Moving day

It was late September 1986, thirty-nine years ago. I flew from San Francisco back to Washington DC to help Ken with the final packing and loading up the rented truck. Our friend Peter, who we met in Paris back in 1981, came by with his camera to document the fun. These next few photos are his. Almost everything we owned back then was in the truck (except for what we took west in the car-top carrier back in August). Ken's car, a 4 door Subaru sedan, was converted to a greenhouse on wheels with many of our favorite houseplants wedged in. All was ready to roll. We attached the car to a special trailer (front wheels on the trailer and rear wheels on the road) and pulled it behind us back to San Jose. This time, we really did know the way.

The truck was pretty full (look at where my feet are). Digitized color print, September 1986.

I'm hopeful that the weather people are right and that the next few days will be warm and dry. I'll keep you posted.

Bath time

The day after our arrival in San Jose, we unpacked the car and gave it a good wash. I don't know why I didn't go to commercial car wash. There are lots of those in Silicon Valley. Anyway, the car looked great after. Ken would soon be jetting his way back to DC and I would take a short road trip down to LA to see some people I knew. Then classes started up and I was doing that horrific commute. I had never experienced freeway traffic simply stopping because there were too many cars on the road. Add a minor fender-bender and it's hell. Neither one of us commuted by car in DC (we could both walk to work), so if traffic was bad, we didn't really notice. I was grateful when a friend of Ken's offered to let me house sit at her apartment in SF for a week or two while she was away.

My 1982 Subaru hatchback, shiny clean. Digitized color print, August 1986.

 

It looks like we're in for a spell of nice weather as the week goes on. Yay! I may be able to mow before the weekend. Leaves haven't started falling yet, so we have that to look forward to. 

Arrived!

We made it! Well, obviously. Our plan was to stay with friends who lived in eastern San José. After a couple of days, Ken flew back to DC to finish up his job there and I started taking classes up in San Francisco. That was my introduction to Bay Area commuting. Oh my. Later, I flew back to DC and we loaded up a rented truck with everything we had, hitched Ken's car to the back of the truck and did pretty much the same drive again. Ah, youth!

The evening of our arrival. The car top carrier worked out great. Digitized color print, August, 1986.

I woke up to rain on the roof this morning. It was a brief shower and now the radar shows it clearing off to the east. It's my morning to walk Tasha.

A pinch of salt

We left Salt Lake City and the Mountain time zone and continued west toward the San Francisco Bay Area. Google Maps says that the drive along Interstate 80 to our destination in San José takes about eleven and a half hours. A long drive to be sure, but the desert scenery was amazing. We drove through Winnemucca and Reno in Nevada, then up and over the Sierra Nevada mountains to California.

That's a lot of salt! Digitized color print, August, 1986.

It's raining this morning. And it's chilly and dark. The a.m. walk with Tasha will likely be shortened.

Of temples and tabernacles

When I was a kid, the only thing I knew about Mormons was that they sang. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir popped up around the holidays each year. And the Osmonds. That's still pretty much all I know about Mormons. I'm sure they prefer it that way.

The Salt Lake Temple and Tabernacle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Say that three times, fast.

Digitized color print, August 1986. 

I got the walk-behind mower out yesterday and did some trimming around the hedges and some other hard-to-reach places in the south forty. After I finished and put the mower away, I noticed a rather large spot that I missed. And it wasn't hard to reach. I missed it with both mowers. Sheesh. 

Another state capitol

We made it to Salt Lake City, capital of the state of Utah. I don't remember what I was trying to do here. From the looks of it, I wanted to get the capitol dome and the Temple/Tabernacle in the same photo. I emphasize the word "wanted." I mostly got the corner of what I assume is a parking garage.

Utah state capitol on the left, Salt Lake Temple and tabernacle complex on the right. Digitized color print, August, 1986.

Yesterday I cut the south forty. In the rain. I swear I looked outside before I started. I checked the weather radar on line. All was "go." Once I got the mower out and started it up, I felt a little mist in the air. Nothing to worry about, I thought. I started cutting. About halfway through the mowing, the mist had turned to rain. I kept going. In for a penny, in for a pound, I thought. I can tough this out. It kept raining. I kept mowing. When I was more or less done, I high-tailed it back to the garage, more or less drenched. Then the rain stopped and the sun came out.