At Last - Some Time to Write October 26 2012 Departure

We left Victoria October 26 this year.  Its so hard to leave the kids and grand-kids behind. We will miss them all very much.  The grandchildren grow and change so much while we are away.  Skype is good for staying in contact but it’s not the same.  Lindsay likes to chat and play her fiddle for us but Tristan is just a streak running by.  He is not keen on chatting on the phone or Skype.

Some sunrises we left at home:

An eagle has come to say goodbye:

Traveling:

We took the Anacortes Ferry.  It is so much easier than the BC Ferries – it gets us a little further south, and crossing the border is a breeze – no lineup other than the ferry lineup.  So – easy. 

We spent the better part of two days at Ikea in Portland (Oregon has no tax) – well it’s a very big store, we had a long list, and there were a lot of decisions to be made.  We didn’t get there till late in the afternoon so we shopped till dinner, cashed out and had dinner in the motor home, returning to shop till they closed.  They wouldn’t let us stay in their lot overnight so we had to go search out a Wal-Mart that would let us stay.  The first one we went to didn’t own the lot so they couldn’t allow as the owner of the mall had security on patrol and they wouldn’t permit it.  Another few miles drive down the road to another Wal-Mart was successful, and we had a good sleep in their parking lot.  We returned to Ikea in the a.m. and shopped some more!  Trying to get the essentials for a new house is daunting, many things in Baja Sur are more expensive and of poor quality, or simply not available.  It seems to vary from one year to the next, however, each year brings another new store, box store, and a larger variety of gringo friendly merchandise, including gluten free foods for Lorne. 

Coming down the grapevine into Los Angeles, in the daylight!  This has got to be a first!  Plus there is no snow; it’s a beautiful warm, very warm day!  We will be at Miguel’s tonight so hopefully he will fix whatever needs fixing on the motor home tomorrow and then we will be free to – do more shopping, visit friends and Goddaughter Megan and her family.