I wouldn't say the train has left the station, just yet, but the conductor has yelled "All aboard" to those waiting to board and head south. I can tell you moving is a daunting task. And really it's not the actual move but it's the preparation in doing so. As of late I've seen my parents go through it, and my siblings as well. My one sister moved down the street and my sister around the corner. My Mom picked up and headed to Florida, alone and with no one down in the Sunshine State. My Dad and step-Mother moved from a big house to a smaller one a town away. For us it'll be an 800 mile move down to South Carolina. While the steam from the engine, if I was talking about an old steam engine, is filling the air as the train awaits departure, I know there's more ahead to do to pull this off. But it's looking like all systems go, for now.
We ordered the last dumpster to fill with stuff that's not getting donated, sold, or making the trip south. The trains are gone. This weekend is the last estate sale. And I found yet another, "This is my last vehicle". While lugging a bunch of stuff outside yesterday before the arrival of the yard salers I asked my neighbor if I could load up her drive way with out three vehicles. Then I thought, "Why not keep the truck here and just trow a "For Sale" sign up on the windshield?.
The truck had been on FBM for about a day at that point and what might happen? Well, I had to take a break from the estate sale to head to DMV to register the Suburban I got a call from Theresa? "A guy here wants your truck", she said, "Tell him I'm on my way", I answered. And after about a 10-minute sales pitch the hands were shook and it was sold. I got $3,000 for it, a couple of hundred more than what bought her for.
I bought her in 2023 and she has had many "new" looks since I had her. First, there was the cap that I picked up down near Atlantic City for $75 bucks. Then there was getting rid of the rusted bed and the construction of the wooden bed that totally changed
the look and function of the truck. I didn't do it alone and had the help of my father and brother who made it happen. In between there was a new transfer case, which I did solo, newer tires that Theresa and I drove to Maryland to pick up, things here and there in between daily trips to Newark for work, Cape May for fun, and of course to Martha's Vineyard.
It was during last year's trip that I brought up the "SS Archer" to fish Menemsha Pond. It was during that trip that I realized the "boat" belonged on the Vineyard, and my friend Abe made that happen. She also make many tows of the jet boat to the Delaware River and countless trips to the recycling center with leaves and brush and to pick up mulch. So needless to say she has served me well and will continue to do s, I hope, for the new owner who owns a small landscaping company.
So it was time to say good-bye and Theresa and I delivered her last night to her new owner. One more check on the long list of things to do. And like many other things I've done I couldn't do them alone. I have to give a shout out to my Mother, just a few days into her 80th year, who came up from Florida to celebrate her birthday and Mother's Day. She's been a beast since she
got here. She had to clean out her portion of the attic and the rooms she lived in before heading to Florida just about four years ago. I asked what she wanted to do for Mother's Day and she said it in one word, "Sleep". She fell asleep on the job yesterday during a break in the action.
Sorry for the pic Mom but it really tells it all in one image. It is a testament to how hard you worked and have always been there for me in the 1,000 different things I've dragged you through in my life. It's fitting that tomorrow is Mother's Day and I'm lucky to have had you as a Mom and there with me during every step of my life.
So when I was at DMV yesterday they asked if I wanted to transfer my plates or just get new ones. well after years of having "AVANGLR" on the front and back of a probable half a dozen vehicles it was time to say good-bye to the personalized plates.
Now I'm just another "X79- YAN" guy driving around New Jersey. Hopefully by year's end I have South Carolina plates on the Suburban and will be tooling around the Lowcountry. But, there's still a ton to do. There has been a ton of interest in the house and yesterday a girl made an all-cash offer which was lower than we are listing at. Today a young couple who have been sweating us to get in here will stop by so we'll see how that goes during a probably rainy day two and final sale at the house. Next week my last semester begins at Capital Health so I have to change outfits from my daily workwear backs to the scrubs and lab coat. I just hope I can wear scrubs at the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital because I don't even know where my clothes are these days.
And before breakfast on Mother's Day tomorrow I will take some time and hit the river, you know, to go fishing. I have low expectations but I need to get out there. I'm sure by now you're done with reading my daily diary of the big move. But, truth be told, life, and this blog, is more than just fly fishing. well, actually, this is all part of it. Things change with fishing year to year, as we've seen this year and I'll talk about this week. So my ebb and flow of fishing this year is a testament to how life gets in the way of things that are near and dear to our hearts. But my eyes are on the big picture, and the start of another new chapter in my life. Boy, does my book have a lot of chapters in it.
