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| My closet (what little there is). |
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| Taking pictures is strenuous! |
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| Her bathroon |
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| My man cave. |
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| Her closet. |
Update 08-09-12
Week 10. Met another of our neighbors, Linda.
Update 08-02-12
Week 9. Nothing to report.
Update 07-26-12
Week 8. A week in Lone Pine
Update 07-19-12
Week 7. Met one of our neighbors, Doris. Nice lady. Used to live in our apartment before moving to her current residence.
Update 07-12-12
Week 6. Been a scorcher of a week with temperatures in the mid-100s.
Update 07-05-12
Week 5. Nothing much to report. The final garage sale at the old homestead. It's a gettin' hot. We are still working out at the gym. We made our first rent payment. The Fourth of July came and went by going to Sonora (Mi Pueblo Mexican restaurant) and coming back by way of Modesto (Trader Joe's). Now that we have cable, there really isn't much we want to see. Flipping through channels.
Update 06-28-12
Week 4. Cable is great since it was installed on June 18. We have been watching a lot of Giants and A's baseball games because there isn't really that much to watch considering our work/workout schedules. We miss the sights and sounds. We miss the birds that kept us entertained. No birds have been to the bird feeder since I put it out over a week ago. We had to purchase a laundry card in order to do our laundry. However, we have been taking our laundry to the old homestead and bringing it back home. We have yet to spend a full weekend here in the apartment. We had a new faucet installed on July 28. The old one just broke in an area where you could turn on the water by grabbing the handle, but not turn it off. I would have fixed it myself, but the lease agreement states to report any repairs to the management staff.
Update 06-15-12
We have "adjusted" to our surroundings. Aside from the train whistles and sirens, all is pretty quiet around here. I have planted thyme, sage, and oregano in our "garden." We have emptied the boxes and it is starting to look a little like home.
She loves her new job. That is a good sign!
The bathrooms and kitchen are small. During our morning rituals, we occasionally get in each other's way. Both bathrooms have exhaust fans that are a bit loud. I want to go up there and disconnect the fan, but my wife says, "No!" I cannot locate the circuit breakers yet alone our electric meter. I know they are somewhere.
Space and counter space is limited in our kitchen. We have to be really careful when we use the oven because we have skillets in there. Look before turning the dial.
Folks are friendly. There are a lot of seniors residing here. We greet them with a smile and a "hello." Small town atmosphere. We like that.
Bear Creek is a bike/pedestrian trail. Shady and quiet and just a quarter mile from where we live. We have gone east and west and one day we will complete the circuit and do it all.
The commute is a bit taxing. The one-hour one-ways are the same when we carpooled.
My wife has yet to walk to her job which is a quarter mile away. She drives to Starbucks, then drives to work. In all, she puts in a mile drive each day. The Starbucks already has her coffee ready when she walks in through the door.
We have been watching DVDs (The Grey, Warhorse, Dreamer, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Last Samurai, Secretariat) and we finally ordered Comcast. They will be by on June 18 to install our Preferred-whatever with 160 channels.
We have become members of a health club.
Due to my wife's promotion, we have temporarily relocated to Merced.
After searching apartments in Chowchilla, Madera, and Merced, we have opted to stay in Merced. We found an apartment that is across the street from where my wife works. I am going to have to go "solo" for a year or so. I will miss my wife being my co-pilot. Just hope the gasoline prices drop, but I don't anticipate any "dramatic" drop in prices.
We officially moved in June 1, 2012. Damn, was it hot!
My commute is a little over 105 miles roundtrip from Merced to Fresno. The "99" isn't so bad in the morning and it isn't so bad in the evenings. It is going to be a lot of wear and tear on me and on the truck, but this my decision to live in Merced so that my wife can concentrate her efforts on her work.
We will be renting our foothill residence during this time. We hope to have it rented out very soon.
We have to make a few changes to our once daily routine. Space is limited in our two bedroom place. We have a nice patio (quite spacious I must say). Laundry has to be done in the laundry shack with pre-paid cards (no more quarters). We have to find a fitness center since our "gym" is still in the garage at the homestead. We don't know who our neighbors are yet. There are the sirens and the train whistles, but that is city life.
The "bath and a half" are cramped. Little room to maneuver between when I shower and my wife is applying make-up.
The kitchen is the same story. We will have to adjust. It is just a matter of time when we find, "Honey, where's the pepper?"
There are no Trader Joe's or Whole Foods in Merced, so I will be taking that "honey-do" grocery shopping list to Fresno and shop after work.
There is no REI in Merced, why not is beyond my comprehension. With a population of 80,000 people and being called the "Gateway to Yosemite" there should be an REI. Anyhow, there is a Bass Pro in Manteca just 57 miles away.
Gone are the scorpion, black widow, and rattlesnake kills for a while. I did manage to kill my first cockroach. Gone also is the what-we-pay-out-the-@$$ in gas reports. Gas prices are a little higher in Merced.
Gone also is my gloating over ping pong victories. There isn't enough room on our patio to accommodate the table. Besides, one errant shot means someone has to jump over our patio fence to retrieve the ball. Neither one of us wanted to be that someone.
Gone are the views of the sunrises and sunsets and those magnificent Sierra peaks. As I drive to work in the morning, I glance over to my left and heave a sigh. I am here in the valley, but my heart and soul are up there.
Gone are the birds that kept us entertained as they bathed and fed. Great form of "cheep" entertainment. I wish there was still a way to take care of them. Now, they have to fend for their own.
There are still boxes to be emptied. Once emptied they are taken to our home for storage and reuse when me move from the apartment to our Project.
Again, this transition in our lives is only temporary. I am reminded of the days in February to June 2011 catching the Amtrak on weekends to see my wife in Richmond, CA when she was doing her leadership development program. Only this time, it is I who will do the driving and "resting" on the weekends.
Our plans are to hike in the mountains during the weekends to train for our big Whitney trip.
We recently purchased a 32-inch Vizio flatscreen from Costco and a microwave from Target. These two purchases were already planned purchases when we work on the 38549 Project. When all is done, the Project will be closer to completion.
Life is good and we continue to....
Have fun
