L'aventure américaine

We are on our way! I believe that updates will be spotty due to lack of Internet access and phone service, but we are in a Starbucks just south of Salt Lake and taking care of those pesky Internet things. We packed the truck and left on Monday morning, breathing a sigh of relief as we drove away from Phoenix and all of its responsibilities. We made it to Farmington, NM that evening for dinner with Aunt Pruda. Luciano also had us over for brownies and coffee: delicious! We stopped in Durango the next morning to meet CJ Long, the newest Trujillo baby and Shirena made us green chili for breakfast (isn't she amazing?). And then we headed to Utah! We stopped at Arches National Park and hiked to Delicate Arch, which was so beautiful. And then we headed north, stopping for the night in Ashley National Forest for our first night's sleep in the truck. Comfortable and warm! Although there was frost on the window when we woke up and we'll have to acclimate to the cold! We sh

So, I am about to unplug and pack my wireless router, so I'm using the last bit of my high speed internet.  It is is a welcome break amidst the chaos that has been the last two weeks.  To sum up: pack, work, clean.  That's it. However, there was a brief break for the annular eclipse, which was showcased in the west last Sunday.  Sterling had mentioned it and I agreed that I wanted to see it, as we all reminisced watching the last one during an impromptu recess in elementary or junior high school.  I looked up how to make a projector box while I was at work and sent the link to Sterling.  It told us to use a long box and if we didn't have a long enough one, then tape two shoeboxes together.  Sterling said he would see what he could do. So, I was lucky enough to escape work early and Sterling said that he was ready for me at his house up the street.  I climbed the ladder to the roof and was greeted with the most enormous projector box along with wine, cheese and apples!

So, life has settled back into the mundane routine lately.  Work and home and groceries and so on.  That is, if you included putting a roof on a new house as quickly as you can and packing up boxes with labels such as, "Books for Baltimore!" and "Books to open in our new mansion in Detroit!"  But, we're toodling along at a breakneck pace. And in the midst of this Phoenix chapter closing, I am trying to downsize my things.  Which has been an adventure.  A Craigslist Adventure: It started off so well initially.  I decided that Odie's treadmill did not need to move to Baltimore with us.  Thus, with our quickly imposed delivery fee, Sterling and I were able to make $145 one day after the posting.   Wonderful! I thought.   This will be lucrative and fast!  And then things slowed down...  Way down. I have since had one scammer and 3 pornography sites be interested in my vacuum and lamps (vacuum, really?  How cliche.) I have received one email from someone