Monday night – no need for plan C !

So.. we were counting on Gabes passport to come in time for me to make my 4PM flight…

and… (drum role…)

As I drove to the Postoffice to be there when it opend, I got a tesxt message that the package was there !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So were on plan B. .I zoomed home.. got my last stuff together.. And said good bye to Diane and Nova..

At two and a half weeks this is going to be one of the longest ties I’ve ever been away from diane.. I think only the time on the Colony was longer. Its two and a half because I’m taking my Mom down to Houston to see Bly wheni come back from Germany . I miss diane so much when we’re apart..

I think thas pretty nice to feel that way after 44 year s<3

I got to the airport with the knowledge that the entire east coast was getting slammed with the biggest storm of the season.. and that’s saying something after this particular winter..

check out this

luckily we were north of the storm and so were both of my planes on the way to MSP..

Whiel waiting for the plane I was able to talk to Billy agin. Each time he sounds more alert and more himself.. I can wait to see him.. tehyre moving him out of the ICU soe he will be able to have vistors starting this week (I think)

I had a roll aboard with me.. and I always forget when I have carry on bags.. so I tied my beta badge around my wrist so I wound forget.. they ended up checking my roll aboard, which left me wondering what I d forgot when I stopped in Chicago

The flights were uneventfull. A slight edelay on my flight rom Chcago to MSP.. but otherwise peaceful

I got to start thinking abot the adventure that gabe .. and I were on..

Nce to see the lake completely frozen oer.. first time in 7 years !!!

So.. here we go.. or at least here I go. Into the wild blue yonder !

more from the road

nite all, nite sam
-me

Sunday night – Nope

You guessed it. Gabes passport did not come today. No surprise.. the post office doesn’t work Sundays.. but that didn’t stop us from Hoping. Denis the postmaster was good to his word and went in .to look, but the passport wasn’t there.. ..

so antoerh day on hold.. still on Plan B though. If we get the passpost in time for my flight on Monday I can get to Minneapolis in time to make our Tuesday morning flight.. if we don’t get it tomorrow , .. well there’s gonna need to be a plan C

We wernt going to waste the day.. so .. you guessed it .. out in the amazing snow for us. We did Bamforth ridge.. Nova is loving our woods and snow !! and we’re loving having her here

I spent some of the rest of the day working on the project for Mike. Its coming together really niceley. Will be time for a live test very soon !

Thanks to Max for the very cool soldering aid he 3D printed for me !

OK.. lets see hat tomorrow brings !
nite all. Nite sam
-me

Saturday night – Plan B

Well. You guessed it. Gabes passport and Visa did NOT come today.. thank you USPS. Well. Let me modify that.. the good people at the USPS have been reallllly helpful.. its not ther fault that they are chronically understaffed, underpaid .. and their funding keeps getting reduced. They’ve been trying to help us locate this doc..

but.. we cant wait for it for Gabe to leave, so we kicked in Plan B.. instead of the two of us heading to Minneapolis with our Tons .. ok.. not tons.. technically (3×70 me ) + ( 2 x50 Gabe) plus our carry-ons ( ~2 x 40 ) plus our backpacks (~2 x+ 25) == 440 pounds of luggage between us. I’m able to help because with out United status I can carry more and heavier bags.

anyway.. Gabe packed up.. said goodbye (for a few weeks we’re taking her over in april) to his beloved nova and his very beloved mom. ( I cant believe I didn’t get a picture of gabe and diane that morning !) And me.. and. The snow and I took him to the airport..

I dropped off Gabe with his part of the luggage.. and just as I was driving away I got notified that they had tried to deliver his passport.. instead of leaving it for us….they left us a cryptic pink slip with no way of contacting anyone. I went to the Richmond post office.. which was closed .. but they oet me in anyway. They tried to help me locate the package. It wasn’t there They called the postmaster.. who offered to come in tomorrow (Sunday to see if it came in with the amazon stuff .. , they called the distribution center.. but no answer.

If they had just left the passport I would have actually had time to pick it up and make it to the airport with my luggage and fly with gabe..

but it was not to be..

instead I got at least one more day at home with Diane and nova.. which is always nice.

Gbaes on his way to see his grandma, his aunt and uncle and his cousins.

its been such a great time having him here in Vermont.

we are definitely going to miss him..
at the same time we are so excited for the adventure he’s starting in Germany !

Nite all, nite sam
-me

Friday night – One more party for Gabe

The plan is for Gabe and me to head to Minneapolis to see my mom and my sister Mary and fam on our way to Germany Next Tuesday. There’s one big catch. Gabes passport with his new Vissa haven’t arrived. He paid an extra $40 for the Consulate to ‘overnight’ it to him.. but they used USPS Expedited service which is supposed to take 1-3 days.. .. and that’s when its working. I think the germans must have confused our postal sevice for theirs. We were expecting the Passport and visa on Wednesday. It didn’t gcome, then we were sure it would be here on Thursday.. nope. So we were really sure it was coming today..

but it didn’t..

that means that if it doesn’t come in the mail tomorrow we have. Big problem .. we spent the day trying to figure out a contingency plan. At worst, Gabe will head to Minneapolis.. then I’ll follow as soon as we get the passport.

But for now.. we coan still have a good time.. tehre are some folks gabe still wants to see.

so today we.. (as aways) took a great rivershore hike.. for another romp in the snow. Check out the snow on just one side of the trees

Tonight Jack, Ali, Tom and Hope … (they’re dating which is so cool !) came over..

we started in on cheese.. my friend Mike gifted us this incredible cheese of the month service.. and its amazing.. aways good to share with others !

It was great catching up with everyone. They’re all doing great

It feels like Gabe has really gotten a great does of catching up with people. It’s been relaly fun for us too !

OK.. so lets see if that passport comes tomorrow ?

Nite all. Nite sam
-me