Living in an Empty House

We moved in to our new house on Thursday. Emptied the RV and winterized the water system; now there's no going back.

We brought the mattresses from the boys' bunks into the house for them, and bought a new twin sized air mattress for Bridget. We have our old queen air mattress (which needs reinflating every day or two, unless you like the feel of hard floor on your hip) in the master bedroom.

We met the new neighbors the first day we were there. One couple came over to tell us "welcome and we're leaving for a month." They offered to let us park our RV in their yard (they have a level spot which we don't--yet) and asked if we needed anything else. Not one to let an opportunity slip by, I quickly asked if they had a card table, which they did, complete with four padded folding chairs. I wasn't gutsy enough to ask if they had a TV, though!

Speaking of which, the kids are having withdrawals. After three months in the RV with FOUR of them (ok, two were "just" dvd players) we now have only our 7" dvd player in that big echoing house. We'd gotten used to all the cable channels at the RV parks, and now we don't even have broadcast! Oh, well, it's good for us to "rough it".

But an empty house gets LOUD when filled with pillow-fighting children and a dog who gets too excited to see squirrels and deer in the yard. Not to mention blue jays and our new cat. We had to come out to the library just so I could rest my ears! And check my email and blog.

Yes, we have a cat, kind of. The daughter of the former owners of our house left a note, a bowl, and a can of cat food, asking us to feed the "wild" cat that lives in their back yard. We put out the food,and sure enough a cat crept up onto the porch to eat. She was not thrilled to see Pippin looking out the window and growling at her.

Being too cheap to buy canned food for a stray (I don't buy it for Pippin, either) I got a bag of dry cat food. So far we're not sure if the cat is eating any of it, or just leaving it for the blue jays in hopes of a better meal soon. We have seen the birds helping themselves.

David is in New York today. He flew back to Virginia on the red-eye and picked up our minivan which we'd left with our neighbors there. Then, without even taking a nap, he drove 6 hours to visit his folks, with a stop in Syracuse to see his grandma. He called me about 4 miles out from Grandma and Grandpa's house, so I know he got that far. Should hear from him later tonight. He's staying there til Tuesday, when he begins the marathon across the US to home.

One Tooth Gone, 2 or 3 to Go

Bridget lost the first of several teeth that were wiggly in her mouth today…good thing we took that picture of her this past weekend.  School pictures were today too, go figure.  The school nurse gave her a nice little plastic tooth necklace to hold her tooth until she got home.  She was very excited.

In other news, Max led the 3^rd and 4^th grade assembly in the pledge of allegiance today.  We also heard about the various Oregon state items…flower, the Oregon grape, Bird, the Yellow Meadowlark, Animal, The American Beaver, and many more…

We also managed to winterize the RV ourselves and unload it at the new house.  Tonight will be the first night of sleeping in the quiet of our new neighborhood—Crossroads.

First Day in the New House--Sep 27, 2007

Thanks for all your well wishes.  We have closed and the house has recorded—we are clear to move from RV into our new home.  Hopefully, as the transportation office told me, we should see our household goods in two to three weeks, but definitely before Halloween.  We’re all smiles…hope wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, you are too!

Pile of Overdue Pictures to Show

Here is a link to a big pile of pictures. Includes some of the kids, new house, GW Fire, and just hanging out.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=3x70wrv.25xqk55r&Uy=-twl8ku&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

Just plain cute

Bridget is on the cusp of losing three teeth...two of them obvious in this portrait too cute not to post.

We went to visit one of the Sisters' artists at work today. Ken Merrill owns Canyon Creek Pottery (http://canyoncreekpotteryllc.com). He does some awesome lamp bases and dishware. The kids watched him throw several pasta dishes and he had racks full of pottery in various stages of production. He has at least three kilns on site and has been a potter for more than two decades.

Here are some everyday shots of the kids (all four).

Phew

Kiddos enjoy a special picnic of McDonald's and Cartoon Network Happy Meals on a recent warm weekend.

Julia and I spent our morning today placing job search info on the Oregon WorkForce system and walking into town and back to get our mail. We took Pippin along and stopped at a fruit stand on the edge of town before hoofing it thru the herd paths leading back to the RV park.

This weekend we hope to go watch some amateur rodeo folks after the Pro Rodeo at Sisters Rodeo and go to the church sponsored Oktoberfest.

Counting down to the house closing and all systems are go!

RV Power Problem Fixed & Other News

Some of you know we recently had a power problem with our RV. Our house batteries stopped charging from shore power and 12v appliances (fans, lights, TVs, and furnace) were draining them at night. The only way we could recharge was to run the coach before bed and when we got up. We were starting to get cold, nights down in the 30’s and we were also starting to get nervous about solving the problem. After troubleshooting, I guessed that the culprit was probably the 110v to 12v converter. So, the next step was finding the it in the RV and getting someone to look at it. Called the Premier Roadside folks…no help, told me to call Winnebago. Winnebago folks thought I was right on the source but the drawings in the manuals and parts diagrams were wrong on the location—it’s behind the main power panel (the door below the fridge). Anyway, long story short, we found a new Winnebago dealer in Bend who searched for it with me. And after checking the fuses on the unit—they were good. It started to work again. Our best guess was that minor contact corrosion on the fuses had prevented it from recognizing the need to charge the house batteries. It was a bear to get to. The tech said if we’d had to change the unit, it would have been an all day job. Luckily, we got the coach back in a little over an hour and had time to spare to pick up the kids after school.

BTW, Bridget has to do a number story tonight...here is her picture of the subject--thought it was cute.

Also, see Julia in the local paper!!! Star of Bridget's Back to School Night....

http://www.nuggetnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=8&ArticleID=13528&TM=82490.82

Doug was way impressed by Mr Bob Mortimer (www.bobmortimer.org), a motivational speaker that came to his school this past week. I met Bob in the RV park where he spent the week with his family. It was amazing to see him drive his pick-up and work with his family to position and use their 5th wheel... He told me he'll be speaking at Spangdahlem AB this fall. The troops will love him. Read the articale about him here.

http://www.nuggetnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=8&ArticleID=13534&TM=82665.55

Happiness is a Job, I Wish I Had One

Sisters Jazz Festival is in town, Cycle Oregon is headed to a finish and our house deal seems on track. I am trying to stay true to our quest to find the ideal place to settle, then the house and then the job...but I admit I'm getting antsy. The kids have been back in school for 2 weeks and are settling into the routine nicely. I'm not bored, just want to get going with life. There are new friends to be made, challenges to take on and fulfillment of achieving something, even if it is bringing home a paycheck to pay the bills. There's some apprehension too in making a new start here--first impressions are lasting ones... Patience and faith are our watchwords.

It's also time to plan the trip to retrieve the minivan in VA and visit the folks in NY before zooming back cross country.

D

G.W. Fire All but Out

Slow news day here in OR. Yesterday we attended the Sisters Folk Festival...the kiddos played in the park while Mom and Dad munched Kettle Korn and listened to the music from outside the tent (cheaper that way). It was a beautiful afternoon...

P.S. The G.W. fire is almost out...we watched the helicopters dump water on the remaining spot fires. Today there is not detectable smoke in Sisters. The fire is about 10 miles away.

The Waiting Game, Part II

Yesterday we had the inspection on our soon-to-be home. One step closer to closing. No major issues, although apparently they build houses here without gutters, which the inspector thinks is not a great idea. I guess the builders figure it doesn't rain enough, but forget that when it does rain, it RAINS. Or at least that's what we've witnessed so far. The house still seems as fantastic as we originally thought, so no buyers remorse so far.

I put my job application in at the Community College in Bend--Assistant Director of Admissions and Records. It would mean a 20-30 minute commute, but it looks like a fun job and it pays better than anything available in Sisters right now. David is not too sure about being a house-husband, but I'm sure he'll find something to occupy his time (bowling anyone?) Keep your fingers crossed for me--I have the qualifications (actually over-qualified) but that 10 year gap in my employment history might put them off....

The kids are all in school, which means we have some free time to explore the local area, or just BE without the usual "she's looking at me!" "He's breathing on me!" Bridget and Max ride the bus; for now Douglas rides his bike. School starts earlier here--8am--so that is taking some adjustment. And once we're in the house, it will be even earlier as the bus comes at 7:06. Yikes! Good thing David is a morning person.

Almost Labor Day

Today was filled with prep on Julia's employment application and getting the kiddos essential shoes and clothing to start the school year off right. Max was way excited to get a pair of Sketchers shoes. So too was Doug about his Oregon colored hoodie (olive green), and Bridget about her new pink terry cloth hoodie.

The fire seems to be moving off to the NE. The locals do not seemed too concerned, though the husband and wife team who run reception for the RV park are on 20 minute stand-by for the fire department. We watched the Bend evening news at 6 PM, and it barely got a mention. Folks were more concerned with hurricane Felix--that certainly will have minimum impact on the locals. You can read one of the news local stories here: http://www.ktvz.com/global/story.asp?s=7014132

Today was also a day for introspection. Family and friends, we know how disappointing it is that we are not living as close to you as you would like. We miss you too, but we also know this is where we need to be for now.

Hope all is well in your part of the country and thanks for caring enough to let us know you care about how this venture turns out.

D

Black Butte Fire

Well, as you might have guessed, lightning storms have a different meaning here... The Black Butte fire started two nights ago by lightning. It's seven miles west of Black Butte off highway 20. It looks alot closer than it is from our RV. This picture was taken from behind the Sisters High School. So far, no homes are threatened.