It was always Austin, Texas.  That was where we were moving to.

We’d been there several times, looked with a realtor for a week at houses and areas to live.  We’d identified where we wanted to be.

Then one weekend. after a long hike in the hills of Napa, we were moving to Portland, OR.  Just like that, after one single hike.

After 36 years in California, we left on February 26, driving our car and a 17′ U Haul.  We had another couple with us who were going to visit their daughter in Portland.  We were headed to Tualatin, OR, a suburb of Portland where we were spending the night with friends.  All of us and our trailer too.

We arrived 12 hours later.  Sharon and husband Bill, who is a very good sport as he hadn’t met the couple with us, welcomed us with what we needed most:  wine!  Sharon had done a lot of legwork for us including getting a parking permit from the City of Portland for the moving truck which was arriving on Friday and finding us a storage unit for everything in that U Haul!

Thursday was to be the simple day.  All we had to do was go to storage, unload the U Haul, then go downtown and check into our new apartment.  How hard could that be?  The problem was 3 women!  Plans changed every 5 minutes–literally.  Janet trying to coordinate seeing her daughter, me putting in my 2 cents, and Sharon coming up with better ideas for the ones we had already come up with.  Dan was pouring us all coffee, Bill had already gone to work and Tom was trying to make sense of it all.

Of course, when we finally got to the storage unit it was closed! Tom had declined to get the codes as we would just check in when we got there…  After much angst we got a call saying they had been in a meeting and we could come over now.  But–it was lunchtime!  So we had lunch.  We didn’t get to storage until 1:30.  By then Tom was not happy.  He took me aside and said with that voice I know so well “The best thing you, Sharon and Janet can do is leave.  Leave Dan and me to unload and you go home.”  Sharon said to give him 5 minutes to change his mind.  Yup.  It only took 2 minutes.  Someone needed to put the code into the elevator every time and hold the door.  We were needed!

We finished at 4pm and needed to get downtown by 6pm to check in.  We are going to stay at the apt. that night as the moving truck was to arrive the next morning.  Sharon offered to let us spend the night again.  Tom gave me a look.  Judging by our day’s events we decided we’d never make it to the building in time the next morning so we declined.  In rush hour traffic, we made it downtown in time to check in.  But the box we’d packed with overnight essentials was not with us.  So no towels, toilet paper, you get the picture.  What we did have was our Aero bed and suitcases.  We left to meet our friends for dinner where we had a lot of laughs.

We were dead tired.  The Aero bed was pumped up and in we went.  About 15 minutes later, it seemed a bit softer, then softer.  We got out and Tom pumped it up again.  This time it only took about 10 minutes for that feeling.  Then I could feel and hear the air coming out.  It was leaking!  But!  We had duct tape.  No toilet paper, but we had duct tape.  Now it took a whole half hour for the air to seep out.  This is what the morning brought: 

Moving in day was an adventure.  Here is a picture of Janet and Sharon who were both helping. 

After clearing out 5 or 6 big boxes over the weekend, I started to look around.  Where was the wardrobe box with every pair of shoes I owned except for the ones I was wearing?  Where was the antique side table I bought 30 years ago in Vail, Colorado?  My favorite ever piece of furniture?  When neither turned up Tom really started to panic wondering how much money we would be investing (he wouldn’t describe shoe purchases as an investment) in shoes.  I was more upset about my table which Tom reminded me I had bought for him for his birthday.  I do not remember that!  We decided they had been stolen.  Tom had seen the table come off the truck, so that was our conclusion.  On Monday, Tom suggested we check on the 7th floor entrance.  We have entrances on both the 6th and 7th floors.  I said I’d been out that entrance a bunch of times and there was nothing there.  We checked anyway.  Not only were the table and my shoes there, but there were 5 other big boxes we hadn’t even missed!  Sigh.  We’d downsized, but not enough!

We have rearranged the furniture 4 times.  All the pictures we hung had to be moved.  We finally found a place for almost everything.  I think we’ll like it here. 

I have neglected my business but am giving myself a pass this month!  More soon.  I have a lot more stories!