Packing Up is Hard to Do -- September 10-20, 2016

It is a dark and clear night.  Actually, it is 5A in the morning when Herb and I drive our cars away from our former residence at The Point at North Shore, and head to Houston and Sweet Caroline in the RV Park. Not long after we turn onto Hwy. 48 toward the toll road,  I look down at the fuel gauge and call Herb to tell him I am on a quarter tank.  

Plan ahead?  Too busy packing.

So we peer into the darkness to find the first U-turn and go back to Port Isabel where I filled the BMW, but the diesel pumps are locked at that time in the morning.  We resume our journey toward Harlingen and Herb is able to get diesel for the Jeep.  Now, relaxing and seeing some glow in the sky for a nice sunrise, he says, "Would you like to stop in Raymondville for breakfast?"  Yes, and I think of the milk I had in the -- OH NO!

"Herb, we left the ice chests!  And tons of frozen foods in the freezer." 

Planning ahead, we had set aside a few personal items that we wanted to take in our cars and had put them inside the garage of the house we no longer owned.  But we left the ice chests in front of the refrigerator for ease of loading them.  So we now leave my car in Harlingen and I ride BACK to Port Isabel and The Point at North Shore with him, hoping our gate code still works.  It does.

The flaming orange band under the clouds promises a good day (Yay) and I can't help thinking that I will miss the display of ominous black and gray looming high above the coastline of South Padre Island across the causeway bridge.  It will be daylight soon.

  















Back in Port Isabel now, we fill three ice chests and find room in the Jeep for them.

As we pass HEB on our way out of town again Herb says we should go to the storage locker and get the bike rack and trikes to haul today, making the hitch available later for a U-Haul trailer with all the stuff that is still in the locker here.  So we make the U-turn and fetch the trikes.  All good now, and we make it past Harlingen this time.

One Day in Late August

We get a phone call from our real estate agent telling us that the impending sale of our house is progressing and we are overjoyed and overwhelmed.  In anticipation we take Sweet Caroline to her next home at Advanced RV Resort in Houston.

On September 9 it is clear that we can begin packing.  Then through a misunderstanding of both parties, each of us thinks the other wants to close early at a date that will not realistically give us time to get out.  Herb and I think the fastest way is to get the U-Haul system and do much of the packing ourselves.

What a task faces us!  First we drag out all our stuff, sort through and gift many items, some of which are shown below.

                                                               Seats Eight

Now to identify what is and should have been 'trash' a long time ago.

Nightmare!

Stopping to rest now and then, my eyes always go to the windows toward the Laguna Madre and the many fishing boats that parade at all hours of the day -- some at night.  Today we are treated to a perfect Chamber of Commerce scene of clear, crisp turquoise water that is flat calm and like glass.  A nice welcome to the new residents at The Point.

I find a few treasures that I will keep.

                                                                                       Gift to Mamaw

                                                        One of the First Oils on Canvas I did

We get little sleep during this time with the planning and executing and hard labor.  Euphoria contributes to this state.   One day we work until 11P and marvel at the work we have done.  Then up at 2:30 to begin again.  And so it goes. When our beds are no longer available, Bob and Myrna invite us to one of their guest rooms.  Bob prepares wonderful breakfasts!

We learn that our room reservation is still good and ask Bob if dinner with Sam and Inez would be included in our Bed & Breakfast accommodations.  Yes. He serves a delicious green salad to compliment the chicken and spaghetti. Inez brings peach cobbler, but forgets the vanilla ice cream, so we have strawberry with chocolate chip. 

Try it.

All the while loading of the U-Boxes continues.  Herb supervises Jose and Fred, and neighbor Tusker comes to visit and get petted.  Also, we get our Golden Retriever fix.

Jose and Fred

Neighbor 'Tusker'

It is amazing to me how much can be packed into a U-Box.  I am anxious to see how they wrap and protect this silk floral arrangement.

Weary, but glad to have the packing done, I take photos of the empty rooms, ready for the new owners to arrive.  Peering down the stairs, I can see the library table made by my maternal grandfather has left the foyer.

Seven hours later we arrive to the RV Park and happily accept a dinner invitation from Roxie and Ed.  When we arrive, we are so surprised to see that it is a celebration to welcome us as new residents to the Houston area.

Ed, Herb and Roxie

Welcome to Houston and Pearland

Usually when I write a blog post, the title is the last thing, but I can't get out of my head the melody and a few of the lyrics of a video Tama sent recently, "Waking up is Hard to Do."

Willie of Willie's Tug,
   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake
   September 10-20, 2016