We are on the road again. Last week, on Thursday, August 19th we left New Hampshire to start a trip to South Carolina. A bittersweet trip indeed as we have sold our house on Dataw Island and are moving out on the 7th of September. We have prepared for this for a few months but it is still a major milestone in our journey. We spent a couple of nights on the road before arriving in Asheville for a quick visit with Edie and Margot. Hadley was out in Colorado at a wedding. We had both dogs with us, one of whom is not necessarily happy in the car – Wyke. However, Bean is a real traveler and just curls up in a ball in the back seat until we stop. Then she is all curious. They do like the hotel stays though and both of them enjoyed visits to our favorite stops with dogs. But – before we left….

A Quick Day Trip

To Portsmouth, New Hampshire to see an exhibit of paintings by family friends at the Portsmouth Historical Society. Twilight of American Impressionism. Our guardian angel when we moved to Maine in 1974 was Elizabeth Brewster. Her husband and John’s father were best friends for years. Elizabeth took us under her wing and made sure we had a roof over our heads and learned our way around. Many of the paintings were from Elizabeth’s house and were familiar to both John and me. It was quite a trip down memory lane with her son, Fred, as our guide.

And then there was the lobster. Naturally since we were so close, we went to Chauncey Creek Lobster pound for John to have his fresh lobster and Katie and I had the most delicious lobster rolls ever. It was a really special treat and a wonderful day out for everyone. We picked up Libby who had been with a friend up near Booth Bay for the weekend and headed home happily stuffed.

Packing It In

After our quick stop in Asheville we arrived in Dataw, on Sunday the 22nd, that’s when we realized how much work we had to do. Luckily we had done quite a bit when we came down in June so we had a bit of a head start on the packing. Our wonderful tenant, Sande, had moved out and left the house spotless. I really didn’t want to mess it up at all but I knew we had to. From Monday until Friday we packed and pitched and offered for sale as many items as we could. Good friends had a fire at their house two weeks ago so we offered as much as we could to them so they had at least something for their next year or so while they rebuild their house. By Friday morning we had a pretty empty house. Both guest rooms were completely emptied including all the pictures on the walls. The dining room set was gone with just the rug and the bar left which we will take with us. All the wall art except for 5 or 6 paintings that we love had been sold or given away. Both attics and storage cupboards are all empty. We are left with junk and what we are bringing to New Hampshire. In concert with this massive cleanout, Katie was busy getting rid of things in New Hampshire to make room for the furnishings that are coming from South Carolina. She donated a lot of furniture to a charity in Lebanon and also gave away some beds to a person who needed them for a guest room. Katie says the cats don’t know where to sleep now because she got rid of all their perches. The dogs feel the same way about South Carolina.

Cars are our Nemesis

Just before we left for South Carolina, Jack departed for Tennessee after a delay due to a car that died on the highway. That put a damper on his trip ;but after a two and half day delay he was on the road and made it safely to university. Well, John and I decided to have a break from the “move” and head to Asheville for a visit with Edie and family while treating ourselves to a favorite B&B. We got in the car and the darn check engine light was on. The car had been serviced before we left and performed beautifully all the way down south. No problems at all and after sitting in the driveway the check engine light comes on. I called the service department where we bought the car and was told if it was solid it was safe to drive “around the world”. So we departed for Asheville. Halfway there the air conditioner stopped working. Please imagine driving in 95 degree sunshine pouring through the windows (because we were driving west) with no air conditioning. How did we do it in the olden days? So, I called the service department in New Hampshire that had just replaced the air condition unit a few weeks ago. Renee told me it was of course under warranty but she couldn’t believe it. I seem to always call her with a crisis of some kind and she is always helpful. However, it was another service department that came to our rescue. Hunter Volvo in Asheville. Margot had bought a car there about two months ago after her 1 year old Volvo was totaled in a car accident. So helpful. We had an appointment for 4pm. Now the car has been tested out and it turns out the air conditioner was freezing up and needs a replacement part and there were two errors for the check engine light which means ordering a part. In Volvo land Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays don’t count so it will be Tuesday before the part is there if we are lucky. Deja Vu after Jack’s issue. So we have an extended stay in Asheville and a good long rest from packing up. Yikes.

Exercise Not and Eating Out

I have done one walk since I got to Dataw but I haven’t been sitting still. It has been beyond hot there so I have stayed in the air conditioned house and packed. Heat bothers me and makes me feel ill so I don’t push it. However, being on my feet almost all day packing and cleaning is about enough. I am looking forward to getting back up north – sort of- Katie said it was 58 on Saturday and she was wearing a fleece and a blanket!!!

We have had a lovely time with our Edie. She really knows who we are now and calls us by name. We just simply enjoy every minute with her. So despite our extended stay at least we get to spend more time with her.

While at The Princess Anne B&B we have had some extraordinary breakfasts. I am not usually a breakfast person but have tried something each morning. This mornings was Fried Green Tomato Benedict. Substituting the usual muffins with fried green tomatoes is an interesting touch. Very filling but delicious. I think I could duplicate it. Yesterdays was fluffy eggs with kale, mushrooms, pickled onions and gouda cheese. Presentation of both exceptional.

Stay tuned as we wrap up our time on Dataw Island and hopefully head back north in about 10 days.

Quick Update on Jenny Lane

All those shutters that John has been painting over the last few weeks are finally getting put on the house. Unfortunately, despite doing bundle after bundle, the guys ran out of painted shingles. I really like the look however and can’t wait to see it in person.