Happy Memorial Day!

A good time to catch up as we have an extra day off.

We are moving North to Alaska! (yes, we have that movie and Mom and Day used to relate it to their own lives; they used to love to watch it together) in the summer.

I am finishing up my portfolio. As it comes together I feel less stress and more satisfaction. I feel more comfortable teaching and can see more student success as I gain efficiency and knowledge in teaching methods, clarity of purpose, and especially with discipline. I am no longer fearful that I will fail! It is a big jump from private studio teaching to public school teaching and a big difference from having to be in music class versus wanting to be there. I see it as my responsibility to expose students to the unknown, not as a chore.

We will be driving the portfolio to Montpelier this week. That will free up a huge chunk of time to allow me to put together a practical demonstration of me at work using pictures and my new flip camera for the panel in about a months' time at the interview.

It will also free up time to concentrate on the yard sale which I have now pushed to June 12. We are getting rid of a lot of things. A lot of things were left here in the basement which the Irish lad has been methodically wading through and elsewhere. A lot of things were given to us and I will never allow that again. At the time we were weak and didn't want to hurt any feelings, but I have found that most of it we would never have wanted to begin with. But because this is a big house, I have not had to deal with getting rid of things and now I have a big problem. (Oh-some of those curtains feel like they were made of plastic!) I am sure we will need a dumpster after that as well. I will endeavor not to throw anything out unless it absoutely has no use or we absolutely do not have any time left (which could very well be the case). I have been envying my sister-in-law's finds at thrift stores. We do not have any in this area.

I believe if all works out as I am trusting that it will, the Irish lad will have sold the shingle mill, electric company truck, and house and we will be off around July 10. He says July 1 but I won't be ready as the portfolio is not going in until the 2nd of June and it takes about a month before the interview can be scheduled. Really, once that is done and the yard sale is over and things have been gotten rid of, there will be little left to do.

We will head out to western NY on the first day although I do not think we will get there as we wil be leaving exhausted! Then on to Shipshewana, IN (a planned stop), home of the largest flea market in the MidWest. I think we will need the rest time at that point and also the time to adjust to sleeping in a trailer with a dog and a cat, who may not want to be indoors. I forsee a little difficulty with Larkin but Pakiitaaq knows something is U-P and is overjoyed at imagining a life on the road again. This time she will not be the navigator in the front seat; she will be in the back which she does not like as much but she has a good view and her own bench seat. Larkin will be in the trailer.

Then a rush to get past CHI and out to Deadwood, SD where Wild Bill Hickock and friends lived, fought, and died and recognizeable scenery from Dances with Wolves. We will stay there for a night or two depending and check out the historic town, nickel slot machines, and other interesting things. I remember some terrific second hand story in Belle Fourche, SD but that might be a little out of the way. I love the western towns with their wide streets and hitching posts.

Then on to Great Falls, MT and north on route 15 through Lake Louise and Banff Springs to the Alcan and one of my favorite and most magical spots on Earth: Liard Hot Springs! I have told Tom we both have had tough years personally for him and professionally for me and he had better not rush me through all this beauty.

I don't mind rushing to get past CHI but want to take it a bit slower after that. We will only be able to go as fast as the slowest RV on the Alcan anyway. I remember being stuck behind Winnebagos lumbering up through the Rockies at 25 miles an hour and being so frustrated. The rule of the road was to pull over if you had more than five cars behind you, but it never happened for me! It is a dusty road and winding and no longer the adventure it was when I first drove it in my '76 Datsun pickup which looke like the side was bitten off by a shark. It is now fully paved and The Milepost has more ads for shops and tourist attractions than gas stations and motels. Used to be you would drive until you saw a gas station/roadhouse and there you would stop for the night. It will be interesting to see what the differences are.

It will be joyful traveling with the Irish lad. He makes everything fun (once we get past CHI)! We have never had a vacation, never taken a trip together, never had an easy time in our seven years together. We met just after his mom died, then mine died, we had a chimney fire, I was rearended, he had health problems this year. So we are truly looking forward to enjoying each other and the journey, not the end result. It is nice to see him happy and looking forward to fishing and hunting and a new life together!

We do not have TV in the house, being readers, but there is a TV in the trailer and we have been sneaking out to watch my favorite PBS shows which I enjoy! This trailer is not the one we originally picked out but I really wanted an oven and so we looked at this one which not only has an oven, but a couch, and a bathtub, so we lucked out. What baby boomers we are to be traveling in comfort and style!