A big push and a few hurdles, but we made it out by our deadline. Heavy rains made for a bit of a challenge during our final days. Getting the house completely cleaned out, the last remaining items and more into storage, the van back into service for an unexpected ordered part, Pia’s last minute grooming, good-byes, thank you’s, and the LWV’s load lessened a bit more made for a crazy few day. Not only was it a gully washing downpour, but an Arctic cold front as well. Brrrr. Thankfully we kept out a few warm jackets, and a good call on my part had me return to storage a few days prior to grab my warm Ugg boots, just because I thought I should.

Being tired and chilled to the bone, we decided to celebrate a bit, get a good night’s sleep and let our bodies recover from the past week on a hard floor, by starting off with one warm cozy night in a motel. Yep we did.

Then our last day in town found us at New Brighton State Beach, near Capitola, one of our favorite local spots to walk, camp and daydream. We spent the night happy and content, though still exhausted, comfortably tucked in atop our feather bed in the little white van, with our propane heater blasting us with blissful warmth while listening to yet another pouring rain. But comfy we were, as all three of us slept an amazing ten hours. Actually I did wake a few times worried about Pia, as she didn’t flinch a muscle all night, and happily slept in. She usually wakes us up early to fuel her stomach.

The morning after the second gully washer, we awoke to a beautiful sunny clear day with the Pacific Ocean in view, fog lifted enough to see across the bay from our camper window.

Wishing we could stay, we pushed on…to finish up our last bits of business, before grocery shopping and embarking on a final camping trip with children and granddaughter.

❧