On The Road Again

We headed east on I-80.  We had wanted to leave early so that we could make a stop at Lake Tahoe, but that was not to be.  As we climbed into the Sierras, the scenery became forested and for a time a stream followed the road as the sun set. It was dark as we entered Nevada and drove through Reno.  While we usually like to drive during the day so that we can enjoy the beautiful scenery, we drove through Nevada in July 2008 when we moved to California, so we know that it is an exceptionally ugly drive.  As it turned out, we were lucky to have left San Francisco so late because the drive through Nevada was actually beautiful at night!  Interstate 80 was practically empty (only truckers and us), it was black as pitch, and the stars were stacked one of top of the other.  We stopped several times just to admire the sky's diamonds and to breath a deep sign of relief.

Exhausted from the day's events, and having arrived at practically the only viable location to spend the night, we stopped in Winnemucca.  We found The Pyrenees Motel.  The place was clean, the price was right, we could park just outside of our door and the owner was nice.

Leaving San Francisco

We got up around 8:00 AM and stripped the bed so that we could wash the sheets.  We like to be good house guests so that we'll be invited back again, and maybe again, and again.  Remember, we're homeless.
Coco was CRASHED on the sofa!  That was no surprise since she was up all night.  They would certainly be reminded why people of our  maturity level don't stay up all night.............you suffer.........for days.

Saying that we dreaded the process of loading Stormy would be an enormous understatement.  I woke up stressed!  The fact that I was also in a huge peri-menopausal state did not make the situation any better.  As organized as I am, I felt thoroughly overwhelmed by this process because all of our decisions on what to leave in storage in San Francisco and what to take with us to New Orleans was guesswork.  Phyl began to carry things to Stormy and I started packing.  It did not take long to determine that everything was not going to fit.

G- Ugh!!!!!  This is definitely not going to work!

P- I've been telling you that I didn't think this would all fit.  I know you're skilled at organizing, but you're not a magician.

G- Whah!   This makes my head hurt!!  What are we going to leave?  Maybe we should pack the rooftop carrier now and be done with that.

Phyl handed up garbage bags of stuff.........heavy stuff........it was a struggle.............and I crammed them into the carrier.

G- Ok, that's all that can fit.

P- That's all?  I thought it would hold a lot more.

G- Me too!  Whah!

P- Whining won't help. 

G- Whah! Whah! Whah!  The stuff I've put into Stormy has to come out and we have to re-evaluate.

P- Well, I know for sure that we're not leaving the wine. (we had belonged to several wine clubs and had several boxes of wine to take to Nola)

G- Well that's a given. Let's find out if there is a UPS store around here.  We may have to ship some of the lighter things. 

P- Yes.  Wine is too heavy to ship and could break.

G- I think we could fit more if we removed everything from the containers.  I hate to have it loose, but that may be what we have to do.

Fast forward by several hours................... So much for getting on the road at a decent time.  We went to the UPS store 2 times and shipped 4 boxes home. We brought some stuff back to Shannon's.  So much time passed that even Coco had come alive, showered and seemed pretty perky.  My head was about to explode and I just wanted this process to end.  The evacuation process the night before a colonoscopy was more fun than packing this car! 

G- Ok, close all of the doors and roll down the windows.  Anything else that's going in will have to go in that way. I'm going to put the bags we have to access each night behind the driver's seat.

Coco - Loves, is there anything I can do to help you?

P- Probably not Coco.  Gina has to put it all into the car.  I just carry the stuff to her.  Can we leave a few rubbermaid containers here?

Coco- Sure lovies!  Where are you putting these lawn chairs?  On the roof?

G- I've got to put that rug on the roof.  I think it can go next to the carrier.  The chairs could go on top of the carrier, but we need to have access to them.  I want to strap everything up there down with these extra straps.

P- I know you're fruit for the extra straps, but I don't think we need them.

G- We do need them!  I'm tired of this same conversation. I don't want to be driving across the country and have something fly off the roof and cause a 20 car pile up!  We don't have enough insurance for that!  Hello!  You know my defense background!!  Could you please indulge me?!

P- Alright!  It's just overkill!!  *thinks..."but I am not arguing with a peri-menopausal, hormone deprived, whack-a-do"*

When the yelling started, Coco retreated to the house.  We were stressed and tempers were rising.  Run, Coco, Run!!!!  We finally squeezed the last things into the car and closed all of the windows.  Phyl did a great job getting the chairs into, rather than on top of, Stormy.  I tried to remember the locations of everything in case we needed access.  It was 4:00 PM!!!  After good-bye hugs, we pulled out of Coco's garage, barely fitting under the raised door.  We drove 2 blocks, Phyllis hit the brakes a little hard, and the cooler came crashing down onto my head.

G- Son of a bitch! 

We pulled over and I got a golf umbrella and put it up behind the headrests to make a barricade. We were off again.  It was an incredibly beautiful day and we were VERY SAD to be leaving San Francisco.  We were quiet and lost in our own thoughts as we drove across the Bay Bridge.  We had been here for exactly 2 years.  We'd definitely be back!

Saying Good-bye, Again.

Today was the fiinal push to get everything organized so that tomorrow we could put it into Stormy and hit the road early.  We went to Shannon's, gathered everything and took it to Coco's.  Of course, it took more than one trip, and while this was not a good omen,  we were going to put stuff in the rooftop carrier, so we'd be fine.  Coco had suggested that we have a little going away party, so after organizing and transporting all of our stuff to Coco's, we prepared for the little party.  John & Rory, Greg & Rod, and Coco's neighbors came over and were greeted at the door by Coco's friends' dog which was also kind enough to hump everyone's leg. A very friendly dog!  We had a good time but by 1:30 AM, we had had enough and said good night and went off to bed. 

We awoke around 6:00 AM to use the bathroom and when we opened the bedroom door, were shocked ..............

G- (opening & quickly closing the door) People are still here.  What time is it?

P- It's 6:00 AM.  What the hell?  Who is still here?  You mean from last night?



G- That appears to be the case because they're wearing the same clothes.  It's John & Rory & Coco and they're doing something on the computer.

P- OMG! They must be crazy!!

We looked at them through squinted eyes, used the bathroom, and went back to bed. We weren't hitting the road this early.

First Saints Game of the Season

We headed out to Pleasanton for a final stop at the storage unit and to get our oil changed.  We had already driven over 3,000 miles since we left and knew we'd be putting thousands more miles on Stormy before we got back to Nola. Our friendly mechanic, Mike, told us he'd change our oil while we waited and we arrived with several hours to spare because we HAD to be back in the city early to watch the first NFL regular season game showcasing the Superbowl Champion Saints against the NFC losers, the Minnesota Vikings.
Unfortunately when we arrived Mike was not there, but his replacement assured us it would take no longer than 1 1/2 hours. 

At about 2:00, we left Stormy and walked to a little Greek place that we love, to have lunch and kill some time.  After about an hour, we returned to the shop to learn that Stormy had not yet been touched. 

G- Bill, I recognize and appreciate that you're doing us a favor by squeezing us in and changing the oil while we wait, but we must leave here no later than 3:30 to be back in San Francisco by 4:30.  So if that cannot be accomplished, tell me now and I'll just forgo the oil change.

Bill - I'm sorry.  I don't know why he hasn't started yet, but I'll tell him to get you done next.  He'll definitely have it finished for you to leave by 3:30.

P- What did he say?  Will it be finished in time?  We have to go back to Coco's to drop off the stuff before we can meet the boys at the bar.

G- He assured me that it would be finished by 3:30.  It does not take longer than 30 minutes to change the oil.  We should be fine.

We pulled out our lawn chairs and looked through our stack of mail that we had picked up earlier.  Our fatal mistake was to allow Mr. Slow Movin Fat Ass to start the oil change at 3:25.

P- (at 3:40) What the hell is he doing?  We only need the oil changed.  We don't need the engine rebuilt.

G-  Son of a bitch!  He moves slower than a turtle.  If he doesn't move faster my head might explode!

P- I'm gonna kill him.  Look at that dumb look on his face.  I think he can't remember how to change the oil.

G- Son of a bitch!  We are stupid!  Why didn't we just leave?  I can change oil faster than that.  You think he's doing that on purpose?

P- No!  It looks like he's finished but he just keeps walking around in circles. Wait........no, he's just pouring the new oil in.

G- Son of a bitch!  If this bastard makes us miss kickoff, I'll come back here and choke him. Maybe he's a closeted Vikings fan and he's taunting us because he sees all of the Saints stuff on our car.

P- No! He's just a lard ass without a brain.  Hello!  It is now 4:00!  You'd better do something.

G- What the hell do you want me to do? 

P- Go tell Bill that if his guy doesn't have our car out of that bay in 5 minutes, I'm gonna go in there and get it.

G- Son of a bitch!  Bill, tell him to finish now or Phyllis is going to kill him.

Bill - I'm sorry.  I have no idea what is taking him so long.

G- You could have twice as much business if you had a different guy changing the oil.  Really.  He should have been able to change two cars' oils in the time it has taken him to do just one.

P- (yelling to Mr. Slow Movin Fat Ass)  Close the hood and back the car out or I'm coming in to get it!

Mr. Slow Moving Fat Ass - I just have to put the sticker on the window so you'll know when to get your next oil change.

P- We don't need a sticker!!!  Back the car out now!!!! (Phyl went into the garage and started putting the lawn chairs in the back of Stormy.)

G- Son of a bitch!  I'm having an aneurysm!!!!

FINALLY Mr. Slow Moving Fat Ass moved the car out and we jumped in and sped away.

P- I want to kill him!!

G- Well calm down and stop speeding so you don't kill us. 

We made it to Coco's in record time.  Phyl backed Stormy into the garage, opened the hatch and floored it.  The stuff practically flew out of the hatch and onto the floor of the garage.  Then she screeched onto Church Street on 2 wheels, headed to Lombard Street and the Black Magic Voo Doo Lounge. TICK! TICK! TICK!  We made it there in record time and then had trouble finding a place to park.

G- Son of a bitch!  I can feel it.  I can feel the aneurysm about to explode in my brain.

P- Shut up and keep your eyes peeled for a place to park!  If you die on me now, I'm leavin you in the car until after the game is over.

G- Not if we can't park this bitch you won't.

FINALLY we found a place to park.   We arrived at the Voo Doo Lounge just minutes before kick off. As we entered, a light from heaven shined on a table in the corner where Rory, had arrived early and secured us a table and a long window ledge.  Rory!!!  Our hero!!!!  Soon everyone had arrived and secured a cocktail.  The game was awesome because the Saints beat the Vikings and everyone in the bar was clad in black & gold and knew all of the chants.  During commercials, the bartenders played Saints songs. A good time was had by all!!!  Except, of course, Brett Favre!

Movin to Coco's

We drove down to San Jose and Union City and visited our former co-workers. While we'll miss them, so far this early retirement thing is working out quite nicely!!  We talked about our trip north and the impending journey to Nola.  It was great to see everyone, and then get to leave. Are we missing the 8-5?  Hell no!!


While we appreciated the boys' offer for us to stay at the treehouse, it is far too small to house 4 adults, so we moved to Coco's place in NOE because she has a guest room and was gracious enough to take us in.  Another plus at Coco's is the fact that she has a garage  so we'd be able to bring our crap to her place and pack the car in the garage.  Plus, after only a few short days of living in the city, we had already gotten a parking ticket for parking in a street cleaning zone.  A what?  Yes, y'urd me, they actually clean the streets on a weekly basis.  Being from Nola, we have no point of reference because there, the streets are only cleaned after a Mardi Gras parade.  We've had to worry about moving our ladders and coolers quickly enough, but never our car. 

Coco recently moved from London to San Francisco and is still settling in.  Phyl cooked dinner and we spend the evening getting to know each others' life stories.

The Boys are Back in Town

We awoke in the treehouse's bed cloud and drank our coffee as we watched the fog ebb and flow over the city.  The boys would return today and we were excited to see them.  But first, we had to go to Shannon's and do more work on repacking and organizing the items we were taking to Nola.  Continually aggravated about having to deal with this stuff over and over again, we were relieved to get more accomplished. 

After working for several hours in Shannon's dungeon - which, of course, we were thankful to have - we returned to the treehouse for a glass of wine and texted the boys about their arrival.  Finally, they were home!  John wheeled in a huge suitcase and we exchanged hugs and kisses.

G- Gawd!  You needed a suitcase that big for a 5 day trip?

John - That's just mine. (he went to the hallway for the second, huge suitcase on wheels, and also deposited a large carry on.

P- You each had a huge suitcase? 

G- I thought it was excessive even for y'all to both be packed in one bit one!  But you each have one that large!?!  Freaking hysterical!!!

Rory - What?  I need the appropriate attire for several occasions.

John - We like to dress.  There were several different functions and we needed to change often.

G- What functions?  You were in the woods for goodness sake!  Go on the boat, hang out in the house, take a walk...................that could all be done in one outfit.

P- You'd never make it traveling with us with just a backpack each. Gina could fit 4 of our backpacks in one of your suitcase.

Rory - Oh, I wouldn't dream of traveling under such conditions.

We enjoyed some celebratory champagne and stories of our adventures.  Phyllis & John shared scary near- death-by-bear-attack-stories and we ate pizza and had a slumber party.

That Bitch Has a Full Beard!!

Monday we packed up the cooler and headed to Bolinas to meet Shannon & her kids and Colby & David and their kids at the beach.  Shannon's new love is surfing and she is spending every chance she gets at the Bolinas Beach.  Labor Day seemed like the perfect day to join them, even though the traffic would be worse than normal.  We followed the instructions Shannon gave us and arrived at the beach entrance around noon.  I dropped Phyl, the cooler, the chairs and other bags off and went to find a place to park.  This small community was clearly not thrilled that so many visitors wanted to enjoy their beach and the town cops had placed yards of yellow caution tape across most of the viable parking areas.  After driving around for a half hour, and becoming sufficiently annoyed, I returned to the place where I dropped Phyl and we repacked Stormy and left. People were pouring in in droves and there was no way I was ever going to find a place to park.

P- While your were driving around, did you see an old woman in flowered shorts?

G- Not that I recall.

P- Oh, you'd recall because she had a FULL BEARD!!!!!  She passed me while I was waiting for you.  I wish I had the camera because you had to see it to believe it.  She had a long, flowing, Rumplestiltskin beard.

G- Oh, come on!  A full beard?  Are you sure it was a woman?

P- I swear it's true.  I know a full beard when I see one and I know a woman when I see one.

G- Was she like a big gooney goo-goo?

P- No.  She looked like someone's little grandma, except for the beard. There she is!!!!!   Look at it!  It must hang at least 5 inches from her chin.

G- Oh my gawd!  That is absurd!!  I'm ok with the grunge, granola look, but that is across the line!!!!  And that is the ugliest beard I've ever seen. It is scraggely, grey and wiry.  It looks like a really ugly ZZ Top kind've beard.  Doesn't she have friends or relatives or someone to tell her to STOP THAT!!!

P- Apparently she does not. Shoot me if my chin ever gets that hairy.

G- Have no fear, I'd hold you down and dip your face in wax, if need be.

P- Um, hello!  I wouldn't fight ya. Take the weed wacker to me while I sleep.

We drove back down the coast and stopped at the Muir Beach overlook to have lunch and a beer and enjoy the beautiful view. We had tried to text Shannon, but she had no cell service.  Aggravated about the day's events, we decided to return to the storage unit so that the day was not a total waste.  We pulled more stuff out and got everything that we wanted to take to Nola, and we put everything else in that we wanted to leave in Pleasanton.  Then we went to Shannon's to put stuff in her basement so that we could reorganize there and pack Stormy.

G- I am so tired of moving this stuff all around!  I think I'm going to be happy to have only one backpack to carry around Asia.

P- I think you are right.  And, I don't think there is any way we are going to fit all of this stuff into Stormy.

G- Well, I'll do the best I can, and the rest will just be left behind. This is beginning to make me insane.

P-  Ah, too late!

When we got back to San Francisco, we stopped in the Castro to get a pizza and while we waited, Coco called us.  Although we were tired, we decided to go to her house and eat dinner, drink wine and visit.  Yes, we can always be bribed with wine!!!  We spent a very enjoyable evening with Coco and then headed back to the treehouse to sleep.  The day ended on a good note.