Welcome Home

We were up at 6 AM today, and the final packing out of the apartment went extremely smoothly. Lisa did a very good job getting boxes packed and finding ways to pack odd-sized-and-shaped items. I'm glad we had a couple of huge Ziploc bags, into which the afghans from my bed — handmade presents to me from my late grandmother that have been with me since I first moved out on my own — could be safely stowed. Including a move-out inspection from one of the staff, we left just after 10 AM. (They seemed pretty satisfied with how we'd returned the apartment to a fairly tidy state, although apparently no matter what we did, we will be charged for cleaning against my deposit. Ah, well, anything I get from the deposit is gravy, I reckon.) We did, however, have a number of errands in the area, including stopping for lunch, and it was closer to 3 PM when we headed out of Fremont. Including the usual rest/fuel stops at Lodi Junction and Colfax, and a small amount of groceries in Fernley proper, we got home just after 8 PM, which is really very good time for the inter-city portion of the trip. We unloaded our luggage and the boxed stuff, but the furniture, including the desk, can wait until tomorrow.

So it's completely official now: I turned in the keys in San José and now, for the first time in my life, I have no home at all in California. I have to wrap my head around "home" being Fernley. This isn't a complaint; it's just something very new for me.