The Autumnal Migration: Smooth, Tho Exhaustipating

Challenges here, challenges there ... It's a good thing we're both patient, persistent, and resilient.  Last week I captured photos of my yard in Bellingham, where Richard had been working hard to get all the garden beds put to sleep for the winter.  Now, can I load one of those photos to this blog?  No!  Something has changed ... the photo link doesn't give me access to the photos on my Ipad anymore.  Google wants me to go thru Picasso?  Sheesh!

Tuesday morning, while checking thru the Canadian border crossing on our way to the airport in Vancouver BC, the customs agent asked me to tell him what had happened in New Orleans in 1975.  OMG!  I had no idea that raggedy old business might show up ... those charges were supposed to have been "expunged from the record."  Maybe that particular customs agent enjoyed flustering me.

And then there's the migratory flight itself.  Ours began on a beautiful new 737 that carried us over the Cascade Mountains and the Wind River Range and south over Pueblo, Colorado to Texas and a smooth landing at Dallas-Ft. Worth.  We had a brisk walk around the loop of E-Gates, and then a glass of wine at Pizza-Vino, where our waiter used my Ipad to take a photo of us.  (I'd post that photo here, if I could.  I tried to start this blog entry from that restaurant, in fact, but Google seemed concerned about security and I couldn't get in.)
The flight from Dallas to Santiago de Chile boarded at 9:00 pm.  An old plane ... none of those wonderful video screens at each seat, with nearly endless choices of movies or games, etc.  But the crew eventually served us tortellini and wine, and the overhead-mounted tv screens delivered Angelina Jolie as Maleficent.  By the time they started the movie over again, a little after midnight, we'd discovered that we could hear it in English on channel 11.  Then ensued some long dark hours of hip and spine and shoulder pain as we bent and stretched and tried to sleep.  But HEY!  Think of how the birds must feel after using their OWN wings to fly all those miles.  I guess we had it easy.
After a few hours wait in the domestic terminal at Santiago, we flew on down to Puerto Montt, where our lovely friend, Teresita, met us and drove us to the Hostal de Los Navegantes, near Marina Reloncavi.  ( Imagine a photo of Tere, here )

Abrazo floats peacefully at the dock ... and the Hostal's bed was warm and comfy.  At breakfast this morning we met a couple from Seattle who have also just returned to their boat here.  Their boat is on the hard, so they'll be polishing up the fiberglass and arranging to have her put back into the water with plans to sail south to the Beagle Channel and Cape Horn.  We'll be polishing up the For Sale sign, and getting Abrazo's galley operating, while we look for an apartment or a house to live in.

Soon I will study the new photo protocols; maybe my next entry here will be more colorful.  It was great to be "at home" in Bellingham this past summer, but you know ... I'm happy to be back "home" to the warming spring season here in Puerto Montt, now that the transition trip is done.

You have transitions of varying shapes and sizes every day, no doubt.  We wish you smooth shifting and plenty of endurance!