They're off

Dave and Paige are off and running on their way to Phoenix. Dave has meticulously planned out their 3,500 mile circuitous route and Paige has located all of the yarn shops along the way. She has also determined the locations of all of the wool and pulls (or whatever they're called) en route.

I had hoped to go to Oregon with them (or to Arizona with them if the house was sold) but problems with the motorcycle carrier (and my back) kept me here. The combined weight of the bike and carrier were just too much for the suspension of the Minnie Winnie. I was able to sell it for what I paid (except for the cost of building a new hitch) and have started rebuilding a 1961 Continental boat trailer in to a motorcycle trailer. My brother gave me the trailer and I found some rails on craigslist, new lights and fresh paint, maybe some tires...

It just won't matter if the house doesn't sell.

No luck or bad timing

My goodness but the housing market has crashed. There was only one visitor for the open house last Saturday. I don't think my realtor wanted to tell me this, but I drug it out of him. The house next door sold just a few months ago. They had four offers in the first six hours! The house was sold before the sign was up in the yard. I may have to consider becoming a landlord and use the house as a rental - this scares me. I've seen what the wrong tenant can do to a house and I don't want any ties to Kitsap County when I leave.

My niece Ronnie reports that Mom continues to improve. I saw her on Saturday and she really did seem better. I'll ride the Tourer up to see her tomorrow - another ferry ride.

If you should ever visit Washington state and happen to be traveling on a ferry, I hope you are on two wheels. Bicycles and motorcycles load first and at a lower fee than automobiles. Of course they can squeeze four bikes in the same space as a full size pickup so they aren't losing money. A car and driver is about $15 on most runs and a motorcycle and driver is about $6. The views can worth the price at times. My son is getting tired of riding the ferry to and from work in Seattle. I drop him off at the dock at 6 a.m. and pick him up at 6:30 p.m.

Anxious

"My bags are packed, I'm ready to go"

Not really, but in my mind they are. It normally takes 30 days to close on a house, so I have that month for the final preparations when the time comes. I am ready to run away from home.

Mom is moved in to a very nice assisted living home for the next month. She is in great shape and receiving excellent care and more attention than that to which she is accustomed from my sisters. Many thanks to them for their efforts - even if Mom doesn't show the correct amount of appreciation.

Have a safe Labor Day weekend.

A nice weekend

The weekend started by visiting Mom at the transitional care facility. She is doing so much better. The therapist takes her for walks in the hallway without the walker. She gets out of bed or her chair and heads for the wc without waiting for the nurse. She still needs help, but not the type provided by this facility. She's headed for an assisted living facility this week. They will provide meals and snacks, help her dress and bathe, but she will do more for herself and a nurse will not be available around the clock. This will be a private pay (no medicare or insurance) stay, so she hopes to limit the stay to one month. This will put her at the lower end of the expected healing time for her sternum (they said 8 to 12 weeks for complete healing). Her recovery, while seemingly slow at the start, is amazing. She is stronger and healthier in appearance every time I see her.

As for the house - no news is bad news.

I took my girlfriend (she likes this term much better - I don't get it) Carolyn to Sunrise Lodge on Mt. Rainier for her birthday. She's a cheap date. It's the only thing she said she wanted. We rode the Tourer up Highway 410 to the park and then hiked a few of the trails that start at the lodge. We found out we aren't kids anymore. It was a beautiful day - sunny and 84 degrees. One of those days that convince visitors to move to Washington. If they had been here the day before it was the normal gray, drizzly and 62 degrees.

Sunday was supposed to be spent moving my son's belongings in to storage. Who knew that Ellensburg rolled up the sidewalks at 5 p.m. on Friday? No storage offices open on the weekend! Amazing. Maybe they have their priorities in order for their own lives, but this is not convenient for the public. Since Ellensburg is a college town, it would seem that being open on the weekend would be part of a good business plan. He'll just have to arrange for the unit during the week (maybe with the help of his uncle Ross) and ruin his three day weekend moving his stuff.

As Quick Draw McGraw used to say -

"Hoooooold your horses!"

Seems the buyer has cold feet. We'll wait and see.

A good weekend

With the news that my counter offer on the sale of my house has apparently been accepted, my son starting his first real job since graduating from college and a very enjoyable visit with my Mother - my spirits are high. If I play golf well this afternoon, that will be the icing on the cake.

My son has a degree in psychology and had hoped to be accepted into the master's program at the university. When that did not happen, he had to scramble and look for work. His first choice was NOT to work in Seattle, but that appears to be where most of the mental clinics are located so that is where he will work (for now). He is nervous but I am certain he will do well. His commute will include a one hour ferry ride in the morning and evening for the time being until he finds a home of his own. Until then, I will enjoy his company.

My visit with Mom was uplifting. She seems so much improved. Recovery time from surgery at age 86 is lengthy. I wanted so badly for her to just jump up and return to her pre-surgery life style. There is always more patience required in real life than in dreams.

The realtor said that paperwork was in the works and I had hoped that when I returned home on Sunday that he would have had more information for me, but again I must be patient. I'll start packing anyway. Where did I get so many pens? Do I need to keep my tax return from 1977? I am learning to let go of "things" that I found important at some point in my life.

As for the golf, I've played in the same work based league for many, many years. My partner Steve and I have done fairly well over the years, but in this my last year we have a chance to win it all. Play tonight will decide the winners.

I am looking forward to a motorcycle ride up Mt. Rainier this weekend and a hike with a very special friend (she doesn't like this term). It is her birthday this Friday. Happy birthday cb.

Another step taken?

My Mom had a good day today, and....

I got a reasonable offer for my house - hooray! I don't want to celebrate too soon. I could be two steps closer to hitting the open road. Of course I still have to put everything in storage, outfit the Minnie Winnie and develop a real plan on where I want to go and what I want to see first.

I mentioned that I enjoy murder mysteries by J. A. Jance and Tony Hillerman. Both of those authors stage their stories in the southwest - Jance in Bisbee, AZ and Hillerman in the Shiprock/Four Corners area. I'll never become a local (I don't think) and I'm sure that the real locals will treat me as a tourist, I still want to spend time in those locales.

Days like today are going to be hard to leave behind. A summer day in Western Washington can be amazing. As the 6 a.m. ferry pulled away from the dock, I stood in awe of the sunrise behind the skyline of the buildings, hills and trees of Seattle. The sunlight blanketing Mount Rainier in pinks and blues. Just beautiful.

There are so many sunrises and sunsets to see in this country.