Update from Grand Rapids: moving on and moving in

A week ago today we returned to Grand Rapids after a quick trip to Providence. We had left Michigan the previous Saturday, spent the night outside of Rochester, New York where we took the time to actually see the city for once, and arrived at Dick and Dorothy's house in Douglas, Mass., early afternoon Sunday. We unloaded our bags and then relaxed for the afternoon on their patio before heading into the Providence to check on the condo, meet up with another owner in our association and then cap the evening off with a somewhat lame dinner at Broadway Bistro.

I spent Monday at work, while Susie tidied up the condo, finished last-minute packing and got the place ready for the movers. Monday evening Carl, Uncle Frank and Aunt Kathy joined us for a tasty dinner at Dick and Dorothy's and Kathy was in rare form -- she's undoubtedly one of the wittiest people I have ever met and  had us all in smiles and laughter for much of the evening.

The movers came bright and early Tuesday morning -- I had my last trip to the dentist in Providence before walking into work -- and had everything loaded up by midday.

After some final goodbyes at work -- "no, really, I'm leaving this time" -- Susie picked me up and we headed north to Dick and Dorothy's house, where we had been staying since Sunday.

Wednesday we pulled out at the somewhat reasonable hour of about 8 am and headed west. The border crossing was smooth but we no sooner hit Canada than we found ourselves in a torrential rainstorm that slowed traffic for quite some time. We eventually broke out into sunlight, and pulled into our overnight stop in London, Ontario, at a Ramada right off the 401. The two of us grabbed a bite to eat at a nearby Marriott Courtyard; the hotel had a funky bistro right inside the lobby. The service was great but the food was just so-so.

The next morning we were on the road bright and early and immediately found ourselves in dense fog which slowed our progress slightly for an hour or so. By the time we reached the border the fog had burned off and the sun was out. Crossing was smooth and took just a few minutes and we were off to Grand Rapids.

We pulled into Eaglecrest after about three-and-a-half hours on the road. Another uneventful crossing the eastern United States and Ontario, Canada, something we're not planning on doing for some time to come.

The movers came the next day, Friday, and unloaded our stuff in about three hours.

Now the real work begins.