The Adventure Begins in Earnest

At this very moment it is still dark and very early in the morning. I cannot sleep. Too much is on my mind as the Great RV Adventure begins in earnest today. Last night I sat in my recliner with my laptop on my lap, trying to complete several tasks and tie up some loose ends. I awakened to discover it was 2:30 a.m. My fatigue was such that I could not manage even that.

The past two weeks have been a jumble of events related to our departure this day April 3rd, 2018. Some are directly related in preparation and some are domestic – projects around the house that have been in various stages of completion. We had a deck built on the back of the house overlooking the lake. It must be stained before the sun dries it to kindling. The shower needs caulking work done. 

The Blinds and Shades people installed a nice Sunsetter awning over the new deck. Of course, it is a power retractable awning and it arrived from the manufacturer with a nonfunctioning motor. New motor ordered and still not replaced. Our pergola, which blew down in Hurricane Irma, was due to be replaced. The replacement is lying in my yard, killing my grass because it has been there for a week. That install was begun but stalled due to the wrong materials being ordered for the project. I called and told the contractor to come haul it away because we ARE leaving and will not wait for its completion.

Yes, I know this all sounds somewhat inconsequential but when you are leaving on your Big Bucket List Trip, the one you have been waiting on all your life, your house must be in order before you leave. We are fortunate in many respects, but one aspect is special, this summer we will leave our house occupied. Good friends are building a new home on the property adjoining ours and they need a place to stay while it is constructed – voila, instant house sitters. At least we don’t have to shut the house down. I did call DirecTV to suspend service for the summer, as our house guests are not interested in that much TV, which was a project of about an hour on the phone. But other than that, the house stays the same.

The last development I’ll mention is one that has required some angst and soul-searching; which concerns Mitzi and Fiona. It has been our plan to travel with the dogs from the very first moment of planning, but some thoughts have disturbed the planning process. I WANT to spend a night or two on the Queen Mary. Yes, you can still sleep aboard that great ocean liner. It is docked in Long Beach, CA and is a hotel. To do this with the dogs is problematic. We would first have to locate a dog boarder nearby, and then determine if said boarder was trustworthy.

 The same problem exists if we are to incorporate an Alaska cruise and land tour when we reach Seattle, WA. Alaska, an adventure in itself, will require at least two to three weeks to accomplish our sightseeing goals for that state. Where do you find a dog boarder in Seattle for that length of time, and what would that cost? 

Well, program change! We are leaving the dogs in Florida. Through our vet we learned of a nice young man who boards a few dogs in his home in a very personal way. They will be pampered. Not only so, our vet (who just happens to be our house guest for the summer) will pick them up from time to time and bring them home to visit. 

This way, finding home still the same, right down to their kennel which they love, and their fenced back yard where they terrorize the chameleons  and geckos to their heart's content, will put their little doggie minds at ease that they are still loved and have not been abandoned. This development is huge as it does simplify many concerns during our trip, but the dogs will be missed. Kathy and I will probably blubber a little today as we leave without them, but we are looking forward to our adventure being dog-less for a short while.

California, here we come

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