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.

Exciting times

Work on the new condo is almost done. This may sound a little weird, but Lorrie and Kathie are going to coordinate everything while I am up skiing with Craig and the boys at Winter Park, CO.

So I will be meeting them next Sunday and stay up there until the following Sunday. Meanwhile, the packers are coming on Wednesday the 23rd and the movers on the 24th. We are not going to move everything, obviously, so I have been scurrying around marking stuff to move. So when I get back, I will be mostly living in the new place. I will need to get phone, cable etc when I get back, but mostly should be good to go.

I have mixed emotions leaving this house that Sally and I built. Yesterday, I was sitting outside (we finally had a warm day after freezing for a few) and tearing up. But I think it is the right thing to do to move on with my life. And this house and yard is too much for me.

One interesting thing, the swans were gone for a while again and

when they returned, there were three of them! They really are gorgeous.

Here is a picture. Maybe I can kidnap (swannap) one of them to the lake in front of the condo.

Closed on Condo

Just to let you know that I closed yesterday on the Sugar Land Condo. There are a few things that need to be fixed before I can move in. Probably move will occur at the end of this month. I have not yet put the current house up for sale but will soon. I own too many places! Quite busy with all this. Exciting.

It must be a sign

We haven't seen the swan for a couple of weeks but I look out at the lake every morning to see if she has returned. Well, today when I looked, there were two swans! Apparently she has found a mate. I don't know if it is a marriage or a civil union but who cares. They look identical, but one might be a little bigger than the other. Anyway, it was great to see them.

Probate

Well, this morning I was at the Fort Bend County Court for probate of Sally's will. Most of the things were in trust, but the house is jointly owned and was not in trust. In Texas, homes are not usually joint ownership with right of survival, but just joint ownership. So half of the house is now in Sally's estate. I hope to sell the house anyway, so I don't know what this all means, but at least the probate has been done.

I am still doing a little negotiating with the seller of the Condo in Sugar Land, but that should be finished soon. Currently closing is the end of February, but I may try and move that up. There are a few things that need to be done before I could move in and the sooner I can get started on that, the better.

Doing things with Val is really good for me. We're off to see a movie this afternoon (King's speech).

Happy New Year!

I hope that you all (or as is said here "all y'all") had a great holiday and are looking forward to the new year. I know that for me, this next year will be better than the last one. Lorrie had a description of the year of the Tiger (2010) that predicted that it would be a tough year, but the year of the rabbit is predicted to be much better and time to take a deep breath and renew.

Craig and family have been here for the past week. They go back today. We all had a great time and the cousins as always have had a good week playing and getting reacquainted. We had a wonderful rib roast at Lorrie's on Christmas day and a New Year's eve party last night over at Lorrie's. John loves to set off fireworks, which are easily purchased here, and so we had a fireworks celebration last night. Someone had given Craig a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne which we popped last night also.

On Wednesday we went to Austin for a day and came back on Thursday. It's

hard to believe but I had never been to Austin--a really wonderful city. Lots of weird stuff there. We stayed at the Driskill, an old historic hotel that is reputed to have ghosts wandering the halls. We listened and looked, but didn't see anything. The last haunted hotel Sally and I stayed in was the Stanley hotel in Estes Park ("the Shining"--here's Johnny!) where we didn't see anything either. I may not have the right attitude. Anyway, here is a picture of the Driskill taken Wednesday night.

A major piece of news is that I have decided to try and sell our house and move to a condo. We have been eyeing some townhouses in Sugar Land situated on a lake and near a shopping area with many upscale shops, a Whole Foods Market, and great restaurants. There is a trail around the lake for long walks. So I put an offer on one of the units and yesterday it was accepted. The units are new and the one that is now mine was a foreclosure when the developer went bankrupt. They had been taken over by the bank and were being sold by the bank. Now to sell my house in Richmond.