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Fall 2023

October - November 2023
This will be a relatively short but very busy trip. Nevada, Austin, Florida, back to Austin and then HOME to Seattle in under 2 months..... Read more
  • 30footprints
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  • TravelerFall 2023
    Day 60

    Checking Off Stuff on the To-Do List

    December 4, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 52 °F

    New heaters installed this morning in my condo. The ones in the bedrooms were not working at all. And the other 2 were just as old. So got them all replaced with newer more efficient ones. I could have spent a lot more $$ & time and tried to get permission from the condo association to install a heat pump system that would also provide some air conditioning. But I didn't really want to go through all that. Hopefully I won't regret it. I can always use fans and maybe get a window unit. The real issue might be smoke from Canadian fires in summer.

    Got some spare keys made. That's been on my list for months.

    AND got a library card!!!    Read more

  • TravelerFall 2023
    1
    Day 58

    2023 is Almost Over

    December 2, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    I made it to Seattle for Thanksgiving. And now it's December 2023. The year is coming to a close. Will there be anymore major events in the next 30 days?

    I spent Thanksgiving weekend ar Heather & Joshua's. I took Odin to my condo for a little bit one day. He approves of the van and the condo. I've ordered him a better booster seat for the van. The little inflatable one is not secure or comfortable enough. I am still having doubts about the van. It is going to be a challenge parking in some places. And I won't be able to take both grand kids with me until Odin's big enough to sit in a front seat. But....there are lots of plusses to it to.

    Things I like about my Solis (so far);
    1. Having heat at night & especially in the morning.
    2. A big comfortable bed.
    3. Being able to stand up.
    4. The price.
    5. The rear view camera/mirror & blind spot detectors.
    6. I like being so elevated while driving.

    Things I am not thrilled with:
    1. Needs better arm rests. I can work on them.
    2. Turning radius. I'll have to get use to it.
    3. Height; can't fit through some drive throughs; Starbucks, McDonald's....parking garages.
    4. Back up camera does not beep warning...I'll have to see if I can set it to beep.
    5. I need a step on the driver's side. I joined a SOLIS POCKET Facebook group and someone posted about getting a step installed at an RV dealer. Definately on my priority list!

    I need to take some time to read through the manuals.    Read more

  • TravelerFall 2023
    Day 47

    Can I Make It To Seattle in Time For Pie

    November 21, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 45 °F

    Does it really matter if I make it to Seattle for Thanksgiving? NO, it really shouldn't. But it seems silly to only almost make it. The drive is going smoothly.

    I've listened to 2 books so far. I stared Gulliver's Travels while in Austin. Part of my goals to read more of the classics. Although many think of it as a children's book, much of it would go way over any kid's head. It was very interesting. And now I know where the term 'Ya-Hoo' comes from 🐸 !

    Next I listened to a podcast David sent me a link to, which was also fascinating. I definitely intend to continue to explore some of the stuff on the current Gender Craze. And press him to send me info about shows he watches & podcasts he listens to

     Next, I listened to a Deep Into The Dark by P. J. TRACY, a current best selling author. It was an engrossing mystery crime novel involving a vet with PTSD.

    And.....the scenery is sometimes beautiful along the way    Read more

  • TravelerFall 2023
    Day 46

    Texas, Oh Texas

    November 20, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Since my route out of Austin would take me right by my old neighborhood I decided to stop at El Camino Reale for a quick breakfast. They make the absolute best spinach omelets. And who knows when I'll ever get a chance to have another. So regardless of the fact that it would delay my progress, I decided to have a sit down breakfast.

    There are a lot of things I will really miss about Austin and Texas.

    I hope I will find people & places to love in Renton, Seattle and Washington State!    Read more

  • TravelerFall 2023
    1
    Day 45

    Intent to Vacate

    November 19, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    What a week! But I made it and it is done. Everything was packed in my storage unit. Friday they notified me that the movers would be here on Sunday. That gave me a little extra time. Saturday I finished packing and kinda organized the van, made a last run to Goodwill. And submitted my "intent to vacate" at Northgate Storage.

    This morning I went to the storage unit early to wait for Arena Van Lines to show up. About 11am I called them to get an ETA. And was told that they weren't coming til Monday. That pissed me off but not much I could do about it. So.....I went to Rudy's and picked up some BBQ for later, dropped it at David's and went to Wendy's. I intended to.make cranberry sauce for her but first I needed a little nap. BUT.... the moving company called to apologize and notify me that they WERE COMING TODAY. She said they would be there between 4 & 5.

    So. Back. To. The. Storage unit I went.... Then Serge, the mover calls to tell me he is stuck in traffic and is not sure when he'll get there.

    They finally arrived a.little after 6. Serge is from Uzbekistan, and the other guy is from Tajikistan. It took them about 2 hours or so to pack & load everything. It was.probably good they came Sunday evening since there was.no one there. Also took an hour for the paperwork. But it's done and the estimate was very close.

    Tomorrow I head to Seattle    Read more

  • TravelerFall 2023
    Day 40

    Today Was Longer than 24 Hrs...

    November 14, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Today seems like several days rolled into 1. I started the day at 5 am. Made it to the airport a little early as we left Early enough to avoid all the traffic. Was in the air by 7:30. Lay over in St. Louis, don't think I've ever been through there before. Cant believe I had the very best BLT in my whole life at an airport!

    Landed in Ausrin at about 1pm. Took a Taxi to David's; way more expensive that it should have been. Hopped in my new van, which I decided to name DeVan, and drove to my storage unit. (More on DeVan later)

    Then I spent at least 4 hrs going through stuff, un packing & repacking stuff. Had to discard a few broken things. I have a pretty big pile for goodwill and a big bag of trash.

    But the day wasn't over yet. After talking to Wendy I headed to the grocery store to pick up her order for her, and realized my watch was still on east coast time. So I had an hour to kill and was so famished. So had some dinner at Jason's Deli. Then had a little time to look through some of the stuff in DeVan. It's going to take some time to get organized!

    Then....picked up & delivered Wendy's groceries. Spent an hour or so hanging out with her and catching up.

    Then...went to David's. He was so sweet, he'd even set up the air mattress for me.

    And now it's 11:30 pm and I'm so tired but still awake. Maybe a little over tired.    Read more

  • TravelerFall 2023
    Day 38

    Last Day in Florida

    November 12, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    Tomorrow will be my last day in Florida. I will be heading to Austin on Tuesday. It's hard to believe I've been here a month. I feel like I've been in limbo or a sort of suspended animation. I've never watched so much TV ever. I did manage to see a few good shows that I had heard of:
    The Light You Cannot See was Excellent. About a blind girl in France who helped the allies by broadcasting a radio program. My dad seems to enjoy watching WW II movies. We also watched a documentary on the German Officer Rommel that was interesting.
    But I will be happy to not watch anything for awhile.

    We almost made it through the whole time without him falling....almost. Yesterday he fell in the shower. He was sitting on his shower chair and dropped something while I went to grab the towels out of the dryer. Of course he leaned over to try to pick it up and tipped the chair over and ended up lying on the floor of the shower. I couldn't possibly get him up by myself and of course couldn't locate the paper with Jim's friends #'s. And the local emergency numbers on the magnet didn't have the area codes. I'd looked at it before but didn't notice the missing numbers and of course I have no idea what the local area code is. I ended up calling Jim and luckily they were not on the plane yet. They were able to text me all the numbers. I got a hold of Jim's friend Roland who came over quickly and we were able to get him up to the wheelchair.

    I was pretty upset. Had he just waited another 6 hours I could have said "he never fell while I was taking care of him!"    Read more

  • TravelerFall 2023
    Day 32

    LPR - laryngopharyngeal reflux

    November 6, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    One afternoon I was in a panic thinking I had Esophageal CA! My symptoms' were increasing and nothing seemed to help. A few days later they were some what better and I happened to see an article on 'Silent Reflux' and a light bulb went on.

    Symptoms of Silent Reflux
    - LPR usually does not cause chest-burning symptoms, but if symptoms do appear, they include:

     - Asthma
    - Bitter taste in the throat
    - Chronic cough or excessive throat clearing
    - Difficulty swallowing
    - Hoarseness
    - Postnasal drip
    - Sensation of a lump in the throat
    - Sore or burning sensation in the throat

    I'd started taking a PPI but was still having issues and hence I decided it was CA. But I had run out of Prilosec and was trying a different PPI. I hate taking them long term cause I believe one needs some acid to digest one's food properly. But this article mentioned Alginate therapy. Even with all my years as a GI nurse, I'd never heard of it. But it sounds like just what I need!

    Also I am so relieved to not have Esophageal CA as I was already contemplating treatment options and.....etc....

    Alginate Therapy is also called a Reflux Raft. Alginates are medications that work through an alternative mechanism by displacing the postprandial gastric acid pocket. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC60…

    Although Gaviscon contains and alginate, there is a newer interesting compound that comes from seaweed. "The three active ingredients of the most effective products are sodium (Na) alginate (Laminaria hyperborea stem), Na bicarbonate (HCO3) and calcium (Ca) carbonate (CO3). These substances interact to form a strong, coherent, voluminous, buoyant alginate raft when they are introduced to the acidic gastric environment. The raft is responsible for suppressing reflux and relieving the symptoms of heartburn and GERD." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC68…

    So.....I have ordered a product from Amazon and eagerly await it's arrival!    Read more

  • TravelerFall 2023
    Day 27

    New Teeth, New Smile

    November 1, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Dad broke a tooth a.few.weeks.ago. His dentures were over 50 years old. Tuesday we went to the dentist to pick up his new dentures. Quite a difference.

    And today he.got.out his 🎷 to see if he could play. And I'd say he sounds about as good as he has in awhile. I think he's quite happy to.be.able.to.blow.a.few notes.Read more

  • TravelerFall 2023
    Day 25

    My New Ride

    October 30, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 72 °F

    It's official. I signed the papers and I am now the proud owner of a 2023 Winnebago Solis Pocket.

    It's still at the dealership for now. I need to schedule my 2 hour orientation/training. Plan on doing that when Steve is back in town Friday or Monday.

    Then Cliff is going to drive it to Austin for me.

    So now I need to find a buyer for Vanette.

    AND PLAN AN AWESOME.ROAD TRIP    Read more

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