March Updates

"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending" -C.S. Lewis

March was a very busy month. We spent a lot of time with our Texas grands and catching up with friends we won't see for eight months. March also was the beginning of our northern migration. We left about a month earlier since we have our new home in Lewisburg and had things we still wanted to do before we head to the lake for the summer.

We enjoyed quite a few nice days at the beach...the seagulls love to steal your snacks.

One of our favorite places to have lunch on a pretty day is Moondog. It's even better when friends come with us.

No better way to spend an afternoon than with friends enjoying good food and a fruity drink.

Our friends spent spring break week at a RV park close to our boat. We had fun playing with them and their grandsons.

No campout is complete without s'mores.

It took us four months to figure out when we could all get together for a girls night at Janice's beach house. One day we're going to plan a longer get together at a nice place in Port Aransas.

One last happy hour on the top deck of Texas Pearl. There is no better view in Rockport.

Good-bye Texas Pearl

Our car was extremely full this year...hopefully we'll be bringing less back next fall. This was our 59th trip to or from the east coast in the last thirteen years and each one brings its own surprises. This year we were stuck in standstill traffic for two hours west of Beaumont. It was insane, but once we were out of Texas things improved and we decided to drive straight through.

We put up a bird feeder and it is very popular with the birds and a few other guests.

This little bunny stopped by one morning...

and these two guys became regulars. Morning and night.

We've seen this groundhog near the shed in the back several times, but on this day he decided to check out what all the fuss was about around the feeder. He enjoyed munching on the grass as he cruised through the yard.

Just a few of the beautiful flowers that were blooming when we arrived in Lewisburg. Next month I will show you more from our amazing yard.

We spent Easter with Kyle and his family. Church, good food, lots of laughter, s'mores and cascarones (Confetti Eggs). Everyone had a good time.  

We even had time to paint a few rocks.

Cora showed me all she's been learning in her sewing classes. I'm so proud of her. It's truly amazing what she can do at such a young age.

And Hattie is always entertaining.

We needed to pick up some things for the house in a nearby town, so we checked out Selin's Grove Brewing for lunch. The brewery is fairly new but the building they are in was built in 1816.

The Move

“Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.” –Author Unknown

We made the decision to move our dirt domicile to Lewisburg, PA last fall, but knew we wouldn't move our things there until after Christmas. Weather kept us patiently waiting in January, but while we enjoyed our morning coffee on February 2 we decided it was time. The forecast for the coming week looked perfect...sunny and warmer weather in Pennsylvania. Stan had already spoken to the U-Haul place in Rockport about renting a truck so after breakfast he went and picked up a 26' truck. 

Our climate controlled storage unit was in Victoria so the rest of our day was spent driving to and from Victoria and loading everything we own into the truck. We're proud to say we loaded everything by ourselves. Not too bad for a couple of old people. On our way back to Rockport we picked up a car carrier. By dark we were loaded and ready to head north. 

The empty U-Haul

Our storage unit

Part way to a full U-Haul

Taking a break

All loaded

Our empty unit...so happy to have our stuff back.

Loaded and ready to go

We waited for the cold front to move through our area and get past Houston before we headed out. The U-Haul was pretty comfortable although it was a little bumpy. We left on Saturday and arrived at our house early in the afternoon on Monday. It was nice to park the U-Haul and be able to use our car again. We spent our first two nights with our family in Bloomsburg. It felt wonderful being back. 

On our way

Unloading the truck was a bigger job since we had to carry things further and some of the larger items had to go up stairs. I was grateful that Kyle had the morning off and helped us. I know we couldn't have done it without him. By February 7 we were sleeping in our new home and by Friday we were mostly unpacked. Hanging pictures took a little longer. We still have work to do and things we need to buy to truly make it feel like home, but we'll enjoy that process later in the spring. 

The first week in Pennsylvania was warm and beautiful. The second week we had snow...lots of snow. It really made everything look pretty. We were so glad we were there to see it.

We had lots of these little snowdrops and crocuses along our carport. 

One of my favorite things to have back are my mid century martini glasses. I call these snowtinis....a martini with a snowball.

The Lewisburg Farmers Market is just a few blocks from our house. They offer wonderful things for sale every Wednesday year round. 

We celebrated Valentine's Day at a little restaurant downtown called Elizabeth's. Great food and atmosphere. It even started snowing while we were there.

Stan had the grilled spring cress trout and I had the Bistro Cavatelli. 

One Saturday we went to the Rusty Rail Brewing Co for lunch. We lucked out and enjoyed a craft show they were holding on the second floor.

The grands are already enjoying our new home. It's going to be fun being so close to them.

New Adventures Ahead

“I don't know where my road is going, but I know that I walk better when I hold your hand.” –Alfred de Musset

Home is where the heart is or in our case where the boat is docked, but we knew when we sold our home that we wanted to find somewhere to put roots down again. We've spent the last three years trying to figure out exactly where that would be. I've always felt that when it was the right time and we were in the right place we would know. Things do seem to fall into place when they are supposed to. 

Our oldest son graduated from high school in 2004 starting a series of changes in our lives. His leaving for college was our first major change, every 6 1/2 to 7 years has brought new chapters to our story. Bringing us new adventures. Our next big change came when we left South Texas on The Pearl in 2011. We spent seven seasons cruising the ICW, the Bahamas, New England, Maine, Canada and the Erie Canal. It was a wonderful nomadic life, but when part of our family moved to Pennsylvania we decided to find a seasonal slip for The Pearl. That brought us to Ithaca and the beautiful Finger Lakes. We have truly loved being in this area. We've been there for seven summers...time to add a new twist to our lives. 

The last two falls we’ve spent time in central Pennsylvania. We had many reasons for doing this...one was to wait for the weather to cool off in Texas, another to hike in the area and the third was to see if you would like to live here. Finding a place we liked in the area would put us close to our family in Bloomsburg. Last fall we found the perfect place to set down roots. It doesn’t mean we’ll leave Rockport or give up living on The Pearl, but it gives us a more permanent place and a place to keep our things. Our new community is Lewisburg, PA.

The Borough of Lewisburg is a historic community located on the banks of the beautiful Susquehanna River in Union County Pennsylvania with a population of just over 5,000. It was founded in 1785 and has been the primary commercial center of the county from its earliest days. 

With the influence of Bucknell University and its well-preserved architectural housing styles, the community is vibrant, as well as charming. The downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places and is known as "Pennsylvania Town" among historians due to its distinct city layout developed in colonial Pennsylvania. The buildings that still exist along the streets of this historic town represent nearly every historic style. Cast-iron, three-globe lamp posts line the streets, producing a soft glow that adds to its charm in the evenings. This amazing little town is considered to be one of the best preserved 19th century communities in the nation. 

It’s an agricultural area and there are many stores and farmer markets that sell fresh food...fruit, vegetables, dairy and meats year round. Rolling hills, beautiful farms, covered bridges and amazing places to ride bikes and hike.

The back of the house.

A few pictures of Lewisburg.

This short video gives you a look at Lewisburg.