Max's Adventure Begins!

Max's last day at 801 N. Pitt Street -- the Port Royal Condos -- is today and he doesn't want to go!



He is headed to the home of Joan and John who have graciously offered to house us until the close date and the bon voyage party on Saturday...if Max knew that was the next step, he'd be more eager...no one shushes his barking and the squirrels come right up to the screened-in porch at J&Js B&B.

My biggest concern with staying behind another day without him is: Who is going to sit with me and allay my packing anxiety????

Life's a Mess

So how do you wade through it all and get what you need?

As I continue to sell stuff, I realize that I have to stuff the stuff inside of the stuff into a box or something...and the thought of it is exhausting.

For example, I'm selling my dresser today at 6p and my art supply armoire Saturday afternoon...I have a corset in my dresser that is TINY...I think I wore it at my friend, Gina's, first wedding which was in the late 80s, I think! I also found some WHITE pantyhose and 3 pair of navy pantyhose...I have no recollection of ever wearing these...I also have about 5 raw wood mirrors and more than 30 pieces of funky paper which I clearly meant to decoupage...not to mention bags of beads and wires and broken pieces of glass for an unmade mosaic.

But it's so hard to throw away stuff you "might need" later...help me toss the trash...

FYI -- my 3-piece microfiber living room furniture is also up for sale, if you know anyone interested in buying this weekend...whatever's left gets packed into storage on the 29th.

Dog not included.

Another Step Closer

Today Max befriended the person who came and bought my wicker chairs, bookshelves and one of the two ottomans. She seemed very impressed with Max's welcome wagon. The buyer didn't even dicker on the price and left the one ottoman behind so Max could continue to look out the window.

Thanks, Max!

Branson, MO

Ok, I have to stop in my family's namesake town of Branson, MO.

Any suggestions?

This is Max's suggestion...but I don't think he understands all that Branson has to offer...

Camping Tips for the Unitiated?

The trip planning continues and has been kicked up a notch. It seems that all of the full-time, perm jobs I was considering are delaying their decisions or tabling them completely with no decisions expected before late May or even early June. Sooo, any hesitation I had about taking a long time (3-4 weeks) to traverse the country from DC to LA is now gone.

Though if anything comes through, I can always speed up!

In the meantime, I've been talking to some people about some freelance work that can be done on the road. It's great to be in a business that I can do online and on the phone.

So back to planning: Has anyone out there ever camped at a KOA campground? Are they clean and safe? Anything Max and I should know about before we go? Who has camped/traveled with a dog? Any secrets, tips for things to bring? I have his dog bed, some toys, a coat, a couple of harnasses, collars and leashes (just in case one breaks), and YES I remembered food and water...yes, AND treats...calm down, Max.

I called Max's vet and they said to make sure I have extra food, extra water and a good supply of his meds (allergy and tummy calming)...sounds like good advice for the driver, too.

Max is clearly getting very excited about the trip...I'm starting to get nervous...

Who is Max?

It has come to my attention that some people do not know who Max is. This is unfathomable! Here is the brave world traveler (OK, he's only been in the U.S., the east to be exact) on a trip to The Big Apple and Jersey City:

Road Trip site selection--Step 1

OK, I took our first step in planning (Max has been NO help so far)...I'm not really sure where to go in this vast nation, so many choices!

My search began with Choice Hotels 'cuz I love their commercials with "I've been everywhere, man"...they have an "along a route" choice, but it is a little complex...well, it's simple in that you enter a beginning and end, but they show EVERY SINGLE hotel along the route, not spread out...so I'd have to decide which one of the chain's many subchains to stay at...and their 'stay in 2 hotels and get the third free' is complicated in the small print...I don't really understand if you have to stay in the same subchain each time or can mix and match and it looks like the price you pay makes a difference, etc....I will eventually figure it out, but for now, have put it on hold.

http://www.choicehotels.com/?type=trip&sid=Sflfi.DI$tSgZLC.6

In the meantime, I also checked out the KOA website and sent off for their "free" ($6 shipping) 2009 directory of Kampsites including those with Kabins...they too have a "plan a trip" option...again, a straight line with every single option listed...just offering a beginning and end.

http://koa.com/tripplanner/index.asp

I would like to see one where I can enter say 5-10 cities you want to visit and have them show a more circuitous route all at once...you can do it with one beginning, one end, city by city...but that requires a lot more energy than I have tonight.

Max is already snoozing...

Adventure Planning

Every adventure needs a plan. A flexible, general overview of a plan. So far all Max and I have planned is to move out of our condo in Old Town Alexandria, VA (right outside DC) on the closing date -- current target is May 1, 2009. We're headed west to our other coast in The Maxinator, a 2006 Mercury Mariner.

If you have any recommendations or ideas of where we can stop for fun, food or shelter, please share!