March 18-April 11

 The shuttle from Costa Baja took us to the bus station on March 18^th. From there we took a taxi to the airport for a flight to Los Angeles and then to Sacramento.  We figured the best way to get back to Auburn was to rent a car since it was now quite late and we had already asked our friends for many favors. 

 Spring is a beautiful time in Auburn and this year was no exception.   We returned to a yard of blooming fruit trees, daffodils and tulips.  Everything looked green and fresh which made it even harder to say goodbye to this house that had been our home for over 21 years.  As we settled in we quickly made last minute doctors’ appointments, contracted the moving company and scheduled some lunch dates with friends.  Finally we had signed every paper, packed every box and filled a 40 yard dumpster to the brim.  The movers arrived on Thursday, March 28^th and quickly moved all boxes and furniture to our mini storage units.  We also had two other guys and a truck from the storage facility which we loaded with garage or barn equipment.  This was a wonderful idea for with out it, the moving van would have had to come back and take a second load.  Since there was no furniture left in the house we didn’t spend the night there, but returned early the next morning to take out personal clothing, donate items to the Goodwill, and clean the house.  This turned out to be more of a project than anticipated for we were not able to leave the house until after 7 that night.  Thankfully we were meeting our realtor, Bobbi Powell and her husband Coy for dinner at Chevy’s. As we went out the door that last time, I couldn’t help but stop and take a picture waving good bye.  Even thought we had left Auburn so many other times to go to the boat, I now knew that this was truly the start of a new chapter in our lives and that we would not be returning to this house again. 

  Then we drove to our good friends Jan and Michael’s home to live in their guest room for five days. We were able to spend some quality times with several friends but we were not able to touch bases with all the people who were so much a part of our lives in Auburn.  On Tuesday, April 3^rd, we both went for our physical exams at Sutter Medical Foundation.  With clean bills of health, we jumped in my car and started to drive to Seattle.  Originally we had planned to fly, but since we had the car jammed full with boat stuff, things for Jennifer, clothes to leave in Seattle and our regular bags, it was a good thing that we were driving.  Also taking my car up to Seattle would give us a car when we returned in September.  We also left another car in Auburn so we would have one to use there too. 

 We traveled for about 3 ½ hours and then stopped for the night which included a wonderful Italian dinner in Redding.  Up early next morning, we were on the road by 7:30 AM.  We arrived in Bothell, Washington around 6 PM where we were greeted by our daughter, Jennifer, our dog Latte, and her dog Zoya.  It was good to be out of the car and staying with Jen.  While in Seattle we had some important things to do, we got Washington drivers’ licenses, reregistered both car, and registered to vote.  We needed to change our insurance, check into the local bank, and mail important papers to my sisters. All of this kept us busy while Jennifer was at work.  Finally it was the week end and we helped organize and install shelves in the garage.  When those projects were completed we again jumped into the car to drive to the tulip festival in the Skagit Valley.  Jennifer and I had done this trip several times before, but Hank had not had the opportunity.  It was a perfect day and the tulips were fantastic.  We couldn’t help taking many pictures of us together. 

 Easter morning was bright and cheerful and we enjoyed a delightful brunch at Jen’s home.  I called my sisters and Mom and got all the latest information on their lives.  Finally we ended the day by going out to Easter dinner in Kirkland. 

 Our flight back to La Paz is a reverse of our arrival for we will fly from Seattle to LA and then on to La Paz.  We leave at 7:15 AM so we will be going to the airport quite early in the morning.