Back at Lake Esau

The Move, Phase Two, went very smoothly.  Jon, John, Dan, Z, and Mike assembled at the storage facility in Ferndale at 2:00 on Saturday and had the truck packed in 90 minutes.  As testimony to their skill, I can say that not a single box shifted an inch during the long trip north!  These guys were amazing!

The next morning Jon and I headed up I-75.  I drove the truck and Jon followed in the Popemobile.  We left Ferndale about 11:00 and arrived at Presque Isle at 6:00.  On Monday morning Jon and I put the furniture in the garage, where it will get a good wash with Murphy's Oil Soap before going inside.  Phill and Brad showed up at 11:00.  In just an hour and a quarter they moved all the boxes to the first floor bedroom and basement.  Jon and I dropped off the truck at the U-Haul dealership a little after 1:00, almost exactly when it was due.  However, since Monday was Memorial Day, the dealership was closed.  I could have been late without anyone knowing.

Helen arrived at 6:00 on Monday after an uneventful trip north — all the traffic that day was southbound.  That makes Jon and Helen my first house guests!  Helen really likes the house.  And both Jon and Helen especially enjoyed the new mattress in the guest bedroom.  In fact, they liked it so much that we stopped at the furniture store in Alpena so they could determine the manufacturer (an Escanaba company) and where their products can be purchased in the Detroit Metro Area.  I think we made the furniture store's owner's day.

On that same trip to Alpena I took Jon and Helen to the NOAA Maritime Museum and the Besser Museum.  I did a blog post on the NOAA facility last year.  Among their exhibits is a "tube tour" where you can crawl through a 3-foot diameter tube and, at various points, get a glimpse of ship wreck artifacts below.  This is suppose to give you some sense of what it's like to dive on a shipwreck out in the Thunder Bay Preservation Area.  However, this "tube tour" is not an especially good choice for folks, like me, who are claustrophobic.  John found his adventure a bit taxing, as the photos below indicate.

Helen poses in front of my woodpile — a task I'll have to
deal with this summer.

Jon is about to begin his "tube journey" at the NOAA
Maritime Museum in Alpena.

Jon emerged from the tube a bit exhausted.  You must crawl on
all fours, and bolts in the floor proved hard on Jon's knees.

The Besser Museum specializes in natural history and Michigan archaeology.  They have a very interesting exhibit of prehistoric Native American artifacts, as well as material on Alpena history.

This morning Helen took photos of the house for her daughter Sarah, who lives in Chicago.  Then Sharon and Attila dropped by for coffee and a visit.  Jon and Helen left for their home in Detroit about 11:30 — and I am once again "home alone."

Helen checks her photos in the living room.

Helen, Sharon, Attila and Jon catch up on news.  The living
room sofa and recliner are welcome additions.

Now comes "Christmas."  I expect to spend the next couple weeks opening boxes and deciding if the contents will be useful in my new home, or fodder for the community yard sale in July! •••