This article was published in August in the Thousand Islands Sun, a publication which has published sixty some of my writings over the last six years. It should help explain where I am now, both spatially and psychologically. We have been here six months now, and things have settled to a more normal pace. I'll try harder in future to keep up. Meanwhile, I'll be publishing more of my paintings, which are also available at: https://joel-charles.pixels.com/galleries.html
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We've Moved
After deciding to join our daughter, Cindy, in her move to Albuquerque, we spent a week packing our things, and on May 19 at 9 AM, left McDonough and Georgia behind. Cindy was in Phoenix, with two of our granddaughters, to attend our grandson Bridger’s high school graduation. Bridger would be starting Army Basic Training in a month, and he, Caitlyn, Sabrina and Cindy would be returning to Georgia the day before the movers came. They would drive to Albuquerque on the same route we were to take.
After an early start, we arrived in Memphis, TN, at 3 PM, following an arduous trip through the Southwest corner of Atlanta and its suburbs. I had not driven at 75 to 80 MPH for sustained periods in at least 5 years. It was not, by any stretch of the imagination, fun. Trucks seem to have multiplied like flies, and their drivers pay little attention to the truck speed limit, or the fact that a “4 wheeler” is next to them, in the middle of a pass, at 75 MPH. If the driver decides not to look in his mirror before pulling into the left lane, the next few moments can be terrifying, or fatal. After six to seven (one eight) hour stints on the road we would retire at a hotel chosen in advance for its proximity to Interstate 40.
Next after Memphis was Fort Smith, Arkansas, after a dreaded stretch on a detour around the I-40 Mississippi River bridge. You may have seen on TV that the bridge was closed due to a huge crack in one of the support beams. Traffic on I-40 and the detour going East over that bridge was at a standstill for ten miles west of the Mississippi. The further away from Memphis and the river crossing we got, the more tolerable the traffic, until we hit major cities. After Fort Smith was Amarillo Texas, once we passed through and around Oklahoma City. We have stayed there before, on our previous trips from West to East, or the return East - West. Amarillo is like a large strip city along I-40, and we have never been downtown there, so I have no idea what it is like.
Arising the next morning there we moved on to our final destination, Rio Rancho, just Northwest of Albuquerque, NM. We arrived in our new home town at around 4pm, on a bright, sunny afternoon. All the way from Amarillo we had been followed by a steady 25 to 30 MPH wind, blowing South to North, with gusts up into the high 40’s, and by the time we got to our extended stay motel, in the 50’s. Carol could not get out of our South facing car, because the steady wind kept blowing the door back at her. It was a struggle getting things we did not want to leave in the car onto a valet cart (recommended strongly by a sign right in front of our car), and inside the building to our room. The cart seemed to have a mind of its own in the steady wind.
The wind blew for the rest of the day, and into the next, finally settling on a steady 15 to 20 MPH, then on the day we were allowed in the new home, a mild breeze. We have since discovered that in late afternoon, as the sun goes down, a Venturi effect prevails in the spaces between houses. The temp climbed to a hundred degrees that week, and stayed up around that for the rest of the month. Standing in the side yard at 4 or 5 pm was like standing near the open door of a blast furnace. We were familiar with heat, having lived in Tucson, AZ for 18 years, but that wind! People tell me it’s not unusual. One gets used to things, and how to plan around them.
On Friday, May 28, a huge moving van arrived at 8 AM. Cindy, and our granddaughters Caitlyn and Sabrina, and grandson Bridger had arrived the Saturday before and, since we had sold or given away all of our beds to save on weight, they ended up sleeping on air mattresses until new beds arrived. We had already purchased a bed before they got here, so even though we came equipped, we did not have to do that. We were all glad to see the van, loaded with things we had been doing without for weeks, living in a virtually empty house.
We have been busy unpacking, and shopping for items to replace what we left behind, and are nearly completely settled in. Anyone with as much moving experience as we have will understand how hard the decision making is in leaving things behind, and the process of sorting things out on arrival. I could write a separate piece on the oddities you find packed in a box labeled “Books,” like a much needed kitchen utensil, or a part for a lamp or a piece of furniture. Things you’re almost certain were deliberately placed in a box totally divorced from the type of contents listed on the label of the box in which you found it.
But it’s done. We’ve been here almost six weeks now, and are nearly settled in, except for the work a contractor is doing to make the house more to our liking. The tub in the guest bath, the one we use, is very deep; something I would have loved when I was in my 50’s. It’s a soaking tub, and for people near their 80’s it’s dangerous to get in and out of. We’re replacing it with a walk in shower, like the one we had in McDonough. And a commode that is not 12 inches off the floor, again, not for the aged. We’re also having one of the arched openings between the living room and hallway to the guest suite closed and converted to an open cupboard for storage; and finally, a door put in to complete the enclosure of the guest suite for privacy. Oh, and a ceiling fan for our very small bedroom, as it can get quite stuffy in there at night, even with the AC on. In her spare time, Cindy has honed here electrician’s skills installing two fans herself. I held the ladder and fetched tools.
Closed arch is behind the TV. You cant see the difference in color now it's done.
Hopefully it will all be finished soon, and we look forward to that, but we particularly look forward to getting away to the River for two weeks in August. We lost our previous rental to the pandemic, but are renting another bungalow right up the street, so it will be like going home again. We hope to see some of our old friends again soon. That means we also hope the border is open again, so our Canadian friends will be there. Both of us have been vaccinated, twice, and we’ve been wearing masks in stores and other enclosed spaces open to the public, as I am immune compromised, and am not taking any chances. In August, we’ll play that as it is required.
I’ve been painting from some photos by Will D. Curtis, as I have nearly run out of well composed, paintable St. Lawrence subjects, and he has been kind enough to allow me to put them on paper as sketches and watercolors. You may soon see me in Clayton, painting on the sidewalk in front of the Scoop or the Lyric again. And if you see us around town, taking pictures like regular tourists, know that it’s because I am trying to increase my store of River photos to paint from next winter. Be sure to say hello, or stop and chat for a bit. We have really missed being at our favorite place to vacation. See you soon, I hope.
St. Mary's Church, Clayton, NY - from Will D. Curtis photo, with permission
Sunset Docks, Clayton, NY - from Will D. Curtis photo, with permission
My new studio. My backyard view is unavailable, due to high temps outside.
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