Cleanout, Cleanup and SOLD!

Annnd, a good morning it was! This hotel, in Winchester, VA, was still serving their "free" breakfast buffet.  Of sorts.  They offered yogurt, dry muffins, juice and a pass through pancake oven.  You push a button, a squirt of batter comes out and rides a conveyor belt through the oven, and voila, 1 minute later, you've got your pancake!  Ready for syrup and butter.  Too bad there wasn't any available. That's ok, a quick bite to eat, brush the teeth and we're back on the road again.  

After a few miles of construction, we passed into West Virginia.  Then Maryland.  It was quick, and it all looked the same:

Then, before we knew it, we were finally in Pennsylvania.  I'm not sure we were there to pursue our happiness, but we did hope to achieve some closure and peace of mind.

I don't really remember much about the area, but I don't recall ever seeing this part of the state.  We were really quite surprised to see such vast farms and acres of corn.  It's been a looong time since we've had good corn, so maybe we'll manage to find some before we leave?

We also didn't realize there were mountains in this part of the state.   I remember the Poconos, but they are in the eastern half, so, I dunno what's going on here.

Ummmm....did we take a wrong turn somewhere?

Texas may have some large farms (I believe they call 'em RANCHES), but they do not have the building complexes that seem to be so prevalent here.

I believe this is the Susquehanna River, runs right through Harrisburg.

Now, THIS is one sign we didn't want to see ever again...

Today's odd load...a monster Tonka Toy

Soooo, you know we've been really sheltered, there on the Refuge, and we haven't been out of our little cocoon in quite some time, this trip being the exception.  We haven't really been paying attention to any activities other than what we see on the nightly news, so when we drove by the Olive Garden, we were really surprised to see minimal social distancing, and fewer masks than deemed required by local ordinance.  ???  What's up with that?  Are we the only ones that seem to think there's a pandemic going on and people should be exhibiting a little more concern for others, and themselves too?  Is it any wonder we want to retreat back under our rock?

We passed through several small towns and PA's Amish Country on the way to Newtown Square.

And, since it was only about noon (how could that even BE?  We had already been in four states, and it was still just noon!!), it was too early to check into the hotel, so we just went straight on to Dad's house.  We had seen photos, from when Charlie was there, but, Oh.My.Gosh.  NOTHING could have prepared us for the actual reality of 40+ years of accumulation on top of physical infirmities on top of being closed up for the last 9 months.  Please, friends, please do your children a BIG favor, don't be afraid to throw things out!

But, hey, we did find this chair up in the attic.  As I recall, it was needlepointed by my Grandmother's mother, so, that makes it ummmm, pretty darned old.

A couple of days ago, I had posted an ad on Craigslist, for the stained glass tools and supplies.  Charlie had mentioned there was well over $1000 worth, but we had no pictures, so I just asked for $350 for the whole lot.  A very nice lady, who happens to be a dental hygienist responded, and after a bit of chat, she said she'd take the lot off our hands.  She actually lived in Maryland, about an hour away, and we arranged for her to come up to get the glass.  She asked if she should bring her utility trailer and I told her she was certainly welcome to do so.  Sooo, she and her hubby drove on up and helped us go through the rubble.  They found lots of treasures and every bit they took away was that much less the cleanout guys were going to have to haul to the landfill.  They spent a couple of hours searching all the nooks and crannies for items of interest or things they could use.  Truthfully, I was happy to see it all go.  Along the way, we all chatted a bit (which was really hard, considering we were all wearing masks, plus the foul odor of the house and the heat...apparently, it's SUMMER here in PA, and it was hot and muggy!) and we learned a little about them and they learned a little about us.  Their names are Lisa and Bill, and they are very nice people.  In another lifetime, we could all be very good friends, I'm sure.  But, they live in MD, and we don't, so it's unlikely we'll ever cross paths again.  But, if you're reading this, Lisa & Bill, please know that you really touched our hearts and we are glad to have made your acquaintance.  It was an honor to meet you.

Off they go, with their haul!

It was late when we finally got back to the hotel, but, hey, we found a pizza joint that uses only mozzarella and has good reviews.  And, boy, was it GOOD!

The next morning, we were right back at it, bright and early.  Here is just a part of the camera collection... I put these on Craigslist too, but the only person that contacted me was one young man looking for PlayStations and X Boxes.  HAHA, yeah, none of that here.  Although, the neighbor Harry, was able to get a city pickup truck here and FILLED the ENTIRE bed with obsolete electronics.  Lordy, you really just cannot imagine..nor would you want to.  Just trust me.  It was all too much.

Here's the garage, after several hours and truckloads of cleanout.  It's amazing how much stuff one can accumulate.  I know he used to keep a car and 3 motorcycles in here.  Please, people, don't do this to your kids!  

And, finally, the last load is headed out!  Let me tell you a quick story about that last load,too. It contains the washer and dryer, and why do you suppose that is?  We WANTED to sell them on Craigslist, and hoped to get a couple hundred bucks out of the pair.  Yeah, no.  Dick Luck, remember?  We had been expecting to do our laundry when we got to Dad's house, knowing he had a washer/dryer for us to use.  Charlie had mentioned that they appeared to be relatively new, so we were glad to see them when we arrived.  They were dirty and grody, so we figured, we'd put some of Dad's clothes through a cycle, just to check 'em out, make sure they worked, and hopefully, get rid of some of the grime, before we put our own clothes in.  HA, said God.  The washer worked great, all through the fill, soak and rinse.  Then came the spin.  Or, in our case, the not spin.  Yup, it drained some but did.not.spin.  Soooo, we were left with a tub full of sopping wet clothes.  OK, so, no big deal, right?  The washer's no good, but what about the dryer?  Well, I took a couple of the sodden shirts out, wrung 'em out in the sink and tossed 'em in the dryer.  Set the timer and pushed start.  Fired right up and started turning.  Walked about 20 feet away, came back into the room and hollered, I SMELL SMOKE!  I guess the good thing about that is that I could smell, right? Proves I don't have COVID!  We all ran over to the dyer, stopped the drum and opened the door.  Smoke just poured out and we decided not to sell the dryer either.  In all truth, we considered putting it back on and letting it run while we went out for lunch. Good thing we're honest peeps.

It's been such a pleasure coming "home" every night to our room at Brinton Suites, a lovely little kitchenette with an outdoor patio and this peaceful view.  We have breakfast and dinner out here every day.  Just being outside in the fresh air and watching the birds at the feeders restores our souls. 

Have y'all ever seen one of these mobile shredding trucks?  They are amazing!  Charlie had filled 4 large trash bags with files and papers he thought should be shredded.  I cleaned out 2 filing cabinets with more of the same.  He was thinking we could just burn the lot of it, but....nah....that would take forever, and we weren't sure the neighbors would be too keen on that.  These guys came on out, wheeled that big ole can down the driveway, loaded it up and pushed it back up to the truck.

The can was placed in the bay, the arms came out...

The can was sucked up, and that's when the magic really started!  Somehow, the can got dumped, the truck rattled and shook, and poof!  Papers, staples and paper clips were turned into mulch.  Or, whatever they call shred.  They handed me a destruction certificate, ran our credit card, and then they were on their way.  Easy-peasy.  

Every day, we got to pass Pete's Produce Stand, and this little charmer was guarding the gate. She's made from an old oil tank, a bucket, some paint and a few other upcycled metal pieces.  She's a real cutie, eh? 

Also at the produce stand, was this little wonky house.  Up till this day, the door had been closed, so we didn't know it was a lending library until we stopped to take this picture.

And this is the actual produce retail area.

So, all this time, we've been in discussion with an investor, a neighbor, and another neighbor's friend, trying to get this house sold.  The neighbor wanted it for her daughter, a single mom, working full time, with FOUR, count 'em, FOUR kids.  Being as the house is in terrible disrepair and is in dire need of (expensive) updating, we didn't think it was suitable for her.  And the neighbor's friend and his girlfriend spent 2 hours walking through it and discussing the possibilities last night, but, ultimately, they declined to make an offer.  However, the investor was not afraid.  He flips houses for a living, and he seemed well versed in the sales process, even though we were going to do it all electronically.  He offered us enough money to pay the taxes and a quick closing, to get it off our hands, so we accepted his offer this morning, and within minutes of me telling him so, he had the paperwork completed and sent to Charlie via email.  Now, ya gotta remember, Phoenix is 3 hours behind us, so when I called Charlie to get him to check his email, it was only 7:30 am.  Sorry Charlie!  But, I thought you'd want to know....and take action, quick, before he changed his mind. By noon, we had the car somewhat packed up, and we had the afternoon free.  What to do?  I know, we can go geocaching!  Check out our first Pennsylvania smiley!  

And the next one..it was a tiny bison tube, tied to a string and dropped down the sign post.  Cute hide!

 

We saw this little guy on the way to another cache...Ben Franklin, the Punctual Plumber.

Now, THIS brought back some fond memories, of some dear friends.  Barbara and Charles, we have been reminiscing about those crab cakes your brought us from Maryland and all the good times we've shared.  We can't wait to get back to Silver Springs and see y'all again!

This is one of the tiniest caches we've ever seen.  That rolled paper is actually the log, and it's only about an eighth of an inch wide.  Yeah, really.

So we got to celebrate World Geocaching Day and the 20th Anniversary of Geocaching, as well as the sale of Dad's house and the cleanup we've all been working towards for 20 years.  Tomorrow, we get to head back to Dallas to pick up our motorhome.  Oh, wait, I forgot to tell you about that!  Thursday, we got a call from Laurie, telling us they were expecting our power steering hose to arrive on Friday, around noon.  And what do ya know?!  Friday about 3 pm, Laurie called and told us she had our hose in her hand!!!  Whoooohooo!!  They are going to install it on Monday, will take a day or two, and it should be ready by Wednesday!!  So we are ready to hit the road once more.  Dallas, here we come!

Till next time, y'all stay safe and well, remember to mask up!  Life is precious!

 

There's a New Normal in Town

SSo, it's been about two weeks now, since we last spoke, right?  Seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?  And, my gosh, how things have changed.  Well, not EVERYthing has changed.  Here's a shot of Bailey, dated April 4th, doing what she loooves to do.  We call this La Cookaracha.  Yeah, I've probably bungled the spelling, but now you have an earworm, don'tcha!

And here's a shot of our neighbors' response to the closure of the park, and orders not to gather in groups of more than 10, later amended to 6.  And, to wear facemasks and keep at least 6 feet apart.  Yes, all important happy hours continue.  For HOURS at a time.  NO, we do NOT join them.  If we happen to walk by them (and it's hard not to, since they are right across the street from our site, and the dog does require frequent walks), we smile (behind our masks) and give a friendly wave.  As we continue our journey to the doggie doo area.

So, what have we been up to during this period of involuntary inactivity?  Well, hitch-itch has definitely set in, so we are battling that....and cookies.  Oh.My.God.  For those of you that might not know, I make some mean chocolate chips and brownies.  Even in my little convection/microwave that is not quite level and has a real hot spot on one end.  So, we're battling the quarantine-fifteen.  It started out at 10, but I'm pretty sure we surpassed that and are now up to fifteen.  I only pray it's split between the two of us.  Might not be.  I don't know about you, but I think my dryer is shrinking my shorts.  But, I still thank God (and Driver and Newmar) that I even HAVE a dryer.  IN.MY.OWN.COACH!  Yes, I will shout that from the rooftops.  Ha, I'm not spoiled, am I.  Oh, hush.  I can hear you laughing all the way from here.  But, I digress.  You were asking what we've been doing all this time.  Well, we haven't been dancing, that's fer sure.  (but you already knew that)  We haven't been geocaching (that's always be a dirty, grimy game, but we take small bottles of hand sanitizer, seldom paw through the goodies, and always, always use our own pen), and there's nowhere to shop that's open or we want to go.  Cooties people all around, you know. So I bake, we eat.  Plain and simple.  Oh, but, yes, I've been sewing too.  I was able to scrape together enough fabrics and filter materials to make about 16 or 18 masks.  We kept the first two prototypes, then sent out a bunch, then I made 2 more for ourselves, so we would have a spare and a pair (one to wash, one to wear.  Did I mention that I can wash and dry IN.MY.OWN.CAMPER!) So after I exhausted my on-board supplies, and what I had ordered, I sewed up a curtain for one of my customers in New Hampshire.  Luckily, on our last excursion to Victoria, we had stopped in at Hobby Lobby and purchased the necessary fabric and Velcro, and I had the measurements already.  Sent it off to her, it fit, she loved it, she paid me, and then she sent me this hand-quilted beauty.  

Her hand-stitches were simply beautiful, and so lovingly placed.  But, alas, they were incomplete.  And there was staining and fading of the excess material surrounding the top, which was meant to be folded over to the front and stitched down, at about a 4 inch width.  After playing with my fancy embroidery machine for about 4 days straight, and looking online for quilting stencils, with no luck, I might add, I decided I could make a tracing of her stitches onto my Solvey (clear Saran-wrap-like disolvable stabilizer), then staple that to chipboard (empty cereal box cardboard), then digitize it.  So that's how I got my embroidery stitch pattern.  And, without further ado, I finished up her quilt.  There was some more stitching that went into it, and I used my dual feed foot to do the semi-circles that I quilted into the teal border.  I just used the lid to my largest bowl and traced around it multiple times.  I liked that look so much I went back and did a second row, inside the first.  Then I searched my phone for photos, failing that, my memory, and failing that, You Tube, for how to make the bring-backing-to-the-front binding.  Found basically what I needed and did it.  No sweat. Actually, it was a LOT easier than my usual method of cutting strips, sewing them together, sewing them all on around the edges, making perfect mitered corners (never happens, btw) and joining the strips at the end.  Then you gotta sew it all down around the BACK, and I do that by hand....soooo...yeah.  This new normal took about oh, I dunno, maybe 30 minutes, all told?  Bam, done.  New normal, me thinks.  Save more time for making and eating cookies, right?

So, that filled up about a week or so.  And still no end in sight to our new-found free time.  Driver had washed the car, so it was clean, we gave the pup a bath once or twice, so she was clean.  I vacuumed and mopped the floor, so IT was clean...there really wasn't much else to do.  Yes, I could surf the internet, but that just made me sleepy, and you know I can't see well enough to read anymore, so that's just no longer an enjoyable activity for me anymore....but....I had those two quilts I had pieced in the first two weeks of quarantine, remember?  They were to keep us warm and snug in our recliners.  I was going to layer (sandwich) them on a table in the Activity Room, but by the time I got the quilts pieced, the Activity Room was locked up and unavailable, so I just bagged the quilts and stuck 'em under the bed.  But here I was with time, materials, and a clean floor.  And two quilts, just begging to be completed.  So I pulled out the first one, laid out the backing and batting, and before I could place the quilt top on the sandwich....

How dare I take up her launching pad?  Once I had her situated up in her window, I was able to get my top centered up on the sandwich.  Inadvertently, I left enough room on all sides to implement that new border technique.  That was a lucky accident!

So, here's my struggle.  They always say, Quilt As Desired.  And I have no idea what to put.  I've always wanted to learn to do feathers, so I got my chalk and fiddled until I got a pattern I could duplicate freehand.  Then threaded my needle with matching thread (not sure I wanted the stitches to show!) and went to town.  Ha, that's not as hard as I thought it would be!  And by the time I got to the 4th blade, I actually had a pretty good rhythm going!  Could I do 'em again?  Who knows.  But I got 'em done THIS time, and I was happy.  I drew myself a template (again, on scrap cardboard) and traced some overlapping hearts around the pink, and happily spent the next few days adding more and more stitching to the sandwich.

Eventually, I got it to a place I was happy with it all, brought that backing to the front and stitched it down, and called it DONE!  I think I'm going to wait on the other one until I can get some Minky for the back.  I loooove the feel of Minky against my skin, and apparently, winter in Texas is over, so we don't have a need for either of these quilts at this time.  (not the first time I've made blankets in the summer, probably not gonna be the last)

So, what was the Driver doing while all this was going on?  Washing & waxing the car, hosing off the patio, reorganizing (yes, again) the basement, reading, and truthfully, I don't know what all else.  Walking the dog several times, I'm sure.  By my second day of inactivity after my sewing flurry, I was going nutso.  Some would say that was a short trip.  Some would say, how is that even possible, as I was already nutso.  (pfffft, that's what I say)  So we decided we would venture out to Walmart and Ace Hardware.  We had been (I use that term loosely, DRIVER had been) to HEB (grocery) already twice, now, and we really are well stocked up on food.  But, there were a few things we could pick up at WM and Ace, if we were so inclined.  I wanted some charcoal filters for my crisper drawer, he needed more wax, Papa's birthday is coming up soon, and we may not get there, so better get him a card in the mail, and I'm about out , of thread.  Again.  And Kelly had sent me a box of scraps (God love her, but they must have all fallen off the ugly truck, they are UGLY) but I really didn't want to use up my last spool of piecing thread on such ugly stuff.., and just to get out and ride our bikes.  We figured my basket would hold everything.  (HA, hold that thought!)

The ride down the trail was pleasant - the weather here is absolutely gorgeous, and perfect for us heat-seekers.  Sunny, breezy and hot.  South Texas at its best!  Along the way, we found our favorite doggo-windows empty, but adorned with community artwork and love.  There were inspirational sayings drawn on the sidewalk, too.

Yup, I'm suited up appropriately.  See that flannel shirt tied around my waist?  Yeah, the gray one.  Hold that thought, you'll need it later.

We even found one of the Rocks for Rockport-Fulton stuck up in a tree.  First find!  No, I didn't see it, Driver did and told me about it, so we went back, as I had already passed it.

ACE Hardware was just about empty, but, not only did I find my crisper filters, I found a pair of tongs I could live with.  And look what the masked Driver found!  Too bad there was no real ice cream hiding behind the sign.  And the sign is WAAAAY too big for me to carry home, so we left it there.  

From there, we pedaled back to WalMart.  While Driver was researching the wax options, I walked over to see about getting some thread.  HAHAHA, joke's on me!  Very little thread available (I bought light green, not ivory, white, tan, silver or black) and NO bias tape to speak of.  That's what a lot of people were using for mask ties, I know.  I used elastic until I ran out, and if I had needed anymore, I would have raided the closet and cut up an old T-shirt.

Fabric bundles, anyone?  Nope, not a one to be had.

Fat quarters, anyone?  Likewise, nope, not a one. That's a lotta masks baby!

But, wait, what about the flannel shirt?  Apparently, we "needed" more than I had originally thought.  We ended up buying a plastic shoebox to corral art supplies down in the basement.  And a bicycle mirror (found to be inappropriate for my style handlebars), two inner tubes, some Velveeta cheese and canned tomatoes (who knew that was necessary at this time), the big bottle of wax, and a whole pack of microfiber towels.  Whaaat?  Where, exactly was all this stuff gonna go for the ride home?  Call me crafty!  I buttoned up that big ole shirt, packed most of our goodies in that plastic shoebox, put the shoebox INSIDE the shirt, balanced the load on TOP of my basket (which contained all the stuff that didn't fit in the box) and tied the bottom of the shirt to itself and the sleeves to the handlebars.  Surprisingly, it worked VERY well.  Only fell off the bars/basket once, and that was after I went over a big bump.  Did we get a photo of that?  Nope, sorry.  Was afraid if I stopped, I wouldn't get going again without falling over (or off!).  Never underestimate the power of a crafty woman again!

So we made it home with only the one incident, put our stuff up, took showers and fixed dinner.  The stress level was pretty high so no further action took place at Casa Callander.  Friday dawned bright and beautiful, and we slept in.  So, nothing new there....along about noon (yeah, why not wait till the sun was high overhead and it was as hot as it was gonna get), we dragged all the equipment out and started washing the rig.  I don't know how or why, but it sure seems bigger on the outside than it does on the inside!  For the rest of the day, we washed, rinsed, dried and polished.  And now the coach looks beautiful outside.  The floor inside is dirty again, but ask me if I care.  HA.  nooooope.  Absolutely exhausting.  Darned good thing he didn't plan on waxing it same day!  I betting since tomorrow is Saturday, it won't even be same WEEK!

And for those of you that were concerned, most of the people that were holding court over at the happy hour social gathering have moved on.  They are going back from whence they came, not to return until next year.  There is still a core group, of about 10, that sit and drink till dinner time, split up, then reconvene after dinner and play cards and cornhole until it's too dark to see.  Then they just sit and drink some more, breaking up for the night about 9 pm.  Us?  We just smile behind our masks, wave, and walk on.  Theoretically, our Governor is trying to reopen Texas, and we'll know more on Monday, but at this time, it appears that the campground will begin accepting new rigs on Friday.  We will have to give up our current site and move to a new one, at the far end of the park, so we'll probably do that on Thursday.  Same park, just a different site.

And, just for fun, here's Bailey's version of the New Normal.  (those be Driver's legs, not mine!)

Until next time, virtual hugs and yellow rocks!  Stay well, stay safe.  And remember, just because they SAY you CAN go out, doesn't mean you HAVE to go out!