Things could be better

As last reported, I was just back from Mexico and feeling pretty good about everything. It was a really great trip. However, Lorrie went by the house after we got back and I got this call that there had been a major problem. While we were gone, the water heater in the attic had leaked with water coming through the ceiling and eventually onto the hardwood floors in the hallway coming in from the garage. The wood was ruined. So what to do?? I contacted our original builder (he has been so great over the years) who said to call ServPro a company that deals in these kinds of mishaps. They came with a truck full of equipment--vacuumed out the water, tore out dry wall and ceilings, dug up the floor and left dozens of fans and dehumidifiers running. It looked terrible, but at least something was being done. Then called the insurance company who suggested a restoration contractor who came out took pictures and measurements and submitted it all to the insurance company. Our original builder (Randall Carr) also came out and did much of the same and will give me a bid. It took about a week for the house to dry with the guys coming every day and taking measurements. So now it looks like someplace in Dresden after the bombing. I am now awaiting word from the insurance company about what they will cover. The wood that needs to be replaced had been specially ordered from New England, originally--wide plank maple flooring. The main great room in the house didn't get wet, thank goodness. So it goes.

Finally getting a phone and internet at the condo.

Still no TV cable (long story). So there is some, albeit painfully slow, progress. Anyway, I am hopeful that all will eventually come together. Sometime

s I wish I were on the beach in Akumal--another picture here for your pleasure.

Busy, Busy, Busy

It's been a while, hasn't it. A lot has happened and I haven't had much internet access for the past month except by my iPhone. The move has happened and I am living in the new condo. It hasn't been entirely smooth, but good enough.

So while I was up with Craig and the boys at Winter Park, Lorrie and Kathie were working like crazy figuring out the move. The packing was done in a day and the move the next day. They also unloaded a lot of the kitchen stuff and my clothes. In addition they went a got some new stuff for the condo where it was needed. When I returned I came to the condo and spent my first night in the new bed in the new bedroom. There are still boxes full of stuff everywhere and I can't find a lot of things, but gradually it is happening.

Then on Saturday, March 5, Judy Bedford came and stayed here.

She came to help with the antiques that she had bought with Sally. Lorrie has moved a lot of the stuff to the new condo and has it displayed on a giant bookshelf that we had built in the family room. She thought that Lorrie and Kathie had done a fantastic job and it brought back a lot of memories for her. We had a good cry and then moved on. Judy is taking a few items that had special significance for her and Sally for her condo in Denver. Judy left on Tuesday, March 8.

Then on Saturday, March 12, I joined Lorrie, John and the boys for a trip to Akumal, Mexico. This great place is on the Yucatan peninsula south of

Cancun and south of Cozumel island. We stayed in a condo on the beach. We were on the fourth floor so we had a great view of Half Moon Bay. A picture from the balcony of my unit is in this message. It was a thoroughly wonderful vacation. We snorkeled, swam, and did nothing much. We ate out mostly and it was mostly good. We survived without any adverse effects by being careful about the water, etc.

Now I am back home, amidst the chaos. One problem that has occurred is that I do not yet have a phone, cable or internet access. The cable company was going to supply all three as they did at the house, but when they tried to pull a cable from the outdoor box, the string they were using broke. So now the cable is only partly pulled from the source. They don't seem to be able to figure out what to do. This is Comcast, not a tiny company, and they can't figure out how to run a cable to a new condo??? Ridiculous. Anyway, I will now call ATT and see what they can do. I am mooching off my neighbor's internet access for now (with his permission). He has cable.

Still some activity here. The elevator has been installed but needs finishing. There are still some little details to be finished in the office. But mostly everything is done and now it is up to me to finishing unpacking and organizing. That will take a while---maybe quite a while.

One more thing. On April 30, I will be joining Judy and Joel Bedford on a trip to China. We will be spending time initially in Beijing where Charles Bedford and his family are now living for a few years. And then we will take a train to Tibet and fly back. Charles is part of the Nature Conservancy and is helping to set that up in China. I'll be gone until mid May. Then in early June, I plan to move to California for the summer. I haven't had this much going on in my life ever, I don't think.

Being busy is good, but maybe this is too busy.