A long holiday journey
Well, let me say that this holiday season has been fun, informational, instructional and even quite a bit entertaining.
To start off with the move that was only supposed to keep me off line for a couple of weeks, it has kept me off balance and reeling for six weeks. And I'm still not fully back on line.
I followed the website provided calculator and got the wrong size truck. That meant at the last minute things did not fit. Nor did it help that I discovered someone had NOT even begun packing back in August as she had been instructed. So, the things that should have taken two of us a week to ram into boxes, label and seal took me with cracked foot bone far too long or did not get done. So moving day, we were NOT ready.
The furniture I thought we were going to be able to squeeze on truck did not go. Made me glad that the majority of it had been given away. But still I now miss my Teadrop, my vacuum and my microwave. I can live without the stationary bike even if I had hoped to bring it.
That was the Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving. But 1) we were rushing like mad to outrun wintery storm heading our way. 2) In far too much pain and stress to deal.
And yeah, we saw snow during long night drive through the Smokey Mountains. Up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway was fun with a big truck pulling a car on a dolly. Thank goodness the thing had a tow-rigged tranny. I just wish the person at the rental location had given me the instructions to maximize the effectiveness of the thing.
Saw more snow squalls as we hit dawn in southern Virginia and Eastern Tennessee. But we left them not long after clearing Bristol. Which was a good thing since going down the backside of the Cumberland Ridge with snow would have been horrid.
We made Murfreesboro by five Wednesday afternoon. I was exhausted because of driving. 889 miles might seem like nothing in a car which can run along at 70 on interstates that allow that but most have lower speeds for trucks hauling trailers. Then there was the fact that the rental truck had lots of warnings about not going over 55 as well as instructions to check the trailer couplings ever 50 miles (or hour of driving). And added to that was very limited visibility due to snow squalls. So what normally is an 11-12 hour journey took just over twice that.
The cold followed us too. At least according to TT. But it meant that the skies were clear and Murfreesboro does not have the light pollution that we have in Westminster. The stars were so clear and there were so many I tried to see if I could get them with the digital. Hopefully that picture comes out but I have no clue if it will.
I decided to stay an extra day in Murfreesboro so we could spend time with family. Had fun Thursday shopping around with mom to get new pants as I'd torn one of my only three pair while loading/unloading stuff on truck Monday and Liz needed a few things. We also went to lunch with Johnny and Mom at a place called Lucy Woo's. Talk about awesome food!
We made the mistake of going to Walmart. Yeah, we needed some stuff but that Super-Walmart is downright evil. Too much echo and reverb from the moment you walk into the building. Instant headache for me and Liz, which should have warned us but things were needed by us and by mom and her crew. We got it and headed out again. It was only a bit after 5 pm but already dark was falling. (And yes I blame the mythological Wally-world daemon for what happened next!)
Mom was driving since my car was on dolly and she knows the area. Believe me when I say that Murfreesboro has changed in the 16 years I've been in MD. It's easily twice the size it was just ten years ago. There are so many new developments, most of which have cropped up in last five years according to them. Anyway... the bad part of this development spate is the sheer amount of traffic and the congestion. We went over a rather new bridge over the railroad tracks and had to stop for traffic which was backed up at red light. The car behind us zipped over the same bridge and had no time to stop before hitting us. Mom's car was trashed and we spent the rest of evening at ER. Liz had bruises along her stomach which meant special dye IV's and then CAT scans to check her spleen and other organs for anything more than bruises. I got diagnosed with sprains and strains from hitting my seatbelt so hard. The doc suggested we stay in town for a minimum of 24hours.
Friday was a bit of a bust. Liz slept through most of it. I ran around with mom a bit, getting pics of her car. Finding our purchases... nothing was lost or damaged, just tucked into my siblings' cars along with mom's stuff in no particular order since they were trying to clear stuff from damaged trunk at accident scene before tow trucks took car away.
Saturday we were off again. Liz slept most of it and Sunday, which when I double checked her hospital paperwork was to be expected 'cause of bruising and reaction to stresses of said bruising she received from her seatbelt. (I'm just glad that the worst case scenario was not what occurred). Yeah, I know I pushed it hard, but I only had the truck for 12 days total and I was already two days behind schedule.
That meant I breezed through Arkansas. We caught the most beautiful sunset, but it was very cold so I did not stop at the Overlook to catch a picture. I kind of regret that now since it was very beautiful. Unfortunately my coat was buried in the truck and I was rather miserable so I had to only enjoy it from inside the cab. I also skipped the Indian Mounds which I had hoped to have to visit in passing.
Saturday night we went through Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, reaching New Mexico early Sunday. The sunrise over the desert was lovely. This I did catch on the cameras. No, I have not had a chance to download them yet. Not sure when I'll manage that, either. Which is too bad. Several times when we were taking a break to check the rigging of the dolly, I whipped out the cameras and took photos. Liz took some film shots too.
Monday's dawn saw us in AZ, climbing the edge of the plateau to see the Grand Canyon. Snow flurries almost made me chicken out simply because I was afraid of a real storm, and yes the local radio stations were talking about a storm heading into the area that evening. We still went to the park. And it was worth the time.
For anyone who has never seen the Grand Canyon - it is quite literally a panorama well worth the time, effort and trouble to see. The cost to get in was not bad at all and the ticket is good for a week. The early morning light flooding the canyon made the cold irrelevant. I took a lot of pictures and my hands, feet, ears and nose were all numb when we got back under way an hour and a half later. We did not have time to explore and when I get the chance I want to go back. Even with my sheer terror of heights I found it awe inspiring and wonderful. I hope to some day have the time to actually stay there, explore a bit, see the village, see the other sites in the park, etc.
By noon we were in San Bernardino, California, going through the state inspection. And there we made a terrifying discovery. The load had shifted - badly. Only the rope winding across the back of the boxes held stuff in place as the inspector peered into the mass. Luckily for us, I had known that no plants could be brought into California and passed them on to Connie. Trying to dig them out or worse, having them dumped on us when we opened the back would have been rather evil.
Our first real stop in California was in the desert at a rest stop after going down some of the most evil grades so far in the trip. There were palm trees and mountains. Yes, more pictures because while desolate, the view was lovely and we were almost done. We did not yet know about the even more evil roadway through the mountains into Bakersfield. That road stretch was 20 miles of 5,6 and 6 1/2 per cent grade that wound around, through, and along canyons and steep drop offs. Most of the traffic whizzed by us but I white knuckled my way through it in sheer horror as the truck complained and the load kept shifting behind us. It was terrifying to hear things shifting.
Tuesday, late afternoon saw us finally in Chico. And there we found the last bit of bad news for this trip. The mobile home about which I had been in communication with a realtor about purchasing was in a seniors only community. Why was I not told about that nice surprise? The realtor had thought I knew since out of 15 mobile home communities in this county, only three are family friend. The fact I was coming from out of state did not sink until I completely called off the purchase. I'm just very glad I had not put the money in escrow for the purchase or worse purchased/signed without getting here to see it first.
Liz and I ended up in a Motel Six for two very expensive weeks. Every day I was out looking for apartments and rentals as well as doing job applications since I knew that my severance was going to vanish like the wind and fast. Having no current job since I had planned on purchasing the mobile home and then looking at leisure however, did not help me get in anywhere.
I'm not saying that all things were bad. It just was hard and stressful. But my health and Liz' has been a lot better here. Almost no pain in my RA affected joints. Almost no asthma for Liz (she had a mild episode while moving stuff that had gotten dusty). The cat is finally recovering from being so ill in September/October. We've seen Christmas with sheer blue skies, low fifties and palm trees beside decorated fir trees. And OMG - almost every street has at least one tree covered in fruit - oranges mostly but some persimmons, a few lemons and I know one with what looked like grapefruit!
And we've found great people here. Von's parents have been great throughout all this. They've encouraged us since we found out about the mobile home. Her mother drove me to the Episcopal Church when she found out I was looking for one. And when I was trying to decide what to do about the fact that the motel was eating through our funds (before I even mentioned that I was getting really worried about it) her parents offered us their spare room and we moved in for the week before Christmas. We had not expected the offer or their generosity but they seriously outdid themselves. We were treated like family - down to getting stockings and unexpected presents on Christmas morning.
On the twenty-eighth I finally got a duplex. It costs the same as my apartment back in MD. It is easily twice the size inside, three bedrooms and only one bath but huge still. Now we've got everything out of the storage unit and are unpacking in time for New Years. I'm still job searching like mad but I know somehow God will prevail. Somehow or another He always has.
So this weekend, now that I've sent in another set of applications and taken a California State Job test, I'm taking a few days off to simply spend them with Liz and relax while unpacking. Still don't have internet at the duplex, but hopefully I will soon.
Happy New Year to everyone I know out on the 'Net. Be safe. Set reasonable, attainable goals. But most of all, find things to enjoy in every day 'cause without that, life is pretty unbearable.
Blessings
Ronnee
To start off with the move that was only supposed to keep me off line for a couple of weeks, it has kept me off balance and reeling for six weeks. And I'm still not fully back on line.
I followed the website provided calculator and got the wrong size truck. That meant at the last minute things did not fit. Nor did it help that I discovered someone had NOT even begun packing back in August as she had been instructed. So, the things that should have taken two of us a week to ram into boxes, label and seal took me with cracked foot bone far too long or did not get done. So moving day, we were NOT ready.
The furniture I thought we were going to be able to squeeze on truck did not go. Made me glad that the majority of it had been given away. But still I now miss my Teadrop, my vacuum and my microwave. I can live without the stationary bike even if I had hoped to bring it.
That was the Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving. But 1) we were rushing like mad to outrun wintery storm heading our way. 2) In far too much pain and stress to deal.
And yeah, we saw snow during long night drive through the Smokey Mountains. Up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway was fun with a big truck pulling a car on a dolly. Thank goodness the thing had a tow-rigged tranny. I just wish the person at the rental location had given me the instructions to maximize the effectiveness of the thing.
Saw more snow squalls as we hit dawn in southern Virginia and Eastern Tennessee. But we left them not long after clearing Bristol. Which was a good thing since going down the backside of the Cumberland Ridge with snow would have been horrid.
We made Murfreesboro by five Wednesday afternoon. I was exhausted because of driving. 889 miles might seem like nothing in a car which can run along at 70 on interstates that allow that but most have lower speeds for trucks hauling trailers. Then there was the fact that the rental truck had lots of warnings about not going over 55 as well as instructions to check the trailer couplings ever 50 miles (or hour of driving). And added to that was very limited visibility due to snow squalls. So what normally is an 11-12 hour journey took just over twice that.
The cold followed us too. At least according to TT. But it meant that the skies were clear and Murfreesboro does not have the light pollution that we have in Westminster. The stars were so clear and there were so many I tried to see if I could get them with the digital. Hopefully that picture comes out but I have no clue if it will.
I decided to stay an extra day in Murfreesboro so we could spend time with family. Had fun Thursday shopping around with mom to get new pants as I'd torn one of my only three pair while loading/unloading stuff on truck Monday and Liz needed a few things. We also went to lunch with Johnny and Mom at a place called Lucy Woo's. Talk about awesome food!
We made the mistake of going to Walmart. Yeah, we needed some stuff but that Super-Walmart is downright evil. Too much echo and reverb from the moment you walk into the building. Instant headache for me and Liz, which should have warned us but things were needed by us and by mom and her crew. We got it and headed out again. It was only a bit after 5 pm but already dark was falling. (And yes I blame the mythological Wally-world daemon for what happened next!)
Mom was driving since my car was on dolly and she knows the area. Believe me when I say that Murfreesboro has changed in the 16 years I've been in MD. It's easily twice the size it was just ten years ago. There are so many new developments, most of which have cropped up in last five years according to them. Anyway... the bad part of this development spate is the sheer amount of traffic and the congestion. We went over a rather new bridge over the railroad tracks and had to stop for traffic which was backed up at red light. The car behind us zipped over the same bridge and had no time to stop before hitting us. Mom's car was trashed and we spent the rest of evening at ER. Liz had bruises along her stomach which meant special dye IV's and then CAT scans to check her spleen and other organs for anything more than bruises. I got diagnosed with sprains and strains from hitting my seatbelt so hard. The doc suggested we stay in town for a minimum of 24hours.
Friday was a bit of a bust. Liz slept through most of it. I ran around with mom a bit, getting pics of her car. Finding our purchases... nothing was lost or damaged, just tucked into my siblings' cars along with mom's stuff in no particular order since they were trying to clear stuff from damaged trunk at accident scene before tow trucks took car away.
Saturday we were off again. Liz slept most of it and Sunday, which when I double checked her hospital paperwork was to be expected 'cause of bruising and reaction to stresses of said bruising she received from her seatbelt. (I'm just glad that the worst case scenario was not what occurred). Yeah, I know I pushed it hard, but I only had the truck for 12 days total and I was already two days behind schedule.
That meant I breezed through Arkansas. We caught the most beautiful sunset, but it was very cold so I did not stop at the Overlook to catch a picture. I kind of regret that now since it was very beautiful. Unfortunately my coat was buried in the truck and I was rather miserable so I had to only enjoy it from inside the cab. I also skipped the Indian Mounds which I had hoped to have to visit in passing.
Saturday night we went through Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, reaching New Mexico early Sunday. The sunrise over the desert was lovely. This I did catch on the cameras. No, I have not had a chance to download them yet. Not sure when I'll manage that, either. Which is too bad. Several times when we were taking a break to check the rigging of the dolly, I whipped out the cameras and took photos. Liz took some film shots too.
Monday's dawn saw us in AZ, climbing the edge of the plateau to see the Grand Canyon. Snow flurries almost made me chicken out simply because I was afraid of a real storm, and yes the local radio stations were talking about a storm heading into the area that evening. We still went to the park. And it was worth the time.
For anyone who has never seen the Grand Canyon - it is quite literally a panorama well worth the time, effort and trouble to see. The cost to get in was not bad at all and the ticket is good for a week. The early morning light flooding the canyon made the cold irrelevant. I took a lot of pictures and my hands, feet, ears and nose were all numb when we got back under way an hour and a half later. We did not have time to explore and when I get the chance I want to go back. Even with my sheer terror of heights I found it awe inspiring and wonderful. I hope to some day have the time to actually stay there, explore a bit, see the village, see the other sites in the park, etc.
By noon we were in San Bernardino, California, going through the state inspection. And there we made a terrifying discovery. The load had shifted - badly. Only the rope winding across the back of the boxes held stuff in place as the inspector peered into the mass. Luckily for us, I had known that no plants could be brought into California and passed them on to Connie. Trying to dig them out or worse, having them dumped on us when we opened the back would have been rather evil.
Our first real stop in California was in the desert at a rest stop after going down some of the most evil grades so far in the trip. There were palm trees and mountains. Yes, more pictures because while desolate, the view was lovely and we were almost done. We did not yet know about the even more evil roadway through the mountains into Bakersfield. That road stretch was 20 miles of 5,6 and 6 1/2 per cent grade that wound around, through, and along canyons and steep drop offs. Most of the traffic whizzed by us but I white knuckled my way through it in sheer horror as the truck complained and the load kept shifting behind us. It was terrifying to hear things shifting.
Tuesday, late afternoon saw us finally in Chico. And there we found the last bit of bad news for this trip. The mobile home about which I had been in communication with a realtor about purchasing was in a seniors only community. Why was I not told about that nice surprise? The realtor had thought I knew since out of 15 mobile home communities in this county, only three are family friend. The fact I was coming from out of state did not sink until I completely called off the purchase. I'm just very glad I had not put the money in escrow for the purchase or worse purchased/signed without getting here to see it first.
Liz and I ended up in a Motel Six for two very expensive weeks. Every day I was out looking for apartments and rentals as well as doing job applications since I knew that my severance was going to vanish like the wind and fast. Having no current job since I had planned on purchasing the mobile home and then looking at leisure however, did not help me get in anywhere.
I'm not saying that all things were bad. It just was hard and stressful. But my health and Liz' has been a lot better here. Almost no pain in my RA affected joints. Almost no asthma for Liz (she had a mild episode while moving stuff that had gotten dusty). The cat is finally recovering from being so ill in September/October. We've seen Christmas with sheer blue skies, low fifties and palm trees beside decorated fir trees. And OMG - almost every street has at least one tree covered in fruit - oranges mostly but some persimmons, a few lemons and I know one with what looked like grapefruit!
And we've found great people here. Von's parents have been great throughout all this. They've encouraged us since we found out about the mobile home. Her mother drove me to the Episcopal Church when she found out I was looking for one. And when I was trying to decide what to do about the fact that the motel was eating through our funds (before I even mentioned that I was getting really worried about it) her parents offered us their spare room and we moved in for the week before Christmas. We had not expected the offer or their generosity but they seriously outdid themselves. We were treated like family - down to getting stockings and unexpected presents on Christmas morning.
On the twenty-eighth I finally got a duplex. It costs the same as my apartment back in MD. It is easily twice the size inside, three bedrooms and only one bath but huge still. Now we've got everything out of the storage unit and are unpacking in time for New Years. I'm still job searching like mad but I know somehow God will prevail. Somehow or another He always has.
So this weekend, now that I've sent in another set of applications and taken a California State Job test, I'm taking a few days off to simply spend them with Liz and relax while unpacking. Still don't have internet at the duplex, but hopefully I will soon.
Happy New Year to everyone I know out on the 'Net. Be safe. Set reasonable, attainable goals. But most of all, find things to enjoy in every day 'cause without that, life is pretty unbearable.
Blessings
Ronnee