Our front porch... looking forward to the good times!
Upstairs looking north... big, huh?!
The south end storage
The north end full of stuff
North end after the trim
Got some trimming done
Margot and Tazz on the porch... I trimmed the grass!
Tall grass and wildflowers... work to do
The truck and trailer are finally empty... whew!
Well, it's been a while since we updated this place, for good reasons and not so good reasons.
The good reasons... for quite a while we just didn't have anything to say. After we closed on the property, we hung out in limbo for awhile. About the beginning of May, we got serious about getting out of Florida before the month was out, and we succeeded (sorta, more on that later).
The not so good reasons... well, it's been a damn busy and hectic month and a half, and we just couldn't make time to update the blog, much less check email or make phone calls.
So, here's how the story goes... After getting all the stuff in the house boxed up and prepped for the move, we started loading the truck. After a full (and I mean full) day of loading, with huge help from Dallas the Loadmaster, we figured out the 26' Penske truck I had rented wasn't big enough for all of our stuff... Houston, we got a problem... I get on the phone and start calling around to try and rent a trailer; no luck whatsoever. Jack Phillips comes to the rescue and offers me the use of his 14x7 enclosed trailer, which means I'm making two trips back to back. Well, ya gotta do what ya gotta do; by the time the truck and trailer were completely (and I mean completely!) loaded, it was 9:30 on Friday night May 30th. The house is cleaner than it's been since new, there was a few things left to get on my second trip, like motorcycles, and we're finally on the move about 10:30pm. I drove my truck, pulling the trailer (wrong size hitch on the rental truck), Margot drove her car and our friend Brigette drove the Penske truck.
We didn't get far Friday night, up to Ocala primarily to miss the morning traffic in Orlando. The fact that traffic on Saturday morning would be light was lost on me, hell I didn't even know what day it was. Saturday was long and uneventful, we made it to Clinton Mississippi. Sunday was equally long and not quite as uneventful; Brigette managed to hook the right rear bumper of the Penske truck on the concrete end cap of a fuel island. Lesson there? Always take the insurance, it sure paid off. We rolled into Lawton Sunday night about 10:30, worn completely out.
Monday morning, and we need to find some help to unload. VROC'er John "Coyote" Shreve rode up from Ft. Worth to lend a hand, we couldn't find any other volunteers. Off to the local labor place we go, and hire two brothers to help out. Well, they worked thier asses off (as did John, Margot and I) and the truck and trailer were both empty by 4:30pm. Funny... three days to load, 5 hours to unload. Well, almost unload, we needed more help for the 180 gallon aquarium and the large oak desk. The boys show up the next morning with two more kids, and in minutes they were done. Well worth the money! And damages are all minimal and fixable.
Margot and I spent the next three days working 12 hours a day, sorting and moving boxes, getting everything off the floor (the building leaks at the seams, it is a barn after all) and closing up windows missing glass, putting lock sets in doors and generally securing the place. Friday morning it was time for me to head eastbound again... yawn...
I did get a little lucky on my return trip. Through an old friend in the trucking business, I picked up an '06 Harley in Dallas on Friday for Sunday morning delivery in Palm Shores Florida. Although it didn't pay much, it covered my fuel heading east, every little bit helps.
Monday and Tuesday were spent cleaning up a few more details, loading the bikes and other stuff in the garage, the final details. Twelve hour days both, I felt like tired was a normal state. Up at 3:45 am (Central Time) Wednesday morning and headed west (again... groan). A 1000 mile day to Alexandria Louisiana, I don't care to drive I-10 ever again. Up Thursday to finish the trip, got here about 5:30 in the afternoon, wore out big time.
Friday we unloaded the bikes and the rest of the stuff, everything we own is now here... finally. Sunday we bought a new weed-whacker, I spent Monday trimming some of the grass. Margot and I picked up a bunch of loose steel panles and crap so Bryan can run his brush hog around when he finds the time in the next week or so. After that's done, the outside will look a lot better.
We'll be doing better on the updates as we make more progress. Thanks for reading!
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