Life is a constantly moving target.  Whether you sit still or try to move with it, the world will change around you.  We grow old, children grow up, people move away, loves wax and wane, and rarely do things go as we think they should.

Maybe it's a blessing; maybe it's a curse, but we get to decide a lot about the change.  It's a blessing that we get the illusion that we are in control and can be proud when things go well.   Of course the flip side is that there is much we have no control over, so when things don't go so well we have plausible excuses.  

• If only I had known... 
• That's wasn't what I intended...  
• It couldn't be helped... 
• It's (someone else's) fault...
• and my Bart Simpson favorite "I didn't do it" 

I think the best thing we can control is our attitude.  It isn't always easy, but since we can't control others or the weather.  The secret to life is learning to love dancing in the rain.


Just for my own review, I looked over the previous entries in this blog.  What struck me was how all the plans mentioned in the first entry have been either changed or deleted.  About the only one still in tact is moving out of the house.  So much for planning the future.  

After a career in IT, I am still amazed at our ability to communicate over great distances with such ease.  When I was in the Navy, you wrote a letter, put it in an envelope, slapped a stamp on it, dropped it in a box, and waited a week or two.  I only have a few friends that are that slow to read their email today.  Most can read it as soon as it is posted.  How wonderful!


I'm excited about the future, whatever that turns out to be.  I'm happy to have one.  I'm thankful for all the wonderful friends I've found in my life so far and anxious to meet more.

Making a decision is easy, but then there are a host of other decisions that are called for.  So now that we are not going to Florida or buying a house.  We have decided to join the ranks of the homeless.  Knowing where to sleep was never a big thing.  The default was always to go home and sleep in our own bed.  But this coming Sunday we will be without an established home.  I think this is a first for us.  When you're travelling it's more or less understood that you have to make arrangements, but this will now be our norm.  I confess that it feels a little weird and uncomfortable.  The new paradigm is living out of our luggage.

The moving continues, but the bulk of the stuff has been gone thru and is out of the house so our pace is not as frantic as when we had all the help.  So far we have filled the trailer twice with out cast offs.  I think the computer will be one of the last items to pack.  It is important not to pack important items in some obscure way so as to make them unfindable.

The plan as it stands right now is to finish the plane in August and then travel to Ecuador in September.  This may be an extended stay.  I would like to explore the country.  It's about the size of Nevada, so that will take more than a few days.  It may be that we will launch out from there to explore other parts of South America.

We have heard very good things about Cuenca Ecuador.  It has been ranked as the #1 place to retire.  So it makes sense to do a thorough investigation.

I'm told the cost of living is around $1,000/month there, so we should be able to survive.  It remains to be seen how well we will do at picking up the language.  I think it will be fun and I'm looking forward to the adventure.

What a difference a day makes.  Yesterday as we were discussing how to proceed with our plan to move to Florida, the direction changed totally.  Our plan to buy a house in Florida is now tabled and in it's place is a plan to be vagabond travelers.  What at change!  I have been lobbying for this idea, but didn't think I'd get buy-in; fooled me.  Now I have to come up with a detailed plan of how all that will work.  Including the next five weeks while the plane if finished off.

Simple questions like; "Where will I sleep?" become more complicated.  Of course the exciting part is that we have opened ourselves to a world of possibilities.  Where to go, what to do...  We are looking at a 75 day cruise around the Pacific from Sept to Dec.

All this added to my heaping plate, makes me sweat just a bit.

Spent the night in Lynnwood with family.  They like our new plan.  In fact, everyone seems to like the plan.  That is encouraging, otherwise I might wonder if I was smoking my lawn or something.

But first things first.  I still have to get moved out of the house.  We have the rest of this week to "gitter done".  So I'm going back to work on packing...  Tune in next time.

Yesterday was a day of almost non-stop movement.  Packing, sorting, throw this, keep that, give this to them...  With Tony and Vergil both pitching in, we got a lot done.  Megan made a run to Good will to donate stuff.  Rich came by and finished the painting in the living room.  He brought the trailer and we have it filled completely.

The stuff just keeps coming.  It reminds me of the widow that Ezekiel stayed with who's oil never ran out.  I don't think we will make the Tuesday morning departure, and we have reset for next Saturday.


I found my pilot license in the process.  I'd been looking for it and then up it pops.  What a relief.  


Tony and Vergil treated us all to supper at a Thai restaurant downtown (Angels).  Got to see Linh Dang and Hai Dang.  Linh Dang is getting so tall, he said he wants to be in the six foot area, but I think genetics will determine that for him.  Hai Dang had just returned from two weeks in Indonesia with the church.  I was hanging back on the food, but still came away stuffed.

At the end of the day, we put on a movie that Tony had.  I don't remember the name, but it was a snoozer.  I suppose with my proclivity to dropping off in movies, that doesn't mean much.  It had Brad  Pitt and Sean Penn in it.

And so after a night's sleep, I wake with aching joints, swollen hands, tennis elbow and sore feet to start another day of moving.  It's good to be alive.

This morning I'm fighting off feelings of buyer's remorse.  The sun is rising and it's so beautiful on my lake.  Moving is almost completed, we should have it in the next day or two.  I suppose change will always be a little uncomfortable.  I try to remind myself that this is the beginning of a new chapter in my life... A bold adventure... yeah yeah yeah.  I feel like I'm leaving home for who knows what.  Don't misunderstand.  I still want to do this, but there is a sense of letting go that I'm struggling with.  I didn't expect to feel this way.  Maybe it's that almost everything I own is in boxes.  I keep wondering as I pack them if I will be the one to unpack them.  Or will it be some poor soul wading thru our stuff to settle our estate.  Not that I'm feeling morbid, but plans often have turns we don't anticipate.  Heck, we may become world travellers and not want to come back.  Sorry folks, emotions can be messy things and I am knee deep in them this morning.

I have enjoyed my life here at the lake these last fifteen years.  I know I will miss my home, my neighbors, my morning panoramic view of the lake over a cup of coffee.  But then I may find something better; how could that be?  I'm sure I'd feel differently if it were February and we were having freezing rain, or after two months of continual drizzling rain without a look at the sun.

Okay, I'm all better now.  Thanks for tolerating my emotional outburst.  Of course if you didn't tolerate it, you are not reading this...  Never mind.

Yesterday was very warm weather.  Didn't stop to see how hot, but it was toasty.  Vergil mowed the lower lawn and trimmed the knee high grass.  He also helped with packing and moving boxes.  Where would we be without help?

Tony & Meagan arrived yesterday eave from Walla Walla with kids and dog in tow.  Teddy is a cute little dog.  He doesn't seem to make much noise.  Pretty well behaved.  We took some fish food down to the lake an fed the fish.  They weren't jumping for joy, but Tess (neighbor's dog) seemed to like it.  She was eating it even as she was swimming.  Even after Kam told her not to, she was scarfing it up out of the lake.  Tony plans to help us with the move today.  We should have lots of activity going on today.  Drop by if you want to watch the show.

We watched 'Despicable Me' with the grandkids last night.  I fell asleep somewhere early on.

My friend Rich called to tell me he was donating a day of work to help us with the move.  Very kind of him!  Especially since he just recently cut the end off of his thumb with a table saw.  I certainly didn't expect him to do this.  It's touching to be on the receiving end of these little acts of kindness.  I'm gonna have him clean and repair the gutters and downspouts.  Also, since he's a painter, I'll have him paint the remaining section of wall in the living room.  He's also bringing a trailer so we can dump the overflow from moving.  Garbage cans are filled to overflowing.

I am amused to see some of the stuff that I've held onto all these years.

TGIF, there are only two more working days until Monday.  Tuesday is really coming on fast.  We still have moving to do.  Boxes to pack and stack.  Details to attend to.  I have to fight to stay focused if this going to go well.  Additionally, I have to stay on top of business matters and make sure I do my schoolwork too.  Other than that, it's a breeze.

Yesterday we had a lovely visit from a couple of our friends.  We really enjoyed them dropping by.  We were able to have a good visit and they provided an excuse for us to take a break.

I spent most of my day digging out what once was my office.  Over the last few years it has become the place where things go when you just don't want to deal with them.  It got so bad that you couldn't walk in without moving something out of your way.  Anyway it's almost empty now.  I found a lot of pictures that I haven't seen in years.  Being the sentimental slob that I am, it was really tough to not get bogged down looking at pictures and reminiscing.  I unearthed stuff that I had forgotten I ever had.

Moving the big pieces is relatively easy.  You just have to deal with their weight and bulky nature.  What's tough is all the minutia.  The little things that don't really doesn't matter that much, but I've been dragging it around for so long I hesitate to just pitch it.  An interesting quote scribbled on a slip of paper.  I uncovered a whole drawer full of prehistoric pens and pencils.  They go all the way back to grade school.  Who keeps this stuff!  I guess I just have bad case of the hoarder gene.  I got it from my family.  It's all their fault.

Got word last night that Tony & Meagan will be dropping in from Walla Walla today.  It's a nice surprise, but the house is kind of a mess.  I hope the kids brought their swim suits.

By the way, it another one of those days we wait for all year long.  It's gloriously beautiful.  Turn off your computer and go get some of it.  That's what I'm gonna do.

It's Thursday morning and I know that because I looked at the calendar.  Since I retired the day of the week has become almost meaningless.  For example, I knew that yesterday was the 4th of July because the neighbors told me the day before of their party plans.  Anyway, I am keeping an eye on the calendar these days because the fuse is getting shorter for our departure.  If we leave as planned on Tuesday morning, I have a total of 5 days to get thru my list (posted yesterday).  Do you hear the helpless little voice inside me screaming?

Vergil cleaned out the van yesterday.  He washed it, vacuumed it and even cleaned the carpets.  I'm afraid the shock may cause mechanical problems.  It's the cleanest its been since we bought it.  Then under Anh's careful direction, he and I loaded boxes for our trip.

I moved boxes of books to the shop and cleaned the oven.  Replaced the oven light that we have lived without for years.  Ran out of boxes so I made a trip to the handyman's home away from home; Home Depot.  Didn't have time to browse for the one tool I don't already have; just get the boxes and oven light bulb and scoot.

Worked on my "Roots" paper, but am sorta stuck right now.   I think I'll start work on another paper and come back to it later.  Time has healing qualities for an aching mind.  I have to keep at it, because I have 4 of these papers to do in the Summer quarter.

Oh, the neighbors fireworks were wonderful.  We had perfect viewing because they used our float to set them off.  They parked it right in front of our property; couldn't have been better.  I was feeling pretty nostalgic as I thought about the years we've been here and enjoyed this place.  We have hosted our own 4th of July parties for all but the last two years.

The young couple that is renting our house was at the party too, so we walked thru the house with them.  Then Anh gave a tour of the garden of edibles.  I had some potatoes that had sprouted, so I planted them a few days ago and covered with some soil from the compost.  They are growing like crazy.

I plan to spend my day assembling boxes, filling them with stuff and hauling them to the shop.  I really appreciate that Vergil came to lend a hand.  Granny always said, "Many hands make light work", and it's true.  On the back burner, I'll be thinking about what my next paper should be about; Navy, my conversion from heathen to child of God, or what.

Hey if you are reading this, let me know that I'm not just talking to myself.  Comment or something so I'll know I'm not alone.