We Depart ...

Mama Bear thought we would ship non-essentials via the United States Postal Service (USPS) and pack only essentials for transport. Papa Bear thought we would pack everything into the cars. We did it Papa Bear's way. So Departure Day morning was spent packing and lugging and loading into the cars. Mama Bear was told to get out all the suitcases and duffles. Papa Bear packed his clothes into a duffle and one suitcase. Mama Bear has her clothes in three suitcases, a duffle, and another small bag and a grocery-carrier bag of shoes and a second grocery-carrier bag of assorted other assorted, necessary "stuff." (And Mama Bear left items at the House on the Creek. Mama Bear needs to learn to pack. Or maybe to dress more simply.) We have boxes of books, art supplies, binoculars, etc. The Cat has her carrier, some food, some toys, her sleep-on items.

As we moved out, the Care Taker prepared to take possession of the House on the Creek. We did not have to attend an inauguration (as the United States Chief of State must do) nor did we have to visit the Queen (as the English Prime Minister must do) so I suspect our process was much easier than theirs. Still, much happens in this type of handoff and it has been interesting - all the house quirks we have accommodated had to be fixed or, at a minimum, shared. I am hoping for a somewhat rainy summer so that the lilacs at the House on the Creek can grow a bit (if there is grass, the deer will eat it instead of the other vegetation.)

The drive proved uneventful with little traffic, little construction and great driving weather (my opinion - clouds but no rain and not too hot). Mama Bear had advocated for taking a route through the mountains; Papa Bear wanted Interstate roads, so we did it his way. It proved to be shorter by an hour. As we were late leaving, that was a huge plus! Mama Bear and The Cat listened to Peter, Paul and Mary (PPM), the Beach Boys, and the Beatles. Papa Bear had a medley he had created from his CD collection with PPM, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sarah McLaughlin, James Galloway, Hubert Laws, Herbie Mann, Norah Jones, Faith Hill, The Fifth Dimension, Starland Vocal Band, Bonnie Rait, Celine Dion, Neville Brothers and others. (Mama Bear needs some more tunes and artists!) We had frequent stops to stretch our collective legs. The hotel was easy to find. The Cat, upon arrival, promptly went under the bed. After exploring there, she gradually moved out and sniffed the entire room from top to bottom (how she managed to jump into a six-inch opening mid-height in the television armoire, I do not know, but she did.) Her favorite spot seemed to be the wide ledge at the window where she could overlook happenings on the street below.

After a restful sleep, we will depart soon for our second day's journey. Papa Bear was over-perkied this morning by the CNN announcer, so he had to switch channels to get more news and less perky. Let us hope our journey today is as easy and uneventful as the first day. Mama Bear wants to take the Taconic Parkway to the Mass Pike; Papa Bear wants to take 84 through Hartford. Guess which way we will go!