Let's see.... I am sitting here thinking what just happened? Two weeks ago I was in Albuquerque getting ready to help Sarah drive her daughter Kate back to school in Boston. I am musing about driving to Boston and about my summer vacation helping Sarah move out of her house in a quiet neighborhood near the university of 17 years and into a loft directly in downtown Albuquerque. Quite a change... hmmm Sarah celebrated this move with a haircut that said goodbye married, divorced, four kids, five cats, three bunnies, various turtles and scores of ants on the kitchen counter to..... hello sexy single urban dwelling uber fit independent woman excited and ready for a major change in love, life, and the pursuit of personal happiness look.... not to mention ready to experiment and try new and exciting things look.... hm quite a change. This haircut was a statement of change, a good change, an exciting change... great time to be in Albuquerque... I just happened to show up at the right time, and to tell you the truth, I really like the change... So several weeks before I was to leave on my vacation to Albuquerque, Sarah sells her house. My original plan in going back to Alb. was to take the big camera out and take small 2-3 day trips with Sarah around the area and do some photography and just enjoy the moment. Well that plan never happened. Closing date was the 29th of July which meant we needed to be out of the house in three weeks. Sarah had already started to pack and unload many things by the time I arrived on the 11th. However that effort only scratched the surface. For the next three weeks we packed up memories and keepsakes, along with the furniture and kitchen items that were meant to go and sell the stuff she didn't want. We craigslisted all the big ticket items and had a yard sale the weekend of my return. We spent two days hocking and selling anything and everything. I had some things at the house I either moved back to my house or sold at the yard sale. I managed to sell the rest of my tools and my computer. We finally sold everything we needed to sell and made a nice pile of cash to play with, and by golly we played, well as much as two exhausted people could play after all was said and done. So, Cool! I hate moving I really, really do and anyone who says they love throwing their lives into a giant waring blender are nuts. There was nothing fun about this. Not at all! On top of all this her cat bites me and I end up with blood poisoning a week into the move.... oh yes... there were the cats.... 4 of them. All had to go somewhere. Marble went to the crazy neighbor across the street, Buttons went to Liz's, Chloe was given back to the Ex and he took her down to Carlsbad to his sister and Henry, mean, nasty old Henry .... well we dropped him off at the pound... The cat that sprayed everywhere and attacked anything got his just rewards. Dang he almost killed me! I for one was happy to see him go. Here I am, jet lagged and poisoned I was not in the best of shape to do this. Sarah had a nagging injury to her heel that wouldn't heal so I was spacey and she was, well she was down right cranky. Between the hidden dirt under the beds and Libby's candy wrappers all over the floor of her bedroom there was an unmistakable feeling of angst and crankiness in the air. Letting go of this home for Sarah was very hard. Make no mistake about it, this was Sarah's home. She created a sanctuary for her and her children and at one point her husband too. When she was finished with decorating it with murals from her art classes and remodeling the walls and windows it was a homey cozy place to hang out. We would spend mornings drinking coffee, working the NYT crossword and either she or I would make some fancy omelette or a simple gruel and talk art. That I will miss... Shoot she raised all her children there. Home takes on a new meaning when you have children to share christmas' with and halloweens, and all the birthdays and special occasions you share and grow up together. Home is more than just where you lay your head at night, home becomes your heart and when it beats happy you are happy and when it cries you cry too. As you go so goes your home. Ahhhh... there was a lot of worry and frustration, anticipation and fear .... the whole gambit of emotions. I came back to help her with this. Labor of love? sounds trite and misses the point... but I would not have missed doing this for her for the world. Why? because she is truly my best friend and companion... But!!!! that was not the end of this adventure! No Sir!!! How about getting in a car and travel three days and 2200 miles to drop her daughter Kate off at school and pick her eldest, Abby, up and bring her back to Albuquerque. Ok! ROAD TRIP!!! WHAT FUN! After this tumultulous and sometimes very contentious move, Sarah and I packed the Toyota up and drove daughter Kate back to Boston. 3 days felt like well an eternity. 3 days in a car with 3 people who had really nothing to say to each other. The more we wanted to get there the longer it took. Yikes... We listened to Harry Potter along the way, the rest of the time was spent in silence. My hearing was all messed up since I had arrived in Albuquerque and my not being able to hear a damn thing was driving Sarah up a wall. Every time I had to ask for her to repeat something she would explode and yell it in my ear. Yes things were a little tense with us, and no, yelling in my ear did not clear my hearing up. We managed to get to Boston and spend some quality time on the beach near her brothers house and on the cape where we spent a lovely night a at a wonderful BandB. Then it was time for me to leave. In the end, she let me go too. This was not a surprise to me. I knew it was coming. At the end of my visit we spoke little, our words being charged... like a downed power line in a hurricane... done... At the airport I couldn't tell whether she was so sad to see me go or .... she couldn't wait to see me disappear into the terminal....hohooooooo come on! I knew better at this point... done is done.... so here I am back in Peizheng College ready to begin the adventure again here in China...and yes I miss my Kitty .... we did a lot of good things together despite our contentious behavior towards each other. Regardless, in the midst of all this craziness I did manage to take a few pics with the big camera. I will leave you with some images of the Albuquerque I know. Sarah is driving back with her oldest at this writing I wish her, Abby, and Emmons a very safe trip....
