| After three years of "Roaming through Retirement", we finally decided to make the big move. We spent two weeks sorting and packing, and then loaded up "Ol Blue" and a U-Haul trailer with about 1/3 of our belongings and took off for California where we gifted them to our daughter Carmen and her family. This process was a part of us closing a wonderful chapter of our life in Boise and letting go both the life style we had in Boise and most of our "stuff." But most importantly, we sold our condo, at the "eleventh hour" as they say. This sale was a bit emotional but also very LIBERATING!!
Keep us informed by clicking on the email link Larry and Glorine. | ||
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| We traveled this route between Boise and Fullerton many times over the past decade and maybe because it may be the last time we take this specific route, that we enjoyed the journey more than usual. Along with a couple of small town Nevada casinos, the Sierra Nevada mountains were a spectacular sight we experienced along the way. | After two days on state and county highways and a couple of hours of inter-city freeways, we arrived safe and sound at Mike and Carmen's place. And "Ol Blue" fit in perfectly as a new addition to Carmen and Mike's changing life style. | |
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| Of course, one of the major benefits of this trip was to spend time with our grand kids. Here is baby Hunter--the newest addition to the Barnhardt clan. He is 2-1/2 months old on this picture and we found it amazing how much he had changed since we saw him last month. | Little Sierra (no longer the baby in the family) loves her little brother, even though she can be a tad bit rough with him at times. She is slowly but surely learning the art of gentleness. |  |
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| We took "Ol Blue" out for an extended weekend in the mountains of North Los Angeles County at a KOA campground. The kids just love it. Mike and Carmen caught on quickly to the "tricks of RV life." Here the girls are getting ready for the first of many RV prepared meals together. | Sunday was Mother's Day and after a breakfast made by the guys, Carmen was treated to lots of gifts from Mike and the kids. With us downsizing, gift were the last thing Glorine needed, so earlier that week, Carmen treated her to a day at the spa, followed with a pedicure. | |
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| Following a great breakfast we took a short hike on the Pacific Crest Trail (also known as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail). This is a long-distance mountain hiking and equestrian trail that starts in Mexico and ends in Canada and runs through the states of Washington, Oregon, and California. No we did not make it out of California!! | Little baby Hunter did not know what to make of his first RV adventure other than to kick back and relax. Here Mike is playing with him in the RV, which is where he spent most of the weekend. Dakota and Sierra on the other hand spent most of their time out doors playing in the creek bed next to the campsite or with all the rocks lying around the park. |  |
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| Nana, which is what Glorine's name is at Carmen's place, took full advantage of holding and cuddling with baby Hunter. He was starting to smile while we were there which, of course, he did not do when there was a camera near by. None-the-less, he sure is a handsome dude and a very content baby. | After a week in California, we flew back to Boise to resume our task of downsizing and cleaning out the condo. The weather was unusually cool during our entire stay there--we even got a thick coating of snow in the mountains. As we wound down our life in Boise, we took advantage of visiting with several of our friends we made over this past decade. | |
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| One of those special friends is Ron. We shared special times at their cabin in the mountains and their boat out on Lucky Peak. Here we are having an after dinner treat with him and his wife Marilyn. | Phil was among the first person Larry got to meet when we first arrived in Boise. Phil was the senior dean at Boise State and one of Larry's mentors. He and Vinnie are both retired and we are looking forward to following them as they expand their ventures in retirement. |  |
| One of the disadvantages of being "at home" is that we rarely carried our camera with us. So while we visited with dozens of friends and acquaintances over the six weeks we only captured these few with our camera. Here is one of the very best neighbors we have ever had the opportunity of living next to. Steve was always the first to have dinner ready the day we arrived back from one of our various excursions. His final act of kindness was to take our remaining "stuff" to his friend's home, priced it and set it out for one of the largest neighborhood yard sale in Boise. Yes, we will miss Boise and letting go, but are ready to move on to the next chapter in our life. | ||
May's web page includes May 1 through May 31.
