A Post for Friday, January 17th

Another tie cut with California, closing out our California Coast Credit Union accounts.  I waited awhile to do cut this chord, having enjoyed the excellent service of this credit union, but alas, we really didn't need it, weren't using it.  

We started years ago, with the Kearny Mesa Federal Credit Union.  It was just around the corner from Wavetek, where I worked.  After a few years, they changed their name to First Future Credit Union.  At some point, they merged with Santel Credit Union, then California Coast.  All through the years, we had great service, and enjoyed belonging to a banking institution that was non-profit, run by us, its members.  I wish millions more realized the benefits of using a credit union, and joined.  It's really a no-brainer, with no downside at all.

I had physical therapy today for the third time, for my shoulder, which I was told two years ago has a severely-torn rotator cuff.  I didn't have the surgery then because I couldn't take six weeks off from my job to recuperate.  It really hasn't bothered me since, but partly because I shied away from doing any real work with it.  My therapist put me through a battery of exercises, and is sure he can take care of it with therapy, which is great news.

I'm back on the elliptical, too.  Today was the fifth day in a row, after almost two weeks without using it.  The water leak we had, and the discovery of so much rodent poop in the ceiling of the room where I exercise kept me off it.  Plus, with the McCannell's moving in, there just didn't seem to be time.  I don't need much to put it off, really have to focus to keep at it.  I'm a morning person when it comes to exercise.  The chances of me getting on the machine at 7:00 AM are 90%, slip to 80% at 8:00 AM, 60% at 9:00 AM, and 50% after that.  So the fact that I've kept with it five days in a row, and after a significant lull, is big/good news!

We will finish our first week of the combined household tonight.  I would say it's gone very well, and hope Kelli and Jared feel the same.  Of course, it helps that I am not working, so not part of the morning shower routine, and have a flexible, or no, schedule. I'm picking up Henry four days a week now, with his Grampie picking him up on Thursdays. 

Henry is definitely having the toughest time adjusting, as you might imagine.  He's at Bumpie and Nona's house, but now it's Momma and Daddy's rules.  We are still working that out, so no wonder he is having some trouble.

My Dad's 84th birthday was last Sunday.  He sounded happy when I called to wish him happy birthday.  Now that I think of it, mid-January would be a great time to visit San Diego, for his birthday and for some warmth and relieve from our Maine winter!  Hmm, and next year will be his 85th.....   My sisters and brothers were there to go through more of my Mom's things, for disposition.  Dad will be moving into a smaller apartment at some point, so the need to do minor purging.  

Three Generation Household

Day One is in the books, and Day Two is nearly over.  What was once very common is now not so.  

Kelli and Jared bought a new car Saturday.  Jared took Sullivan to his daycare, and on the last four blocks to MCI, and Kelli took Henry to his Montessori School, and on to work. Kathy drove to her job on Water St.  So far, so good, everybody out the door in good time.

I had a little time to myself, took care of some bills, then got ready for my first physical therapy appointment.  With time off, I decided to get on track to have rotator cuff surgery.  I passed all the tests, so my therapist says there is no surgery in my future, yea!  

Back home, and on to the elliptical for the first time in close to two weeks.  I'd moved it into a little different location just after the last time I used it, so this was a bit of a trial run.  It worked like a charm, and so will stay put.  

I picked up Henry, managed to get the Camry out of the garage and up what is left of the slippery slope.  It was up to 37 degrees and the sun was shining, sure felt great after low 10's and sub-ten temperatures.  He was in full dress, snow boots and snow suit, so cute, covered with a winter jacket and eagle knit cap.  Next stop was Hillman's Bakery, just a short drive away, supplier of very good baked goods at very low prices.  Henry got his hippo cookie and I my oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip cookies and vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, yum.  Next, on to a mission to find some Mega Blok tracks, as we are a few short pieces for my happiness.  At least, no luck, and it was back to home.

Day Two went smoothly, so we are off to a good start.  I tried to get to the Sebasticook Regional Land Trust office today to do some overdue volunteer work, but aborted due to timing and lack of time, and ended up picking up Henry after all.  I did work out on the elliptical for the second day in a row, a very good thing, after missing it for the previous ten days.  

My Dad's birthday was Sunday, his 84th.  He sounded healthy and happy when I called to wish him happy birthday.  He's the last of our parents, and the last male of his siblings.  

I had an interesting trip just before Christmas.  I had previously discovered that a 4th cousin who has lived in Poland for the last decade would be visiting family in New England the month of December.  I organized a get together with his cousin and aunt, and I drove down to Bow, New Hampshire.  We had a good time, meeting each other face to face after a few years of only knowing each other through Facebook.  I found out new information on other cousins, too, and so am fast at work incorporating that into my family tree pages.  More on this in future posts.  

Living In Maine

The last fan was picked up this morning.  Even though we were down to one since Friday, this was the loudest one.  It got very old having fans and dehumidifiers running 24 hours a day, to dry out walls and subfloor.  Of course we wanted them here, rather than mold problems later, but ugh, living with the noise was a challenge.  We did get the home owner to pay for Friday night in a hotel, just needed a break.  

We aren't the only ones in Maine and New Hampshire who have suffered damage from this last ice storm, so we won't see contractors until mid-week, for estimates, and then repairs can't start for another week.  Great timing, as Kelli and Jared and boys are moving in with us this weekend.  I still don't understand how an interior heating pipe freezes, then splits. Estimated repair costs are $10k to $15k, glad it's not on us.  It will be over at some point, and be part of the our memorable start to the New Year.

Yesterday and today the temp got up above freezing, so we went out and chipped ice off our driveway, which unfortunately is sloped.  That, combined with the rain we had before the freeze last week, resulted in a two-inch thick layer of ice in our garage.  Ugh, lots of work clearing that out.  

My physical two weeks ago uncovered hypothyroidism, severe deficit for vitamin D, and 'low T.'  Geez, no wonder I've been feeling in a funk the last several months!  It's nice to find out there are reasons, and that the fixes are easy.  I'm hoping the meds will not only chase the funk away, they will also kick up my motivation to jump on the elliptical each morning.  

Maine is an interesting place.  Alaska was too.  In Alaska, Alaskans make much of the fact that it is not 'part of the Lower 48.' They are very proud of this fact.  People are also very surprised when I tell them it's much colder and snowier here in Maine.  People, including me, pre-Prince of Wales, picture Anchorage and north when they think Alaska.  According to Wikipedia, 

Anchorage:  Average January low and high temperatures are 11 to 23 °F with an average winter snowfall of 75.5 inches.

Klawock:  Average temperature in January is 37°F, and 58°F in July; yearly precipitation is 120 in.

So while our adopted village was colder, it's no where near Anchorage cold.  We had moved from the desert of San Diego, which averages 10 inches of rain a year, to the Tongass Rain Forest, with it's ten FEET of rain, and the accompanying cloud cover.  Ugh.  

So while our adopted village was much colder than San Diego, it was no where near Anchorage cold.  The biggest adjustment was the rain, and clouds:  from 10" a year to TEN FEET of rain each year!  Ugh, the lack of sun was too much.  Maine, however, IS in the lower 48, and part of New England, otherwise known as Red Sox Nation.  So, my expectations were different.

One ready, non-weather example comes to mind.  We needed to buy a car, and decided to drive down to Portland to see what was available. By the way, nearly 40% of Mainers live in or close to Portland, similar to Anchorage, where about 40% of Alaskans live.  Keep in mind that, even though we lived in Alaska for 18 months or so, I still make comparisons to where I spent five decades, namely San Diego.

                          City of San Diego         State of Maine
Population:          1,322,000                   1,329,000      
Area:                            327 sq. miles         35,385 sq. miles
Density:               4,000/sq mile                43/sq mile

Maine is also the whitest and oldest state in the Union, and, one of the poorest, and growing older.  94% of Maine is privately owned, as opposed to California, where federal and state-owned land amount to over 42%, or Alaska, where state and federal lands make up 89%.  (A new thought:  the 1.329 million Mainers are represented by two US Senators, while the ~34 million Californians have only two US Senators.  Something very wrong here.  One solution which makes sense from a variety of angles, create six states out of present day California.)  

Okay, back to the story.  We decided to call on our way down to the dealer, to see if we could grease the skids.  The problem was, we couldn't get the dealership to answer.  I looked it up on my phone, and found it was closed on Sundays!  What, a car dealership that is closed on Sundays?!  Well, I would never have expected that, anywhere, even in Alaska!  Crazy.

I listen to a "Today's Hits" radio station, 92.5 The Moose (no, I'm not making this up), and every day at 12 noon they play a different person or group singing the Star Spangled Banner. Nothing wrong with this, could even be seen as a refreshing side of country pride, but it is very different than what I'm used to, despite living in a military town for decades.  If you think I'm making this up, click here. I'm not kidding!

I'm not a flag-waver, but still, it's kind of nice to see people show their US pride.  Another thing very common is to fly American flags on city light poles throughout towns, hung up for Memorial Day weekend, and stay up until after Labor Day.  It really is nice to drive through each and every small town and see the many flags waving.

The Chargers just lost their playoff game, ugh.  The Patriots, however, won their game last week, so we will be treated to a Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady contest next week, which could be epic, er, (guess I need to get my regional vocabulary going) wicked!  

So, we are off to an interesting start to the New Year.  At this time last year, Kathy and I were living in a village of 800, on an island, far, far from Henry and parents.  Tomorrow, Henry and Sullivan and parents will be living in the same house with us, quite a change! We can hardly wait! 

Freezing on the Outside, Warm on the Inside

You might be thinking to yourself, wow, Doug has posted to his blog, must be some big news, since it's been months since he posted.  Well, your thought would be understandable, but not true.  I've had plenty to write about, just been lazy.  Now, with a brand new year upon us, the weather outside very, very cold, and a foot of snow on the ground, and run out of things to do inside, well, I decided it's time to write.  Did I say cold?  How about -6 degrees as I write this, at 8:15 AM!

Looking back, I did post at least twice this year, the last time in June.  I missed a few important events, though, so will back track a bit.

My Uncle Clark passed away in May, and I drove down to Connecticut for his services.  It only took six hours, a little longer than usual because I got lost and my cell phone ran out of juice and took my GPS with it, so I ended up Rhode Island.  My uncle had been fighting cancer for a few years, so as hard as it is to lose someone, it was a blessing.  It was also a great opportunity to re-connect with my East Coast cousins, whom I rarely get to see.  And, I didn't post.

After Kathy arrived, she found a fantastic, furnished house on a pond, which is what they call small lakes here.  I've written about this, so you can look back for that post.  What I failed to write about was the fantastic job Kathy got, which she started in July.  She is the Director for Disaster Behavior Health for the State of Maine!  It's a perfect match for her skills and past experience.  It's her responsibillity to recruit, train, and manage behavioral health professionals to step in during a disaster and offer assistance to those affected.  And still, I didn't post.

The job is awesome, the commute from St. Albans not:  an hour and 20 minutes each way.  Ugh, another move in our future.  Kathy found another place on a bigger pond, the Great Pond, in Belgrade, 25 minutes from work.  This one was not furnished, so off we went to go furniture shopping, which was very fun.  We brought only two Ikea bureaus and a dining room table with us from San Diego, and Kelli and Jared had moved an Adirondack chair and a few lamps for us.  New pond, new house, new location, no new post.

My Mom passed away in September.  How odd it feels typing this:  she is gone, and I'll never see her again on this Earth.  I know I wrote about her passing in my journal and so this isn't the first time, and yet it still feels very strange, making the fingers type those words.  Thinking of her reminds me of how appropriate it is that I have her Kindle Fire:  she felt very strongly that reading was a very important factor in a happy and successful life, something she passed on to her children and grandchildren.  She, too, had been ill for several years, though not with one serious ailment.  Her passing, too, was a blessing, as her quality of life was very, very low.  And I didn't add a new post.  I flew back the next day, and stayed with my Dad.  He and Mom had moved to a wonderful retirement village six or so years ago.  Mom had moved from their apartment over to the Assisted Living section about two years ago.  We celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at their village in 2011, with family and friends.  Now I was flying back for her services, also at the village, with more family and friends, some I hadn't seen in many years.  I even spoke at her service, along with my nieces and nephew, and still, no blog post.  I had another great time with my Dad, too, who seemed to genuinely feel a sense of relief, as we kids all did, that Mom's suffering was finally over, at 81, and she was now at peace, with her mother and father and little sister.

Kelli presented us with our second grandchild in August, a boy named Sullivan Brady McCannell, and yet, no new post.  He was a few weeks premature by the looks of him, but responded very, very well to mother's milk, and last week at his five month checkup, fell into the 95 percentile for weight, 90th for height, and 100th for head size!  He is another real cutey, smiling now, grabbing for things, 'a perfect baby,' Kelli says.  He has flown twice, and slept nearly the entire flight, for example.

Henry celebrated his third birthday a month later, and Kathy and I FINALLY got to celebrate with him, and still, no new post!  We had missed his first and second parties, and, oh, did that sting!  The party was at Jared's parents house, with lots of Henry's cousins, and was very fun.

In November, Faith and Brady flew in for Thanksgiving.  It was really great to see them. Seeing them brought back wonderful memories of last years Thanksgiving, which they hosted in San Francisco.  We had fun showing off our house on the lake, and around Maine.  Just the week before, Faith had seen a show on TV which talked about the world's largest Christmas tree made out of lobster traps, and we ended up going to Rockland to see the lighting of this tree, very fun.  

They flew home from Boston, so we went down with them to stay a night in our favorite hotel, the Liberty, which is a converted jail.  We walked around Boston Commons and up and down Charles and Newbury streets, window shopping and enjoying the Christmas decorations.  

So here it is, a catchup post.  We had an amazing 2013!  Here's to a fulfilling New Year to you all.

Extra Special Times This Year

I have been blessed to have some very special times this year, surrounded by very stressful ones such as: being away from Kathy for months, managing multiple repairs and repair companies working on our house, and otherwise getting ready to sell it, packing up last possessions we had left at our house and shipping them to Maine, and otherwise preparing to make yet another long distance move, this time to Maine.  One was staying with my Dad for five weeks while our house in San Diego was being worked on.  I originally intended to live in our house while the repairs were being made, but all of the repair people convinced me that noise and smells and general disruption would not be pleasant, and they could all get their work done quicker if the house was empty.  Dad offered up his empty second bedroom, and so I stayed with him instead, and it worked out great.  

Right off the bat, he introduced me to one of his favorite steak places, which was a great way to start my visit.  It turned out he had several good places to get a steak.  Oh, there was the Chinese restaurant he liked, too, which was also very good.  It's been a long, long time since we spent any time together.  I still haven't figured out though, why I, a very infrequent beer drinker, spring for the better ones, while Dad, who can't have a dinner without a beer, sticks to Budweiser.  One of life's little mysteries.

I learned Dad's routine, reading the newspaper every morning (I picked up this habit from him early in life, actually, and despite the instant news updates available online, I still like to read a newspaper every day.  I hadn't been able to for the last year and a half, and really missed it.), repairing Village residents watches, driving other residents of the Village to their doctor or hair appointments, and the airport.  I even made some money when he accidentally double-booked and recruited me to drive.  I ate lunch with him and his friends at the dining hall several times, which was nice.  I went with him several times to his friends apartment for their afternoon cocktail.  He loves watching old movies and the occasional newer one (Shawshank Redemption, for example), war movies, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, and wildlife shows (he's been doing that all my life, no doubt a primary reason why I love nature. Thank God it wasn't baseball season:  Dad is a huge baseball fan, while I would almost rather watch paint dry. :-/  I remember him religiously watching games every Saturday when I was young, with Peewee Reese and Dizzy Dean calling the plays, and the Hamms Beer bear commercials/cartons.).  Another official village duty he has is feeding the koi at Lake George, as they call the little pond at the Village.  We also talked about issues around the Village.  It worked out great.  

The other wonderful opportunity that came my way was spending eight weeks living with Kelli and Jared and Henry.  How cool is that, living with your only granchild, being there every morning when he wakes up!  I was right there, so easy to take him to the library, on walks around town, to the Waterville Y Bouncy House, and other places, besides playing trains and reading to him, whenever he or I wanted!  We also roamed the MCI campus where they live, playing in the grass, looking for squirrels, watching for bugs, and looking and listening for birds (Caw caw!).  I'm not sure Jared and Kelli would describe it as wonderful, having to share their three bedroom apartment with another adult, but I had fun, and ready whenever they needed to go to a meeting, or a movie, or just out to dinner by themselves.  To live with my grandson, for weeks, how many of us get to enjoy that much time with our grandchildren?  It was an opportunity not to be missed, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity.

I've actually been lucky more than once since Henry was born.  Being out of work had its benefits:  even when we all lived in San Diego, I could come down on a moments notice to watch him, read to him, play with him, or take him the the zoo, which he always loved.

Yesterday was Faith and Brady's 10th wedding anniversary:  congratulations to them!  It's nearly impossible to believe it's been ten years since they were married.  They have both achieved much success in that time, and have much to look forward in the years to come.  We are very proud of them.  Keep up the good work you two.

Out of the Rain Forest, Still Living Rural

Four months since my last post is too long, especially considering all that has changed in our lives.  Here is a quick update:

We sold our house in San Diego, very successfully, thanks to our Realtor.  We sold it for $32k more than his initial estimate, and $52k more than the average home sold for in our zip code in the same month.  Wow, talk about exceeding expectations!

On April 24th, Kathy packed up the few remaining items still with her in Alaska, including the dogs, took a three hour ferry to Ketchikan, spent the night, then caught an Alaska Marine Highway ferry the next evening, and spent 36 hours sailing to Bellingham WA.  She then drove to Sea-Tac Airport, where Brady had arrived that morning, picked him up, and they drove across the US, ending in Boston.  They drove 3,051 miles in five days, without incident, not counting the one speeding ticket.

I took a bus from Augusta with Jared, and we met Kathy and Brady at the very cool, pet-friendly Liberty Hotel in Boston.  Jared was there on business.  The next day, we said goodbye to Brady, then stayed on for the weekend, to celebrate our getting back together after three looooong months, her birthday, and our 37th anniversary, phew!  We had a great time in Boston.  We even found the church steps where we spent a night, 38 years ago.

Kathy and I then drove to Pittsfield ME, where Henry was very glad to see his Nona!  We stayed the month of May in a bed and breakfast, which was located just steps away from the MCI campus where Jared and Kelli live and work.

Last but not least, we found a place to rent, and moved into a brand new place right on a Big Indian Pond, out in the boonies, but only 25 minutes from Kelli and Jared and Henry.  It's a beautiful place, lots of wood trim inside, fully furnished, too.  We have an amazing view, the birds are singing nearly from dawn to dusk, including loons!  We are still adjusting to rural life, even more rural than our home in Alaska, but with so much more urban amenities within driving distance.

Now, we are searching for jobs, besides enjoying Henry, and Kelli and Jared.  Henry has already stayed overnight with us twice, which is lots of fun.

Chasing Henry

It's been way too long since my last post.  The gap reflects my, and our, increasing unhappiness at living in a very small and remote village, in a rain forest, and the overwhelming distance from Henry, and Kelli and Jared.  Every time we left the island and flew south, it was harder to fly back:  the warmth, the sun, the restaurants, even simply the hussle and bussle of the city, felt normal, and so our very quiet, incredibly scenic, log-house home in Klawock became less and less fun.

So, we set about doing something to correct the situation.  Kathy got really close to getting a great job offer in Maine in November, but it fell through.  That's when we decided to just take the leap, that it is too difficult to get new jobs from 3,000 miles away, so we would just move, and the rest would fall into place.  

Living Room and Entrance

At the same time, with the housing market picking up finally and quickly, and so we decided the time was right to sell our house in San Diego. We contacted a San Diego neighbor who happens to be a Realtor, and boy, did we make the right first step:  he, and his wife, have been tremendously helpful.  I've never sold a house before, but it sure seems to me like they have gone way beyond the normal duties of an agent to help us.  We couldn't be happier with all of the support and help Kerry has provided, every step of the way.  We highly recommend him, whether you are buying or selling:  Electric Car Real Estate Guy

This was Henry's Room, now painted over, sadly.

This coming week is the big week, when we are finally ready to put the house on the market.  Kerry had several suggestions on things we could do to make the house more attractive to potential buyers, so we spent the last three weeks having it painted inside and out, including the kitchen cabinets, and having the carpet in the last four carpeted rooms pulled up, and all of the beautiful hardwood floors refinished.  We also had some landscaping done.  The house has now been nothing short of transformed!  It will go on the market this Friday, and Saturday and Sunday will be the first open house events.  We can hardly wait to see how prospective buyers react.  

Next, move to Maine.  I fly there next Tuesday, and will be staying with Kelli and Jared and Henry for a couple of weeks, re-connecting with my precious grandson, getting my bearings in yet another new place, and looking for a job.  Oh, and looking for a place to rent, too.  I'm hoping to find a solid fixer-upper that we can purchase at a bargain price, and then have it repaired and remodeled to our liking.  I'm still trying to convince Kathy this is a good idea.  

Kathy has remained in Klawock, bringing in the needed paycheck and health insurance, and providing for her clients, while continuing to gain the required hours she needs before she can apply for her license.  She is booked on an April 23rd ferry to Bellingham WA, but I'm going to do everything I can to get her 'released from the Rock' sooner.