May 14, 2019, 11:00 AM
The preparations for a trip often make me rethink if I even wanted to go on the trip. We have to find homes for our dog and cat, for a year, and they have been family for a long time. They go up north with us, a four hour drive, one or two times a month. They enjoy it up north and generally seem very content and happy with their lot in life.
Today Riikka went to a second floor condo and will be living with Allie’s friend in graduate school. Riikka is supposed to live with Allie, but Allie’s living arrangements are uncertain. Mainly because she wants Riikka, but cannot keep her where she is living in graduate housing.
We are more confident in the arrangements for Joseph. He will live with Tom’s sister out in the country. He has spent time with her and is content there.
Problem is, Joe is 12 and may not live to see our return. Linda has a heart for old dogs and will be good to him. But leaving him in this condition is heartbreaking.
Well we just left him with Linda and he seems very very happy there. Here is Joe’s new home. Thank you, Linda!
May 14, 2019, 3:00 PM
Got a photo of Riikka from Allie. Happy kitty. Thank you Allie!
May 14, 2019, 4:00 PM
Just came home to an empty house. No kitty or doggie. Kind of sad, but we remember that the kids are with family and they will be all right.
May 16, 2019
Saline, MI
Off we go to visit Dan in Virginia Beach!
Our first time trying Harvest Hosts – 1812 Brewery, Cumberland, MD. A delightful historic farm. Ate the pasties we brought and enjoyed the beer from the brewery.
I hope all of the Harvest Host experiences are this good. We got to chat with some locals, including the Allegany County Tourism staff, and learned a lot about the Cumberland area.
May 17, 2019
Cumberland, MD
Enjoyed breakfast at Marks Café in downtown Cumberland. Cumberland is made of bricks. The roads, the buildings, everything except the roofs.
Visited the Antietam battlefield. Sobering, just like Gettysburg.
May 18, 2019
Centreville, VA
Spend the night at the home of our great long-time friends Scott and Amie. They cooked shrimp gumbo! So delicious! Then we had perfect brownies.
Saturday we went to Virginia Beach. We met up with Dan and met his housemate Leah. Had a drink and snacks at a tiki bar at the beach and seafood buffet in the evening.
May 19, 2019
Virginia Beach, VA
Slept in the motorhome in the parking lot of Dan’s apartment complex. In the morning it got pretty warm in there, like 85° inside and 71° outside. The airflow in RV is definitely not the best without turning on air conditioning. The ceiling fan helps quite a bit, but there just isn’t much airflow into the van that can go out the ceiling fan.
Tom and Dan looked at Dan’s car and I made sugar cookies. Decided to head back home tonight because dan has to deploy early in the morning.
May 20, 2019
Centreville, VA
Arrived at Scott and Amie’s house late last night. Offered some sugar cookies for payment. Headed for home early in the morning. Lots to do!
May 24, 2019
Saline, MI
The last load goes up north today. Tom now thinks we should’ve just rented a big truck and moved everything at once.
Arrived to the cottage at two in the morning.
Arvitrekking 
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