Plans

Looks like I'll be leaving here on 26 July. If all goes well, I'll arrive in Asheville on the 30th (just in time for my birthday on the 31st). I'll be in town until the 16th of August. I'll be staying with Hazel and John. Looking forward to seeing everybody.

Enjoying It While I Can

The pool. When it's over 95 degrees, it's just wonderful to float weightlessly, eyes shut, world tuned out.

We're working on getting Milo to learn how to float, but he thinks the pool is scary because it's so big. He has learned how to put his head back and get his hair wet. Now if we could just get his body to follow. He has to learn to trust the water. It'll come.

I wish it were easy to find a pool everywhere. Swimming or aerobics in water is the best exercise of all when your knees are bad and arthritis is sneaking in everywhere.

Upcoming Visit

Looks like I'll be making a quick visit to Asheville sometime around my birthday. Gabi & Greg are hiring me to drive her car from Abq to NC (cost about half what they'd pay otherwise). They'll be taking a more roundabout route to visit folk on the way, but I'll make a beeline home. I'll see whether I can park my rig at Arbor RV Park while I'm gone (shouldn't cost too much as it won't be hooked up). I'll stay at Hazel & John's while in town, and can use Gabi's car until they get to town.

It is 1600 or so miles so it'll take a few days to get there (probably five days) -- I can't do that drive-till-you-drop stuff anymore. Although, come to think of it, I made it from Avl to Kansas (1000 miles) in two days in late 2008. It all depends on whether I get into what I call "driving mode." I'm planning to stay about a week. And then I'll take Greyhound back (much the cheapest way -- $100 vs. Amtrak for $300), get a taxi to the rv park, get hooked up, and collapse.

I'll see y'all soon.

Quick Trip

Got a RQA notice today for two locations in Santa Fe, so I did a quick up and back, through the construction on I-25 and the heat. Went out about 11.30, back about 3.30. And, of course, neither of the locations carried the thing being recalled. Ah well. At least I get paid.

The Family Returneth

Gabi Greg Milo were supposed to land at 9.40 pm last night. I got a call from Gabi in the late afternoon, saying they were in DC and their plane would be leaving two hours later than scheduled, so they would be in the air at 7pm est and wouldn't arrive here until around 11pm.

So I had time to cook a nice meal (boy, is their oven hotter than mine!) and see the season premiers of Holmes on Homes and Design Star and Color Splash.

About 10.30 I headed off to the airport. After exiting I-25, the only option is to turn left to go into the airport. I didn't want to pay for short-term parking, so I pulled off at the top of the T and waited for Gabi to call me, which she did after they'd landed. But naturally, the gate was in use so they had to tow a plane away before their plane could come into the gate. They were to call me when they had their bags and were ready for pickup. She called to say the carseat for Milo was missing and they were at Baggage Claim trying to find it (which they did).

Eventually, about 12.15, they were ready and I swooped down the road about 1/4 mile and picked them up. They were exhausted but said they had a good time. Got home here about 12.45.

Weekend Update

I blew off the SF bookclub meet -- (a) decided I didn't want to talk about Heinlein, and (b) was having a wallow with cable TV and HGTV. I only get the basic network channels so it was fun to run up and down the channels on their bigscreen TV.

I did go Sunday afternoon to meet a fellow Toyota RV-er at a nearby Barnes & Noble. I even went early to have browse time and managed to get out without buying a single book or magazine! This must be some kind of watershed event, at least for me.

As to the guy, Bill, well, we won't become friends. First we had to argue over whether I'd pay for my own coffee, he being a "gentleman" and "old-fashioned," you see. I won and paid for my own. Then we did the usual man/woman conversation -- he asked me a couple of questions to show his interest in me as a person and then proceeded to tell me all about his life. I got to murmur "uh-huh" and "really" from time to time.

An hour later, we were walking out to the parking lot when he suddenly asked me "are you political? Republican or Democrat?"

Democrat, I said.

He said, "Boy! That guy they elected is a disaster!"

I said, "Well, then, let's not talk politics."

He said, "Where's the KKK when you need them?" Laugh.

So that's the end of that.

SF Bookclub

I saw a notice for a meeting of the F&SF Book Club at a nearby library this afternoon. The assignment is to read your favorite Robert Heinlein book and be prepared to discuss. I'm thinking about going and maybe startling them all with my choice, Starship Troopers.

I stopped being a Heinlein fan about, oh, 25-30 years ago, when I re-read some of his adult books and took note of his misogyny, well-disguised though it may be. His standard premise is that there's a very intelligent woman with a career etc. who falls for the "hero" and begins to pop out babies and say "yes, dear" a lot. There are lots of examples, such as the Empress of the Known Universe in "Glory Road" who recruits a "hero" (ha!) who then gets to order her around and even gets to spank her when she's being "unreasonably hysterically female" (my quotes).

So I no longer read him except for Starship Troopers, which I think has some interesting ideas about citizenry, service, politics, etc. I don't agree with everything he said, and his social customs are charmingly quaint (and misogynistic), but it's the most interesting book he ever wrote, to my mind.

Stranger in a Strange Land, you say? Piffle. It's the beginning of his "dirty old man" slide into nastiness.

House Sitting

Gabi and Greg and Milo and I drove off at 9am for the airport. They arrived mid-afternoon as Gabi called to let me know. It just dawned on me that I don't know exactly where they are.

I did an errand on the way back, ate some breakfast, and then went in to start packing some more. One thing on my list was knickknacks and art. This entailed wandering around the house picking up small objects on display shelves and taking art and photos off the walls. I also broke down a wire shelving unit. Then I started packing and wrapping.

Sometime in the late afternoon it was almost 100 deg. and I was sweating and dirty, so I put on my swimsuit and went in the pool, which was still quite cool. I think the new swimsuit looks good -- this is the first time I've used it.

Rest of the week is just packing sundry stuff. GGM will be back late Sunday.

Errand Day

I was up and out early today, about 7am, off to do a dump and flush. Also needed to put some extra air in the rear airbags to level the rig on the driveway. Made for a bumpy ride to get groceries but is good when parked.

Tomorrow I'll get a list of things I can pack during the coming week. Gabi and Greg and Milo are going off to Disneyland (well, whichever is in Florida). They're leaving Tues. evening and will be back Sun. so I'll be feeding the cats as well as packing up a bunch of stuff.

BUT the pool is ready! So that'll be nice after a sweaty session.

Packing Start

Today I dived right in and packed up nine boxes of books. Then my body said, you've been a total lump for over a month -- what makes you think we can just do this right off? So I decided nine boxes was enough for today. There's about three boxes of books to do, and then I'll do the sewing machine and supplies/fabric etc. That will pretty much clear one room, except for misc. doodads and Gabi's desk.

They still have all the packing boxes from when they moved here, so that's a help.

Haven't heard about the job I applied for yet, though I expect to hear this week.