December, 2016: Texas

1 December -- What a great day!  We had a slow morning in our Days Inn Hotel; Justin and Gemma had a grooming session while I worked on our blog.  We missed breakfast but we all had nice hot showers and got spiffed up to start the day.

On to Springfield to explore Lincoln's home and environs.  We only had time to visit one of the sights so we chose the house where Lincoln lived with his wife and children before going to the White House.  The library and other parts of the historic center call for our next visit. 


We rounded out the day as we pulled into GeorgeAnne's home on the banks of the Mississippi river in St Louis.  Unfortunately, I was under the weather the entire time we were here but Justin did have the opportunity to visit with his cousins. 




We spent most of the month of December with Dellene in Austin.  We took a quick trip to Houston to see Harold and Charlsy and we had the opportunity to go to dinner with Cousin Hal, Chami and Will.  We also got to see Bill and Diana during our short visit. 

Note the tilt of the crate on the truck!

 All too much time was spent fighting with the government to get our household goods from Germany and goods from storage delivered.  The fight was endless and totally avoidable.  I spent hours talking to too many people too many times.  It was perhaps the most frustrating experience of my entire federal career.   Finally, we took delivery of the last shipment 28 December.  We rented a storage unit in Georgetown.  Justin and I worked our way through over 12,000 lbs -- some things to the thrift store, other things to the Quilters' Guild in Sun City.  Most, however, went into the storage unit and yes, I am being held hostage to my stuff.

He is a Real Texan now.  Since Justin got his Texas driver’s license, he is a real Texan now.  We will have Texas as our home-of-record.  No, he wasn’t born in Texas but he got here as soon as he could!  (Ok, he might have a little different take on that, but that’s my story and I am sticking to it.)

We checked on house in Georgetown.  Hopefully the current renters will want to stay for a while.  Nice to know that the house is paid for!  We will need to update the kitchen soon, but we are happy to have renters in there for a few more years.  Justin really wanted to go to swim at the community center and he seems to be warming up to the idea of the community a bit. 

Dellene treated us all to a limo ride to see the Trail of Lights in the Hill Country.  Justin stayed in town to watch a Packer game while Dellene, Don, Kim, Harper, Luke, Betsy and I headed first to Johnson City and then to Marble Falls to see the Christmas lights.  Our driver said that he'd never had car seats in the limo before but we certainly had two for this trip.  It was a great evening!

Justin and I spent way too much time watching HGTV while we were at Dellene's.  I guess we both have vested interest in DIY projects given the task ahead with the Long-House.  On one break from "Fixer Upper "or "Homes on Homes", we ended up watching a Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins episode that featured an Austin destination.  Justin and I decided we needed to go there too.  We celebrated our Christmas dinner a few days early at a trendy new location called "Foreign and Domestic."  Justin had a tricked out burger with crunchy Pastrami belly.  I had a Fall Vegetable Garbure and the signature Pepper Popover.  The dessert "Chocolate Mousse" was topped with "salted caramel and crunchy things."  OH MY goodness!

We visited Lisa and Alan in Golthwaite and we spent Christmas with Dellene and Don, Kim and her kids and Chris and his family.  We hadn't planned on being with family at all for either Thanksgiving or Christmas but it turned out just fine.  Dellene and I prepared a beef tenderloin that was fabulous!  Justin's smashed garlic potatoes were a perfect side-dish. 

We prepared for our travel into Mexico.  We got Mexican insurance for the car, read about driving and staying on toll roads, etc.  We identified a few places to take Gemma to the vet, but since that visit must be within ten day before you cross the border, we can't do that until our plans are in place.  We did tons of reading about where we want to go.  I certainly should have spent more time on improving my language skills.  High school Spanish is all I have for back up plan.

September, October, November, 2016: Wisconsin

29 November was the last complete day of our twelve week stay in Green Bay.  We returned to Green Bay after picking up our car in St Louis when we landed from Frankfurt.  Our feet barely touched the ground during the entire time.  During September we spent a lot of time at Hartung finishing the gable ends of the garage and working in the gardens.  Since the grounds had been neglected for three years, some serious TLC was needed.  Erica and Rich are our new renters and they seem to be a great young couple.  They have voiced interest in buying the house; we'll keep that on the back burner for now.  We of course had the opportunity to have a beer or two with Lloyd and Gloria while we were tending the fire in the backyard.  Colleen stopped by a time or two to chat also. I asked Gloria to go to lunch right before we left, but her dance card was filled.  I am sure she is happy to have calm quiet neighbors for a while.  Justin worked on the Morgan and tried to spend some time reconnecting with the good folks from Windjammers Sailing Club.  He certainly got his service hours in helping with boats/docks out and even helping the chef prepare for the end of season celebration.  We spent some time with Dave and Terry Gay which was delightful.  We were even in town and were fortunate enough to attend their 45the wedding anniversary celebration.  Terry hosted a buffet at the club; she said she couldn't think of a way Dave would prefer to spend the day.  During our time in town we also got to go to John Miller's retirement party. Again, lots of folks from the sailing club getting together to honor a very special day in John's life.   

We spent our time in Green Bay at both Jordan and Kris' home in townand at their cottage.  The house was full with Jonas and Caleb, with dogs Charlie, Henry and Oopsie and birds Mort and Pepper.  In April, with another baby on the ground the house will be rather full.  Jordan and Kris continue to make improvements on the cottage.  They installed a Japanese style AC/heating unit and updated appliances arrived while we were there; the grounds look fabulous.  They really have done a lot to make it their second home.  Jordan has indicated that insulation may be in the cards before they get to addressing plumbing improvements.  We are totaled indebted to Jordan and Kris for opening their home to us.  An extended time with anyone is going to be filled with hurdles and this stay ended up longer than we had originally planned.  Words can't express our gratitude.  

One of the highlights of our fall was being able to spend time with grandkids.  We got to go fishing with Caleb and his classmates at the Wildlife Sanctuary.  We were also in town for Jonas’ 6^th birthday.  When we went to Michigan to buy a new car on the way back we stopped in Milwaukee to spend time with Erich and his family.  My heart melted when Lilly climbed up in bed one morning with her Captain Grandpa. 

We went back to Milwaukee for Thanksgiving at Mike and Mandi's. This was the first time in a long time Justin was with all his boys and certainly the first time for me to be with everyone.  This time next year, there will be two more grandbabies!  Gemma had a great time playing with Max and puppy Mel.  Mandi said that Gemma could come back any time since Mel slept over an hour later flowing a hard day of play. 

During our time in Green Bay we spent quality time with Sherri Shade and with Ric Larson.  We even got to have a few dinners with Sean.  I started to learn my way around Green Bay but I sure was glad we had GPS.  We spent a few weekends with Sherri at her family’s condo in Egg Harbor.  What a treat!  Sherry sold her restaurant, Red, and she even entertained going into Mexico with us for a while.  We went together to Peninsula State Park for a short hike one trip and on another, we went to a fabulous outdoor art gallery.  That particular trip Justin and I spent the entire afternoon in antique stores and in various architectural-antique junk shops. 

I got to go to not one but two Packer games at Lambeau Field!  Justin made sure I had the complete experience that included tail-gating and awesome Bloody Marys.  I learned that I like Bloody Marys and I even learned that there are entire dinners of both Bloody Marys and Margaritas.  The first game I attended was against Detroit and later against the Chicago Bears. It was important to Justin that I see the Packers play the Bears since this is the oldest rivalry in the NFL.  Yes, these were my first pro games!  Justin and Jordan also went to the Cowboy game which had a bit different outcome.  When Ric’s lady friend Debbie visited Green Bay we all went to the Packer Hall of Fame and that was way cool!  Yes, it looks like I have had a bit of the company KoolAid and yes, I am now the proud owner of a few pieces of Packer attire.



At the beginning of October, I took a quick trip to Austin.  One of my main purposes was to secure a storage unit for when household goods were delivered.  Dellene and I also looked all over the town for shelving for inside the unit.  Thankfully, the good folks from Texas arranged to hold a wine festival while I was there so Dellene got tickets for the Wine trail.  We also took a day trip to Waco to go to Magnolia, home of HGTV’s Fixer Upper.

As soon as we landed in Chicago and got Gemma, we drove to St. Louis to get our car.  We learned very quickly that the hurdles we faced with shipping was only the beginning.  Once on this side of the pond we had to chase insurance, plates, registration, etc. And as soon as we bought the second car, we went through it all again.  We decided to register the EOS in Wisconsin and the new Ford C-Max in Texas.  Another of our first challenges was to get new chips for our cell phones.  On the second run at it, we chose AT&T since they promise service in Mexico too and that's our travel plan for the winter.

Yes, I fell in love with the Bay.  Justin was eager to show me the sights some of which we had seen when I visited two years ago.  Somehow that morphed into us looking into real estate properties with a keen interest in buying.  None of this was even in the cards when we left Germany but... my, oh my!  Justin lived on the Bay when the boys were still young and he says that he had always wanted to get back there but never really imagined that it might happen.  We limited our search to south of Sturgeon Bay.  Any farther north totally is out of our budget and not too convenient.  Early on in our forays we looked at moving the Morgan to a different slip but with regard to costs and camaraderie, staying at Windjammers and in Suamico is the best idea for us.  We put in a bid on a house in town on East Bay Shore Drive.  Fragmitees and 1970s wall paper throughout could have been remedied, but the south facing sunsets and noise from the road would have been the order of the day.  We probably could have made money on it, but as the relator said "I didn't see the joy in your eyes."

We had serious conversations with Gene who owns the property right in front of Jordan and Kris.  He calls his 1969 trailer on an acre of land “home”.  The location would have been ideal to expand what Kris refers to as "the sweet spot" of a view from her cottage.  Justin was very keen on this property as well as the six-plus acres also adjacent to the cottage owned by Lou.   The land hasn't been cleared and has no well or septic.  The idea of building was very intimidating to me and we kept looking.

We spent days up and down the bay.  We met with realtors and stomped around on the shore as it was getting cooler and cooler.  We had an accepted offer on Ms. Timmerman's house.  The 2,300 sq.ft two story house is about a 15 minute walk down the beach from Jordan and Kris' cottage. With an attached two car garage and a 24x40' detached building with heated workshop we were almost tempted to tear out the wall and rearrange the kitchen and put in new flooring but in the end, we simply couldn't overlook the fact that the road runs through the middle of the property.  When the holding tank failed we were not willing to go any higher and Ms. Timmerman wasn't willing to go any lower on price, we were unable to seal the deal.  That very afternoon we drove back down North Bay Shore Drive.  We had been down this gravel road several times, but this time we saw it.  We actually saw "the perfect property."  I had signed up for Zillow alerts very early on and this property wasn't showing up because it was listed as "Vacant".  With a two car garage, a grandfathered boat house, a gazebo and... wait for it ... a 1979 Rollohome, the land is not vacant.  After well, water, holding tank inspection etc, we worked with the owners and the relator and had our house-hold goods from Germany delivered on Monday, 28 November. 



Most things went into the garage and the boat house while a few things went into the kitchen.  Painting and new flooring along with lots of cleaning and scrubbing will be first on the hit parade when we return in the spring.  More about "The LongHouse" later, but for now, we put the EOS in the garage, disconnected the battery, locked the door and walked away.  Next time we are in Green Bay, things will look quite differently -- because ... we will be on the Bay!

We started signing papers about 2:30pm on 30 November and we were in the car rolling south by 3:15pm.  We stopped in Madison to see the capital which looks just like the capital in Austin.  We were able to have dinner with Tammi, a friend Justin used to teach with.  Tammi left teaching to hang out her own shingle about ten years ago.  She is a counselor/yoga juru.  I'd love to be able to spend more time with her.

It is cold and rainy and Justin is fighting a cold. We only made it as far as Rockford, Illinois this evening, but we are on our way!

Lufthansa Flight: 8 September 2016
Day 70

Susan was up to send us on our way.  The shuttle arrived right on time at 5:30 am.  Thankfully, this was the only sunrise I've seen in the last seventy days.  So, we lived in Germany for just under two and a half years.  We certainly did pack a lot into that short amount of time.

Gemma's check in went smoothly.  I don't think the lady even looked at her passport and she didn't ask for the health certificate from the vet.  This was even so different from getting pets in and out of Japan.  Lufthansa had a desk for check in with your pet.  No tracking out to the cargo terminal like PetCo with United.  Gemma is still in with luggage but this was really smooth and less traumatic for all of us.  She gets to wait in the "lounge" while we head off to clear immigrations and security.

Justin bought an eye mask while we were in the airport but unfortunately that alone wasn't enough to make our Lufthansa flight tolerable.  This was, without a doubt, the most noisy flight I've ever been on...ever!  Cranky kids in every direction!  At least it was only a nine hour flight.  We wrap up a 70-day grand European trip as we head back to Wisconsin..  What a glorious way to end my time with DoDEA and to begin the next chapter.  I can't wait to see what is in store.

Kaiserslautern, Germany: 7 September 2016
Day 69

A day to unpack, pack and repack.  We met Mimi at Sanders in Landstuhl for breakfast at 8:30am.  She is doing fine; it was great to hear about her travels!  Off to the vet to get Gemma's health check.  Since this must be completed within ten days of travel, there was no way to complete the task earlier.  And now we hear she needs to have four more teeth removed.  We Matt for lunch.  He suggested a new South American restaurant on the way to Ramstein...yummy empanadas.  He was spending the day clearing with his landlord and with the utility companies so the timing was great to be able to meet with him and not have work pulling at him too.  He and his family fly later this month as he will begin his new job as ISS in Quantico.  Perhaps we will see him next in Virginia.  Back to pack and sort through our stuff for a bit before we return our rental car.  With as few words as possible, the return goes without a hitch and within just a few minutes Susan was there as our taxi.  

For our last dinner in Kaiserslautern, we went with Dave and Susan to our favorite Thai restaurant in Einsedlerhof.   It was not surprising to me that German food didn't call to either Justin or me for our last day in Germany.  We headed to bed just before midnight with the hopes of uninterrupted sleep before an early alarm.

Kaiserslautern, Germany: 6 September 2016
Day 68

After our night's stay at the Lady Maria Hotel, everybody was fed and watered and we were on the road about 9:30am.  We were on our way to Bolzano and Utzi man.  I had looked forward to this museum for a couple of years and I was not disappointed.  It was a thorough but quick visit and shortly after lunch we were on the road to Ktown. In the Alps, there were almost constant exclaims of "wow" and "look at that!"  It was interesting to compare the methods of cultivation of grapes between here and in Germany.

Our route today led us from Italy through a corner of Austria and into Germany.  At one point early on Justin said he said he had the bit in his mouth and was heading for the barn.  Unfortunately Germany had her own way to bid farewell.  We were stuck in a stau seemingly forever.  Construction everywhere confirms that the economy is doing well and that there is still a bit of time before winter sets in.  

On the B40 heading into Hoenecken Justin had just exclaimed that he'd seen a deer when both of us saw a wild boar!  We'd heard about them since we first arrived in Germany.  We've eaten them a time or two and they can be delicious but today we saw one along the side of the road rooting around looking for a snack.  Thankfully we didn't see one up close and personally either while out hiking or on the front bumper of our car.  

Originally our GPS indicated that we'd be back in Kaiserslautern by 6:15pm.  Of course, that didn't allow for pit stops.  We pulled in to Dave and Susan's a bit just before 8:00pm.  I am glad we didn't make dinner plans with anyone.

Bolzano, Italy: 5 September 2016
Day 67

A perfect lazy morning taking time for yet another cup of coffee.  Justin and I continued catching up with Kim and Brian.  Although we'd seen Kim last fall when she visited us in Germany, we hadn't seen Brian since they came to our reception in July 2014.  Yes, we had lots of stories to exchange.  Since Brian has been retired for two years already, Kim is the only one of us who remains gainfully employed.  I recalled my first Labor Day when I joined DoDDS; I was on a bus with the football team and cheerleaders traveling from Yokosuka Japan to Misawa (twelve hours one-way on a good day).  Today was my first Labor Day in a long time not to labor.  

After a luncheon of pizza and pasta Justin and I got on the road for Bolzano.  I drove first
and we made great time.  Unfortunately, we hadn't programmed the GPS correctly and I was heading the totally wrong direction for about an hour.  After we backtracked, got gas and re-oriented, we got stuck in a traffic gam for too long.  Trying to make lemonade from our lemons, at least we were on the Italian weinstrasse and the views were beautiful. 

As we went farther and toward the passes near Mendola.  There were dozens and dozens of switchbacks and lots of motor cycles out for a great day of biking in the mountains.  We climbed to an altitude over 1380 meters within just a few minutes and the temperature dropped about 20 degrees in just a few minutes.  After a beautiful day, we spent the night in a quaint little hotel with awesome views of the mountains.

Vicenza, Italy: 4 September 2016
Day 66

Justin was able to pick up our car at 9am.  After a cheery goodbye to Stipe, Doonya and the girls we were on the road by 9:40.  GPS Indicated that we had a bit over a 700 km drive ahead and that we'd be in Vicenza in time for happy hour.  First stop however was to get gasoline.  Justin was jonesing for a worst brochen but none was to be found so we stopped at a roadside rest stop and made yummy chicken sandwiches.

We pulled into Kim and Brian's in time for happy hour but before dinner we took time for a grand tour of their apartment.  The fourth floor penthouse apartment with four bedrooms and marble floors give Kim plenty of opportunity to show off her new Turkish carpets and the plentiful built in cabinets proudly display her collection of Italian and Turkish pottery.  Their view is spectacular overlooking gardens and slow running river and long views of Italian churches, towers and countryside.  They are right downtown very near the historic district on Vicenza.  Kim has realized her dream of being able to walk to dozens and dozens of Italian restaurants.  And, she had chosen one for our dinner this evening.  You simply can't argue about Italian food when you are in Italy!  After gelato and an evening stroll, we headed home to wind out a perfect day.

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 3 September 2016
Day 65

Justin was awake at o-dark thirty making calls to the local road side assistance team.  Stipe came by at 9am and made the recommendation of a local repair shop.  Thankfully, we are finally getting somewhere.  With help, we got the car into the shop by about 11am and then we had a free day in Dugi Rat.  They said the car would be repaired by tomorrow which puts us back on schedule only having to forgo our time in Venice.  We had a chat with Stipe, Doonya, the girls and Stipe's parents before we headed to the beach for one last time.  Gemma got a bath this afternoon to wash away the beach. For our "second" last dinner we headed back to Poseidon for great fish, shrimp and Dalmatian vegetables (spinach and potatoes with garlic and olive oil).  We set an alarm for in the morning but I really doubt we will need it.   

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 2 September 2016
Day 64

We made reservations to rent our speed boat again today, but unfortunately when we got to the rent-a- boat location about 9am, they told us the boat had mechanical problems the day before.  We settled for a much smaller boat -- a 16' day boat with a small cabin and an 8hp outboard.  We had identified four communities toward the north on the island of Brac to visit.  There was absolutely no wind in the morning so it might have been just as well that we weren't on a sailboat.  Not long after 1pm we stopped for lunch.  Our arugula salad with marinated anchovies and shrimp was fabulous and the fried calamari were delish!   We splurged with a chocolate and walnut filled crepe for dessert.  After turning the boat in we hung out on the beach for a while.  I didn't want to leave the beach; I didn't want to leave Croatia.  

Well, looks like we don't have to leave just yet.  When we were leaving the parking lot Justin ran over a rock that got hung up on the undercarriage and jeopardized the fuel line.  We could smell gasoline immediately...yikes!  A couple of local guys tried to help us move the car, but we were not successful.  After making a dozen different phone calls and hitting the wall, we locked the doors and starting walking home.  

We had decided to go to the beach bar-restaurant side of Forum for our dinner on our last evening.  We stopped there even though we didn't have a clue about the car.  I texted Stipe to tell him we'd need his advice and that, more than likely, we'd need to stay an extra day or three.  

Back in our flat I made a dozen more calls to try to connect with Avis road side assistance and again, I hit the wall.  We were already halfway packed and now totally frustrated.  We went to bed trying not to worry about excessive roaming charges and praying that no one would throw a cigarette butt under the car.

Dugi Rat, Croatia: 29 August 2016
Day 60


Outside morning, noon and night