We drove from Prince Frederick, MD to Mechanicsville, VA on Friday evening and got a hotel room near the Home Depot where we picked up our rental truck on Saturday morning.  Tom and I were both excited to drive the big truck. It took us about an hour to drive to our storage unit in Tappahannock, VA.  Daughter Kathy was there to visit and help us. The professional movers were half an hour late. We used that time to drag things out of the storage unit.  I had bought and set up some moving boxes to pack the odds and ends we have thrown in there over the years.

The movers were two big strong men.  We were in awe of all the boxes they could carry.  It took about three and a half hours to load the truck and we were on our way south. We made it to Wilson, NC in time for dinner at Bill Ellis Barbecue. We spent the night at a motel along the interstate and reached the new house at sunset on Sunday, October 8.  I backed the car off the tow dolly and Tom disconnected the dolly from the truck. We drove the car to the motorhome for a night’s sleep.

When we drove back to the house in the morning we could see that the Cranes had moved into 3737. Four of them were in the nook between the front door and the garage. They did not leave when Tom got close to take pictures or when Andy unlocked the front door.

Two movers arrived right on time. We had already begun unloading smaller items. We told them to put any boxes with Andy’s name on them in his office.  Boxes labeled kitchen and dining room were self-explanatory. I led them to the spots where I wanted the furniture placed.  Everything else (many, many boxes) went into the garage. They had the truck empty in two hours.

On Tuesday morning, we returned the rental truck and drove to Home Depot to buy ceiling fans.  I had intended to do that later, but Tom kept mentioning them.  On the advice of everyone who we talked to about fans, we got one for every room.  Tom spent the rest of the day installing them.  That guy really knows how to spend a vacation.

All I can say here is that it was a really nice house before the Misovecs moved in and trashed the place.

The family room furniture looks pretty good in the new family room. It held up fairly well in storage but is a bit dusty and slightly musty.  The cushions were somewhat squashed by things piled on top of them, but I think they will survive.  I’ll have them cleaned after the next load arrives so I can get it all done at once.

The kitchen table is a dilemma.  I turned it ninety degrees to make room for the tall table in the background.  I really love that marble top.  I may turn the table forty-five degrees to see if that fits better. I love my kitchen table too.  It’s where Daughter Jennifer did all her homework.

Tom was having a grand vacation installing ceiling fans.  This one is in Andy’s office.

There were so many boxes and pictures in the dining room that I didn’t know how we would get the furniture in. Tom rearranged it later to make room for the table and china cabinet.

Wednesday, Tom installed the last two fans, this one is in the sewing room.

I have Gran Thorn’s settee in the parlor.  Jane Moulton’s end tables flank it and Mrs. Evan’s coffee table is in front of it.  Daughter Jennifer has laid claim to the settee.  She’ll have to come pick it up to get it.  It is a lovely piece of furniture, stuffed with down.

I put Mrs. Evans’ desk in the front corner and added the chair Mother Moulton gave me for my birthday years ago.

When we were unloading the storage unit, I almost unloaded this corner cabinet.  It seemed too big for the small room. I did not care for it in the Moulton dining room but just love it in my parlor.  I’m so glad I did not sell it to the antique dealer in Tappahannock.

Back to the kitchen.  I decided I could not live without this marble-topped cart.  It has to stay there.

Andy was having quite a time of opening boxes of books and papers.  He found his masters and Ph.D. theses and diplomas. I put the rug from the boat salon on the floor, but he has not mentioned it.

No matter how many boxes I empty, there are still more.  I am washing all the dishes, pots and pans, utensils, and, well, everything. It was all clean when I packed it up seventeen years ago but has accumulated a layer of dust since then. It must be the newspaper wrapping disintegrating.

This is the view going from the laundry room to the garage.

I discovered three men outside digging a ditch and laying cable from the street to our house.

This is what the garage looks like from outside.

Once the fans were installed, Tom and I assembled the trellis.  He did most of it; I helped.

The trellis has had a storied life so far.  Remember we followed the UPS truck to ask if he had a package for us?  He told us he would not have delivered it if we had not stopped him because we did not have a house number at that time.  Then, a week or so ago, I caught John McDaniels, the construction superintendent, carrying the trellis to the dumpster (just in time to stop him).  He thought a contractor had left it in our driveway. Today, just as Tom finished putting the screws in the trellis, Andy noticed movement outside.  I opened the door to find a man digging a hole for our temporary mailbox with a post-hole digger.  I saw that he was driving an Earthscapes truck and asked him if he would dig two holes for my trellis.  He said, “Sure”. We had the trellis installed in short order.  I forgot to take my camera outside to take a picture so that will come another day.

Finally, Tom started acting like he was on vacation. We went to the pool for a few hours.  Andy and Tom swam laps while I lounged in the resort pool and hot tub. Tom is a graceful swimmer; he went to college on a swimming scholarship.

After his swim, Tom did the lounge-in-the-sun thing for a while.

Today, we worked in the morning. Andy unpacked books, Tom flattened the cardboard boxes for recycling, I unpacked kitchen boxes and washed more dishes.  Then we took Tom to Mellow Mushroom for a mighty fine pizza for lunch.

After lunch, we went back to the pool so Tom could act like he is on vacation some more. Andy does his laps with a mask and snorkel.

Tom was swimming with his sunglasses on.

We sat out back and watched the sunset over the 13th green.

Tom took a picture of us.