ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS

July 8/10

As you can guess, it’s been an incredibly busy week and I haven’t had much time to post a new story.  We took possession of the house on July 1 and moved the trailer over in the early afternoon after doing a pre-trip to do some cleaning and looking around.  We had only viewed the house twice for less than an hour each time and as we had people with us, we never got a chance to have a really good look at all the details.

We unloaded the items from our short term storage locker first, but didn’t have much to put in the house.  We spent that night in the trailer and just used the house for showers the next day.  The Big Steel Box (BSB) arrived on Friday, July 2 at noon and the delivery was just as slick as the pickup.  We had it put halfway between the house and the shop to make it easy to take things in either direction.  Stuart built temporary ramps on the front steps to the house for the dolly wheels.

 It was exciting to open the BSB and see all of our things again after 10 months of being on the road.  Everything was in excellent shape, very clean as the box is almost airtight and absolutely nothing was broken.  What an amazing way to pack your belongings!!

The unloading process was easier than loading and we took the time to assemble most of the furniture and other items when we put them in the house.  It gave us a break from the heavy lifting and carrying as well as time to think about where things would go.  We had our box spring and mattress near the front of the BSB and were able to set it up for sleeping in the house that night.  It took a couple of days to get to the dining room table so this is our makeshift table.

We worked long hours on Friday and Saturday but took most of the day off Sunday to go to church and had lunch out with people that we met there.  It was good to get a rest and we were back at it again on Monday and Tuesday.  We thoroughly enjoyed the unpacking as it was a lot like Christmas when you have all the presents under the tree to open.  Discovering favourite things was great but realizing just how much “stuff” we still had was not so great.  We have surplus items to sell and take to the thrift shop.  Being in the RV and living a simple life has given us an appreciation for that lifestyle, so we are getting rid of more clutter.

The scariest part of unpacking was Tuesday afternoon when we got the weight machine on the dolly and had to manoeuvre it up the stairs into the house, around a railing and past the kitchen counter, down 15 stairs, around a corner at the bottom and then straight into a room.  It was awkward and heavy and we had to lay the dolly almost flat down the stairs to clear the bulkhead.  

Good thing that Stuart is so strong!!  We made it without any damage or mishaps.  After that monster, the treadmill the next day was relatively easy although it was even heavier.

So the BSB is empty now, ready to be picked up and we have gone full circle on our adventure.  It is the end of the totally free RV lifestyle and the beginning of a part-time RV and home lifestyle.  We are both sad and glad about the changes but we love the house, shop and yard and are looking forward to this beginning at a fixed address.

Our story will continue as a new blog—as of yet, untitled.