The Wall....

The wall of boxes...and Texas!!

Ahhh...here comes the worst part of moving....the pressure!!!  This move is very different from any other we have done.  Typically when you move in the Coast Guard...there are allowances.  You get a dislocation allowance (to help with finding a place to live, deposits and setting up your new home), you also can get your money for traveling before you leave as well.  When you retire...you don't get that.  Money-wise it has been a little stressful.  I saved about 70% of the money I made this spring...and we are still a tiny bit short, there is no wiggle room.  Moving means eating out more than you thought, something always breaks, there are twenty trips to the store for this and that. Yeah, we chose to ship the Corvette up there, but honestly, that was the cheapest option...and thankfully Kristin is doing our lease the legal way (it protects us both) so we are paying first and last months rent and a pet deposit, We paid for Lee's ceremony, new tires and wiring kit for the trailer and we are footing the money for driving up there ourselves.  I must check the bank account 100 times a day.  I know in the end it will all be ok...I just need to keep on swimming! 

Add to that, the saddness of leaving a place where I have lived (yeah, I did the math) 19% of my life (9 years, 3 different tours)...it is a crazy mix. Thankfully, I am not a drinker!  Lots of memories have been made here! Elliott was born here.  Lee started his career as a Storekeeper (silly name for someone who manages the money and purchasing in the Coast Guard) here and retired here.  So, seeing Humboldt in the rear view mirror will be sad...even though I am so excited about the future.  

A few more days and the internet is turned off...but then it will come back on in a new place.  I will have a whole new bunch of topics to vent or exclaim about....stay tuned!!

And It Comes Down to this....

Gosh, I am not too sure on where to start this one....we waited for this day for the last year, and it finally came.  Lee's retirement ceremony.  I started getting tears in my eyes the moment he put his uniform on.  In almost 24 years of marriage, I rarely have seen Lee in his uniform.  He always keeps them at work or on the boat.  Unlike most people who chose to have all the hoopla at their ceremony...Lee wanted his a little more low key but keeping with the tradition.  So no one had to dress up in the uniform that makes a grown man consider buying a pair of Spanks...they got to wear their everyday uniform.  I watched as co-workers got the room ready...and my heart swelled with pride and I did my best to keep my eyes from swelling with tears...and then I heard the pipe (CG lingo for announcement over the loudspeaker) for the ceremony.  Mr. Roberts (Lee's master of ceremony) entered then the Captain and then Lee..who even on his very last day, walked in the same way he learned in boot camp back in 1987.  The Captain (Captain Palmeri) rose and made a speech about Lee and his career.  Joking that Lee had been in the guard long enough that he is now a grandpa and has been in the guard longer than many in the room had been alive.  It was awesome to hear those words, it is actually the retiree that writes the speeches...and Lee worked hard on his..about 6 weeks.  I could not hold the tears back any longer when the Captain said that Lee referred to me as his best friend.  After the speech from the Captain, Lee received his award, a Coast Guard Achievement medal, a certificate thanking him for his service signed by the President of the United States, and finally his certificate of retirement.  It is also tradition that the wife and children are recognized for their service and sacrifice as military family members. I loved standing there and seeing the room full of Lee's peers. Then came the most poignant part of the whole ceremony...where members of the Coast Guard take a U.S. flag and fold it as Mr. Roberts read about the history of the flag as Lee's career intertwined into the story...after the flag is folded it is presented to Lee.  Finally, it is Lee's moment to speak...for this he had not prepared anything...he just spoke from his heart...admiting that even he, got a little choked up and shed a tear or two. Then after Lee tells the Captain that it is his wish that the crew be granted early liberty...Lee takes my hand and Elliott's and we are "piped over the bow" (a bos'n whistle is blown as we exit the room).  Afterwards, Lee shook a bunch of hands as people congratulated him and wished him well and they devoured the delicious cake we provided.  Many came up to me and told me how great Lee was at his job, that the Coast Guard has a lot to be thankful for due to Lee...I could not have been more proud!!!  We were honored that Lee's first boss when he arrived here, took it upon himself to photograph the whole entire ceremony.  I am sharing some of them below...

Lee is actually wiping away a tear.  He was/is well liked by the Captain and it showed in the Captain's personal remarks.

Elliott recieving his award for his dedication to his dad's career...Lee looks like he is sad in this pic, but he was actually really happy.

Lee, standing at attention as the flag is being folded for presentation.

Lee's shadow box...it contains 26 years of history and momentos...including pins he traded for the first time he went to Russia, his dog tags from Bahrain and the name tag he wore as an SK "A" school instructor.

Lee and the guys from his shop...they were a funny group.

As we made our way home, Lee said his first job he wants to do as a retiree...is be Mahoney's grandpa.  I gotta say, I truly love this man!!!  Today, Lee's first one as a "free man" (at least until he finds his next job)...he is like a new man, the weight of the world has lifted off his shoulders...and he is excited and ready to start the second half of his life...I am so happy he chose me to go along for the ride.

Cruising the Lost Coast...

For my friend, Susan's birthday...I told her that I would take a drive with her up to her cabin/tiny house.  The reason it is a big deal???  I am pretty terrified of this drive...it is an act of endurance, being that a lot of the time you have to stop because there is only one lane, every once in a while there is a sheer cliff on one side, the road it kinda like swiss cheese...and the worst part...I get really car sick...and this road is conducive to barfing!!!  We loaded up a picnic lunch and headed out...I had my game face on!

Susan's cabin is in Capetown, about 15 miles outside of Ferndale.

 Once you get to the top (I think Susan said we were near Bunker Hill), you feel like you are on top of the world.  Cows grazing in the sunshine, but the fog seems ever present in the background.

This is the view from Susan's porch...I have only been out here a few times...but I can tell you it is in my top ten "happy places", you can hear the wind before you feel it, the birds practically put on a concert with their songs...you cannot see cars or hear them...all you hear is nature.  Peaceful is not adequate enough to describe the serenity.

Once you leave Susan's and head south a little, you come to the real "Lost Coast"...a short stretch of road that feels just feet from this huge vast ocean...it is off the beaten tourist path, so you feel like you have it all to yourself.  I took a bunch of pictures, it was so pretty.

Since I was not driving, I got to take in all the scenery.  I loved it.  I felt like I took for granted the beauty of the area we live in...because it is crazy beautiful here!  We stopped to eat our picnic along the Mattole River.  Bright red dragonflies, tadpoles and other tiny river creatures kept us pretty enthralled...if we had lawn chairs and a book with us, I am pretty sure we would still be there.

 It's pretty accurate to say that I do not like bridges very much....this one is right up there with the bridge in Astoria, Oregon, on my scary bridge scale!

The last little bit of the drive before it leads us back onto 101, was through a grove of Redwoods, I believe this is the Rockefeller Forest (Humboldt Redwoods State Park)...I wish this picture could capture how small I felt as we slowly drove through...it was incredible.  Its easy to forget we have these amazing trees in our backyard.

It was a perfect day...a hundred mile circle that took us at least 6 hours...not once did I barf though!!  I felt a little queasy, but I did it!  My next long car ride will lead me to another happy place...it will lead me home!!