So ends week one on California

It's another sunny day in Palm Springs, temperature 106. We're not going anywhere and it's nice and cool in our rental, so we don't care how hot it is outside. The exception is that we have to walk the dogs; before 8am and after 8pm is safe; otherwise, the pavement is too hot and would burn their paws. Grass is the exception around here: there's some two blocks away at the Civic Center but that's not available right now due to Splash House, a two-weekend party for the younger set.

No more news on our new condo. According to our agent we have until the end of this coming week to back out of the deal if we were to find something better. That's possible, but I'm doubting it. We'll be negotiating with the owner over some repairs that need to get done; here's hoping that goes well.

It seems a good time to comment on these last two months. They have been among the most stressful of my life, perhaps THE most stressful. Twenty-five years is a long time to accumulate stuff, and we did a great job of it. I was honestly afraid I would not get the job of clearing it out done. I did, but at the very end I lost a bit of control as the movers packed some things I would rather have had with us. Considering how full the cars were, it's probably all for the best. On the flip side, I'm sure there's a lot of stuff yet to throw away as we downsize from 2800 square feet to 1200!

The drive across country was mostly enjoyable. Ransom's two students, David and Cameron, were absolute delights and I would happily spend another 42 hours in a car with either of them. As for the country itself, it's big and varied; no news there. It's also mostly maskless but we never encountered anyone hostile or unfriendly; in fact, the opposite was true. We did see a lot of crosses and the occasional Confederate flag, but nothing else in-your-face hateful. 

The most beautiful state we drove through was New Mexico, Land of Enchantment as the residents call it.

New Mexico's state train, the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad; I'd come back to ride it!

I've never spent time there and would like to return. The hardest state to drive through was Oklahoma: too many signs with too much verbiage. Through it all Google Maps, who we now refer to as Sheila, did a great job.

On a more global perspective, I despair when I think about the pandemic and how blind so many Americans are to its danger. And then I look at Afghanistan and see Viet Nam all over again. Will we ever learn? And for a final fillip of angst I read in today's New York Times just how endangered the New Jersey coastline is and how stubborn we are when it comes to facing nature's power.

There's good news too though, right?

Right?

Looks like it's really happening

So today's news is that Tuesday's news is real. We really did find a condo to buy on our first day of shopping and the sale seems to be moving ahead. There will be a few things to iron out and I'm guessing at least 25% of what's on the moving truck — in storage actually — won't fit into the new, much smaller digs, but that's all ok. To be expected.

Meanwhile we're enjoying life in the beautiful condo we're renting. It's way bigger than what we're buying, but that's fine. It's also on two floors, so I am in no way jealous. Here are some shots of the rental.

Ransom and the boys in the Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Living Room

Living Room again

And one more time

Kitchen

Kitchen from the other end

Dining Room

Second bedroom, where I've set up an office

Click on the link below and you can take a tour of what we're downsizing into. (You may need to copy and paste the link into your browser; I've been having trouble getting links to, um, link.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1150-E-Palm-Canyon-Dr-UNIT-49-Palm-Springs-CA-92264/18028111_zpid/

And I couldn't resist just one more shot of my family

Whoa! On day 1 — really?

Ransom and I met with our real estate agent today — and made an offer on a condo! Yes, it's true! The very first day looking, the fourth place we saw. I'm still in shock. Of course the offer may not be accepted, or we could conceivably find a place we like better, but for right now, the evening of our second day in Palm Springs, we have a plan to move into Rancho La Paz.

As I said, I'm in shock and I'm scared — Ransom is neither. The development is lush and green and the condo has two bedrooms and a small room that was maybe designed as a changing room; it might serve as an office. There's work that needs to be done (new tile, modernize the guest bedroom, but it's actually pretty nice as is.) It's just moving so fast it's leaving me breathless.

Sorry, no pictures yet.

We're here!

We arrived at our temporary condo today around 3pm. It's lovely: thanks and kudos to our hosts, Aamer and Keith. Here's the two of us along with Zack and Louie, followed by a shot of us with Ransom's students, Cameron (left) and David. It was an ok drive from Tempe, but WAY less dramatic than yesterday's. And speaking of yesterday: dinner was fabulous! The Barrio Cafe on 16th Street in Phoenix. We shared a Boca Negra, chips with shrimp and an incredible sauce. After that I had a Cecina, which was a grilled and smoked flank steak with the best beans I've ever tasted, the best carrots I've ever eaten, and homemade sauces and tortillas. Everyone agreed all the food was excellent. Now it's almost time to eat again. Oh boy! And yes, it's hot; 109 was the today's high, but, remember, it's a dry heat.

And here's the whole route: 

Almost done; best drive yet!

 

Our third, and last, La Quinta

We're in Tempe, Arizona, near the Phoenix Airport, after the most beautiful drive yet. Left Grants, NM, at 9:30, our daily start time, and drove 335 miles, getting here at 4pm or so. Much of the last couple hours was through Tonto National Forest and was simply spectacular. I wish I had more pictures to show you but, in truth, iPhone pictures cannot possibly do it justice. Here's one off the web; we didn't have such a dramatic sky, but the terrain in this photo well represents what we saw. There were many spots with hundreds of those majestic cacti and those grand mountains as well.

And here's one I took; not great, but hints at what we saw:

Tonight Ransom has found another TexMex place for us to try. I'll tell you about next time. In the morning one final five hour push to Palm Springs.

An excellent day . . . mostly

We're in Grants, New Mexico, having just had some excellent ribs at the Route 66 Junkyard Brewery. It's a working junkyard that offers food smoked on the premises and served on tables that were once car hoods; we sat on car seats. Certainly a unique spot. Here's a picture of Ransom and David finishing up, and a shot of one of the many signs we saw touting the iconic highway (does it get any more American than Route 66?)

The drive was an excellent one, shorter than either of the last two days and not once marred by construction slowdowns. The views were often stunning: buttes and mesas and vistas for miles. The next photo is from the side of our motel — notice the colors — a Quality Inn with an oversize room (suite, really). Like every other place we stayed the pool, if there was one, was not open, a pandemic casualty I assume. David was sad.

        Here's a bit about Grants, New Mexico.                      

The only sour note today was that for an hour or so I thought I had lost my wallet. I canceled several credit cards as well as my checking account debit card — all of which took a looong time on a cell phone — only to eventually find the wallet and feel like a fool. Oh well, better a fool than a man without a driver's license, Medicare card, or any kind of credit. Senility is a pain in the ass.

Finally, apologies for the look of this post. In the time I was away from blogging things have changed and I haven't sorted out how to make text flow around pictures. Anyone with suggestions, fire away.

The large and short of it

This is going to be as short as Texas is large: we are in Amarillo and just had some excellent Tex-Mex food; more than half of mine is in the refrigerator for tomorrow's breakfast —everything's big in Texas. The drive was the longest of the whole trip but went remarkably smoothly, from Missouri through Oklahoma and into Texas. A memorable moment was passing the turnoff to Bartlesville, where Ransom ran the OK Mozart festival for twenty years.

Now it's bedtime and tomorrow a much shorter drive to New Mexico.

That's it.

Finished Day 3: half way there

We're at another La Quinta, this one in Springfield, Missouri. Compared to the first two days, this drive was easy; we arrived at 4pm. Ransom's napping and I'm writing, paying bills and checking e-mail. Later we'll go out to dinner and get to bed early, I hope, for tomorrow is the longest drive of the trip, to Amarillo TX, 545 miles.

Some people have asked, "Have you seen X?" or, "Will you visit Y?" Unfortunately, the answer is no; we are rather like truck drivers trying to get across the country safely, but as fast as we can. Side trips are out of the question and, except for lunch and and pee breaks, for both the two and four-legged travelers, there is no stopping.

But we did get lucky today. Our route took us through St. Louis and I said to David as we approached the city, "I wonder if we'll see the arch." Well, the answer was a resounding yes, as Interstate 44 goes over the Mississippi River and right past the arch. It was quite a site, which the picture below only hints at.

Heading west, Day 2

Settling in for some sleep at La Quinta, Terre Haute, Indiana. Today was another longer-than-I-hoped driving day, but we got here at 7pm, an hour fifteen earlier than yesterday's drive. This time I shared the car with Cameron and found him just as enjoyable a companion as David was yesterday. We talked most of the way, with one break for music: I played him Blood, Sweat and Tears Child Is Father to the Man and, I'm happy to say, he loved it. You likely know the album; it's been in my Top 10 ever since it was released fifty-three years ago. Please check it out if you don't know it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XvU-26A_s&list=PL8a8cutYP7fr8Cf7e3TBEECAp7RCrCp02

Within spitting distance of the hotel we found an excellent BBQ place and stuffed ourselves with chicken, brisket, ribs, burnt ends, potato salad, and cole slaw. Really, really good food and a great way to end the day. Ransom's now sharing a bottle of wine with the boys while I write this and get ready to sleep.

My friend Sally wrinkled her nose at the news we're at La Quinta. I don't understand that; it's long been a favorite of mine. Great rooms (see pics) and the best included breakfast out there. I wish we were at LQ every night.

Tomorrow: Springfield, MO, 488 miles from here.

Day 1

We're in Youngstown, Ohio, after a much-longer-than-expected drive from CT. There's not too much to say really, except that we have WAY too much stuff and it's really hard to know where any one specific thing is. The two dogs and their mattress pretty much fill up the Subaru, so everything we need for the next two months is in the Lexus; it is the smallest car they make, so there's really very little room. Each of the cars therefore is carrying a luggage bag on the roof and keeping those organized is really hard.

The route took us down 95 to 287, over the Tappan Zee Bridge (née the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge), into New Jersey and then all the way across Pennsylvania to Youngstown. Some beautiful scenery but way too many trucks.

David shared the driving in my car and we enjoyed a relaxed, comfortable conversation. Zack, our 7-year old Lab mix was far from comfortable until we stopped and gave him some anti-anxiety meds — I know, like father like son. We got here at 8:15 and Ransom took the boys to dinner while I babysat the four-legged boys. Tomorrow is not quite as long a drive, but we have to work on organizing the car better. I found the espresso maker for the morning, but no coffee yet.

And here is our luxury country villa:

Final thoughts

It's late morning on Sunday, August 1; by this time tomorrow we should be rolling down the highway toward Pennsylvania and our first stop in Youngstown, OH. After that we stay in Terre Haute IN, Springfield MO, Amarillo TX, Grants NM, Phoenix AZ and then on to Palm Springs. The longest drive is Missouri to Texas, 545 miles; the rest are quite a bit shorter and even 545 is not a huge distance to cover with two drivers per car. (Have I already mentioned we're taking two of Ransom's students with us to share the driving?)

Some random thoughts on this last full day in Connecticut:

It was almost exactly 30 years ago we moved to CT. That's FAR LONGER than I've ever lived anywhere before. Being an Army family we moved around a lot and though I ended up in Richmond, VA, several times for a total of almost 17 years, the time in CT sets a record.

I've loved living in CT, and, until the last few years, have even loved the winters.

I've loved our house but HATE the stairs.

I will miss the proximity to New York and the opera, classical music and Broadway shows that NY represents.

I have a small and select group of friends whom I will miss very much.

I will miss living near my brother Raymond. We struggled a long time to get to a good place but we got there years ago and I am sad to lose the proximity.

I'm looking forward to the road trip. This will be the fifth time I've crossed the country by car and though we won't have time to make many extra stops, I know we'll see a lot and grasp once again the enormity of our country. (The other four trips were with my Dad at the wheel and in truth it was three and-a-half since one time we took a train from LA to Chicago before continuing to the east coast by car).

I'm worried about the resurgence of the virus and wonder whether we'll find outdoor dining everywhere we go or will be forced to eat takeout in the hotel room.

I'm sad that our country is so divided and that so many people are choosing not to get vaccinated. Driving the length of the country during a pandemic could be dangerous.

I'm looking forward to living in Palm Springs. First though we have to find a condo to buy and then unpack all of our (too much) stuff, a step that will be difficult.

I love my husband very much and look forward to this new part of our 35 year adventure. I'm glad we have Zack and Louie with us and I hope they will adjust quickly and easily. (As I write these words they are resting, one on the bed, one in his crate, while Ransom practices flute — it's a familiar and heart warming scene.

To my friends in CT and on the East Coast: this is not goodbye, but, rather, see you in a new place next time. Here, there or wherever. Be well, and remember the good times. I sure do.

RW, Zack and Louis resting yesterday at the hotel