Three months later: we're home-less gypsies

Three months ago, we returned straight home to Bellevue from Bend.
Three months later, we have sold our home-on-land, moved permanently into our home-on-wheels, and are now back in Bend. 

It was a herculean effort to get to this point. In the matter of a month, we downsized, tossed, donated, sold items on Craig's List, packed, stored, and prepared the house to be put on the market. Our Realtors, Karal and Kevin, have been right there beside us, helping us every step of the way. We feel very fortunate to have met and worked with this fine couple. They have been more like colleagues and friends, equally committed and involved with every aspect of the sale, from preparation to final negotiation. It's not every broker who will personally stage the house to look magazine-ready, plant and water flowers, blow the driveway, roof and deck, even vacuum and clean up after the staging was removed to keep the house and property looking presentable, while also working hard to advertise and promote our home.

all our worldly possessions going to long-term
storage

The movers arrived August 5th to haul away the few bits of furniture, and about 100+ boxes of stuff, we plan to keep and leave in long term storage. (We decided to be prudent and give ourselves a couple of years to reevaluate our full-timing experience. If after 2 years we still want to continue, whatever is in long term storage will be disposed of.) 
We moved out of the house and into Alpine, which is now our permanent home. Yikes! Only two years ago, when we bought our Alpine, this was still a dream we were looking forward to fulfilling.

The house was prepared for sale and listed August 16th. 
And the waiting game commenced.

the last time this house had a For Sale sign outside,
was exactly 31 years ago

The challenge to find a place to park one's home on wheels for any length of time at short notice quickly became reality. We soon found out that with few RV parks close to the Bellevue area, all full during the busy summer season, we needed to park our home further away.  So, for the next couple of months, we bounced around between Anacortes, La Conner, Whidbey Island, and eventually Bothell, happy to find an available spot for several days at a time. We made the long-distance commute back to the Bellevue area several times a week.

La Conner water-front shops and restaurants

While we waited for some activity and news on the house, and also wrapped up a few other loose ends and doctor appointments before heading out on the road, we did enjoy moments of summer fun. 
In La Conner, we explored the quaint town and its parks, and also visited the quilt museum. 

Textile and Quilt Museum in the historic
Gaches Mansion in La Conner

A stunning exhibit of Japanese quilts was on display. The detail in each quilt, the use of color and texture, and the variety of patterns was exquisite. These were true works of art fashioned out of small pieces of silk. I always feel humbled by the creativity and craftsmanship of such gifted quilters and fiber artists.  It is something that I would love to aspire to, but never will achieve. 
  

While staying in Anacortes, the Fords, our friends we met in Lone Pine, California, happened to be there too with their rally group. It was great to catch up and then visit them later in their gorgeous home on Camano Island. 
We also met up with the Leggs one day. 
And our neighbor friends from Bellevue, the Emadis, stopped by for a visit and a walk across the bay with us another day.

Later in mid-September, we joined the Escapees at their final rally of the year on Whidbey Island for a week of fun, good food, and entertainment. What a terrifically friendly and fun-loving group of folks Chapter 5 is. We met in the mornings in the club house for breakfast, then later in the afternoon for Happy Hour and dinner, and in the evenings for games. Now we know how to play Mexican Train and a different version of card bingo. 
In the afternoons we gathered for outdoor games like Washer Toss, and Bean Bag Baseball. The guys played the gals and won this year. 



The RV Park is close to the naval air base so we were buzzed frequently by the F-18 pilots practicing their take-offs and landings. There was fair warning in the office at check-in when we noticed what we thought was a bowl filled with candy, turned out to be ear plugs.  The noise of the planes was deafening, and the practice sessions occurred at times throughout the day, even up to 10PM at night.

Being the plane nut that he is, Michael enjoyed the trip to the PBY Museum in Oak Harbor, to see the amphibious plane used during the 1930 and 40's. Here is a link to the museum: http://pbymf.org/  
PB stands for Patrol Bomber, and Y is the code assigned to its manufacturer, Consolidated Aircraft.

On September 14th we received an offer on the house. Two more weeks went by with inspections and further negotiations. 

thanks Karal and Kevin... you are the best ever!

Summer was quickly vanishing and Michael's carefully planned trip through National Parks as we headed south was revamped several times as we continued to hang around waiting for the final resolution. 
On the last day of the month, we concluded negotiations with the buyers, and our superbly organized agents encouraged us to begin our trip while they handled the final details. 

With the closing of the house sale scheduled in the next couple of weeks, we now felt comfortable to leave Washington and head to Bend. 

This past Monday October 3rd, we struck camp, hooked Jeep up, and headed for the highway. But first, we made a stop at the Emissions Inspection Station along I-90. All vehicles need to be inspected every couple of years and this month will be Alpine's second birthday. 
Regardless of whether your home is bolted to a foundation or perched on wheels, I came to the conclusion that one way or another there will be a required inspection. 
Emissions test over, we continued on our way to Bend under overcast but dry skies. 

I-90 east bound towards Snoqualmie Pass

As we crested Snoqualmie Pass, the sun appeared and the overhead mantle vaporized, leaving bright blue, clear skies. 

east of the Cascade Mountains, the sun shines and the sky is clear and bright

From this point on, it dawned on me that we would not be returning back to a house after trips away. We have closed that chapter and are starting the first of many new chapters with life on the road, vagabonding to wherever that gypsy muse takes us. 
We have no regrets. In fact, it surprised us both that during the time that the house was listed for sale, we neither missed nor thought about it or the items in storage. If anything, we were anxious to see the house sold and once the closing is completed, will feel a sense of relief and freedom. 

Not that we did not enjoy or value the past 31 years in our beautiful home in which we raised our twin daughters, watched them become young women, graduate, launch into their own independent lives, marry, and have families of their own. We have lived 3/4 of our married lives in this home, grew middle-aged and turned grey in this home. It holds many special memories and was a remarkable and happy chapter for us. Eventually even remarkable and happy chapters end. But the exciting thought is that we are now embarking on a new season in our golden years, looking forward to new chapters of discovery and adventures ahead of us.
Alpine will now be our home and means of transporting us to new places. From this point on, we will be keeping our eyes on the road ahead rather than looking into the rear view mirror. And there are many roads and places ahead that beckon.
Dr Suess says it best: 
“Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!” 
-"Oh the Places You'll Go!"