Busy, busy, busy

Wow, it has been over a month since our last post.  What can I say other than setting up a new residence is a lot of work but also a lot of fun.  We have been busy with projects and meeting neighbors so time sure has flown by.  Hard to believe it is November already.

John's Man Cave is all organized and tidy.

 

John's new tool box/work bench.

Look Butch, John is copying you with organizing his tools by type, size, etc.  Makes it so easy to find the proper tool for the job.

Our landscaping is pretty much done with our limited lot size.  In addition to our three trees and two plants, we have added yard art (ocotillo, coyote, javelina, road runners, and saguaro), some potted plants (cacti, succulents and salvia), a smoke tree and a water fall. We are really pleased with the way everything looks (gotta love it when a plan comes together) and have received many nice compliments from our neighbors.  

I mentioned to John that I liked how some of the swales around here were done with good sized rocks.  John said that would be too much work but then decided that he would line our swale with small rocks.  Really, large rocks would be more work than small rocks????  Anyway, another project was born.  Finding small rocks required nothing more than walking around the empty lots by us and either easily digging them up or just picking them up.  Boy, it took a lot of rocks.  Once the rocks were laid, I suggested using dirt and water to make our own mortar.  That also turned into a project in which we both got to play in the mud.  We are really pleased with how it turned out and now when it rains, the water should just roll out to the street.

After much thought plus the fact that we are no longer in the Slow Lane with our RV, it makes sense to bring this blog to an end. :(  However, we still want to interact with our family and friends so I have set up a blog on Facebook and it can be reached here.  I think I will be more apt to make quickie posts now that we have settled in to a "normal" life. Anyway, we hope you will pop over and "like" us over on Facebook.

Pictures

We were waiting on the outside house painting to be finished before posting pictures. 

The front landscaping is a work in-progress.  So far we have solar lights, a saguaro, and a lizard or two (one fake and others real).  We have a plan but it will take a bit to implement. Once completed, we will post another picture of the front. 

Side landscaping is complete for now with three trees and two bushes.

Living room - we are on the look for a couple of small chairs to complement what we have and to provide additional seating as well as more wall art.

We love our roadrunner.  He was going to be a yard ornament but he is just too pretty to leave outside.

Kitchen and dining - have to admit I am loving all the cabinets (I have a lot of empty shelves), full-size oven, and refrigerator/freezer with all the ice I want lol.  We both love our island and find that we eat there rather than the table; most be the novelty.  That ugly electrical outlet was supposed to have been on the side of the island facing the refrigerator.  It is on our punch list and will be relocated.

Laundry room - again, no shortage of cabinets on the left and above and below next to the washer and dryer.

Main bath

Master bedroom with huge walk-in closet.

Master bath - the tub is a lovely indulgence and is so comfortable to luxuriate in.

Guest room - the room needs some wall art to make it warm and welcoming.

 

John's shed (known as Man Cave around these parts) needs to be completed with workbench and shelving.  John is very happy to have stuff to mess with and is looking forward to organizing his Man Cave.  Pictures to follow when it is all organized to his liking.

So there you have it - our lovely home sweet home.  Are we enjoying ourselves - very much. Do we miss the travel - not really.  In some ways, that lifestyle seems like a lifetime ago.  We have adjusted really well and are looking forward to seeing what the fall and winter here are like.  We've been asked if we plan on getting another RV and the answer is no.  We have no regrets about our four and half years of full timing but we are done RVing.  If we hadn't have traveled, we would never have found this area in which to settle down.  We still plan to travel when the desire strikes but it will definitely be by plane, train, or automobile.  We have so much in this area alone to explore when the time is right.  Life is good.

Alive and well

We have not fallen off the face of the earth.  We have just been incredibly busy setting up our new home.  You knew that was why we had gone silent but had to patiently wait for an update.  Like I said in the last post, waiting bites lol.

To do a quick recap:  With the help of DeAngelo, his assistant, and John, we had the Uhaul loaded by 10:45 a.m. on Monday, September 10.  I have to give credit to DeAngelo as that young man knows how to pack a truck.  As furniture and boxes left, I vacuumed myself towards the door.  After turning in our keys, a quick lunch at Subway, and topping off the gas tank, we were on the road at noon.  Pulled in to the hotel in Bakersfield a little before 6 p.m. The only exciting thing we saw was as we came in to Bakersfield.  There was a truck with a trailer loaded with firewood that was on fire in the slow lane after having a blow out (gators were on the road leading up to the fire).  Thankfully, the guys were safely away from the burning vehicle.  No fire trucks were yet on the scene just one CHP officer.  Everyone slowed way down and got in the farthest lane to get past the inferno.  

Tuesday was a longer day with an overnight stay in Kingman, AZ.  We got to experience going through a Weigh Station in Arizona.  We pulled up on the scales (still had a 1,000 plus pounds we could have been carrying) and declared that we had household goods and were waived through.  Thankfully, the weigh station was not busy with truckers or it could have been more stressful.  During the night in Kingman, we had quite the thunder storm pass over.  I mentioned to John that I hoped the Uhaul didn't leak (they aren't responsible for damages if they do - imagine that).  Guess we would have to wait to find out.  One surprise of this journey was that the Uhaul got better fuel mileage than we had expected for the whole trip.  It certainly didn't drive like our F-450 did nor did it ride like it either but it got us here safely so you won't hear any complaints from me.

We left Kingman close to 7:20 a.m. and pulled in to Orchard Ranch at 10 a.m.  Funny thing was that the closer we got to Dewey, the faster the Uhaul went :)  MPG's be damned.  After a Welcome Home greeting, the office had us take a golf cart to go check out our home.  We were very happy (understatement) with what we saw.  As the construction crew had not put up the pickets and railings on the landing yet, Mike said that if we got to unloading the Uhaul right away, it would make unloading easier and that we had a temporary Occupancy Permit for our stuff.  However, if the construction crew could get the pickets and handrails up, then not only could our stuff stay in the house but so could we.  Whoa, that was a big surprise! So we hopped on the golf cart (giddy as all get out) and stopped at Rick and Y's to let them know we were there and the news about unloading the Uhaul.  They said they would meet us at the house while we went back up to the office to swap out the golf cart for the Uhaul.  

The construction crew broke for lunch and the four of us set about unloading the Uhaul. Thanks a bunch, Rick and Y, for all your help.  We couldn't have done it without you. While unloading, we did discover that the Uhaul did have a leak but since most of our stuff were in plastic bins, the lids contained most of the water.  My dresser surface did get one spot of water on it and a few items had a few scratches but all in all, not too bad. Shortly after noon everything was unloaded and in the nick of time as the crew was coming back to work.  We took Rick and Y out for lunch and when we returned, the pickets and railings were going up. Rick and Y had dinner planned so we agreed to meet at their place around 6:30 and John and I set to work. Our first order of business was to put our bed together so that we would have a place to sleep should we be able to stay there. We were told before 4 p.m. that we had the Occupancy Permit and could stay in our place.  For real?!!! We kept pinching ourselves because never in our wildest dreams had we thought we would be in our new home on the same day we arrived.  Thank you so very much Mike and Crew!!!!!  The house officially became ours on the 13th.

So unpacking and settling in started on the 12th and we finally got the last piece in place today (guest room now open for guests).  Long days and a lot of fun.  Plus a lot of trips to Home Depot and Lowe's (sometimes multiple trips in one day lol). Whew!  Our home: a few items we had kept from our old home, some new items from our short lived adventure in an apartment, and some new items for the new house.  It feels good . . .  it feels like home.  

There are still some unfinished projects but of course, will they ever be truly done?  The word contentment comes to mind for so many reasons.  My honey has gone 67 days being seizure free (thank you medication).  John is counting the days (23) when he can get back on his bike (not on the road but here in the park for now).  LIFE IS GOOD!  We will try to get some pictures posted soon . . . promise.