Monday, June 30, 2014

Transition Completed; The New Adventure Begins

Our former home at 9821 Meadow Vale Drive
in Louisville (City of Meadow Vale)

We are happy to report that we survived the past two weeks of closing out the house so we could begin a new phases in our lives: Fulltiming in our motorhome. For sure, it took more energy than expected but, with the help of Byron's son, Jody, and a few friends that helped accelerate the process, we survived.

Things on Craig's List have all been sold including the 2004 Oldsmobile Silhouette and our lawnmower. There are even stories connected to the sale of those items. Long story, short — a relative on Facebook was instrumental in relaying the availability of the van. Through the social context, a couple from Dexter, Missouri who were coming to Louisville to help with their daughter's care during outpatient surgery bought the Olds. Not only did the couple know many of Byron's relatives, Byron and the gentleman graduated from the same college, Oakland City University. As to the lawnmower, a neighbor had expressed interest in it at the beginning of May. Upon contacting him we found that he couldn't wait and purchased another mower. Almost in passing, Byron mentioned that it was available to our friends, Hilario and Sandra, only to find that Hilario had an employee in need of one. The deal was sealed in a flash.

Interior view of our new home. Physical address – variable.
Mailing address – 1885 Douglas Blvd, Louisville, KY 40205

In preparation for this transition, Martha, with her disciplined approach, had been disposing of personal things over the course of the last several months. Byron, a professional procrastinator, had not. It all turned out to be OK because he and son, Jeremy, got to spend some time sifting through things. As Jeremy later remarked, it was nicer going though "keepsake" objects pre-mortem instead of post-mortem; he got stories first-hand.

After getting things divided between "keep and toss", we rented a truck and moved some belongs to Jeremy and Jody's home. Having the truck in front of their house alarmed some of their neighbors and confused others because things were being carried in. Their neighbors were relieved to find that they weren't moving out. They now have custody of two grandfather clocks made by Byron's dad in addition to a state bird and flower quilt made by his mother and a hooked rug that Byron and his mother made when he was in high school. They also have our file cabinet and some of our essential papers.

By Thursday of last week we had no furniture. At that point we moved out to the motorhome for sleeping and eating while continuing to go through clearing out the house. This confused the dogs because they couldn't understand why they were on the property where they normally slept, still allowed to handle their business in their own yard, but had to sleep in the mobile environment.

We were able to meet the couple that purchased our house when they came for the final inspection. We learned that the husband had two children by a previous marriage; the children live in Texas and California. He is now retired and engaged with a group that does prison ministry throughout the US. The wife still has five years or so to go before retirement. She works for ResCare. Since the office in Philadelphia closed she elected to stay with the company and move to Louisville. He plays a mountain dulcimer and she has a cello. Her comment to Martha was that she liked the colors in all the rooms and was not going to change anything. They also have a dog who will enjoy the fenced back yard. Mr. Ash commented that it was definitely a win-win situation for both parties. We agree. We wish them well. They'll be moving in on Tuesday.

Another interesting development in this saga is that our son-in-law's sister and husband will be moving to the area. He will be teaching math at Westport TAP School. She works in special education and expressed a sincere interest in "hooking up" with Candice, our daughter with Down's syndrome. Now, if that doesn't feel like a "God thing" then nothing will. In fact, all along the way so many things easily fell into place leaving us with the belief that God was taking care of our future just as he had our past.

After pulling the Dutch Star into the KOA across the river in Clarksville we set out on our first adventure. It was to find the new Mark's Feed Store in New Albany. As far as we're concerned, Marks has the finest BBQ in the area. We also both feel that this is one thing of Louisville life we'll miss.

Though we were in Meadow Vale for less than four years, we feel fortunate to have lived there. We were near a colleague of Byron's when he was in church ministry years ago and the former head of the music department at JCTC also lives in the same neighborhood. Of course, Byron learned a lot by getting to serve on the City Commission. He will continue to edit their website which is at http://www.cityofmeadowvale.org.

Tomorrow we head to Haubstadt, Indiana for a few days while a repair is made at a Freightliner facility. After that it's on to the small town of Clinton, Indiana where we can stay at a campground affiliated with Thousand Trails. an association offering heavily discounted stays for members. After being there for a few days we'll meander on to Escanaba, Michigan for the international rally of Newmar Kountry Klub where we'll get to meet 399 other owners of Newmar motorhomes.

To the friends and neighbors who stopped by in the past two weeks, we owe you our thanks for doing so and will look forward to keeping in touch and reconnecting when in Louisville.

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