Paula, my officially-announced companian/navigator for this journey, and I have both been extremely busy trying to move out of our respective abodes, clean up, hold a garage sale, tend to last minute doctors' appointments, implement space sharing and storage allocation in Lando, and get dozens of pre-departure issues taken care of (WARNING: You will note a lot of hanging prepositions in my posts!). My friends here at the Pines had a party for me on Wednesday afternoon, and Paula's friends invited us to a get-together at UNO's that same evening. Andy and Maggie Holt, good friends from Faith UMC, had me over last evening for a scrumptuous meal of grouse and woodcock (I made them eat late because I umpired a 3-hour long girls softball game at Rice Memorial High School just prior!) On Saturday evening, another BFF Carla and Maggie, and more Faith UMC friends have a cookout planned at Oakledge Park on the edge of Lake Champlain.
I've stuffed much inspirational and sci-fi reading material into Lando during the past couple of weeks, so I hope he is up to the task of hauling everything across the country. Our first primary stop after nearly a week of travel and short camping stops will be in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where good friends Michael and Mary live. Michael is a former housemate and coworker of mine while the two of us worked in Arlington, VA for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2001. When Paula and I first arrive in the Twin Cities area, we plan to stay at a KOA southwest of Minneapolis for one week, then stay with Michael and Mary at their lovely old home nearer downtown during the second week. They will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary while we are there, so I hope to treat them to something special like a bratwurst with a candle in it! Somewhere around the end of our stay in Minnesota, I will post again. Take care.
Much love!
Tim
