[Worldtrippers home] [World Cruise home]
When COVID struck in 2020, we decided to move up to the mountains temporarily to isolate. Gail loved it so much, she said “Let’s never leave here.”
We’ve been building a mountain home for almost 20 years. (You can read about that adventure here.) It’s still not finished (it may never be finished), but it is comfortably livable. So while Russell spent a year and a half during COVID writing lectures, Gail continued finishing the interior.
Fast-forward to now. With our cruise lecturing schedule, we spend more time aboard ship than at home. Our current break between cruises was two months during November and December. It was the first time we’ve been home for the holidays in three years.
We settled back into our familiar routines. While Russell continued to write cruise lectures, Gail continued to work on the house. She installed new cabinets in the kitchen. She installed new cabinets in the laundry room. She finished the upstairs hall bathroom.
But the big project was outside the house. Our octagonal house has floor-to-ceiling window walls on five of its eight sides. This is because we are on top of a mountain and have a breathtaking view. The downside is that we get intense southerly winds that drive rain almost sideways into the house. For years, some of our window walls have leaked. Gail has tried everything to seal these walls, from caulking to rebuilding wall sections. They still leak.
Gail doesn’t want to return from our four-month absence to find any water damage. So we decided to cover the leaking walls completely with acrylic panels. It’s not a very picturesque solution, but we won’t be here. At least, the clear acrylic panels will still allow sunlight in.
Getting ready for a cruise always ends up with a last-minute packing marathon. In addition to clothes and supplies for different climates, Gail needs to bring supplies for her craft workshops. She spent untold hours inventorying, sorting, compressing and packing different kinds of wool. We are allowed four check-in suitcases plus carry-ons. Gail ended up needing an extra box on top of that.
We had one final scare. On January 2 (one day before departure), Gail heard a funny noise coming from the chase column that runs down the center of the house. After some research, she determined there is a water leak somewhere in the plumbing, probably from the washing machine upstairs. There is no time to do anything about it, so we shut off the water and will deal with it when we return.
On January 3, we finally loaded the car, locked the front door, and drove away. We will not see our home again for more than four months. We will spend a few days in the Bay Area visiting family. We will then fly to southern California to visit friends. Finally, we will board ship on January 9.
So for the next week, we will not even be living out of suitcases. We will be living out of overnight bags. Our latest adventure begins!
