Welcome to Dallas, Texas!

We've been in Dallas for a little over two months now.  I thought "Farewell to Unalaska" would be the end of this blog and I would either stop altogether or begin a new blog to document our new life in Texas, but I kinda like the idea of finishing out 2015 before letting this go.  So bear with me as I recount the last couple of months in a few more posts.

I think this was the first day we were in town after our long flights and worries about the cats!  We spent a couple of nights with Sarah and Miles and kids before moving into our apartment.  I was so happy to finally be here and to be with the kids!

I had rented an apartment for us when I was in Dallas in September.  Of course, we had sold most of our stuff and the rest was on a ship which would take several more weeks to arrive.  I ordered a couch, and a small dining table and two chairs but they had not arrived yet either.  Our first task was to rent a car so we could run our many errands, and to buy a mattress so we'd have something to sleep on!

We found an eco-friendly mattress we liked and made arrangements to pick it up at the company's warehouse the next day instead of waiting 3 more days for a delivery. The weather had been sunny and warm until we had a major rainstorm with high winds--you guessed it--the day we had to pick up the mattress.  Okay, it wasn't too bad when we left the apartment, though the storm was in the forecast.  By the time we found the warehouse, it was raining.  The mattress was completely sealed in  thick plastic so we loaded it up anyway and hoped for the best.  On the way back to the apartment, we were suddenly engulfed in a total deluge of Biblical proportions, as Rich later described it.  It was quite an adventure trying to see where we were going and not run into anything with a mattress hanging out of the bed of the pickup.

Luckily, we made it home with no mishaps,  but the mattress managed to get wet despite the wrapping.  We took the hair dryer to it and stood it up in the bedroom under the ceiling fan.  It was not a cheap mattress and I was horrified to think we might have ruined it right off the bat.   Thankfully, it's fine, if a little water stained!

We had many move-in adventures but over a couple of days we got settled into our little one bedroom apartment.  It's brand new so we are the first ones to live in it, and it's very nice, but very small!  We're only here till July so it's fine for now, and right around the corner from Sarah and Miles--bonus!

Our Alaska cats are used to running around outside and going in and out as they please, but all that has changed.  We are afraid to let them outside because it's a new environment and we don't want them to get lost; there's a busy street at the entrance of the apartment; there are lots of cars in the parking lot; and although we are happy our patio faces a woodsy area known as "The Greenbelt," we don't want them getting lost in the woods.  So we bought some harnesses and leashes and, of course, they hate them!  Kali won't even consent to getting her harness put on. Ajax will let Rich put his harness on sometimes but he acts very funny when wearing it, lying on the floor, rolling around, almost making Rich pull him with the leash.  Rich has taken to carrying both of them out onto the patio periodically to get a little fresh air and sunshine.  They are usually anxious and happy to come back in. Poor kitties--we feel badly for them and know they are bored just sitting around the apartment most of the time.  Hopefully once we get into our house in July, they will feel better and will be able to go outside some of the time.

Bonnie and David and kids came for Halloween weekend and we had lots of fun with them!

 The kids were all into dressing as various movie characters this year. Elle was "Mal" from "The Descendents" and Emery was "Disgust" from "Inside Out."  :)  

 In character! LOL

 Luke was "Spiderman."

 Beck was "Bad Cop" from the "Lego Movie."

 Ada was a little Tinkerbell

 and Jack was Peter Pan

For some reason, I didn't get many pix except at Halloween, but we had a wonderful time together.  Loved being with two of my girls!

 Bonnie and Luke

Ada swinging

Elle and Emery had a lot of fun together

We kept Emery and Luke while Bonnie and Dave went furniture shopping with Ada one day.  We met Sarah and Miles and kids at the movie and wandered around the mall. A fun time was had by all and before we knew it, it was time for them to head back to Amarillo.  I'm not so sad any more because I know we will get to see them lots more often!

Farewell, Unalaska

Our last few days were pretty crazy!  My friend Charlene stopped over to say goodbye--she is my workout idol.  I wish I had the determination and stamina that she does!  My former student Yumiko came back to Unalaska the day before we left and also came to visit, but I failed to get a photo.  It was great to see her again after many months in Japan.  AND my former student Magda spent a couple of hours helping us clean our house.  Whew! Moving is hard work!

Then off to the Post Office to mail several boxes of stuff that we didn't manage to get into the totes going on the boat.  I thought we were going to be so organized and that did not prove to be true at all!  Here's Jennifer, our favorite postal worker, taking care of business with Rich.  I'm gonna miss chatting with her!

 I swung by the office one last time to complete my final paperwork and say some tearful goodbyes to my awesome coworkers.  Above, our bookkeeper Billie Jo and the best boss ever, Lauren.  I couldn't have asked for a better person to work for.

Our visiting reporters John and Greta were lots of fun and I enjoyed working with them for a short time.

Pipa, TV producer, volunteer coordinator, and so much more. We had many good times and deep conversations.  She and Lauren and I had been there together the longest and worked really well together.

That's Chrissy up front, our brand new arts and culture producer.  I only got to work with her for a couple of weeks but I loved her already. So much fun and willing to pitch in and help with anything needed.  She's gonna be a good one for the station and I am glad she's there!

 Tammy and Jack took us out for one last dinner

 It was pretty surreal spending one last night in our house and getting up the next morning to head to the airport knowing it was our last time to fly out of Unalaska.  I definitely got choked up driving over to the radio station and then again driving to the airport. So many memories of 11 plus years on our little island in the Bering Sea.  I am so glad I took such a big leap of faith and moved to the end of the world to begin a new life.  Although I didn't love every single minute of it and sometimes (especially the last few years) I was totally dying to leave, it was still a fabulous experience.

 Elaine and Tammy came to see us off

 along with my sweet friend Kathy, with whom I worked at the Wellness Center years ago.

 Getting ready to board our last flight out

We've stood in front of this window many times over the years, watching for planes to come in or take off.

One last hug for my dear friend Tammy--I can't even put into words how much I will miss this one!  But we will not be too sad because we have plans to get together "down south" in the future.

 There's our plane

 Look! A rainbow for our departure

 Taking off on Pen Air one last time

 Goodbye to our beautiful island home

Poor Ajax and Kali had to endure two flights before getting out of their kennels for an overnight in Seattle.  We reserved a pet friendly hotel room and let them out to roam a bit but they were pretty traumatized, bless their little hearts.

Next morning, another flight and finally we're in Dallas!  Another new start and another new phase of life ahead of us.  Looking forward to new adventures!

This is what February looks like

I am still slowly working my way through vacation photos and may eventually get the rest of the trip documented but thought I would take a little break and catch up with the latest from Unalaska. We have had a relatively mild winter but have had a couple of good snowstorms, too.  We live on a hill and have a bunch of wooden steps leading up to our house.  Usually the guys from housing keep them cleared off but I'm sure they were super busy on this particular day.  It's a little concerning to try to make my way downstairs without being able to see exactly where the stairs are.  Lead with one foot, step down in snow up to my knees until I find something solid, steady myself, repeat.  I posted this photo on Facebook and someone suggested that I get a sled. :)  Thankfully I made it down without any mishaps.

We often have eagles sitting outside our door. I am glad I am not an eagle and get to stay inside my warm house.

Meanwhile, back in Texas, this little cutie turned 6 and lost her first tooth soon after!  Happy late birthday to our Elle, a sweet, smart, funny girl with a tender heart and a happy disposition. We love her so much!

ESL/GED classes have begun again so I am teaching on TTh nights once more.  I have a smaller class this time, and mostly new students.  I have to admit that I was quite bummed out to realize that many of my favorite students are working night shift this session so they will be attending the morning class.  I really do miss them but I love my returnees and am enjoying getting to know my new students. 

I had no idea that such a website existed but one of my cousins posted something on Facebook about DonorsChoose.org and I have become somewhat addicted to it.  School teachers from all over the country post items they need for their classrooms or projects they would like to have funded, and individuals or groups make donations to help them achieve their goals. First off, I think it is a crying shame that school teachers have to pretty much beg the public to help them buy sometimes the most basic of needs like books, art supplies, music supplies, PE equipment and so on.  The state of public education in some locales is just appalling. Most of the schools are classified as high or moderate poverty schools.  I know that teachers, for years, have purchased supplies out of their own pockets so I am glad there's a way for them to get some assistance. On the other hand, I am ashamed that some school districts have so little money that they cannot buy enough books for the whole classroom, paintbrushes for an art class, or fans to keep a room cooled off enough so that the students can concentrate.  If you have a few extra bucks, check out the site and see if there's a classroom project that resonates with you.  You can sort by "lowest cost" to see which projects only need a small amount of money to be completed.

Finally, a bit of fun. The organization Protect My Public Media had a Valentine's Day campaign for communities to show their love for their public station.  Our station went all out, getting over 60 photos of locals showing their reasons for loving public media.  Here's mine, above, "I love my public media because I can go downstairs and plug in any song I want!"

 Of course, I had to get the cats into it. Kali "loves to rock with the Stray  Cats, Cat Power, Cat Stevens, Pussy  Cat Dolls, Def Leppard and Atomic Kittens!"

And Ajax simply said that "Cat Scratch Fever" is his fave. One of my friends reminded me that "Cat Scratch Fever" is sung by that crazy right-winger Ted Nugent so I am a little sorry I didn't think of a better song! 

Rich was more philosophical and gave a shout out to Nikola Tesla, who reportedly REALLY invented radio and was ripped off by Thomas Edison and Guglielmo Marconi.  (Hey, Suzasippi, he is wearing the apron you sent him from South Africa!)

KUCB did such a good job that we got a shout-out on Protect My Public Media's blog.  If you click on the link at the very bottom of their blog, it will take you to our full album on FB and you can see lots of great folks from our little island town.  

What's happening in your corner of the world?

Here's What You're Missing

We took a drive up and over the pass last week. There's still lots more greening and blooming to come, but we have a good start going!

A lone little weasel snout in the rocks

 May flowers

Looking back at Humpy and Morris Coves from Summer Bay

At Summer Bay

 Summer Bay Lake

  A field of lupine

 Priest Rock

 Back in town at Front Beach

Memorial Park

At home, Kali is enjoying the sunshine, too.  Happy Summer!