Approaching the Autumn Equinox

Moving right along!  Or not....  Although I was shooting for a departure date of Sept. 15th...we have already blown by that, and now it looks to be the house will need another 3 weeks before closing (so say my Realtors).  That is OK, because there is still a lot left to do.  Three yard sales later, and there is still an incredible amount of things to unload, including my car.  I am planning yet another sale October 1, and more extensive listings of articles for sale on Craigslist.  Hey if you need anything at all, I probably have it, Cheap!  I think I told you in my last blog that I would limit myself to 2 boxes of books....NOT!  That number has increased to 3 and then no more!


There are still some dental matters to be finalized, and many, many goodbyes to say.  More on that later, but first I want to thank the people who have signed up here...when I think of how homesick I am going to be those first few months, your presence here, and hopefully on SKYPE, too, will be more important than even I can yet imagine!  And thank you for your comments, both here and the encouraging emails I have received.  I am so sincerely and deeply grateful to have you along for this ride.

Slick Rock, Three Rivers, CA (Foothills of the Sierra Nevada)

Parting with things that have been with me for years and years is difficult enough, but parting from people here and my beautiful adopted state of California, is nothing less than just awful.  I never did like good-byes, and I am just plain not good at them.  And although I lived in Visalia for the last 20 years, it's really Hanford that captured my heart completely.  As many of you know, I worked there for many years as a "pre-need" agent for Whitehurst McNamara Funeral Home.  Maybe it was familiar to me from another lifetime, or whatever, but I had a tremendous sense of peace and comfort in that community, and the people I met and came to know and love there will always have a special place in my heart.  Two of these dear friends, Debbie and Veronica, helped me say goodbye to my beloved Sierra Nevada mountains (Sequoia National Park) the weekend before Labor Day.  We had lunch at Wuksachi Lodge, and did the Lodgepole hike.  It was a perfect day!  And recently, there was a goodbye get together...thanks ya'll!


OK, so here's the plan.  As I said, I want to keep my itinerary flexible, so in case something comes up that is irresistible, I can say yes! without a great deal of troublesome alterations.  I will fly into Panama City first, and spend a couple of nights at a hostel there that I found on Expedia.  Nothing fancy (this trip is not a vacation from work so I don't expect anything to be fancy!), and from there I will travel to David, a larger city near the mountainous region of Panama.  I have read of a volunteer project in the forest there that I may want to check out.  That would give me an opportunity to meet some people and make contacts.  In whatever I do, I will try to avoid "being in a hurry"....isn't that the Latin way?  Manana!   This part of Panama is near the southern end of Costa Rica, so I will then travel there.  I hear that the buses are usually very modern and comfortable and everyone uses them.  And I'm told that Costa Rica is THE place for American Expats...we'll see!


Stay tuned!  

"Chamisa"

P.S.  I still need a home for the silky little timid flower, "Chamisa".  A loving older person(s) who can lavish attention upon her deserving beautiful self would be ideal.