Subject: Finding Vermont
Just a quick update from the Green mountain state. After our harrowing last week of preparation (that included going down to the last day before we left to have our house closing in place and making 12 additional trips with loads of Jenn’s stuff AFTER we thought we were done, two broken down cars)- we were almost ready to leave at end of week when the three legged one, Tripod, disappeared for three days after Jenn tried to put a harness on him(he took off with the harness half on and flapping in the wind). By Friday night we had made plans to leave without him on Saturday- when he showed back up. We were able with Suzie’s help to get him into a carrier (much deceit) and actually get on the road only an hour late on Saturday morning. I have never seen two cars so full and with the car top carrier on the Jeep it could barely make it up the hills once we hit NY state. We did manage to have a beautiful day for driving- but it took forever with three cats in cages crying all the way – and one (Tripod) pooping all the way- which made it like driving for hours in a dairy cow field. By the time we got to Ryan and Lauren’s new place in Unadilla, NY we had gotten separated and my cell phone was dead –and my car charger broke. As an added amusement, the map quest I had was wrong- so I spent about a hour after Jenn arrived driving randomly through the Catskills trying to find their place- with the crying cat and shit filled car. Once there –we got Tripod into their contained garage and were able to have a nice dinner that Ry had prepared and fought to keep warm and fresh for us. On Sunday morning we got up to repack the Beverly Hillbillies caravan and hit the road- but Tripod was not planning on getting back in the car carrier and scratched the shit out of several of us with his overcompensated talons when we tried. Thus began an hour long chase by the four of us to trap him in the garage, force him into a blanket and then get him shove into the carrier….we left late. Once we hit the road we had another beautiful day and hit Vermont by noon – with only more crying and Tripod shit to deal with. I actually made it to the walk – through to meet the realtor only ten minutes late (after getting separated and a little lost again)- and then we waited for Jenn- who had gotten snared in a speed trap on fourth of July weekend (Welcome to Vermont!)
What a journey.. made us really wonder if we should be doing this- but then we walked through the house and WOW…it was like something out of a fable. Immaculate throughout, every detail attended to, and twice as much stuff left as we expected . Karin took no furniture at all- not even the antique cedar chests. She left shelve of books and music, big screen TV, stereo, her late husband’s antique clocks, closets of freshly pressed sheets and towels, cabinets of really nice dishes. We were amazed and really wondered why we brought anything besides our clothes. We could really have just moved in and done nothing. And the grounds…perennial gardens in bloom everywhere, the whole place beautifully landscaped, the pond gurgling, the house looking like it emerged new from the 1860’s. It was actually overwhelming (Did I mention that every bed in the place was tightly made with all new bedding Karin went out and bought?)
The walk through itself was uneventful. We wound up leaving the Jeep there- car top carrier and all – and got Tripod from the carrier into a dog cage we had schlepped all the way on Jenn’s roof (after we decided the harness was not much of an idea for containing him en route until we moved in). So we left him in the cage in the barn with all his supplies for two days and headed down to our friends Connie and Georges’ B&B up in Brookfield- about an hour and a half away. It felt like coming home after the last few weeks. Spent a nice night being wined and dined and in our own little apartment we have stayed in for 13 years in the middle of this village that time left behind. Today- we recover a bit and tomorrow morning we head up for the closing at 11 and the move in. Then …we start the next phase of the adventure.
Beverly hillbillies pictures are attached. Tomorrow we are going to take pix of all of the house before we move our stuff in- to capture it in its pristine moment. Will send a Shutterfly with these in a few days.
Love,
Dad, Cousin/Uncle, Stu
