Virginia - Richmond

Our first serious footprint in the goal to touch 50 states. Richmond is the capital of Virginia and rich in Civil War history = the war between the North and South about ending slavery which was ultimately an achievement of President Lincoln (13th Amendment) in Jan 1865. It was a 2 hr drive from DC so we got some driving practice too. The concierge girl at the hotel reminded me of Melissa McCarthy and was thrilled to find out we were Australians. She made me laugh.

We took a segway tour of the landmarks and while Deb was a master on the 2-wheel leaning machine, I managed to stack it towards the end of the tour. Quite a great stack really and I was on the ground laughing. Got the wheel caught on a kerb corner and was too busy looking at a building or clock or something. Anyway, not everyone can say they've stacked a segway. 

Took a tour of the Confederacy White House. Jefferson Davis was president of the confederacy (the secession of 13 southern states from the Union and caused the Civil War). He lived in this house during the 5 year war. The Museum behind the house provided history of the battles and hero's. There was an incredible loss of life and city infrastructure in this war. We weren't able to get out to the battlefield at nearby Petersburg - you need all day to drive around these sights. Interestingly, at the end of the war (won by the North), Davis was imprisoned for 2 years but lost his citizenship. The North and South seemed to move forward easily and were all glad the war was over. The movie Lincoln is about this war and I will definitely watch it again to see what I've learnt.

Another highlight of the weekend was sitting in Macca's on the highway going home and seeing a young guy walk in with a gun strapped to his waste, on clear show. Not sure it's legal to show arms but it was very unsettling. We opted to skip the sundae, leave and keep driving. 

It was nice weather back in DC when we returned so we drove to our new house for a look around and check out the area. It's a really nice area with this massive forest park at the end of the street. Lots of trails to run, ride and walk the dogs. Well, it's a busy week ahead as we move into our house, receive our stuff from home and get the dogs on Friday. 

Dog Playtime

More photos of Macey and Cricket enjoying the Australian summer before they fly over next week. Thanks again to Canberra Pet Care for taking great care of the pups.

                   

 

Sossy Rolls Irish Style

Picked the new car up on Saturday and drove home under the guidance of the new GPS. Few wrong turns but we made it home safely. At one point in the city, the GPS said to 'turn right at the big brown building'? We looked at each other and said 'WTF - which bloody brown building' -  a street name would have been more helpful Mr. Garmin. 

We like the food at the Irish pub around the corner and we had to try the sausage rolls - they were pretty good actually. Very smooth filling, it was like a sausage itself in pastry but it was still yummy.

We've churned through Season 1 of The Blacklist but Season 4 has just started here so I have some serious couching sitting to do to catch up.

We can now say the dogs come NEXT week - we're very excited but also very nervous for them both. I ordered new collars for them today too with their new contact numbers.

We've organised our internet and cable - what a bloody confusing complex experience that is. It took Deb days to sort through all the different providers but finally, I think we've got it sorted. Time will tell I guess. You seem to have a lot more choice here and it's quite competitive unlike Australia where you're kinda stuck with the standard provider.

I'm stuck into the elections here - I feel like I'm watching a train crash in creation. Trump is seriously flogging them but, it's only been 3 states so I'm keen to see how things look next week after 'Super Tuesday' when a bunch more states vote. 

The World 24hr MTB champs were in NZ this weekend and several good friends raced once again. I followed the live results from here and was pleased to see many podiums for my friends. Of note, the reigning legend champion just won his 7th consecutive world title - this is now the record. This champ races on pizza, weetbix, gels, hot cross buns - anything he can get his hands on. He puts Lance Armstrong to shame.

I've got a bit of a chesty cough, hoping it doesn't develop any worse. Knocked me flat actually so thankfully I can take some downtime to rest. Not much exciting news in this post but we plan to head into Virginia this weekend in the new car and check out the capital. Hopefully have some pics from there and put another footprint on my US map.

Amazon

Amazon Fruits

Not much excitement to report at the moment. Woke up to hear there is a recall notice for Toyota RAV4's - great (not) !! Nothing major but annoying to say the least. Will sort it out when we pick the car up on Saturday. 

Some people find religion, some find themselves, well I've found AMAZON. It's just fantastic now that we live here in the US of A. It's get here quicker than you can say billy-bob-joe-bonnie-sue-ray and usually free shipping. I am now a mailbox stalker to see when my parcels arrive and the desk clerk knows my name and apartment number very very well. Have bought things that we need, mainly appliances as we didn't bring our 240v stuff with us. The boxes are mounting in the apartment.

I got car insurance the other day. Rang online. This is hard to write funny but I'll try my best. I was on the phone going through the menus where they ask you to ‘say’ things. Well it went like this:

(me slowly) CAR insurance 

(robot slowly) I’m sorry, I didn’t understand you, options again (they say AUTO as an option).

(ok me again, slowly) A-U-T-O insurance

(robot again slowly) I’m sorry, I didn’t understand you, options again…

(bloody hell, me again)  ORR-DOE (with a US accent) and magic, it understood me.

Unbelievable !!

The weather has warmed and it's like a winter day at home. Apparently the freezing past week has been very unprecedented so lucky us I guess. 

The elections are keeping me entertained. Trump is whipping the Republicans and is saying all the right things to appeal to people who hate rich people and bureaucracy. He's funding his own campaign so he can say whatever he likes and suck up to nobody. It is interesting to follow although I have a long way to go in understanding the process. 

We both got over the jet lag this week - we noticeably feel a lot better and are sleeping better too. Getting into some regular exercise so that helps too. I think Deb's becoming a Starbucks regular on her way to work!! Flat whites are about the most we can manage there. I've been working my way through the TV series Blacklist on Netflix and trying to find a good news channel. I wish we could find something substantial like SBS or ABC - it's all too trivial but there must be something out there, maybe it's an X-file (...yes, I believe).

Most of the admin chores are done (for now) and I think I might be getting little bit of cabin fever so I will aim to visit a museum or some big shopping centres next week.

Snow Day

Woke up to it snowing again. We sat there just gazing out the window watching the snow flakes come down. Decided it was best to stay inside except we went out for a late lunch and were amazed at the activity on the street with workers throwing salt on the road and footpath (like we throw fertiliser on the grass), snow trucks driving up and down the street and workers shovelling snow to clear the footpath. Just new things for us. Our lunch waiter was from Jamaica and he asked if we have this at home - arrh, no only in the freezer !! We took some snaps on our walk and even saw dogs running in the dog 'park' chasing balls. Weather warms up tomorrow so maybe that's it for the snowfalls. 

IT SNOWED & A New Car

I woke this morning to an excited little ‘kid’ saying it snowed, it snowed (and imagine the little dancing jig that came with it). There was white powder all over the ground and in the trees and it was absolutely freezing outside. It’s been about -6 all day and the wind just bit through our faces. I’ve never experienced this type of weather before and can’t imagine how cold it feels in Canada or Alaska or alike. Thank god the dogs are still home in the warmth.

Despite the cold, we ventured out and bought a car. We got a 2014 Toyota RAV4 as we couldn't find a Subaru Forester. Buying a car here is quite an experience - probably second to poking yourself in the eye with a fork. We didn't drive, opting for the salesman to drive us around. Being so new and with a certified Toyota check, it seemed a good buy but the exchange crap rate conversion changed that pretty quick. We went to a dealer but it seemed to take ages to 'do the deal' and paperwork. We plan to pick up the car next weekend - the drive home is something we need to prepare for. I've ordered a Garmin GPS from Amazon so it should arrive in time to help get us home. Driving looks very scary at the moment.

I also finally got a new phone so I have a US number now - it doesn't start with 555 like they all do in the movies ;)  We've worked out that salespeople waste more time trying to sell you stuff other rather than what you ask for. A real test in patience of which I failed with flying colours. No I don't want cable, home security, bundling, accessories, extended warranty, rust proofing, freebie 1, freebie 2 - just give me the phone and the car so we can get out of here. 

We have a long weekend here. It's President's Day on Monday. We could both do with a resting weekend and the weather outside is not enticing at all. We are busily picking furniture online for the house and I suck at picking rugs apparently. Our freight from home will arrive the day after we move into the house. I can't wait to get that - to have things from home and feel a bit normal again.

By the way, if you want to leave comments on my posts, please type away. 

Finally, a nice coffee !

Yes I found one !! Of course it's the Italian illy coffee house but it serves 'real' espresso coffee. I brought it home and poured it in a real cup to enjoy the taste more. It's not far from the apartment so that might be my daily stroll. I stopped by a cafe this morning thinking it would be ok but omg, it was dreadful. The guy was so lovely I felt compelled to drink it - I'm surprised I didn't puke on the way home.

It's an absolute freezing wind out there today. My face was ice and I had to war the hoodie of my jacket to block the wind. Not a good hair look but it's warmer. Staying inside for the day now to fill out lots of paperwork. 

Home Alone

It didn't snow in DC city, after all that hype. Plenty in the outskirts, but not here. I think I'm ok with that. Still cold enough though. Cooked our first meal last night - nice piece of steak and some veg. I thought I'd bought gravy (like gravox) but it was thickener so it was as bland as wet flour. I have been wandering around to the supermarket which is a good exercise in WTF. It's either what TF is that or where TF is this? 

I have the days to myself now. Went to Macy's today - needed to get a jug, hairdryer and an iron. I was lost the second I got off the metro train until I got home again. Don't mind getting lost as you tend to see and learn things but I was quite confused. So Macy's don't sell hairdryers - seriously !! I had to find another store called TJ Maxx and I asked 3 times for directions to find it and got blank 'I don't know' faces. Finally got there, finally got home and finally have some appliances to make things normal here. Amazon is A-mazing and I'm sure we will be buying off that quite a lot. Given my experience today, I think I'll get the toaster from Amazon - free delivery next day.

Finalising the lease for the house at the moment and moving in 1 March. Dogs will arrive 4 March so still a few weeks with no munchkins. Deb's going ok, she didn't get lost walking home yesterday on her own and she's getting information overload at work. We have a public holiday on Monday too = Presidents Day. Probably do some car hunting but it's meant to be freezing so maybe staying indoors could be a plan. Need to think about furnishing the house too else we'll be sleeping in the dogs beds. 

First Day

The kid started school today. I thought it would just be a walk to the front door, say goodbye and off I go to have a day of leisure. But no, I got sucked in past the front door into a vortex of meetings, briefings, passes and information overload. We've come home with heaps of reading material and don't know where to start. Cup of tea first of all I think.

Good news is that we have got the house we wanted. Hopefully sign a lease this week but can't move in until end Feb. We are so relieved to have a house now and can't wait to get the dogs here.

Dinner at the Irish Pub

After we BOTH spent a full day at work, home cooking was not an option. So we enjoyed a nice dinner at an Irish pub on the way home. Enjoying the different ciders around the traps.

We watched a bit of Superbowl last night but just couldn't stay with it. The ads were good but had no idea about the game. I'm mates already with the lady who works the night shift on the front desk of the apartments. She's into all sports and we chewed the fat about the hockey, baseball, basketball and even soccer. I told her I would convert her to cricket within the next 3 weeks.

Went shopping yesterday to get some basic groceries to cook dinner. Got all my pounds and kilos mixed up. Ended up with a lump of mince the size of a tennis ball. Eventually got the weight I needed but it was a far cry from my starting quarter pound. Poor butcher. And there are no weetbix here - first world problem I know but I think the currency for visitors will be a box of weetbix.

And it's going to snow tonight and tomorrow - omg, omg, omg. There were lots of salt crystals on the streets tonight in preparation for the snow - I reckon it's more of slip hazard than the snow !! I also got a new warmer jacket and some thermal pants so I was more warmer today. Gloves are a must and I wear the beanie quite a lot. Such a good lookin' rooster I am !! 

Next task is to get a car !!

It's Cold !!

It's definitely cold here now. It must have dropped below zero this arvo as we were walking the streets. I had to go into a random shop before something on me broke. Note to self - beanie tomorrow. We've been house hunting the past two days and found one perfect place but it's out in Alexandria (45min commute) and another today on the outer DC edge - it's not as lovely but it's much closer to work and dog run places and ticks all the other boxes. Fingers crossed we get this place. Here's me sitting on the steps wondering how I would shovel snow?

House Hunting

Ribs

We had an early dinner at this place called Founding Farmers and it was fabulous. I had Yankee Pot Roast and Deb had ribs, of course. So many things to choose from. We've been getting around on the metro and buses - Deb already lost her first Metro card ! Jetlag has knocked us around heaps, we might be just kicking it now. Struggling to find a good coffee as you all know, but we hope to get into Georgetown tmrw and check out the trendy cafe scene. We plan to spend the weekend sightseeing and have a break.

Macey & Cricket loving Canberra Petcare

Was lovely to see the munchkins enjoying their time at Canberra Petcare. We miss them a lot but glad they are enjoying the warmth and playtime. Thanks to Canberra Petcare for posting these pics on FB.

 

   

Arrived in DC

Landing at Washington DC Airport

G'day DC, we're heeee-rrrre !! Overall the trip was comfortable, good and surprisingly quick - I slept the short leg to Sydney and then immediately out of Sydney for 5 solid hours, watched 2 movies and then slept another 2 hours (recommend Spotlight movie). Deb had a good sleep in there also. Bit of a rush in LA to txfr to the DC flight but we made it.

The landing into DC was beautiful with snow everywhere and there are left over piles of snow in the streets here. It's not freezing, more like chilly and it's a welcome change actually. The apartment is lovely and we are off house hunting tmrw.

Saw a funny shirt in the airport - it had a cartoon of Donald Trump emphasising his massive hair and the words said 'Combover-In-Chief'. Funny but how scary that this man is running for the 'Commander-in-Chief' position.

We've just made a nice cuppa tea and scoffing some of those chocolates as we watch TV trying to understand the Iowa election update here. Bedtime very very soon.

    

The last night in Australia

Taking a break during packing

It’s been a very busy week of farewells, finalising the house for rent and other domestic chores. There have been grumpy moments for sure and lots of last minute dog cuddles. My best friend Meegs kindly homed us for the past few days and she has been a trooper at taking all our leftover groceries, and tin soups - well some of them!! 

Staying in a hotel tonight to chill out and prepare for the long flights to Washington.  We miss the dogs terribly and can’t wait to see them on the other side in a month or so. All our friends have been extremely kind and generous with their farewells and giving us the spoilt treatment. 

We even arrived at the hotel and after 10mins of faffing around to get settled, I asked Deb who gave her the bag (a red gift bag on the desk). She said it wasn't her bag? I thought it was yours? Hmm, well it's not mine. 

Australian survival kit from J&M

Put my glasses on and saw the personal sticky name label of our friends - holy Cadbury's Batman, it was full of chocolates and they had it delivered to our room. Thanks J&M :)  With Meegs' Chomp bars and leather gloves, and the wooly socks from our neighbours, the gorgeous Canberra coasters and lovely vouchers for a restaurant in DC and an 'experience' in DC - we are ready for Washington. I have a sentimental US 1cent and a other great gifts to get us safely to the US.

We leave in the morning and fly to Syd-LA-Wash so it's worse than any 24 solo could ever be.

Thanks again for making us feel very loved, we'll miss you all and will be back in touch again from the land of 50 States.