Deja Vu

Watching the Weather Channel last night brought to mind my maiden voyage in Dec. 2008 from NY to CA. I drove from NY to Asheville and spent some time getting my stored items in order, and then headed west on I-40. By the time I got to Little Rock it was obvious I couldn't continue on I-40, so I dropped down to I-20, requiring me to drive around a metropolitan area I was terrified to drive in, much less pulling a 34' 5th wheel. I was held captive in an RV park in Arlington, TX for two days and then finally ventured out to continue my journey. I drove through parts of TX and NM that I hadn't driven through previously, but the weather and forced detour left a negative impression on my mind so that I never want to go back. That was the second time I've had to deal with Dallas in icy weather. By the time I got to NM the ice was gone but the cold remained. I want to emphasize that the Dallas Ft. Worth area is a great place. I spent two weeks there on business in the mid 1980's, and the traffic was pretty bad then but I liked the area. We stayed at a hotel in Arlington, worked in Ft. Worth, and visited Dallas on a weekend. But that was in better weather and because I always liked to travel in the non travel/vacation season, I usually drove cross country in the winter time.

I hope the weather warms up for all those who converge on the southwest in the winter hoping to find respite from the cold and snow of the more northerly states. Blustery, icy, cold weather certainly isn't what you signed up for!

I realized as soon as I started painting the hallway yellow that one coat was going to suit me just fine. No way will I spend a minute longer doing that crazy patchwork of panels and wood strips. I painted for about an hour and a half and then stopped for a while to go buy more paint. When I got back the electric range was sitting in a box on my front porch on a pallet. I couldn't even tip it because it's so heavy (or maybe I've just become a lightweight). I'm going to leave it there for now, and maybe wrap a tarp around it. Even if I could get it into the house I'm not sure where I could put it. I think it will require taking both glass doors down in order for the stove to fit. Steve had said he would wire it up when he gets into town at Christmas, although I doubt if I can just leave it there all that time.

I wanted to post a picture of the finished hallway, but for some reason the picture is sideways and I can't get it to upload to Blogger in the proper rotation. When I look on iPhoto the picture is fine, but the uploaded photo is sideways.