sailed through the zone. The other side, not so much, as traffic was backed up for a mile or so.
Long the way, we passed a herd of Bison. There were big Bison, medium Bison and baby Bison. Rob says from time to time Costco will get ground Bison in their store and that it is very, very good. So I guess I will add that to my to try list along with reindeer sausage.
I am beginning to like Kilometers. They fly by very quickly and it is fun to watch them tick away on the GPS. My Garmin allows me to change from Miles to Kilometers. So It is easy to keep well within the speed limit. It will make coming back into the US and MPH harder to enjoy.
Tomorrow will mark, my journey, halfway to my new home. We have ended 2 of the 9 days that has Rob traveling with me. We are doing well at giving each other a break from driving. So far paying for things has been easy, too. But it certainly appears to cost quite a bit for gas... but I think when the conversion happens at Mastercard, that it will not be too bad.
So there you are. We are heading to Calgary, Alberta tomorrow. Hopefully I will get a chance to quickly stop at a quilt shop there. It is one of the few Row By Row shops in Canada and I would love to find a fabric license plate to add to my collection. Fingers crossed they still have a few. I will let you know.
I have heard the name Moose Jaw in stories, but I really thought it was a fictitious place. But, here I am, in Moose Jaw.
The day started out with more drizzle from the day before. The mist had lifted, but there was a good bit of drizzle for the first hour of our drive. We have moved to the Trans Canada Highway which is 4 lanes, going straight from one place to another. It is not a limited access highway, but there is nothing ON the highway. In order to get to gas stations, you have to turn right or left off the highway to service roads where the businesses and homes are located.
The roads in the lower part of Canada are straight. The screens of the GPS devices and phones with maps are clear except for a straight line going down the center. The fields are huge abd most have been cut. The soy beans are the only crop left in the fields. There are periodic clumps of trees, but today I am beginning to notice that among the clumps of green are the yellow of fall. Rob says that as we head north, we will see the colors and then bare trees. He also noted to Kate, just a few minutes ago, that the day we are going to arrive in Fairbanks, there will be rain followed with some snow. Welcome to Fairbanks.
We learned some things about Saskatchewan today. First as soon as you cross their border, our cell phones changed time zones. I thought it was into Mountain time, but Noooooo! There is a part of Saskatchewan that does not observe Daylight Savings Time, so we went from CDT to Central Standard time. The next actual time zone we encounter will be Mountain time but we will not have to change our clocks since it will be the same time. Silly Canadians.
We passed by many large, open areas of crops and open fields that have LARGE wind turbines. Rob got some pics as we drove by, but I have not seen them yet. They stretch as far as the eye can see and seem to be gracefully turning in the wind in the area. Canada seems to be really pushing green power.
We also learned about "Zipper Merge" in Regina, SK. There was some construction on our way around Regina and the signs clearly stated that everyone observe Zipper Merging. This is when one allows for other cars to merge before a lane closes. It is something should teach here in the States. Our side of the construction must have been doing it correctly as we sailed through the zone. The other side, not so much, as traffic was backed up for a mile or so.
Long the way, we passed a herd of Bison. There were big Bison, medium Bison and baby Bison. Rob says from time to time Costco will get ground Bison in their store and that it is very, very good. So I guess I will add that to my to try list along with reindeer sausage.
I am beginning to like Kilometers. They fly by very quickly and it is fun to watch them tick away on the GPS. My Garmin allows me to change from Miles to Kilometers. So It is easy to keep well within the speed limit. It will make coming back into the US and MPH harder to enjoy.
Tomorrow will mark, my journey, halfway to my new home. We have ended 2 of the 9 days that has Rob traveling with me. We are doing well at giving each other a break from driving. So far paying for things has been easy, too. But it certainly appears to cost quite a bit for gas... but I think when the conversion happens at Mastercard, that it will not be too bad.
So there you are. We are heading to Calgary, Alberta tomorrow. Hopefully I will get a chance to quickly stop at a quilt shop there. It is one of the few Row By Row shops in Canada and I would love to find a fabric license plate to add to my collection. Fingers crossed they still have a few. I will let you know.
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Soggy, drippy, misty and grey.....
The morning started out with a thunderstorm that lit up the sky and rolled rumbles for minutes, not seconds. Then the misty, rain began and as I type this, it is still doing that same thing outside.
Thank goodness we had done the majority of the repacking yesterday, because with the little we had left to pack, Rob and I were soaked before we ever left Brian's house. And thanks to Brian, we, had a delightful breakfast of Apple smoked bacon, fried eggs and toast. We also enjoyed his steaming hot, perfect coffee. He even gave us 2 travel mugs piping hot that we were able to enjoy all day.
We headed north out of Minnesota on I-94. We stayed on I-94 until we got to Fargo, North Dakota. There we moved to I-29 and headed to the Canadian Border.
The scenery was wet, misty and grey. And the further north we drove, the flatter the land became. I have found the area around Minneapolis to be a tad rolling, but north... just flat. Very much like Indiana and Illinois. You can see for miles and it is just flat with the occasional clump of trees that surround homes or barns.
In North Dakota we found speed limits of 75 MPH, so we moved along quickly. We stopped for gas a couple of times and then one rest stop for the boys. They are both in the back seat now (Winston prefers the front seat) but he adjusted well and they both slept whenever we were in motion.
We soon found ourselves at the Canadian Border going into Manitoba. I have never been outside of the US and have heard horror stories of lang waits and searches and probing questions that I was geared for a long session. We pulled up to the booth where the Customs guard was safely warm and dry inside. We rolled our windows down and he opened his. He asked how many people and we said 2 and gave him our passports. Then he asked if we had alcohol, cigarettes, and guns. He asked the license number of the car, which we did not know, so we had to produce registration. Then he asked how long we would be in Canada... 8 days was our response. Rob explained that he was from Fairbanks and I was from Pennsylvania and he was moving me to Fairbanks. We told him we had 2 small dogs and he said fine and wished us well as he returned our passports. 5 Minutes max. No questions about the car top carrier, No questions about all of the stuff loaded in the Caddy. Nope just a few questions and we were on our way. Almost disappointing. Perhaps it will be harder to get back into the country at the Alaskan border.
Tonight we are in the Altona Hotel in Altona, MB. We had Chinese for dinner and made reservations for Moose Jaw SK for tomorrow night.
I drove most of the day, Rob drove from just before the border crossing to the hotel. It was so very nice to have the second driver. I have a discomfort in my right hip after sitting for a long time, so I probably would not have driven as far. I was also able to use the heated seat feature in my car (the driver's side heater is not working) and it is feeling much better tonight.
Only 8 days left... barring any issues... and I will be at my new home. Prayers and good wishes welcomed.
Thank goodness we had done the majority of the repacking yesterday, because with the little we had left to pack, Rob and I were soaked before we ever left Brian's house. And thanks to Brian, we, had a delightful breakfast of Apple smoked bacon, fried eggs and toast. We also enjoyed his steaming hot, perfect coffee. He even gave us 2 travel mugs piping hot that we were able to enjoy all day.
We headed north out of Minnesota on I-94. We stayed on I-94 until we got to Fargo, North Dakota. There we moved to I-29 and headed to the Canadian Border.
The scenery was wet, misty and grey. And the further north we drove, the flatter the land became. I have found the area around Minneapolis to be a tad rolling, but north... just flat. Very much like Indiana and Illinois. You can see for miles and it is just flat with the occasional clump of trees that surround homes or barns.
In North Dakota we found speed limits of 75 MPH, so we moved along quickly. We stopped for gas a couple of times and then one rest stop for the boys. They are both in the back seat now (Winston prefers the front seat) but he adjusted well and they both slept whenever we were in motion.
We soon found ourselves at the Canadian Border going into Manitoba. I have never been outside of the US and have heard horror stories of lang waits and searches and probing questions that I was geared for a long session. We pulled up to the booth where the Customs guard was safely warm and dry inside. We rolled our windows down and he opened his. He asked how many people and we said 2 and gave him our passports. Then he asked if we had alcohol, cigarettes, and guns. He asked the license number of the car, which we did not know, so we had to produce registration. Then he asked how long we would be in Canada... 8 days was our response. Rob explained that he was from Fairbanks and I was from Pennsylvania and he was moving me to Fairbanks. We told him we had 2 small dogs and he said fine and wished us well as he returned our passports. 5 Minutes max. No questions about the car top carrier, No questions about all of the stuff loaded in the Caddy. Nope just a few questions and we were on our way. Almost disappointing. Perhaps it will be harder to get back into the country at the Alaskan border.
Tonight we are in the Altona Hotel in Altona, MB. We had Chinese for dinner and made reservations for Moose Jaw SK for tomorrow night.
I drove most of the day, Rob drove from just before the border crossing to the hotel. It was so very nice to have the second driver. I have a discomfort in my right hip after sitting for a long time, so I probably would not have driven as far. I was also able to use the heated seat feature in my car (the driver's side heater is not working) and it is feeling much better tonight.
Only 8 days left... barring any issues... and I will be at my new home. Prayers and good wishes welcomed.
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
time with my family....
I do not have a large family. When Rudy was alive, my family was much larger, but as the previous generous has passed away, even that large family has grown smaller.
Luckily, my route to my new home in Fairbanks took me past Lake Villa ,IL where I was able to visit with my cousin, Linda. I arrived Sunday afternoon and we were welcomed to her new house and we got to see how big her puppy, Corky, had become.
For dinner we went to one of the local eateries that was celebrating 10 years in business. It was heart-warming to see how many of the local businesses and individuals came to help them.
Monday morning we headed to the coffee shop to start our day with coffee and quiche. We enjoyed talking to folks that I have gotten to know after my summer trips over the last several years. Linda had some things to do in the afternoon for One Hope United, so I stayed with the dogs and just chilled.
We dined out and then watched movies before calling it a night. All the time we are chatting about family and old times and new times since losing our husbands. Our lives have certainly gone in different directions since we became widows.
The boys and I hit the road Tuesday... after coffee and quiche... and arrived at Brian's house a little after 4 PM. Brian and Rob were waiting and helped me get some of the things out of the car. I have to admit it, but there was a sense of relief knowing that the remaining journey would not be just me and my dogs. We had dinner at the Pub and it was delicious, as always. We even finished with one of my favorites... Sticky, Toffee Pudding.
Today was a busy day. We went shopping and added a 5 gallon gasoline container. There are areas that we will be traveling where gas stations are not every 30 or 40 miles, but rather every 300 to 400 miles. Having this could very well be the difference between making to to the next stop or being stranded in the wilderness. Then we emptied the car, I repacked things and filled 5 Flat Rate boxes with items that I did not want to travel in the van but I want at the house before the furniture arrives. Brian is going to mail them for me.
Then Brian and Rob adjusted the car top carrier to doa better job of clearing the antenna. We then repacked it and put the gas can in the back of the car... empty, of course until we get into the area where gas stations will become more sparse. We had lunch at Matt's Bar for our Juicy Lucy fix, then dinner from a bar-be-que near Brian and finished up with Izzy's Ice Cream. And in between there was laundry done and dogs walked and lots and lots of talking.
Tomorrow Rob and I set out for the first os 9 days of traveling. But we have reservations at a hotel in Canada, so the International adventure begins.
I am asking that you refrain from making calls to me while we are in Canada. I have added International service to my phone, but I have limits to what I can use. So email me or send messages on Facebook.
I am doing well. Still tired around the edges, but more rested than when I left. Getting excited for this new chapter to get off the ground, but there will be 9 long days and nights before that happens. Keep your good thoughts and prayers heading our way.
Luckily, my route to my new home in Fairbanks took me past Lake Villa ,IL where I was able to visit with my cousin, Linda. I arrived Sunday afternoon and we were welcomed to her new house and we got to see how big her puppy, Corky, had become.
For dinner we went to one of the local eateries that was celebrating 10 years in business. It was heart-warming to see how many of the local businesses and individuals came to help them.
Monday morning we headed to the coffee shop to start our day with coffee and quiche. We enjoyed talking to folks that I have gotten to know after my summer trips over the last several years. Linda had some things to do in the afternoon for One Hope United, so I stayed with the dogs and just chilled.
We dined out and then watched movies before calling it a night. All the time we are chatting about family and old times and new times since losing our husbands. Our lives have certainly gone in different directions since we became widows.
The boys and I hit the road Tuesday... after coffee and quiche... and arrived at Brian's house a little after 4 PM. Brian and Rob were waiting and helped me get some of the things out of the car. I have to admit it, but there was a sense of relief knowing that the remaining journey would not be just me and my dogs. We had dinner at the Pub and it was delicious, as always. We even finished with one of my favorites... Sticky, Toffee Pudding.
Today was a busy day. We went shopping and added a 5 gallon gasoline container. There are areas that we will be traveling where gas stations are not every 30 or 40 miles, but rather every 300 to 400 miles. Having this could very well be the difference between making to to the next stop or being stranded in the wilderness. Then we emptied the car, I repacked things and filled 5 Flat Rate boxes with items that I did not want to travel in the van but I want at the house before the furniture arrives. Brian is going to mail them for me.
Then Brian and Rob adjusted the car top carrier to doa better job of clearing the antenna. We then repacked it and put the gas can in the back of the car... empty, of course until we get into the area where gas stations will become more sparse. We had lunch at Matt's Bar for our Juicy Lucy fix, then dinner from a bar-be-que near Brian and finished up with Izzy's Ice Cream. And in between there was laundry done and dogs walked and lots and lots of talking.
Tomorrow Rob and I set out for the first os 9 days of traveling. But we have reservations at a hotel in Canada, so the International adventure begins.
I am asking that you refrain from making calls to me while we are in Canada. I have added International service to my phone, but I have limits to what I can use. So email me or send messages on Facebook.
I am doing well. Still tired around the edges, but more rested than when I left. Getting excited for this new chapter to get off the ground, but there will be 9 long days and nights before that happens. Keep your good thoughts and prayers heading our way.
Saturday, September 7, 2019
A little farther along the way....
Tonight I am in Elkhart, In. It was over a 5 hour drive from Pittsburgh. It will be a shorter drive tomorrow to my cousin's house.
Nothing major to see, just cars and trucks and trucks and trucks. I am taking the turnpikes across the top of the states. It provides regular rest stops for the dogs and gas for me.
This morning was hard. I am still tired. I was too tired to bring in my travel coffee pot, so I started out without my morning coffee. I was droopy from the beginning. So glad I bought caffeine tablets and gum. I started out with a tablet and then had a piece or two of gum as I drove. I brought the pot in tonight and will have one or two cups in the morning before I head to Lake Villa.
I am having some odd feelings as I go along. At each motel I am asked for my ID to verify with the one they have in their records. I am guessing it is a good thing I have not changed addresses in everything.
What has amazed me is PECO. The buyers agreed to take over the bill on Friday. I got my final bill via email today. Another reminder that many things are changing.
The boys are excellent travelers. As soon as we get moving, they curl up and sleep. They do not move until I stop. Then they hop out and pee and poop so they can get back in the car. I hope they keep being so good when we are in day 14 or 15 of driving. Rob has figured out our journey from Minneapolis. H has calculated a 9 day journey.
So keep me in your thoughts and prayers and follow the blog for the daily updates...
Nothing major to see, just cars and trucks and trucks and trucks. I am taking the turnpikes across the top of the states. It provides regular rest stops for the dogs and gas for me.
This morning was hard. I am still tired. I was too tired to bring in my travel coffee pot, so I started out without my morning coffee. I was droopy from the beginning. So glad I bought caffeine tablets and gum. I started out with a tablet and then had a piece or two of gum as I drove. I brought the pot in tonight and will have one or two cups in the morning before I head to Lake Villa.
I am having some odd feelings as I go along. At each motel I am asked for my ID to verify with the one they have in their records. I am guessing it is a good thing I have not changed addresses in everything.
What has amazed me is PECO. The buyers agreed to take over the bill on Friday. I got my final bill via email today. Another reminder that many things are changing.
The boys are excellent travelers. As soon as we get moving, they curl up and sleep. They do not move until I stop. Then they hop out and pee and poop so they can get back in the car. I hope they keep being so good when we are in day 14 or 15 of driving. Rob has figured out our journey from Minneapolis. H has calculated a 9 day journey.
So keep me in your thoughts and prayers and follow the blog for the daily updates...
Friday, September 6, 2019
Done and Gone...
The last few days have been a whirlwind of activity. And that is putting it mildly.
I finished my homework at 3:00 AM Wednesday morning, but I got it all finished. Patrick, the driver, was pleased until he was told how long I had stayed up and then he felt very bad for making me stay up that late. But things were ready finish packing and loading the van. I had looked around the house after he left and thought it was a very tall order.
He had added an additional worker and it seemed like they were moving right along, but it was not enough to get everything completed on Wednesday.
My brother, Andy, came up from Virginia that day and we visited while the packing and loading went on around us. After the crew gave up the ghost and went home, Andy and I looked for a place to eat and once I realized it was Wednesday, we headed to Shady Maple for Prime Rib night. It was well worth the trip as the Prime Rib was perfectly cooked and the server was cutting very generous slabs.
Andy spent the night, sleeping in the sewing room that was totally boxed up with a couple of spare sheets that had not been swept up by the packers. While he was here, we removed the Ecobee Thermostat and put the old one back in. We also put the old deadbolt in and packed the electronic one for Alaska. We also took out the Ecobee switch in the sewing room and he took down the final Foscam camera in the kitchen. He stayed until almost noon on Thursday before heading back to Fredericksburg. He says that he and Carol will come visit. I hope they do.
All day Thursday, the moving crew were hustling. Boxes were flying out of the house. Furniture was also disappearing. As electrical cords appeared, I sorted the, rolled them up and took them out on the "Free Table". As fast as they went out, they disappeared. I also took out liquid stuff that the packers could not take. Some of the places that the truck might sit my be in freezing temperatures and they did not want things exploding. They finally got the last things loaded a little after 1:00 PM, I signed the paperwork and the truck, with all of my possessions save the few that were in the car, went off down the road for the first leg of the journey to Great Falls, Montana.
Last night I ran the vacuum all over the first floor. There was dust that I had not seen for years. Addie and John had said not to bother, but I just had to clean that all up. Slept in the recliner and actually slept very well. Danny and Marji arrived a little before 8:00 AM. They wanted my living room TV. Danny ended up taking all of the speakers, the receiver and the stand. Then while Marji and Sheila (she brought me breakfast and coffee) chatted he continued to shop the "House of Jane". He took stuff off the porch for cars and laundry and stuff. Then he went through the refrigerator and took several bags of food. Finally he shopped my pantry. He may not have to go to Walmart for a couple of days!!!
As we were getting ready to leave... Danny had helped me get the spare tire on the car before he left... Addie Russel, the neighbor who bought my house, walked over to wish me well. As I was helping Danny get Marji into the car, the mail lady was drving by and even she stopped to wish me well on my adventure.
I finally headed to the UPS store to get the Verizon Fios router and set top box returned to them so they will not charge me, then I zipped down to Goodspice Kennels and got the dogs. They were a little confused to not be going home, but they soon settled down in the car and I drove all the way to Pittsburgh, where I got a room at a Red Roof Inn and crashed.
I do not plan to go too far tomorrow as I know I am still very tired. I will get to my cousin's new home in Lake Villa, IL on Sunday. I ordered an different length extension for the hitch tire holder. With the tire on, the current configuration will not allow the hatch to open. I got one 2 inches longer so i do not have to wrestle the nitch to get in the back.
It was quite odd to drive past the house knowing that it was no longer mine. There are things I will miss about the house. It served me well for close to 40 years, but I will not miss living on a well traveled highway with the noise and the dust and the traffic. I have a long journey ahead of me, but I will be meeting Rob in Minneapolis where we will reshuffle things and make the last leg of the journey. It will be nice to have someone to share the driving with. Perhaps I will arrive at my new home a little more refreshed than I am now.
But I alreasy miss all of my wonderful friends. I could not have gotten ready for this move without Brian cleaning out many things in the Spring. I needed Rob to help in the summer. And in the end, Patches and Sheils spent many hours keeping me focused on getting the sewing room organized. The movers comments several tiems how well organized I had things when they arrived. It was, but it took a village.
Stay turned for this netx adventure as we drive to my new home in Fairbanks.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Big Day... boxes and boxes and more...
It is 11:30 PM. I have homework to do and looks like I might be working well into the morning. Being a widow and with no family close, many times I am left on my own to load cars for travel, make plans, etc. And it is no different for this change, either.
Today started with Sheila coming to house sit while I did some last minute running around. We chatted and then I gethered the dogs up to take them to Goodspice Kennel for 4 days of day camp. It keeps them out from under foot and protects them from being stressed or getting loose out an open door.
Then I headed to see Dr. Cuneo for a final checkup and gather prescriptions to take to Alaska. She pronounced me in good health and gave me a bear hug. We had really bonded and I will miss having her for my doctor.
Then, I headed to Exton to meet with the Russela and have settlement on my house. It was quick and quite painless as it was a completely cash deal so sign her and then there and I left with a check which I took directly to the bank before heading home.
Sheila had gone to get Sadie from the school buss and I was met by a large.... large white moving van in front of the house. Inside were two men and one woman, and they were madly packing anything that was loose into boxes. It was a light day, according to the driver, but here are picture of boxes in the dining room and sewing room. They are returning tomorrow with an extra person in the hopes of finishing all of the packing and loading all of it and hitting the road on their way to Alaska.
It is humbling seeing all of your things reduced to a bunch of boxes.
My homework was to get the stuff going in the car out of their way. break down the two desk top computers so they can be boxed and prepare the Happy embroidery machine for it's box. (I still have not done that, but have reviewed the videos and instruction so I should have it completed. I will be up late tonight. But after this, all I have to do is drive 4100 miles to my new home.
Today started with Sheila coming to house sit while I did some last minute running around. We chatted and then I gethered the dogs up to take them to Goodspice Kennel for 4 days of day camp. It keeps them out from under foot and protects them from being stressed or getting loose out an open door.
Then I headed to see Dr. Cuneo for a final checkup and gather prescriptions to take to Alaska. She pronounced me in good health and gave me a bear hug. We had really bonded and I will miss having her for my doctor.
Then, I headed to Exton to meet with the Russela and have settlement on my house. It was quick and quite painless as it was a completely cash deal so sign her and then there and I left with a check which I took directly to the bank before heading home.
Sheila had gone to get Sadie from the school buss and I was met by a large.... large white moving van in front of the house. Inside were two men and one woman, and they were madly packing anything that was loose into boxes. It was a light day, according to the driver, but here are picture of boxes in the dining room and sewing room. They are returning tomorrow with an extra person in the hopes of finishing all of the packing and loading all of it and hitting the road on their way to Alaska.
It is humbling seeing all of your things reduced to a bunch of boxes.
My homework was to get the stuff going in the car out of their way. break down the two desk top computers so they can be boxed and prepare the Happy embroidery machine for it's box. (I still have not done that, but have reviewed the videos and instruction so I should have it completed. I will be up late tonight. But after this, all I have to do is drive 4100 miles to my new home.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Getting Prepared for departure...
It sometimes just does not seem real. Usually, if I am preparing for a trip, I can concentrate on the prep for that and not worry about the rest of the house. This time, I have to check on this and that, is this ready and have I sorted that. I have been doing moving prep for what seems to be forever, the fact that I am five or six days from leaving this house and area for a change in home base just does not seem real. After all, I have been living in the Parkesburg area since 1976. That is well over half of the total number of years I have been alive. This is surreal!!
So, I started doing laundry so I have all of my clothes to choose from to pack for the lengthy journey across the U.S.A. and Canada. And how do I pack?? I am sweating like a pig here with very humid days getting close to 80 degrees as I pack and sort. But on the road, I will be heading north... way north as the final destination. So I need a little bit of everything.
But I did some prep work for Miss Gaddy. I will be driving alone for the first 1,100+ miles to Minneapolis. From there, Rob will be joining me, so I wanted to give us places for our phones, the Garmin GPS and whatever other devices we might want to have handy. So I added a dash stand for the passenger to use as a phone mount. I already had one for the Garmin.
This is where the Garmin will live. I have a very outdated GPS as part of the car. I may try using it along side the Garmin, just for shits and giggles... but for this trip, maybe just the Garmin. It has all of the latest maps.
In Miss Gaddy, I installed a barrier between the back seat and the open cargo area. On my first trip, my Pekingese, Miles, kept hopping on top of the luggage and from time to time he would slip in an open space and get stuck. So the barrier prevents that from happening as it was a pain in the butt to keep stopping to free him from his hole. I have left it in the car as it is a tad difficult to get it secured.
In the new house, I am going to try to confine the dogs on the lower floor... which is bigger than my entire house here in Parkesburg. I had a baby/animal gate between the living room and the kitchen here in Parkesburg so I could control the dogs when people arrive at the house. I want to install that gate at the bottom of the stairs in the new house to control where they can freely go, as with dogs in a new home, they will probably be trying to mark their territory and I want to try to limit that as much as possible. I have lashed the gate from home to the barrier in the cargo area which will have it not taking up much space but being quickly available once we arrive.
I have secured some important personal stuff in the storage wells beneath the floor and I will be filling the car up tomorrow so that when the movers arrive, everything I am taking will be in the car so they cannot pack it by mistake. I will try to show the packing progression of the stuff I am going to be taking.
So, I started doing laundry so I have all of my clothes to choose from to pack for the lengthy journey across the U.S.A. and Canada. And how do I pack?? I am sweating like a pig here with very humid days getting close to 80 degrees as I pack and sort. But on the road, I will be heading north... way north as the final destination. So I need a little bit of everything.
But I did some prep work for Miss Gaddy. I will be driving alone for the first 1,100+ miles to Minneapolis. From there, Rob will be joining me, so I wanted to give us places for our phones, the Garmin GPS and whatever other devices we might want to have handy. So I added a dash stand for the passenger to use as a phone mount. I already had one for the Garmin.
This is the passenger side setup.
This is where the Garmin will live. I have a very outdated GPS as part of the car. I may try using it along side the Garmin, just for shits and giggles... but for this trip, maybe just the Garmin. It has all of the latest maps.
In Miss Gaddy, I installed a barrier between the back seat and the open cargo area. On my first trip, my Pekingese, Miles, kept hopping on top of the luggage and from time to time he would slip in an open space and get stuck. So the barrier prevents that from happening as it was a pain in the butt to keep stopping to free him from his hole. I have left it in the car as it is a tad difficult to get it secured.
In the new house, I am going to try to confine the dogs on the lower floor... which is bigger than my entire house here in Parkesburg. I had a baby/animal gate between the living room and the kitchen here in Parkesburg so I could control the dogs when people arrive at the house. I want to install that gate at the bottom of the stairs in the new house to control where they can freely go, as with dogs in a new home, they will probably be trying to mark their territory and I want to try to limit that as much as possible. I have lashed the gate from home to the barrier in the cargo area which will have it not taking up much space but being quickly available once we arrive.
I have secured some important personal stuff in the storage wells beneath the floor and I will be filling the car up tomorrow so that when the movers arrive, everything I am taking will be in the car so they cannot pack it by mistake. I will try to show the packing progression of the stuff I am going to be taking.
What a way to end my time at Parkesburg Mennonite Church
First, it started out with me giving Laura Wagner some round table cloths. Laura and her husband, Josh, came shopping at "House of Jane". They have just moved into their first house in Parkesburg and found that their kitchen was a tad bigger than they expected.
I had mentioned in Sunday School that I had two round oak tables and two sets of oak chairs to give away. They came over one Saturday and looked at them both. Even though the one had been in the attic since the late 1980s, it was smaller and would fit better in their space. They lugged it down from the attic (it was in pieces and still had all of the nuts and bolts) but it was filthy. Then they opted for the antique oak chairs that my late husband had brought into the marriage with his larger oak table.
Yesterday I got a text picture of the beautifully cleaned oak table and chairs in their house. It is always nice to know that some really nice, antique furniture has been cleaned up and is being lovingly used in a new home.
May the set give you many pleasant years of dining and game playing and quiet conversations. I think they brought the shine back to the set, what do you think???
We settled into our usual Sunday School lesson. We shared some stories of good things that happened during the past week and then Jim Kennel began teaching.... SUDDENLY an object came flying into the room. One of the local bats went flying in figure 8s and circles above our heads before landing in a corner of one of the areas that could be closed off from the rest of the room. Andy Propst gently closed all of the dividers and we finished Sunday School and departed upstairs to Church Services. I understand that following the service the bat was gently persuaded to hold onto a leaf rake to be humanely deposited into the side yard.
Richard Buckwalter had a nice sermon on Wisdom and Doubt, both things I have had more than my share of recently. And I then stood in the back of the church to hugs and encouraging words and tears from the entire congregation. This was indeed my church family. I will miss them and I just hope that my time there has inspired some of the members and left behind a piece of my heart.
I had mentioned in Sunday School that I had two round oak tables and two sets of oak chairs to give away. They came over one Saturday and looked at them both. Even though the one had been in the attic since the late 1980s, it was smaller and would fit better in their space. They lugged it down from the attic (it was in pieces and still had all of the nuts and bolts) but it was filthy. Then they opted for the antique oak chairs that my late husband had brought into the marriage with his larger oak table.
Yesterday I got a text picture of the beautifully cleaned oak table and chairs in their house. It is always nice to know that some really nice, antique furniture has been cleaned up and is being lovingly used in a new home.
May the set give you many pleasant years of dining and game playing and quiet conversations. I think they brought the shine back to the set, what do you think???
We settled into our usual Sunday School lesson. We shared some stories of good things that happened during the past week and then Jim Kennel began teaching.... SUDDENLY an object came flying into the room. One of the local bats went flying in figure 8s and circles above our heads before landing in a corner of one of the areas that could be closed off from the rest of the room. Andy Propst gently closed all of the dividers and we finished Sunday School and departed upstairs to Church Services. I understand that following the service the bat was gently persuaded to hold onto a leaf rake to be humanely deposited into the side yard.
Richard Buckwalter had a nice sermon on Wisdom and Doubt, both things I have had more than my share of recently. And I then stood in the back of the church to hugs and encouraging words and tears from the entire congregation. This was indeed my church family. I will miss them and I just hope that my time there has inspired some of the members and left behind a piece of my heart.
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