Speed Is Irrelevant ...

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On The Road Again!

Tue, Nov 18th, 2014 - Day #1

Arriving in St. Louis Tuesday afternoon, we found an RV Park downtown not far from the Arch that actually was a large parking lot they added electric and water hook-ups to. Nothing fancy, but the location made it really handy to be close...

And So We Begin....

Tuesday - Nov 18th, 2014

I guess part of me wondered if this day would actually ever come, but the delays have made it just that much more appreciated. And so here we are, at the beginning of what is sure to be an adventure. Now understand, it doesn't take a lot to keep us entertained...in fact our daily life together keeps us both fairly amused!

Not to get too far ahead of myself, ...

I should update you on our final launch. Last week on Monday, Nov. 10th we received our title for the RV which we were waiting for in order to get our plates. Finally, we could make some plans that included a leave date!

We set a leave date of Monday, Nov 17th, thinking it would give us plenty of time to load up, say our good-byes and take care of last minute details. By Wednesday, everything was loaded except out clothes, cats (Sammie and Sophie), and food. Wednesday night we had our LAST Girls night with our friend Lynn-Marie. That was hard, because for the last 2 years that has been our night to binge on pizza and TV together. Survivor, Orange Is The New Black, Prison Break...we always looked forward to our Wednesday nights!

With the weather continuing to deteriorate and temps dropping like a rock, we decided on Friday to set the RV up at the local camp ground for a few days to make sure everything was working properly. Other than frozen pipes every thing checked out and the furnace got a really good test! We brought the girls down to their new home, and they weren't overly impressed; but after the initial shock they seemed to adjust pretty well...(But just wait till we start this baby up, LOL)

Saturday, with the temperatures in the teens, snow flurries, and the wind howling we were able to test out most of the systems in the RV. Other than not having water, everything was fine and we stayed toasty warm. After a wonderful pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Dinner with our friends Dianna and Rose, and a good-bye get together with friends at Cellar 21, we really started to get excited about the days ahead.

Sunday was our day to finish packing up the office in case we end up leasing out the office space. Yes, yes, we should have done this sooner, but I think we were both really dreading the finality of it. We had such high hopes that someone would want to take over and continue the business. The packing took much longer than we expected, and used up some of the time we hoped to  spend seeing friends, so we decided to put off leaving town until Tuesday instead of Monday. 

Monday, was time to visit with parents and special friends.Spent time with Momma Marilyn and Fred (they drove for us in the early years of Bee-Line Express and became cherished friends), and Momma Lea (our neighbor and dear friend from when we lived on 25th Street...she loved to come sit on our front porch...sometimes when we weren't even home!..lol). Monday evening, we stopped to visit friends Pam and Trudy and were invited to stay for chili! Having such good friends makes it difficult to leave....but then we are coming back, ya know... Just not on a permanent basis!

Tuesday, after a good night's sleep, it was time to load up the little car into the motorhome and head out! Was hoping to visit family in Hillsboro on the way south, but cancelled that stop due to the cold and lack of campgrounds open in the area this time of year...will plan to visit them on the way back and hopefully stay a couple days.

The Bee-Gals
   Kathy & Red


Day 1 Video

Before the Snow Flies?

Speaking just above a whisper (and typing very lightly), I'll share that we may actually be starting our adventure just as the snow begins to fly! Though the last few months have definitely been a lesson in patience and perseverance, things have worked out the way they were obviously supposed to, and we are now
even better prepared to start our adventure. I know there

Making Lemonade

Kathy and Kelly with their folks
Jack and Shirley O'Hara

Well, it's been a while since our last post, but sometimes it takes a bit to recover and regroup after life throws a wrench in your plans. Never fear, we are doing fine now. As was originally planned we are staying with family (Red's Dad) while we prepare for our launch into full-timing by motor home. What wasn't in the original plan, was
needing to stay there longer than a month or so. Because we have not yet sold our property, we have not yet purchased our motor home. A purchase of that magnitude should not be made until we are ready to make use of it....hopefully that will be coming up in the near future!

Meanwhile, we are enjoying spending more time with family, and have been able to help out with some projects around the home place. I truly believe everything does happen for a reason, and it has become clear that for now we we do need to be here. As our folks age, they may need a little more 'looking after', and so we feel we are making good use of our time, and it is a blessing to us as well.

Kathy and our charge, Niles, taking it easy!

Currently, as a little break from our routine, we are dog/house sitting for friends in St. Louis, and this feels like a real vacation for us; they live in a condo on the 15th floor of a complex near downtown. The view is amazing; we have wifi, a pool to enjoy, and lots of places to visit....so this does feel like retirement! 

Car loaded for St. Louis...more room
in there than you think!

House and dog sitting in St. Louis. Celebrating
day #1 and cooking out on their balcony.

In researching online, it appears that just as there are full time RVers, there are also full time House Sitters that travel all over the world by House   Sitting. They simply travel from one long-term assignment to another, only having to pay for their transportation and basic necessities. I think that would be fun to do for a period of time.....maybe a year or so. Maybe someday when we no longer have pets, we will give it shot.

Blackberry Pie - Yep, made it myself! It's
small because I'm the only one who likes it.

During the last couple months, we have enjoyed our free time doing things that running a business didn't give us much time to do. We have taken more walks, cooked more meals and enjoyed grilling outside, taken more pictures, and I have read several books.I also ordered a metal detector, and we have had fun exploring with it. 

So, It's actually been a time to slow down and re-work our plan for getting on the road. I feel like it could be within the next few months. Until then, I'll keep you posted on how we are spending our time.

Till Next Time -
   The Bee-Gals

My Great Aunt Ann on her 100th Birthday!
My cousin, George Ann (left) and me (right).

OK, So That Didn't Work...

This is the motor home we have our eyes on,

 (it has a toy hauler in back for our Smart Car)

BUT...

This may be more like what we end up with...LOL

     I learned a long time ago NOT to 'put all my eggs in one basket' or 'count my chickens before they hatched'.  I always knew I should 'get my ducks in a row', 'look before I leap', and 'smile tho I felt like crying'.  What I didn't know, however,

Retirement, Anyone?

    Well, we officially shut down operation of the Bee-Line Express as of April 30th, so it's been a full week not having to answer the business phone. That by itself is a joy of retirement for me. I'm not one...

Winter, Spring....Winter..Spring..Win..

    Is it just me or does it seem like Mother Nature is a little bi-polar this year? Seems we get just a glimmer of nice weather, then the weather person starts talking about cold again. Even the snowbirds are complaining, but never fear...at some point Spring or maybe Summer will settle in and we will have a whole new set of grievances.

    Meanwhile, here in Quincy, we are continuing our plans to start our full-time adventure this Summer. I've found Ebay to be a viable choice for selling the lifelong possessions that we must part with to downsize to our new lifestyle. It does take time, and there is some work involved; but on the upside, it does give one more control than a garage sale or auction.

    Speaking of auctions, we have set the auction date for our Business, Building/Home, and parking lot for May 10th. I know that real estate auctions are many times assumed to be a last resort option to sell, but that really isn't the case here. We have had our place on the market for a bit, but it's such an unusual property that I think it's difficult to find someone who has the same need we had; for their home to be above their business. It's such an easy commute, and would be perfect for a variety of small business types; the owner's two story loft apartment above and a garage large enough for about 5 cars as well as a finished parking lot for about 12 cars. The building has been inspected, passed with flying colors. 

Completed Mural - 2009

Taken in 1920

Drawing Made Before Mural

    There is so much history here; this building has been the location of many a retail establishment over the last 100+ years. After we finished the rehab project on the building and moved in to our loft home and business space in 2008, I was given an old photo (1920) that was taken of the intersection of Hampshire St. and 4th Street which runs in front of our building. It shows a streetcar on 4th street out front and our building and the buildings on both sides of us. Anyway, I was fascinated with the picture and one of my drivers (Tom Herzog), who I didn't realize was an artist, volunteered to recreate it on the outside wall of our building. The work began, and the resulting mural is amazing. It was hard to get a good picture of the mural due to the glare, but if you click to enlarge it I think you can better see the detail he included. (It was my idea to include our LOGO on the side of the model-t parked in front as well as the awning on our building).

     

Our building as it appears
today in 2014

Our building as it appeared
when we purchased it
in 2007.

    
     



    

Upstairs fireplace.

Stairs from 2nd floor
to street level and office.

 Before Rehab

Sky light area which became
part of the master bath.

                                                    

3rd floor looking toward the front
of the building. 

    We had birds and bats flying around inside and the sky light had been leaking for years, rotting the floor below. Still, I knew it could be beautiful.

After Rehab

Dining room on 2nd floor. (Main floor of loft apt.)

Double gas log fireplaces in Living Room - Previously old coal fireplaces.

Kitchen - 2nd floor (Main floor of loft apt.)

Living room and view of catwalk.

Living room into kitchen and view of stairs to 3rd floor
catwalk, bedrooms, and laundry.

    As sad as it will be to say goodbye to our home and our downtown neighborhood of friends, we are looking forward to  starting the new chapter of our life on wheels! Stay posted for further updates...

The 'Bee-Gals'
Kathy and Kathy

Study the Snow Closely.....

   

    Last week while driving through the latest blizzard,  I told Red (the other Kathy), to look at the snow and study it very close, because I don't plan to have to see it again after this year (Unless it's Christmas or we choose to). Truly, I think even the great snow lovers are getting a little tired of it this year. All I know is that this seems like the longest winter I can remember, but will make the Spring that much more welcome!

    Now, for an update on our plans.

Winter 2014 - Memorable!!

    
    When I previously wrote about making memories, little did I know that our winter here in the Midwest  would become a major one. As I work on this post I'm looking out my window at close to a foot of snow, and more on the way this coming weekend. How glad I am

Hello 2014! Lets Make Some Memories!

    As we all watched 2013 leave us with the drop of the ball on New Years Eve, I felt relieved to see that year bite the dust! I'm ready to get on with a better and brighter 2014. This year, though, I'm not going to wait for it to be good, I'm planning