Accomplishments and Adabtability

     We have had crazy Spring weather this past week, but that hasn't stopped me from getting a lot of things checked off my to-do list (which keeps growing, by the way!)  Here's what my week looked like:

1)  My flooring guy came to measure for the new laminate for the kitchen, breakfast nook and little bathroom.  I have used Brian Martinez for carpeting on a few other occasions and was very happy to find out that he installs all kinds of flooring.  I highly recommend him if you need any new floors, tile work or carpeting.
2)  I, myself, refinished the wood floors in the living room using the Rustoleum kit that I used on the floor in the little bedroom.  They look really good!!!

New living room floor

Old dining room floor

3)  I began a search for real estate agents using realtors.com and then narrowing down to meet my criteria.  I emailed 8 prospective agents and have set up interview times for this week and next to talk to 5 of them who responded to my enquiries and are willing to meet my demands.  Hopefully I can hire someone by the end of the following week.  Wish me luck!
4)  I put my profile on 3 different house sitting websites.  More about this in the "adaptability" section of the post.
5)  I have checked on long term leases in the SW of France.  More about this in the next section.
6)  I called the French Consulate in Denver to ask about the application process for long term visas only to find out that I have to apply for that through the French Consulate in Los Angeles!  So I may be making a trip to LA in the next couple of months.  (Hmmmm, Universal Studios is opening their version of the Wizarding World next month!  Renae says she's game!)
7)  I rented a storage unit so I have a place to put all those things that will not be used to stage my house which Beth is going to help me do the first week in April.
     And amid all that hustle and bustle I found time to meet Ken and Beth for dinner at Carrabba's, spent a morning at the zoo, Renae and I enjoyed dinner and a play performance, I made a trip to Home Depot and to the ReStore, and I cooked Easter dinner for Andy and me.  (And shoveled snow!)  Whew!!!!

My sweet baby Elsa

Zoya greeted me through her window

Little Ember always brings a smile

Grandma Juju relaxing on a snowy day

     So those were my accomplishments this past week.  It seems as though the more I do, the more I realize I still need to do, but everything is coming together - perhaps not as quickly as I had thought, but isn't that usually how it goes with house and moving projects?  Still,  I am very close to being ready to put the house on the market.  That's the next big step to moving to France.
     I feel that my years of teaching adolescents has helped me become a master at adaptability.  And I am finding that to be a helpful trait as I meander along the paths of twists and turns and unexpected bumps on my journey to France.
     It was really interesting to check out the house sitting websites this past week.  It was fun to see where all in the world one could travel to and stay for free in someone else's home.  What I found out, however, is that most house sitting requests are for 3 days (a long weekend) to 10 days (a short vacation).   Two weeks seemed to be the maximum time that most people required a house sitter.
     I really don't want to be packing up and moving every 2 weeks for months at a time.  I know that at some point I am going to want a permanent address.  So that's when I decided to check out some house rental websites.  There are lots of places to choose from in the SW area of France where I hope to eventually buy.  There are holiday gites (small cottages usually attached to larger farm houses) available all year.  In the warmer months they are leased by the week, but in the fall and winter many of them will offer long term leases for  6-7 months.  I contacted a few of these and got a response from a couple who said I could rent their cottage starting in September for 7-8 months at their winter rate of 425 euros/month plus utilities and no extra cost for CoCO.
     This cottage is very close to the place where Andy and I stayed a couple of years ago.  When I realized that, I decided to contact Monsieur and Madame Olive to see if they did long term leases for their gite.  Their website doesn't show any availability during the winter and I have a feeling they just lock it up and don't use it at all during the colder months.  But I felt like I wanted to at least ask them.  I will be contacting them when I arrive in France and am worried that they might feel hurt that I didn't even think of them when looking for a place to rent.  So I emailed them this morning and will see what they say.

The Olive's farmhouse where Andy and I stayed

     So I've decided (at this point) that I will do a combination of house sitting and renting.  I will sign the lease on the cottage to start in September.  I will then need to contact the Consulate in LA and prepare all the preliminary paperwork to be sent to them before I can make an in person appt.  But I will need an extension on my visitors passport to stay in France for up to a year so this will be a necessary trip.
     Once my house sells - and it's hard to say when that might happen - then I will look for house sitting jobs, here and in Europe, to fill the time before I head to France.  Sounds like a good plan to me.
     This next week I will be interviewing agents and getting new floors and beginning to pack up the things I will put in storage.  Things are moving along.  When I look at all I've accomplished in the past year I amaze myself!  But, as you know, this path has had its share of twists and turns and bumps.  It's all part of the journey and I feel good about where I am at this point.  I will admit to some trepidation and anxiety.  I think that's normal when one is about to change one's life dramatically.  But the excitement always overshadows the fear.
     I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful Easter Sunday.  As always, I thank you for taking the time to read my blog and for joining me on this journey to SW France.  Merci!

Approved for Take Off and Welcoming Spring

     I had no idea what to expect in Albuquerque on Friday.  As I mentioned last week, I had been approved for a Global Entry Pass and had an interview scheduled at the Customs office at the Albuquerque Airport.  So, CoCo and I made a quick trip there, driving on Thursday, spending the night at a hotel near the airport and then driving back home on Friday after my 12:15 appointment.
     I had no trouble finding the airport Thursday when we arrived around 4:00 having left the Springs around 10:00 that morning.   I love driving 75 mph!  We checked into the hotel and I tried to get CoCo comfortable with being there.  She has only stayed one other time in a motel room and it made her really anxious, even though I never left her alone in it.
     There was a Burger King just down the street from the hotel so I took her in the car and went through the drive through, returned to the hotel and ate dinner in the room.  She settled down a little bit when she saw the french fries!  ha!  The next morning I left her in the room briefly while I grabbed a plate of breakfast food from their free "buffet" which didn't amount to much, but then I don't usually eat breakfast so it didn't really matter.  And, once again, CoCo was happy to have some friend potatoes!
     I had googled the airport layout the night before and so I had a general idea of where I needed to go in the airport.  I had no idea where to park, however, and ended up parking in a lot where I could easily walk to the entrance.  I put CoCo in her airline approved carrier and off we went into the airport.
     They are undergoing renovations so things looked different inside than my google map had shown so I ended up asking someone where the Customs Office was.  We walked in to find three other people sitting there, in a rather small waiting area.  I was about 45 minutes early.  I wanted to leave myself plenty of time to find the right building and the right room.  Everyone else there was waiting for the same thing - an interview to get their Global Entry Pass.
     CoCo was not happy being in her carrier, but sticking my hand inside and petting her regularly seemed to calm her down.  Not sure how I can do that on a nine hour flight to Europe!  Drugs - that's what I'm thinking - for both of us perhaps!  Anyway, when it was my turn we met with a very nice Customs Agent who explained the entire process, took my passport and driver's license and put all the info into his computer.  Then he took my photo and fingerprints which he also had to process into his computer.  At which point he said I had been officially approved for TSA precheck on domestic flights and Global Entry passport checks (basically, no check!) on international flights.  Whoo hoo!  No more standing in long security lines.
     Meanwhile back in the Springs it was snowing.  I left NM in bright sunshine and didn't hit any weather problems until Raton Pass where it was a light freezing drizzle.  Fortunately, that didn't last very long, but I never did see the sun again.  I appreciated getting a text from Andy telling me that the roads were all clear, and indeed, I had no problems getting home around 7:00.  A quick trip, but very productive.
     And things are getting done on the house.  I have a flooring guy coming in the morning to measure for the new floors in the kitchen, the breakfast nook and the little bathroom.  I will be renting a storage unit starting next month so that I can get my belongings out of the house so my dear friend, Beth, can give me pointers on how to stage it for selling.  I have started the wood floor renewal process in the living and dining rooms (having already done this in the small bedroom that's on the main floor.)
     Then all that's left is to hire a carpet cleaner and do some "curb appeal".  I will hire an appraiser and a home photographer (suggested by the book I'm reading) and start interviewing realtors so I can get the house on the market in April.
     Cindy is coming for a week in April and that will be a most welcome distraction from all this work.  I am excited to show her the improvements.  Everything should be done by then - April 9 - so that she and I can just "play" and do all the things we love doing in Colorado Springs.  She is anxious to see the cubs at the zoo.  They have changed so much since she saw them in October!
     And now it's Spring - officially!  My favorite time of year.  I know it's extremely schizophrenic and you never know what to expect.  In fact, we often have our biggest snow storms in the Spring.  But I love the green shoots that are appearing, the crocuses are blooming, there's a tinge of green on the lilac bushes and the trees.  The grass is turning from brown to green and the sun is staying longer in the sky. The fat squirrels are frantically trying to find the food that they buried last fall, the robins are enjoying the birdbath, the finches are singing me awake every morning.
     It's funny that when we got back home from our trip to NM I said to CoCo, "it's good to be home, isn't it?"  And then realized that there will come a time when I won't have a home to come home to - at least not my own home - at least not for awhile.  But, I am excited about the time when I can enjoy someone else's home.  Life is good, life is always changing and I am very good at adapting and looking forward to my next great adventure.
     And since I have no photos for this posting I'll just post a few old ones so I can keep that new adventure always fresh in my mind and heart.
 

My valley in SW France

The beautifully majestic Pyrenees

     Thanks for coming along with me on this journey.  Merci!!!

A Diminishing Checklist, A Magical Adventure, and the Return of Birdsong

     Did you miss me?  I've been gone the past two Sundays and so have not done my usual weekly posts.  I'm so sorry.  Last week I was in Orlando (the Magical Adventure I'll talk about soon) and the week before I was in Texas at my aunt's funeral.  And now it's March!  Oh my!
     I see things being crossed off my checklist for house projects and moving projects.  This feels good.  The only things I, personally, have left to do on my house are refinishing the wood floors and painting the basement.  I am hiring someone to replace the vinyl flooring in the kitchen, breakfast nook area and the small bathroom.  Then I will hire a professional carpet cleaner and "spruce up" the yard. 
     I have been reading a book called "The Intelligent Home Seller" which has some great advice on how to hire an agent and gives a detailed insight into the entire process of selling a house.  I hope to begin interviewing agents the beginning of next week. 
     I have done some research on climate controlled storage units and am pleased that I can rent one for about $75/month.  As soon as my house is listed I will need to put things in storage as I don't want people walking through my house and seeing my art, collectibles and personal items.
     Next week I should be ready to put my profile on some house sitting web sights and then I can start looking for what's available in France in the next few months. Although I still can't put anything in writing until my house sells.  I am headed to Albuquerque on Thursday for an interview with a branch of the NSA so that I can get what's called a "Global Entry Pass."  This would allow me permanent TSA precheck on all domestic flights and a special passport check (very short lines) on international flights.  The closest and soonest I could get an interview is Friday morning in Albuquerque.  Denver is booked til July!  Since I will be traveling from here on out with CoCo I don't want to be standing in long lines with her in a carrier while in airports.  I'll let you know about the interview in next Sunday's post.
     It feels good as I look around my house to see how much I've accomplished in the past year.  I may be a little off my game plan for being in France the first part of 2016, but everything happens in its own time and I don't have to be in a rush.  "Que sera sera" as the saying goes!  (I love that song, by the way!)

The Hogwarts Express

     Last Sunday Renae and I left for our Magical Adventure - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando.  We had so much fun!  It actually felt like we were in England and Scotland and a part of the magical world of wizards and Hogwarts students.  We were amazed at the attention to detail in every aspect of the parks.  It felt like we had walked into the books and the movies!  If you are at all a Harry Potter fan you need to visit these parks.

Info about my wand

 
     We spent all day Monday at Diagon Alley which is the magical part of London where Harry first is introduced to the magic world.  We rode the Hogwarts Express into Kingscross Station and got off at Platform 9 3/4 which then led us to the Knight bus at Piccadilly Circus before entering the "secret" passage way into Diagon Alley.  We explored every shop and corner and pub and event.  I bought my wand at Olivander's.  We loved the ride at Gringott's Bank so much that we rode it 4 times over the 3 days that we were there!

Gringott's Bank

A performance of "The Three Brothers" from the Tales of Beadle the Bard

     Tuesday we spent in Hogsmeade, the magical village closest to Hogwarts castle.  We had breakfast at The Three Broomsticks and then wandered the streets.  I practiced casting spells with my wand (there are wand stations throughout both parks!).  We rode the castle ride and then walked through the castle so we could take our time and see everything without being in a line which made us hurry.  The castle is wonderful - the talking portraits, the Fat Lady welcoming you to Griffindor house, the quiditch and house apparel, the copies of The Daily Prophet, a welcome from Albus Dumbledore, a warning from Ron, Harry and Hermione - we walked through three times.

Inside The Three Broomsticks

Hogwarts Castle

Hagrid's Hut

Buckbeak, the Hippogriff

     Wednesday we went back and forth from Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley and took in some stage performances that we had missed on the previous days and also some shops that we wanted to revisit.  We had breakfast that morning at the Leaky Cauldron.  We were so sorry to tell them all goodbye Wednesday evening as we left the parks.  Then we flew home on Thursday.

One of the streets in Diagon Alley

Olivander's Wand Shop

Walking through Kingscross Station

     The first thing I noticed Friday morning was that the robins had returned!  My backyard was filled with the sound of birds welcoming me home - like magic!  The finches, the chickadees, the robins, and I even caught a glimpse of one of the neighborhood falcons soaring overhead.  I love Springtime! 

The robins are back!

 I thank you for reading this post.  And as always I thank you for joining me on my journeys, wherever they may lead. 

Progress and Wizards

     My bedroom smells like paint.  I finally got my bathroom painted today and since it's attached to the bedroom I can smell it pretty strongly.  I just got over a cold so I'm hoping the fumes don't send me into a coughing fit.  I was able to borrow my neighbor's 8' ladder today so tomorrow I can finish painting the 10' ceiling in the lower level and then all my painting is done - unless I decide to paint the basement which could certainly use a new coat of paint.  And by now I'm pretty good at painting!  We'll see . . .
     Once the ceiling and crown molding are painted I can start getting my house back in order so it doesn't look like a construction zone!  My West JHS teacher group is coming over Thursday night for our monthly dinner.  We always go out, but everyone has been asking me about my house remodeling and so I decided to invite them over.  This has also been a good incentive for me to get everything done!
     I'm happy to have found a handy man who will do some odd jobs for me - ones that I either don't know how to do, like electrical and plumbing things, or ones I don't want to do like scraping the ceiling in my bedroom (my back just can't take anymore of that!).  He'll be coming over the first week in March.  After he's done then I need to get the floor replaced in the kitchen and lower level (Home Depot is doing that), the wood floors on the main level redone (like the floor I did in the little bedroom), and get the carpets cleaned.

My "construction zone" house!

At least the kitchen's finished

     I'm hoping to get most of that accomplished before I leave for "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" on March 6.  Renae and I are so excited, we're like little kids!  I bought a guide book for the 2 parks and am going through it when I get the chance.  We have our flights and our hotel package all taken care of.  The package includes 3 days at the Harry Potter parks - both Hogsmead, which includes Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and also Diagon Alley which is connected to Hogsmead by the Hogwarts Express which leaves from Kings Cross Station at Platform 9 3/4!   Universal Studios has completely recreated the sets from the Harry Potter movies and added rides, interactive wand stations, outdoor stage productions - just about anything you remember from the books and movies can be found in the parks.
     This will most likely be my last vacation in the States before I head overseas.  But I still don't know exactly when that will happen as my house will need to sell first.  I hope to have the house ready to put on the market when we get back from Orlando.  And then keep my fingers crossed!
     Once all my house projects are finished (and I am getting closer!) I will post photos.  I'm also thinking about having an Open House/Bon Voyage party so I can invite all of you to see what I've done and party with all my friends!  One last time!  And then you can all come visit me in France, right?
      Thank you for staying with me on this part of the journey.  I feel like I've accomplished a lot in the past year and I must say that your encouragement and enthusiasm have helped me tremendously.  A huge "Merci" to all of you!  

On Being Homeless

     "The Art of Being Homeless" is a title that caught my attention.  It was offered on one of my free ebook websites that I get regularly and thinking it was a philosophical writing about minimalism or down-sizing I downloaded it on my Kindle without reading the summary.  Come to find out, it was a novel about a woman who lost everything in a nasty divorce and decided to move to Greece on a whim!  I have yet to read it . . . .
     As I get closer and closer to putting my house on the market (next month) and think more and more about not having a place to call "home", I have started to see things a little differently.  I'm finding that being without a permanent address - in the US or in France - will cause some difficulties.  I had thought about getting a PO box, but credit card companies and the DMV require a street address.  I suppose I could ask Andy if I could use his address (as he has used mine in the past), which would solve some problems in the US.
     However, without a permanent address in France I will not be able to get a residency visa or buy a car or open a bank account.  So, what do I do?  I'm going to use this blog post to put my thoughts "on paper", as it were, and list some pros and cons regarding housesitting vs home buying.  (I think I might be on to Plan E!)
     Here  are the pros of housesitting:
1)  No mortgage or rent payments (that's a big pro for me).  That would free up about $1500 a month if you include insurance, utilities and taxes.  I love the idea of having that much more money a month to play with - literally!
2)  I can experience different towns and village and even different regions before I decide to buy.
3)  If I delay buying a house until I am 65 (in about 30 years! ha!) I will qualify for reduced property taxes, utilities, etc.
4)  Many houses come with the use of a vehicle so I wouldn't have to buy a car right away.
5)  I would not be responsible financially for any problems that might arise with the houses such as pipes bursting or an appliance not working, etc.

Here are the cons of housesitting:
1)  I would not be able to have guests unless they are willing to stay in a hotel.
2)  From what I have read in my house sitting manuals and newsletters, many homeowners prefer couples to house sit.  I guess they think that a single woman can't handle problems that might arise.
3)  If the homeowners have pets they want me to take care of they might not want CoCo there as there is no guarantee that their pets and mine will get along.
4)  If the homeowners do not have pets, it's probably because they don't want pets in their house and therefore CoCo would not be welcome.
5)  I need monthly massages and CoCo will need a vet and a groomer.  If we are constantly moving I think it will be hard to have consistency with any of those professionals.
6)  I will need to rent a storage unit - one with climate control for my art and collectibles that need to be in a place with constant temps.  That could get expensive.
7)  Without a permanent address I will only be able to stay in France for the 90 days that's allowed on a visitors passport.

Since I don't have any photos that match today's topic I'll just throw in one of CoCo! :-)

Here are the pros of buying a house:
1)  I'll have a place to call my own and I can decorate it like I want and have all my favorite things there.
2)  My things won't have to stay in storage forever.  And I can have all my art and collectibles around me.
3)  I won't have to worry about CoCo with other pets.  She can have a house and a yard all to herself which will make her so much more comfortable as she does not adapt well to new places.
4)  With a permanent address I can get a residency permit to allow me to stay up to a year before needing to return to the US. 
5)  I can open a bank account and get a French credit/debit card.
6)  I can buy a car.  There are 2 door RAV 4s all over France and they are so cute!  I'd love to find a used one of those. 
7)  I can find a massage therapist and a vet and a groomer that we can use all the time.
8)  I can really be a part of a community and be around for all the festivals and celebrations and holidays.  I can get to know my neighbors and the local market days and where to buy the best bread (that's really important to the French!)
9)  The housing market in France is great right now for buyers.  The prices are the lowest they've been in many years so now (or at least within the next 6 months) is a great time to buy.  I could get a lot for my money.  Hopefully, with what I make on the sale of my house here I could buy a house outright in France which would be wonderful!
10)  I can entertain guests whenever I want and they don't have to stay in a motel.
11)  I can have a garden with the plants that I want - herbs, flowers, tomatoes.  And I can landscape it the way that I like.  And hopefully have a hot tub!  I will certainly miss mine.

Here are the cons for buying a house:
1)  There's a lot of red tape involved in a non EU person buying a house in France.  It can be a long and expensive process.
2)  I would need to be a quick learner in regards to French utilities, plumbing, electrical, etc.
3)  I would need to buy home owners insurance which is not cheap.
4)  I might be stuck with a house and a village that I decide I really don't like after spending a year or so there.  (Although I can't imagine that happening, but you never know.  Of course, that could happen in the States also)
5)  If the house I fall in love with is more expensive than the money I have available then I will need to take out a mortgage which I really don't want to do.
6)  In order to get a house that I can afford it may be somewhat of a fixer-upper which means more painting and remodeling.  Do I really want to go through all of that again?

So, here's my Plan E:
     I think I will try to house sit for the 90 days that my passport will allow and during that time I will be looking for a house to buy.  If at the end of the 90 days I have not found anything that "sings Hallelujah" (ask my friend, Beth, about that!) then I can go to the UK for the next 90 days.  For some very odd reason their passport restrictions are different than the Continent so while I would no longer be welcome in France I could go to the UK for the next 90 days and find some house sitting jobs. Then I can return to France for another 90 days to look some more and hope to find a house before I have to return to the States having stayed the maximum amount of time in both places.
     If I can't find a house sitting job in the area of France where I want to look for a house to buy then I will look into a rental property.  I would really like to avoid this as I want to save my money which is why house sitting is so wonderful!   I can stay for free while I'm looking for a house - I don't want to be homeless for an extended period of time.
     I feel odd using that word because, of course, I'm not homeless in the sense that many all over the world are homeless.  I am fortunate to have a retirement salary and can choose where I want to live and can live comfortably.  So my use of the word "homeless" in this post is that I would be without a place that is truly mine.  I have been a home owner for my entire adult life and I've grown rather fond of it.  Many of the people who write the blogs and newsletter articles about house sitting actually do have a permanent home somewhere.  They then will take off on their house sitting ventures and look at it as vacation time and then can return to their home whenever they want. 
     I have almost finished the entire house painting job!  I still need to paint the ceiling in the lower level but need to borrow my neighbor's tall ladder and have been doing everything else that I can so I'm not tying up his equipment for a long time.  I'm debating about painting the basement.  It could really use a new coat of paint, but for now I'll just think about it . . .
    I'm still planning to put the house on the market the middle of next month after Renae and I get back from our trip to Orlando.  I'll write about that next week!  So time is really flying.  And all these thoughts about houses and yards and other people's houses vs a house of my own are taking over my brain.  It has long been a dream of mine to own a house in my little corner of France.  I think I want it to happen sooner than later.  What do you think?

My little corner of France - sigh

     As always I thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  Your comments and encouragement are very much appreciated.  And I wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day!  Merci!    

Family

     Last week I spent 6 days in Ohio visiting my dad's side of the family.  I hadn't been back there for about 15 years!  In the past 2 years every time I spoke with my Aunt Mary (my dad's baby sister) on the phone she would ask me if I was ever coming to see her again.  My Aunt Mary is my dad's only sibling still living.  My grandparents have both been gone for a long time.  I have only two cousins on that side of the family, Sharon and Monica.
     I had the great joy of traveling in Italy with Sharon in September!  That was the first time in many years since I had been able to enjoy spending time with her.  So I was anxious to see her again and to also spend time with Aunt Mary, Monica and Sharon's family.

Aunt Mary with Sharon (standing) and Monica

     They rolled out the welcome mat!!  Sharon's husband, Bob, and son Aaron picked me up at the Cincinnati airport and drove me back to Sharon and Bob's house in Oxford.  They spent the next couple of days entertaining me and showing me all around their "stomping ground" and feeding me!  If they were busy it fell to Tucker, the amazing wonder lab, to entertain me and he did that quite well.
     On Friday, Aaron and his adorable wife, Song, drove me to Aunt Mary's house in Adams County, about a two hour drive east along the Ohio River.  It was so good to see Aunt Mary and Monica.  Aunt Mary had a stew fixed for us for lunch and then Aaron and Song headed back to Oxford (which is a suburb of Cincinnati).
     Aunt Mary's land goes right down to the Ohio River and is surrounded by rolling hills and farmland.  Years ago this was tobacco country.  I remember going to a tobacco auction with Grandpa in a huge old barn where the giant tobacco leaves were hanging from the rafters.  You still find barns that have the old tobacco advertisements on them.  These days you find more corn and soy being grown.

Looking towards the Ohio River from Aunt Mary's kitchen

Two of Sharon's paintings - the large one is of her mom's barn

     Aunt Mary drove me across the river to Maysville, Kentucky, (home of the Clooneys) where we visited a lovely little museum which has an amazing collection of miniatures.  These are tiny houses decorated like real houses from different time periods in history or from different countries.  I loved it!!
     After lunch she drove me to the cemeteries where my grandparents and great grandparents are buried.  One of those cemeteries is next to an old church called Moore's Chapel.  Up on a hill outside of the little town (although it isn't a town anymore) named Blue Creek where my grandparents lived.
The other cemetery is on High Hill where the Manchesters had land two hundred years ago.  The family still owns the hill and it is called the Manchester Cemetery.  It was pretty awesome being able to see all the old stone carved grave stones with family names on them.

My great-grandparents

Morse Chapel Cemetery - graves date back to early 1800s

My grandparents

A new sign for the cemetery on High Hill

The old old gravestones marking the Manchester family graves for three generations

     Aunt Mary and Sharon both have done a lot of research on the Manchester and May family lineage so I got lots of stories while on the winding hilly back roads of Adams County.
     Saturday night Monica and her boyfriend, Ed, came to Aunt Mary's for dinner.  Monica lives close by which makes it nice for all of them.  Many many years ago Monica went to Europe with me on one of my tours.  Aunt Mary has gone with me twice.  So it was about time that Sharon went on a tour with me! ha!

Aunt Mary on a trip with me long long ago

     Sunday Aunt Mary and Monica drove me back to Oxford where Sharon had a huge family dinner all prepared.  Her daughter Sara came with husband Jeremy and kids Olivia and Curtis.  And Aaron and Song came also.  So there was a house full!  Tucker was beside himself with joy at such a full house and so many people to love on him!

Cute Olivia with Tucker

     Monday night was my last night to spend at Sharon's and she decided that I should go to her painting class.  Sharon is a wonderful water color artist.  I am so impressed with the things she has painted.  Her instructor was very knowledgeable and a good teacher as she showed the class every step along the way.  She would call everyone up to her table in front to demonstrate a step, then send us back to our own tables so we could attempt it ourselves.  Then after a short time she would do that again.  And continued with that pattern until it was time to go.  The two hours flew by!  I can see why Sharon loves it.  (She was very sweet and complimentary of my attempt!  I told her it was because she loves me and didn't want to hurt my feelings! ha!)

One of Sharon's paintings - the Colorado mountains

She made this one into a card.  I love it!

     Tuesday morning Aaron, Song, and Bob took me to lunch on our way to the airport.  And then I had quite a time getting out of Cincinnati - none of which was weather related!  In fact, there were no problems with the weather until I got to my car in the Colorado Springs Airport parking lot and had to dig it out of 15 inches of heavy snow at 9:30 at night!
     All in all it was a great adventure and I'm so glad I was able to visit my Ohio family before I move to France.
     Oh yes, and one last thing - THE BRONCOS WON THE SUPER BOWL!!!
     Thank you for reading about my Ohio adventure - one more step on the path to France.  Now I'm back to painting - the walls and ceilings, not lovely watercolor paintings like Sharon does!  Silly me, I invited my West teacher group to my house for our monthly dinner.  So that keeps me motivated to get things done!!  Wish me luck :-)

Firsts

     I wasn't sure what to write about regarding last week.  No big bends or bumps or giant revelations of any kind.  So, I'm just going to start rambling (that's a journey word, right?!) and see where it takes us.  OK? 
     There were a few "firsts" last week so I thought I'd tell you about them - well, first :-)
     When I was at the zoo on Thursday I was disappointed that our big male lion, Abuto, was not in with any of the other lions.  Momma Lomela was with the 3 cubs in the indoor enclosure.   Eventually they let Abuto and Zwena (Lomela's sister) into the outside area where they promptly began "talking" to each other.  You could hear them all over the zoo.  When I saw one of the keepers I asked if they would be putting Abuto in with any of the cubs later in the day and she said they would be doing that tomorrow (Friday).  So guess where I went Friday afternoon! 
     I was rewarded with a wonderful time watching the entire pride all together inside.  The cubs are now seven months old and weigh 100 pounds!  But they are still pretty small and clutsy to be outside in the big area.  Abuto was on the highest perch (you can see that in the photo) with his sons nearby.   Aslan is next to him and Boma is on the next platform down.  Daughter Elsa was hanging out with mom and Auntie Zwena.  Everyone was calm and getting along and I loved seeing them together.  So that was a first for me!  I have seen Abuto introduced to one cub at a time but not all of them together!  That was so awesome.

Abuto and his boys

Aslan and his daddy

     Another first was taking CoCo to agility classes.  She is my little circus dog!  It's no surprise that poodles are often used as circus performers because they are quite athletic and just downright cute!  She had no trouble going over the little jumps and going on the teeter-totter.  She also did well on the ramp.  But she was not too keen on the tunnel.  At first our trainer, Patty, pushed the tunnel (looks like a giant dryer vent) into a small tunnel about 4 feet long and as long as CoCo could see me at the other end she was quite happy to come on through.  But then Patty stretched it out and put a little curve in there and that's when CoCo put the brakes on!  Otherwise she did fine and we're looking forward (I'm speaking for her!) to our next class a week from Friday.

My little circus girl

     I am writing this on my newest computer tryout.  It is the fourth one as I have continued to downsize and I really like this 13 inch HP.  I think it's a keeper!  It will take me a long time to figure out everything on it including Windows 10 so wish me luck. 
     I will not be writing a blog post next weekend as I will be in Ohio visiting my dad's family there, my Aunt Mary and cousin Sharon, her family, and cousin Monica.  It's probably been 15 years since I've been there and I'm really excited about spending time with them and also seeing my grandparents' old home place and the little cemetery at the country church where they are buried.  My cousin Sharon lives outside of Cincinnati and has everything arranged for my week there.  So I will write all about it when I get back.  The photo is an old one.  That's four generations taken in my grandparents' house about 30 years ago.  Grandma (Grandpa was already gone), my dad, me and Andy. 

Four generations in Ohio

     Oh yes!  And I finished the kitchen - walls, ceiling, trim, cabinets, counters, everything!  I'm still waiting for paint to dry so it's not picture worthy quite yet.  I'll include photos in the next post.  Until then, may your pathways be smooth and bump free.  Thanks for joining me on this journey!