TRAVEL DAY: GRAND ISLE, VERMONT TO REDWOOD, NY.
Day 54 – It was humid & cloudy when we got up. We took our time getting ready to leave. Check-in time at our next campground was 3 p.m., so we didn’t have to leave this campground early. Cathie was also getting ready to leave. We were able to visit and say good-bye to Cathie & Pete leisurely.
Hello family & friends! It’s been quite a while since we last wrote. We hope you all are doing well (as well as can be expected after these long months). We last wrote when completing Trip #7 on October 17, 2020.
Because of COVID, we spent these months like most people, indoors. Mask-wearing became so ordinary, we didn’t even notice we were wearing them when we did leave the house. To this day (May 4), we have not eaten out at a restaurant since early March 2020, just doing take-out or delivery. We haven’t seen any of our friends or family. We rarely go to a store. Amazon has become our best friend. And so far, we haven’t gotten sick.
The COVID vaccinations were initially stressful, also. First, in December I wasn’t sure if it was safe and had the vaccine been rushed through without adequate testing, but it didn’t matter then because there were no shots available for months anyway. While people living in the bigger cities were getting the shots easily, outlying places had no availability. I didn’t have to decide whether to rush out and try to get vaccinated. Then we finally got the vaccine in this area, but we weren’t eligible. Then when we were eligible, all openings for the shots were already taken. Well, it’s true that you always want what you cannot have, because then, I decided I really wanted to be vaccinated, LOL. We both have now had both shots (Moderna), survived the side effects after the second shot, and it’s been a wonderful feeling not worrying so much. It is freeing!
Like everyone else, we just about went nuts around election time and beyond with the political and racial unrest. January 6th shocked us, and we’ve been frightened by what we’ve seen and heard. It has truly been a time we want to forget, but never will. Things do seem to be getting better in many ways though. Everyone please stay safe and please be kind to others.
We spent the winter here in NY. We had lots of snow, and it was very beautiful. This spring, also, has been beautiful with the almost fluorescent colors as the new growth emerges.
It was good to be home and to get some things done that had been scheduled before we left. The end of October we had a new paved driveway put in, a paved trailer pad for the RV, and a paved pathway from the driveway to the front door. It was all previously gravel/dirt. No more muddy potholes. We love it. It was a nice contrast to the fall colors last year, and in the winter it was much easier to plow us out.
We met again with the NY contractors and made the final decisions for the remodel here. We had to make decisions on the colors we wanted for the siding and trim, the garage doors, etc. We ordered a cabinet to be custom built for the master bedroom to replace the old chest of drawers and give us more storage space. We had to decide on materials and colors for front and back doors, and deckings. Since the demand and prices of building materials and wood have gone up tremendously, there were shortages and back orders of supplies.
The remodel finally began 8 weeks ago. If you haven’t already been through it, there is no way to describe the noise & disruption of living in your home during a major renovation, particularly during the removal of old siding and the replacement with new siding. But it was almost finished last week with the insulation of the attic and the installation of the railings on the rear deck. We still have some electrical work to be completed and the installation of the glass doors for the shower in the master bathroom. These item should be completed within two weeks. Our new garage doors will be installed this Wednesday, just in time because one of the doors is barely working. The remainder of the work is being done by Rob, and he’s done lots of it already. As a reward, he now has a new Man-Shed for all his tools and equipment. Once the renovation is completely done, we’ll share some before & after pictures, but here’s a few from mid-reno.
My left knee is doing very well. The knee replacement was worth it, although I don’t want to do it again unless I have to. The right knee is also a problem, but I won’t rush into surgery unless it gets as bad as the other one did. I had cataract surgery in November (right eye) and December (left eye). No problems there. And once it was done, I could not believe how bright and beautiful everything was! Rob is doing well, thank goodness.
The kitties are great, at least NOW they are. During the renovations around the house, they were very stressed out. I mentioned the noise and disruption earlier. It was terrible, and Rob & I knew what was going on and what to expect. We really felt bad for them; they didn’t understand. They became very jumpy at the slightest noise & weren’t eating or sleeping well. Now that the worst of it is over, and it’s not going on 5 or 6 days a week, they are returning to normal.
When we got home last fall, we continued to plan for the cottage-build in Maine, continually making changes to the plans, and eagerly awaiting the time when Chris, our Maine general contractor, would be ready to discuss it with us in early 2021. At that time, we planned to finalize the plans, get the final estimate of costs along with the time frame of the build, and sign the contract.
Recently, after months of going back and forth with Chris, several times making large changes to the plans and virtually starting over, we found that we just couldn’t get the price down low enough to be comfortable with the cost of the build. Our contractor was wonderful, and he acknowledged that there wasn’t any way that he could bring the costs down any lower with the continual increase of the prices for wood and materials bringing up his costs 30%. The plans for the cottage have been set aside. We will definitely use Chris in the future if and when prices go back down enough for us to afford the project. It is strange and silly; a house is not a person; it is a thing. Yet we felt like we were mourning the loss of a loved one. We hope we can still make it work someday. Meanwhile, what can we do? Maybe plan a trip in the RV? Grin.
On May 20 we are packing up the girls and heading north, east, then west. We’ll be spending four months taking a leisurely trip back to some favorite places, taking some time on our land in Maine, and visiting some new places. We really wanted to go back to Newfoundland, but Canada is still not letting foreigners in. Instead we’ll go through Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York, making a loop back to end up at our land. We will spend some time visiting the 1000 Islands region of New York across from Canada along the Saint Lawrence River, and with a stopover in Niagara Falls. We will wave at Canada as we go by.
We’ll start up the Blog again, and you’re invited to come along. Talk to you in a couple of weeks!
Vicki & Rob; Gracie, Pixie, Luna, & Java
WE’RE BACK…………
Day 1 – We departed home in NY at 10:35 a.m. this morning. It was a beautiful day with a comfortable temperature of 68 degrees and partly cloudy. It rained the last couple of days and recently cooled off somewhat. We had a warm summer and we’re glad it’s cooler & the humidity is dropping. In the past we’d come home from one trip, unpack & do things around the house, keep appointments, and rush around to pack up and go out again as soon as possible. This time we had plenty of time to prepare leisurely and it was so much more pleasant. Hopefully, lesson learned. Continue reading
So, who knew last December when I wrote an after-Trip-6 update, what would happen in 2020?!
We had thought that a few months after my knee surgery, we’d head back out in the RV again. And still, like everyone else in the world, our plans changed, and none of us really know tomorrow what will happen. It’s been crazy, but we are happy to report that as of the end of August, we have not been ill with COVID.
We were quite apprehensive earlier this year as we sat inside our house & watched the news reports on the New York City virus disaster, and we saw the numbers rise daily as the virus marched from NYC north (as many of you watched it spread south and west nearer to your neighborhoods). Little did we know that this much later in the year, the problems would still exist in other parts of the world and our Country. And things are far from normal here even though COVID numbers have been much lower. We won’t even talk about politics, the economy, and the racial divide. You all know full well what has been going on. All we can say is: WHAT A YEAR!
We sincerely hope that all of you are staying safe & healthy, and that you have not lost loved ones nor been ill yourselves!
I had my left knee replacement surgery on January 9th, spent one night in the surgical center, and was home the next day. The entire surgical team including everyone from receptionists to my surgeon were outstanding. Things went well. That said, the recovery was difficult and it took a long time. The first two months were really bad. Thank goodness for meds, but there are side effects, and that was not enjoyable. I started in-home physical therapy the afternoon after I got home, and two weeks later graduated to out-patient PT. Very, very difficult, but without it, and without working as hard as you can, you won’t recover fully. Rob was extremely supportive; I could not have done it alone!
I continued with PT until mid-March when our County shut down due to COVID. I continued my exercises at home with Rob’s help and still do them. As so many others have done, we spent the time indoors cleaning & clearing out the junk. Once it was okay for contractors to come in, we had a roof repair done, some work on the septic system, and got a Mini-Split heat pump air conditioning system installed. (We’d used window air conditioners previously.) We were so happy to have this new system this summer when the temperatures climbed above 90 degrees for prolonged periods of time!
Travel has obviously been out of the question. Rob’s mother passed away in March; it happened quickly and he couldn’t go safely out to see her & they still cannot have an in-person memorial service. Everyone we know has had to cancel travel plans. We finally decided to take the RV (and the kitties) to our land in Maine for 6 to 7 weeks, coming back in time for the next batch of work to be done to the house in late October. We couldn’t go up previously because Maine shut its borders except for Vermont & New Hampshire (who had lower COVID counts like Maine). When Maine finally reopened to New York & Massachusetts, a negative COVID test was required in addition to a two-week quarantine period upon arrival. In August, the border was opened fully except to States with high COVID counts. And supposedly, masks are required, which is absolutely fine with us. Not being able to eat inside restaurants, just doing take-out & delivery, has been saving us money & time, too. Hmmm, is this the new reality?
We’ll be doing a more moderate Blog for this trip, with less pictures & less blow-by-blow dialog. We’ve blogged about trips to Maine several times before and there’s no need to repeat everything. But we really do want to document (for ourselves) the latest adventure: we are seriously considering having a SMALL cottage build on our land. We’ve spent many hours this summer researching contractors & builders, and designing (many times, over & over) what we need in a part-time home. The reason for the home, rather that just staying in the RV (which we truly love), is that when November rolls around, we always have to leave. The weather gets too cold & the pipes freeze in the RV. We really want to spend some winter time there – it’s incredibly lovely. Also, we cannot camp at our land until May, once it has warmed up enough & mud season is over. It would open up whole new experiences for us if we had an insulated home. Long story short, we will be starting up the Blog to document the whole process, for us. Feel free to come along for the ride. Today we left home and drove to Massachusetts close to the Vermont border. Tomorrow we have appointments with three timberframe builders. And more people to meet on the way to our land. At the land, we have at least eight general contractors to interview. We will be busy, and what a beautiful place to be busy in!
Stay safe everyone, and once again, thanks for reading! We’ve missed you.
Mama and baby deer in our front yard,
Deer in our back yard
UPDATE
MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY NEW YEAR & HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!
We just want to send a note out to everyone to let you know the status of our travels and the Blog, and also update you as to our plans for 2020.
Once again, thank you for reading and for staying in touch. It means so much to us!
HEADING FOR HOME.
Day 198 – Cloudy & 34 degrees this morning at 7 a.m., we packed up and left at 9:30 a.m. Traffic wasn’t too bad. We made potty stops, stopped for lunch at a rest stop, and got gas in the RV. There was just a tiny bit of fall color here & there; most of the leaves were down off the trees.
261 miles, (5:10), 43967-44228
HOMEWARD BOUND. END OF TRIP #5.
We had intended to finish the Blog and post upon arriving home, but as usual, we didn’t get to it. It is now April 27 & we’ve just begun our next adventure. This is the last day of the previous trip, followed by soon, a recap of that trip & the time spent between Trip #5 and Trip #6.
Day 88 – Well, we are going home today. This is both good & bad in our minds. We have found that when you’ve been gone for awhile, you never know what you’ll find when you get home. Will the mice have taken over the house, or did the wasps find a way in from the roof? Did the boiler work, did any pipes burst, did a tree come down during a storm, will the driveway be plowed or has there been a big snowstorm recently, or if not a snowstorm is the driveway so muddy that we can’t get in? What will be broken when we “un-winterize” and begin to use things again? On the other hand, we LOVE our house and our neighborhood. We have friends we haven’t seen in months. It’s nice to have so much space to move around after months in a 30-foot RV. And spring is arriving – so many flowering trees & bushes. The Hudson Valley can be absolutely gorgeous. It is with mixed emotions that we set out on today’s journey.
108 miles, (2:35), 37740-37848
TRIP #4 – BACK UP & RUNNING!
Day 47 – When we last posted to the Blog, we were putting this trip on hold until Rob got back from California. We are very happy to be back on the road. We departed home in NY at 9:45 a.m. It was 70 degrees, partly cloudy and a little humid, much cooler & less humid than it had been the last couple of weeks at home. And it rained a lot in NY – everything was SO green at home.
156 miles (4:45), 30403-30559
It FELT good to be home again last night (April 30). That was then, this is now.
HOME SWEET….SNOW?
Day 232 – Beginning of Week 34. It was 39 degrees this morning when we got up. If we used no more than 20 amps electricity at a time, we kept our electricity at this site without it browning out. Last night Rob called the campground owners & let them know that the 30 amp breaker wasn’t working. We departed the campground at 9:35 a.m., 45 degrees, partly cloudy.
207 miles (5:05) 28578-28785