Last day in Augusta

We got up about the same time as yesterday. Seemed so early until Chris reminded me that my watch was still on Alabama time. Oops. So I quickly took a shower and got dressed for church. We said goodbye to Neal and April, and thanked them for their hospitality. Then we went to church. It was great to get there early and have time to surprise and greet our friends as they came in. Several of them invited me to sing with the choir for old times sake. I had never seen the music before, but it wasn't hard. Then the choir left, having stayed for the earlier service. I had forgotten that part. I went down to sit with Chris and his parents for the rest of the service. It was so nice to be back. I got to talk to a few people after church, too, and then Chris left for Huntsville. I went with Al and Cecily to Cracker Barrel. We met Mike and Kelly there for lunch. Afterwards, we went to their hotel room to watch football and chat. The red helmets were playing the gold helmets. The game went into overtime. I think the red helmets won. Anyway, the conversation was much better and that is where my attention was. Al brought his Consumer Reports for 2011. I skimmed the sections for refrigerators, washers and dryers. At supper time, we went to Outback for dinner. Cecily got lamb, as usual. I helped her eat it, and Kelly helped her with the bottle of wine. There was wine left, and the waitstaff said we could only take it with us if they sealed it in a bag and we put it in the trunk. So they did, and we did. Back at the hotel, we watched more football, and had more amusing conversation. After Mike and Kelly left, we prepared for tomorrow, putting out clothing and packing suitcases. I readied a bowl of breakfast ingredients for the morning. Then Cecily helped me fix up the hide-a-bed. She and Al retired to their room to watch more football, and I am posting to my blog. No football for me.

Catching up with friends

I woke early to the daylight coming in the window. The room was cold and the comforter was warm, so I did not get up right away. When we heard cartoons in the livingroom, I could no longer convince myself that staying in bed would keep us from waking up our hosts. I went upstairs to take a shower, and then Chris took his. I fixed breakfast, and took my supplements. Chris was ready to go to the game store, so I hurried to get ready to go, forgetting to put away my supplements. We went to the game store and were warmly greeted by Paul, Keith, and one other guy whose name escapes me right now. It was nice to renew their acquaintance. I found a book to buy, and borrowed their phone book to look up my friend's phone numbers. But only Linda was home. She said they were going to the Kroc center for lunch and a musical afternoon, and I could go along. Since barbeque isn't my idea of health food, I walked to the nearby Asian market to buy seaweed and something else. The store was arranged backwards so that I had to walk to the back of the strip mall to find the back door. Inside the backdoor was the checkout counter. Weird. But I found seaweed and some natto, although it was frozen. I put that in my purse and walked back to find Chris. He drove me to Linda's house. We all chatted for a bit, and then he went back to the game store, and Linda, Dennis, and I went to the Kroc center in Augusta. It turned out to be a very nice place. There were musical acts from noon to 8. We sat in for some, and took breaks to eat at the barbeque stand, and to look at vendors there. Linda and I both bought handmade soap. We met their friends Lordys and Rusty. It was an interesting afternoon. Then we came back to Linda's house. I called Chris to tell him we were back. Linda and I caught up on each other's news. Chris came for me, and we went to see Keith and Janet for a bit. Then we went to Augusta Mall to a chinese restaurant called P.F.Chang. (I was amazed at the changes in Augusta Mall, it is huge!) My in-laws and Mike and Kelly were there. We had a great time and the food was excellent. We discussed plans for tomorrow morning. Then we went back to Neal and April's place. Their daughter was already in bed. Neal gave Chris the network password. Chris was able to get his computer to connect, but mine was recalcitrant. Still, he persevered until he succeeded. By the time I got into my e-mail, everyone decided to go to bed. So I alone am left to tell the tale.

Going to Augusta

The alarm went off at 5:30. It was too dark to pack last night, so we got up early. Chris took a shower and I spent a few more minutes in bed. Then I took a shower and started packing. Chris checked his e-mail and I fixed breakfast so I could check my e-mail too. I got one from Mary with her phone number. That's good 'cause my address book got packed in HHG so I don't have any phone numbers. It was about 8 when we headed out. We passed a sign for Cathedral Caverns, so I told Chris we should go see it sometime. There were lots of cow pastures. We exited Alabama and wound our way through Tennessee and Georgia to Atlanta. When we got through Atlanta, I called Mary, but only got her answering service. When we got to BelAir road, I called again, but with no luck. Chris knew the way to Neal's house, so we got there with no trouble. We met their daughter Emmy who is almost 2 and very cute. When Al and Cecily arrived at the hotel, we got word and drove over there. Later Mike and Kelly showed up, and then Neal and April. The 6 of us went to Carrabba's for Mike's birthday (even though it was last week). It seemed impolite to mention that I had a vow never to go there again, so I went along. We were told it would be a 30 minute wait but we waited for an hour, even though we called ahead. They moved a sports party of 20+ ahead of us, which did not improve my opinion of them. We were finally seated in the back. We ordered. While we were waiting, we had a good time chatting amongst the lot of us. Emmy was being cute fishing for ice cubes in her water. When the food came, it was better than bulldog slobber, or a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, as Chris would say. Emmy finally had enough, and they left to take her home to bed. Al insisted on paying for everyone. When we got back to the hotel, Mike and Kelly were waiting for us, having left with Neal and April. So we all sat in the hotel room, chatting like old times. Cecily, who insisted that she doesn't read my blog, was well lubricated from the restaurant and had another drink in her hand. She was very entertaining, and Kelly played along with her. It was good to see Kelly having so much fun. Sometimes I worry about her health, but she seemed really good. It was lots of fun, but Chris was worn out from the drive, and since we were staying with Neal and April, we thought we should get back before it got too late. I wanted to post to my blog, but Neal couldn't find his network password. He thinks a certain young lady might have been involved in its disappearance. So I tried to use April's computer, but remembered the password incorrectly. Then Chris found a nearby network that was not password protected. But my computer wouldn't connect, at least not until I rebooted my computer (I am so looking forward to getting back to XP). So here it is, such as it is. And as a certain someone will note, I did manage to work the phrase 'bulldog slobber' into this post.

Cold, but sunny

It did not rain today, but it was windy and sunny. I tried sitting outside barefoot and had to wear a coat in the blowing wind. Chris took the day off. He put my new tag on my car. Most of our time was spent on our computers. I answered e-mail and watched a few video clips. I placed another order of supplements. I took a long walk in the late afternoon but before the sun set. I started reading a book called "Sarah", as in the wife of Abraham. It is pretty good. We skyped Michele after supper. She is doing fine. She made a crockpot of cabbage soup and is eating it every night for supper. She says next week is chicken soup. I am glad it isn't night after night of Ramen. When we hung up, it was time for Big Bang Theory. We enjoyed that. Then I flipped through the channels, settling on a show about tsunamis. But then we found more episodes on BBT on another network, and that lasted for two hours. Chris set his alarm for 5:30 (daylight comes early here) so we can pack (not enough light after dark) for our trip to Augusta.
* I didn't take any pics today, so here is one of the backyard of the house we will be renting. *

Just general errands

Because I wasn't able to get my car tag yesterday, I tried again today. I arrived at 8:15. They don't open until 8:30, but there was already a line. Fortunately at 8:30 a lady came out to divide the line into the regular group, and the Wednesday activites-only group. That made the line shorter. Only two people were ahead of me then. But she told me that the tag was only good until January, then I would have to renew it. Hopefully I can do that on-line and not have to stand in that line again. When I got back, the maid was in my apartment, cleaning in the kitchen. She has never come so early. She'd already made the bed and cleaned the bathroom. I told her I was sensitive to all those cleaners. Actually it seems a waste to use them every day. She told me I could hang out the do-not-disturb sign whenever I didn't want cleaning.
It was overcast today. And it rained on and off. I sat outside early. The sun was hidden behind the clouds. But I got to sit for almost an hour before it sprinkled. I might have stayed out longer, but I was using my laptop, and I don't think it is waterproof. Chris came home early for lunch, and stayed home to work on the computer. I finished watching the episodes of Monk. Then he drove me in my car to the library to return the books and DVD's. I wanted him to drive because a light was showing on my dash. Chris said it looked like an engine. I thought it looked like a submarine. Anyway, according to my owners manual, a malfunction message should appear. I watched it carefully the whole way, and no message appeared. Well, the sales man did say that something about the check-engine light coming on even though there was no problem.
When we got back, it was not raining any longer. So I went for a walk in the fading daylight. I can't believe that it gets dark by 5 now. I saw a patch of sunlight shining through the trees and I walked toward it. But I just found myself in wet grass. I wandered around a bit, and leaned up against a tree. The squirrel at the top chittered at me, apparently upset at having to share his tree. When I got back, the daylight was almost gone. I did a little sewing, making two potholders with a leftover strip of batting that had been used as packing. I used big stitches so I can 'reclaim' the fabric later when our potholders arrive. We ate leftovers in the frig. I started watching a movie on rollercoasters in 3D on VHS. Near the end my brother called to chat. Then I finished the movie. It was ok, but will be even better when we get our 42 inch screen TV! I watched a bit of regular programming, and then called my Dad to tell him I am arriving next week. Now I am finishing up my blog (in between Skypes from my brother), and am ready to turn in for the night.
* This is the actual front of the library. Apparently the door facing the street is the back entrance. The front entrance is behind the building, facing the parking lot. *

Surprise!

I got up this morning with only one goal in mind - to get tags for my car. So, after breakfast and e-mail, I took a shower, and drove to the PX where there was a DMV satellite office. But the line was long. I stood there for 40 minutes. When it was my turn, the lady said that she needed to see Chris' license too, AND since our licenses have North Carolina addresses, she needed to see our passports or birth certificates to verify that we are U.S. citizens. But she did not need to see proof of insurance. She could take my word for that. So I called Chris and went back to the apt. When he came home for lunch, he took my license. I measured my wagon's cargo capacity and noted the figures in the car book in case I ever have to haul anything kinda big. Then I sat in the sun for an hour. Chris went back to work. I read more e-mail, looked up refrigerators at Lowes, saw some videos on Youtube, and finally decided to walk to the thrift shop. But I never got there. On the way, Chris called to say he was going to meet a realestate agent to sign the lease. So I went back to the apt, wrote down the address from an e-mail, then walked away again in the direction I expected him to arrive. But he came from the other direction, so I walked back again. We followed the GPS as best we could to the office, then drove around looking for a place to park. So we were a little later than intended. The agent sat us down and gave each of us a copy of the lease. She had the wrong price on it, and we had to initial her changes. She talked to us as we read through it. So it was hard to focus. But she seemed really nice, and we chatted after signing the lease too. Then we returned to base. I cooked bison with onions, garlic and tomatoes. Chris made wild rice. We ate in front of our computers. Then I was reading an article in my in-box and came across the pic which you see in this blog. I was quite surprised to see it, but glad to have a pic for my blog because I did not take any pics today. I showed it to Chris. And proclaimed that they got the quote wrong. What I said was "Quilting is my passion, but buying fabric is an addiction". Then I watched an episode of TQS on my laptop. When it was over, Chris put "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" on. He got it from Netflix. We watched that and then retired for the night.

The pieces are coming together

After Chris went to work, I fixed breakfast and intended to do laundry. But while I was reading e-mail, MaryAnn skyped me. We had a oft interrupted chat. For some reason the connection wasn't good. Finally the call dropped altogether. By that time Chris had called to tell me not to drive the car until he brought home a copy of the proof of insurance. So I spent the rest of the morning sewing little pieces together. He came home for lunch. The sun was out, so I sat outside and read for an hour. Chris went back to work. I had a bite to eat, and then took all the dirty laundry to the laundromat. I washed it in two loads, and then dried it in one. But it wasn't dry, so I had to run it a second time. I stopped it periodically to pull out whatever was dry. When I got home, Chris was already there, working from his computer. I put the laundry away, and then took a walk for 45 minutes. We had leftover chicken for supper. The realestate agent e-mailed to set up a time to sign the rental agreement. She wants to get it done because someone else got their bid in first, but they have a pet, and we don't. I am excited to have a house, but not looking forward to the yard work. Neither is Chris. We discussed our plans for this weekend and Thanksgiving. Then we retired to our respective laptops to watch our respective TV series. My computer kept getting kicked off the net. Chris tried everything, but it had to be rebooted. Why did that work? Dunno. He says that is why computers are referred to in the feminine - no one understands them except their maker.