Hiatus

Jill (Re)Designed is going dark for a few days. My body is exhausted and my mind frazzled - and besides I have some serious work to do on my graphic novel. So, no need to keep checking for updates for a while.

See you agin on December 1 -- maybe.

Finally -collapse!

Yesterday evening I finally collapsed (I'd been wondering when it would happen). All the traveling and packing and finishing my graphic novel "concrete" (aka abstract) caught up with me and I sank into bed at about 8:30 PM. I wondered if I would ever get up again!

But I did, at about 8 AM. And today I

have had a new outlook on life. I've made decisions for the kitchen nonchalantly (well, it was only the lights!), put my supplies together for class tomorrow, and Skyped with Diana about our (to be written in the next two weeks) EAM paper. Long may the feeling of euphoria last!

Let me see if I have photo to capture the moment ... here's one: Jumping into the South Pacific from the ship when in the Galapagos ....

The next moment there was a look of horror on my face when I realized how cold it was!

Deconstruction

It's interesting to watch the Home Depot organization in action -- yes, "they" -- or their approved contractors -- are doing our kitchen. In the store we worked with Mark (design, cabinets, etc.) and Brian (appliances). Vince is the job manager -- he's in the office sending out different crews each day. On Monday two men delivered cabinets; on Tuesday Robert tore out the old cabinets, unpacked the new ones and said he'd be back on Monday to install them; today Dan and Andre tore out walls and ceiling. Who will come tomorrow? We'll call Vince at 8AM and ask!

(Re)newed beginnings

The new kitchen came today!

The work crew comes tomorrow

I returned to my graphic novel with many new ideas for frames and panels - but I've forgotten all I knew about photoshop, so I'll have to go back to the beginning. A lesson learned about leaving complex projects in mid-stream.

Nov 14: What ...

can I possibly say for today?


Tomorrow I shall return to my designerful life.

Nov 13: @ 4:47 PM (and 74 F)

Here's the reason we rushed down -- the kitchen waiting for Monday's "attack" by the remodeling crew.

Actual: 1,373.2 miles for a driving time of 22 hours 23 minutes. (Quite close to forecast considering that we detoured to stay in Tinton Falls, NJ, the first night and drove 5 mph over the speed limit for most of the way.)

Nov 13: Anticipating arrival

Yesterday we traveled 621 miles in 9 hours 51 minutes (driving time, not elapsed time.) Now we are 558 miles, for an estimated 9 hours and 16 minutes of driving, away from our destination. Can we make it? Will we make it? A photo will give the answer!

The strangest sight on the highway was a huge RV rig (Mercedes towing cab, no less) followed by a smart car. Here's a picture of how they arranged themselves at a rest stop - the car is across the front of the cab. The license plates were from Ontario -- I can't imagine driving a smart car all that way, but then, I've never driven a smart car!

Nov 12: Doubles in Florence

Our hotel room, that is in no way up to the standard of our recent rooms in Peru and Ecuador ;) has TWO IDENTICAL PICTURES on the walls!

Journey statisticss tomorrow morning when we set out again!

Nov 12: Metropoles

As of this morning we still have 1,176.8 miles for about 19.6 hours of driving, despite traveling for 3 hours 55 minutes and covering 200 miles yesterday as we battled the greater New York commuter traffic and detoured to stay with "our friends of the most years" overnight. It was good to see them and catch up with family news since the Idaho wedding.

Nov 11 @ 2PM: Setting out

From Lord's Point, Stonington, CT. en route to Siesta Key, Sarasota, FL. Estimated journey is 1,327.9 miles for a driving time of about 22 hours 48 minutes.

I'll spare you a photo of the fully loaded (by an engineer) car. But if anything happens to us (hand over heart, "heaven forbid", as Italians would say) all you faithful blog followers are responsible for clearing the "mess" of left-overs from Fairfield in the basement and all (previously) empty spaces in the house.

Where will the next post come from?

10-11-10 Betwixt and between

If chaos is the "perfect state," then I am so there! Despite much effort to bring order to the apparent randomness of "Fairfield stuff" deposited in various locations around the house, at the end of the day about the only thing I can say with certainty is that I am now caught up with laundry!

We enacted closure by eating the brussels sprouts - the yield was sparse, nothing like Mary's crop -- and

drinking the wine that has been sitting in the Fairfield fridge for many, many months.

Tomorrow we pack 'n go. No time to work on Galapagos postings; they must wait till we're settled in our next location.

Tuesday - Sign offs

One week after returning to the US from South America -

* Our Fairfield condo is empty and clean. The relator has inspected. We need not return.

* I have made my last site visit to the Welch College to consult on Digital Measures.

I feel free! On to new adventures!

Nov 8. @ Lord's Point

Outside: surprise!

Inside: Things are piling up. waiting for the next sort 'n pitch

Are you reading

my Galapagos story that I am posting below?

Real progress

(same spot as yesterday's photo)

We're so happy that our furniture has found a good home!

Progress report

Total chaos

We've sold the Fairfield condo! (It happened while we were away.) Now we must clear everything out by November 12. So, I sill have laundry to do, I haven't paid my bills, I'm still catching up with email, and now I am packing boxes and giving away furniture! And also dealing with a root canal.

And you want photos of all that?

Nov 2. I'm back!

And as the photos - all taken today - show, life is back to the old routine.

Missing - a photo of the tissues that were laundered with the clothes.

Brussel sprouts update

Tomorrow I'll start filling in the missing days.

Galapagos postings

are being added below in chronological order

Wed. Passage towards Isabella: South-north divide

Last night into this morning we made our longest sea passage. We were up on deck early to look for whales, without success, but saw some frigate birds and a school of dolphins.

The ship's horn blew - we were crossing the equator!

After a symbolic task, we each received a certificate from Neptune himself. It reminded me of the play we had watched on the green at Mystic Seaport when Alexis and Ethan were visiting last summer.

Tuesday PM. Santa Cruz: Co-existence

Although I missed the Darwin Research Center, I did not miss seeing the giant tortoises. We drove through the National Park area up into the highlands, passing through several micro-climate zones. The vegetation became more lush and tropical, followed by a high prairie. After lunch we

walked across a farmer's fields where tortoises were likely to be found.

And there they were! The tortoises are just "there", existing only for themselves., eating,

sleeping, walking about, bathing. They are not social creatures so did not gather in groups, and are without predators (now that they are protected from man). A natural curiosity.

The tortoises' apparent lack of purpose in life is alien to westerners in the 21st century, but here on Santa Cruz humans and tortoises coexist quite tranquilly.

Tuesday AM. Santa Cruz: Irony

As anyone who heard me talk about our upcoming trip knows, I was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to see the giant tortoises. So, the morning that the group was scheduled to visit the Darwin Research Center, I spent the time in a dentist's chair dealing with an abscessed tooth. Bummer!

From a different perspective, I was lucky that (1) the problem manifest itself

before we visited Santa Cruz, the island with the largest permanent population, (2) the ship's doctor was able to prescribe for the pain, arrange for the visit to the dentist, and accompany me there, and (3) not least, the young woman endodentist was excellent. As I said afterwards, if I lived nearby, I would certainly go to her. But she only dealt with half the problem, clearing the infection and cleaning the area mechanically. I need a root canal as soon as I get back to the States.

Mon PM. San Sebastian: Littoral comfort zone

A beach walk in the intertidal zone restored my sense of balance because I already accepted the the ocean as having its own power structure and the littoral zone acts as a buffer between the sea and land.

Red sally lightfoot crabs scurried about, and sea lions were so close I almost stepped on them.

The only strangeness was the marine iguanas, maybe a hundred of them, climbing onto rocks, flopping down in a heap, with water squirting out of their nostrils every once in a wile. Even then, I had my "wow!" moment back in Guayaquil - albeit with land iguana.

The setting and pace of the walk were familiar -- I was back in my comfort zone.