Two Hams on the Road

Friday, December 13, 2013

My goal for this winter was to go south before the cold weather hit.

Blew that one.  I swear WBAA (local NPR station) said the wind chill was -17 a few days ago.  Leigh said it was 5 degrees when she went to her final Thursday morning.

On Tuesday, we headed for Chicago in the car to help Natasha pack, move and close on her townhouse there.  The drive up was uneventful and we got checked into a hotel near Natasha.  The hotel architecture has always intrigued us, but this is the first time we had stayed there.  It's a Hilton hotel, called Indian Lakes.  It's a resort, although we didn't indulge in any activities.

It was designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright's and is based on a series of octagons, resulting in unusual shapes.  It was built in the 50's or 60's and as a result has some maintenance issues.  Our room was 75 degrees when we checked in and went up to 78 degrees.  The maintenance guy said the compressor was going out and they moved us to another room for our second night.

But they allowed dogs and Obi was remarkably well behaved for us.  I think he is a bit deaf and doesn't hear as much as Scrappy did.  Scrappy would frequently just bark once or twice and then Obi would start and not stop.  So we have a quieter (and lonelier) house.

Olga and Natasha had packed almost everything except what they used on the last day.  So there were bits and pieces to get packed.  Steve and I did some on Tuesday and we finished when Natasha flew in on Wednesday.

The truck was supposed to arrive Wednesday afternoon, but due to the weather, did not get there until after 9 am on Thursday.  Since closing was at 2:30, the buyer wasn't exactly happy, but luckily did not have a moving truck waiting to unload.  The movers worked their tails off and pulled out about 5:30 pm.  Natasha's flight was due to leave a 6, so one of the neighbors took her to the airport for us.  Luckily her flight was delayed, as it took them an hour and a half to get to Midway.

We pulled out just after the moving truck, loaded up with the plants Natasha wanted to keep and the friendship bread starter she wanted.  I figured if Charley's cousin Diane could travel in a motor home for 2 years with a lemon tree, we might manage 3 days with 2 plants.  Traffic was bad, although the weather was just cold, no precipitation.  We got home just before 10.

So now we have to pack the trailer with whatever we think we might need for the next 3 months.  We hope to leave next Wednesday, Dec. 18, assuming the weather allows.  We're currently hunkered down under a winter storm warning that will last until 6 pm Saturday, with an accumulation of up to 4" of snow.  Ouch!  We may not be leaving the house until Sunday!

Leigh, our housemate, left this morning for California for some time in her new/old home with her hubby, Wes.  They'll be arriving back for Christmas after we leave, so we'll miss them.  Wes stayed for a few extra days at Thanksgiving, so we were able to spend some time with them then.  Diana and Greg McKinney will be arriving Sunday to spend the holidays with their families, so the house will be full, even if we're gone!  It's nice to have a home we can share with others and have others help us watch over it.

No pictures with this post.  Pictures don't really show the cold.

I'm hoping to get our furniture moved back into the family room before we leave.  The room would be done except they didn't measure right for the bar counter and it has to be remade.  That and the mirror in the pool bath are all that is left, I think.   It's been a 5 month project and I'll be very glad to have it done.

Steve told me today that there was a lot on his list that wasn't going to get done before we left.  Me, too!   I'm considering this a long shakedown cruise.  We'll never be that far from a Walmart or a Camping World and there is very little we can't live without for awhile if we already have it at home.  It will be an adventure!

Keep warm!
Deb