The travel dance
It's a familiar dance; getting ready to leave home for somewhere else, even if in this case, it's to our second home, a cottage in Quebec. It could just as easily be to many other destinations - we've been to so many over the couple of decades and beyond of traveling and HomeExchanges.
But we have the routine down for getting ready, so it's not too stressful. Our HomeExchange folks are arriving soon, so that's adding to the mix of preparations. Do we have welcome gifts ready? Can I arrange our monthly housecleaner to come between the two long visits, etc? Our neighbors are wonderful, and always are helpful; our street is compact, so it's easy to keep an eye on anything going on!
My Volvo XC wagon is equipped with winter tires (flexible and grippy at low temperatures), low temp windshield-washer fluid, and has been checked out thoroughly by my mechanic a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully, all will be well.
We're scooting up ahead of a winter storm, again, as we did last winter, but will have rain to deal with on Tuesday, when we depart. I'm not keen on rain, but my gardening companion is more averse to snow, and the predictions for late Thursday and Friday are for 3-5 inches.
We'd like to get to our house in Bic by afternoon on Thursday.
Our neighbor there has kindly offered to turn up our convection heaters (set on probably something like 55° F) -- well, thanks, please. In Quebec, you don't winterize by turning everything off, you still leave the heat on at a low level, so your house doesn't freeze, although our water (from the well) is currently turned off.
Amazing to think we'll be heading off so soon.
But we have the routine down for getting ready, so it's not too stressful. Our HomeExchange folks are arriving soon, so that's adding to the mix of preparations. Do we have welcome gifts ready? Can I arrange our monthly housecleaner to come between the two long visits, etc? Our neighbors are wonderful, and always are helpful; our street is compact, so it's easy to keep an eye on anything going on!
My Volvo XC wagon is equipped with winter tires (flexible and grippy at low temperatures), low temp windshield-washer fluid, and has been checked out thoroughly by my mechanic a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully, all will be well.
We're scooting up ahead of a winter storm, again, as we did last winter, but will have rain to deal with on Tuesday, when we depart. I'm not keen on rain, but my gardening companion is more averse to snow, and the predictions for late Thursday and Friday are for 3-5 inches.
We'd like to get to our house in Bic by afternoon on Thursday.
Our neighbor there has kindly offered to turn up our convection heaters (set on probably something like 55° F) -- well, thanks, please. In Quebec, you don't winterize by turning everything off, you still leave the heat on at a low level, so your house doesn't freeze, although our water (from the well) is currently turned off.
Amazing to think we'll be heading off so soon.
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| the garden shed and small animal barn/chicken coop, last winter |
Have a wonderful time.
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