Hmmm.... when we last reported, we were getting ready to move. Our Big Yard Sale was scheduled for Saturday, 27 May. We spent about 8 hours between us sorting, pricing, and setting out the books, clothes, toys, bike, scooter and miscellaneous stuff we'd accumulated over the year. And it rained. And rained. And rained. Exactly four parties showed up. And one of those groups, Hannah's classmate Alex and his mom, Helen, had only stopped by to say goodbye. My husband, the eager salesman, made sure she left with two bags full of stuff. So needless to say, once the sale was done, Irene drove Cliff down to the charity shop (thrift shop) for two carloads of dropoffs, and then another carload or two went to the church youth program. We spent the rest of the afternoon in pack/recovery mode, and that evening some friends stopped by for a farewell dinnner, and we had visitors and callers to say goodbye as well. We were a bit zombified by that point, for which I apologize to everyone involved.

Sunday was pretty typical for the last day of a big move. Everything seemed under control until around noon, when it was clear we had another 2 hours' worth of packing and straightening to do, and a little less than an hour to do it. We went intto zoom-mode, throwing things into trash bags and suitcases in a mad dash to get out of the house. Cliff's extra-large suitcase, which had broken one handle on the journey from the States, popped a rivet. Cliff used duct tape and a butchered jump-rope to secure the handle as best he could. We were ready and waiting by the front door with ten minutes to spare. Goodbye, Knoll Ave.! We'll miss you.

We took the train to London. It's a very nice journey, passing mostly countryside and farms. Trains are such a civilized way to travel. The seats are roomy, you can get up and wander around, and the view out the windows is generally quite nice.I like trains.

Once in London, we checked in at the Ascot Hotel, the least-expensive hotel within walking distance of the train station. It was surreal. I had been expecting a tiny room and ancient infrastructure; I was grateful the place had a lift. But I have never before seen a hotel room without a rubbish bin! When you imagine having to take all of the tissues and other stuff you generally toss in the bin and piling it on the counter somewhere, it's really rather unpleasant. Can't imagine Housekeeping enjoys it, either. In addition, the phone didn't work, the hair dryer didn't work, and there was no cup for niceties like brushing teeth. But it was a place to stay, and it was minutes from the train station, so it was okay. Once we'd eaten dinner, Cliff set out to buy a new large suitcase, because this large suitcase had ripped all along the handle, and the plastic frame had snapped.

The next day we were tourists in London. We rode The Big Bus tour, which is essentially a shuttle between various tourist attractions in town. Cliff and Hannah rode the London Eye, the world's largest ferris wheel. We met up with the Brimbles, family friends of the Rogers's, and had a nice lunch. Then on to a boat ride on the Thames and an early dinner, and early to bed--the only option in a tiny room with a 5-year-old who needs her sleep.

Tuesday was filled with travel: express shuttle to Heathrow, flight to Boston, connecting flight to LaGuardia, USMA van to the Thayer Hotel, a posh old hotel on the grounds of West Point, overlooking the Hudson River. Our housesitter was still living in our house, we were carless, and Cliff had to teach all day on Wednesday, so a place close to work was the logical place to stay. What a difference from the surreal Ascot in London! And for the benefit of our British friends, I took a photo of the bathroom: not only is there an electrical outlet next to the sink, there's a hair dryer and a coffee maker plugged in! This, to me, is America. [Note to Americans: Uk building codes prohibit electrical outlets in bathrooms. This baffles us.]

Thursday afternoon we came home. My car wouldn't start (dead battery and flat tire), so we called our garage to tow it and fix it. Cliff took Hannah for a walk into town, and I assembled my paperwork to walk down to the DMV to get license plates for my car. I got halfway into town, when I realized I was missing my insurance docs, so I walked home, fetched them, and headed back into town. Typically, the DMV had a long, long line. The Peekskill office has a "system," whereby everyone has to wait in one line to get a number, which they take to the main waiting room and wait to be called to a service window. But meanwhile, all requests for drivers licenses are handled by the person handing out numbers, so everyone in line has to wait while the applicant for a drivers license reads the eye chart, fills out their forms, and has their picture taken. It took 40 minutes in line just to get a number. Then, when I got a number, and it was called, I was told I had the incorrect form for my insurance, and I had to find a phone, call the insurance co., and request a different proof of insurance. My insurance co. faxed the new insurance card... but faxed the proof of insurance for Cliff's car, not mine. With the office due to close five minutes later, I gave up and walked home. It had started to rain. I stopped at the corner store, and ran into Cliff and Hannah. By the time we left the store, it was raining the kind of pouring-down rain that makes umbrellas useless--and a passing car made sure we were drenched. So were were tired, soaked, and still carless.

We've spent the last week digging out. We got Hannah registered in school, and thankfully they are allowing her to attend for the last two weeks of this term. She seems to be enjoying it, and it's something to keep her entertained during the day. Our basement was filled with stuff: closet contents, excess kitchen stuff, miscellaneous belongings. We've been slowly bringing stuff up to repopulate the house. The yard is going to be a big challenge; we've been fighting a holding action for years just to keep the weeds and overgrown bushes at bay; last summer we had to neglect the yard to accomplish other things, and our housesitter wasn't in a position to do a lot of yard work (and we certainly didn't expect him to). To add some magic to our landscaping, last winter a driver (in a convertible, no less) flew up over the guardrail in front of our house and flipped over onto our yard, mashing quite a bit of the bushes in our front yard. So all in all, it looks a bit of a mess.

Cliff's main priority right now is finishing a book by the end of the month. I'm juggling unpacking, shopping (cell phones, computer monitor, clothes for Hannah), admin (car registration, school registration, sorting out accounts here etc.). and actual paid work. It keeps a body busy. So far, the only thing that's gone missing over the move is a CD wallet with DVDs, computer games, and software discs. Grrrr.

Thanks to everyone for all their help! We hope you will keep in touch, and we will make every effort to do so as well. If anyone already has a webcam, let me know. I hope to acquire one soon, most likely using a third-party web site like iVisit, so that we can communicate with our PC friends.

New pictures in the photo galleries.