I left Baltimore yesterday. Packing the truck took longer than I expected. That’s been a common theme of all my moving preparations. Karl came over to help. He showed me how to shorten ratchet-style straps without cutting them. I was amazed.
I took a picture of my house before leaving. I have loved this house. I will miss living in it.
I did a walkthrough video of the garden for the memory archive. I love how a bee and some birds made a special appearance for the video. HERE is the link, or just watch it below.
There is a tarp over the things I’m hauling in back. It kept flapping and coming loose. I kept adding straps. I don’t even know how many I ended up using, but the tarp was finally still.
After the tarp was tamed, the ride was rather pleasant. Lots of peaceful views and sunshine. It has been great that Denis is helping drive. I got to read and nap and watch the piece of hay that rode on the antenna. It stayed there for hours.
We were going to stop to say hi to Brady and Lark in Indianapolis. After I texted an update, I suddenly got a text from Angie who said she and her family were also traveling and were only a couple of miles ahead of me. We met at a gas station near Columbus, Ohio.
James and Angie were on their way to stay with Brady and Lark for the night. At about 11:30pm, we all met up there and chatted a little, then Denis and I continued on our way.
The wee hours were spent in Indiana and Illinois. Neither of us has slept much. We’ll arrive in Nebraska around 10:30.
10:30 in the morning or the evening? Wow, that is a long haul! Goodbye, Baltimore house, you have been a delight to visit through Bradaptation. <3
That picture of your truck is spectacular. Cue the Beverly Hillbillies music! 🙂
In the morning. We’re in eastern Iowa now.
And now I have the Beverly Hillbillies music in my head. Heh.
Brad,
(Lauren’s brother here…)
I don’t comment much, but really enjoy reading your blog. When I saw the top picture of your house, and knowing the journey you are beginning, it created this melancholy feeling inside. It reminds me very much of a scene from my favorite “movie,” the Western miniseries Lonesome Dove. In it, one of the main characters sits on a wagon and looks at the home he and his friends are leaving, as they begin a 2,500-mile cattle drive from the small town of Lonesome Dove, on the Rio Grande River in southern Texas, all the way to the wilds of Montana in 1877. That first episode is titled “Leaving”.
I’ve been there too, and remember vividly leaving my favorite apartment in Seward with my belongings in a U-Haul and my first car on a trailer being towed behind. I pray the memory of your Baltimore house never fades, even a tiny bit.
You are on a grand adventure. It is said, “Everyone dies. Not everyone lives.” You are living, and your blog is proof. God keep you safe on the journey.
What he said… (That was beautiful, Mark.)
Dang it, Mark. You made me get teary. You and the Dump Guy!
Seriously though, thanks for the encouraging words. It has been a difficult few weeks, and the rest of the summer will be crazy too. I appreciate your kindness.
Mark and I watched your garden walkthrough and wow, we were very impressed! I was thinking the other day when I saw a small piece of your garden in another pic, that I wish I could see everything, so thanks! Very professional! Did you create all that or was that space there when you moved in?
There is one bush that was there when I bought the yard. The rest was lawn. If all of my possessions weren’t scattered all over the Northern Hemisphere, I’d dig out a “before” picture. It’s funny, because the back yard has two cars parked in it. I loved creating that garden and tweaking it each year. I’m looking forward to doing more of that when I find a space in Maui 🙂