April 2022 and a bit of May

Leaving Arizona

On Saturday, April 8th, following a week of parties, car checkups, packing, and goodbyes, we set out on a roundabout path to New Orleans with Casita in tow. The first night we stayed in a New Mexico state park outside of Almagordo and the following day drove north across the lovely rolling plains of eastern New Mexico to Amarillo (TX) on two lane roads with little traffic. Amarillo was much as we remembered it, busy, growing, with lots of traffic; we were glad to carry on to Norman (TX) where we overnighted with Diane and Lenny, friends of Melanie's from many years ago, and friends of mine for the last forty years or so.

That eveningI enjoyed a few mathematical moments with Lenny. He presented me with some of Einstein's thoughts on relativity via a man in a moving train who drops a ball from shoulder height which he sees fall straight down to the floor of the train car while a man, standing outside the train, sees the ball follow a parabolic path. Fun and games with differential equations. We slept in our trailer, parked on the street in front of their house, then joined the Rubins for breakfast before setting off to Caddo Lake State Park in eastern Texas. A tornado warning went into effect that evening so we gathered, with a number of other campers, in the bath house to wait developments - which didn't develope - so we went "home" to bed after about 45 minutes of watchful waiting.

AT OUR 'LEGAL' RESIDENCE

Tuesday we had a short drive to the town of our legal residence, Livingston (TX), and the Escapees Rainbow Park. We stayed there two nights, parked next to another Casita, brand new, met the owners and shared war stories. Also, while in Livingston, we got the truck inspected for another year, visited the voting clerks office to inquire about absentee ballots, and relaxed. Texas voting is antiquated in that they do not allow the faxing or emailing of ballots, all must be either completed at a polling place or signed and posted in order that they arrive before midnight on election day - Florida was a much easier state in which to vote. 

We arrived in New Orleans Wednesday the 13th, having covered 1,600+ miles and ready to relax.

IN NEW ORLEANS

Parking the Casita in the lot nextdoor, unpacking the truck, and stocking the fridge, we're tasks we managed over the next few days. Then Monday April 18th we began our round of doctors visits and testing which occupied us pretty well and concluded with Melanie's eye exams on April 27th. All my blood work, and CT scans came back negative - I had been worried about cancer complications in my left lung but that turned out to be a false alarm - a great relief. Melanie's vaccination put her under the weather for a day but Friday Marilyn Cohen came by for a visit and lunch. In the evening we went o John and Lois's for a fine shabbat dinner - first beef in many months. Saturday we ran some errands and Sunday morning we went down to the French Quarter to experience a bit of the French Quarter Festival, watch the crowds, listen to some music, and enjoy the scene. In the course of the day we stopped by Fritzel's for a beer. This is a bar and music venue well beloved by Jean & Bev so the beer was really to toast them. 

We've been thinking about joining the local JCC in order to be able to use the pool, gym, and classes there but before doing so we went by the Riley Center (Tulane) to see if we could resume activities there now that Covid is on the wain. The Center has reopened and for folks, such as Melanie, who graduated from Tulane more than fifty years ago, they have a good program. Unfortunately their pool was closed for reconstruction so my laps will have to wait until we're back in December. We are also thinking about storing the Casita here  and picking it up when we come back through New Orleans in December. That way, we may be able to truck and trail some stuff from Nova Scotia to a storage unit in Maine - we'll use that over the next year or so to slowly move.

A break in reporting - I read the Saltwire (Maritime news) daily and this article caught my eye: B.C. man faces deportation for alleged naked dance on sacred Bali volcano. I trust that Nova Scotia law is not so rigid and that we may be able to continue our naked dancing, at least at The SHore, in the water.

After further consideration, and considering the rise of COVID, we have decided to continue our travails with the Casita. We will be leaving New Orleans next week (April 12) to head to The Shore (ETA April 26) via, Valdosta (GA), Virginia Beach (VA), Washington (DC), Rudgefield (CT), Concord (MA) and St Andrews (NB), a trip of around two weeks visiting friends and family along the way. Before we leave we'll dine out a few times with friends and family - at a sushi restaurant (Hana) today and at the old Ormand Plantation tomorrow.

A commentary on writing this Blog: I still don't feel the same incentive to write that I experienced last autumn at The Shore, I hope that urge will return once we get 'home.' We shall see. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your spring and we'll keep in touch.