On The Road

After a busy few months, we (Ron, Judy, Eliot and Troy) are finally en route to New Zealand.  That last week prior to our departure, it seemed as if we would never get to the end of all the packing and organizing.  However, after some goodbye lunches and dinners with dear friends, and plenty of help to load all our earthly possessions, we set off a few days ago headed for Canada.  

Newtown Bible Church were a fantastic help with loading the container.

What a ton of stuff we have collected over the years.  

My piano weighs about 400 lbs.  The new owner of our house kindly brought a few strong relatives and friends to help move the piano into a truck with a lift gate and then into the container.  

Two dear friends helping to leave the kitchen in a reasonable state for the next owners.

We managed to collect almost all our belongings in Brookfield.  At the last minute we remembered a complete dinner set that had been stored in the attic.  Since the truck had just departed with container in tow, we tossed the box in the car and it has a happy new home in Canada.  About an hour after being on the road Ron announced that we had left the bird feeder behind.  It was a special gift that i had received for mother's day one year, designed to foil any squirrels' plans of getting to the seed and it has done just that.  We have had many cute little visitors and all their friends and family; blue jays, cardinals, American goldfinches, sparrows, chickadees to name some.  Let's hope the new owners keep the cylinders full of bird seed.  As a side note, ron's aunt, who shall remain nameless, puts vaseline on her bird feeder pole and has great delight in watching the squirrels tumble to the ground.

Ron (and Eliot, when he is allowed) is very happy driving a roomy rental - Chevy Suburban - with plenty of capacity for all our baggage.  Since we are flying business class from LAX - thanks to accumulated air points from all Ron's business travel over the years - we have a generous baggage allowance.  When we arrive in Christchurch it will be winter so we each have a summer and a winter bag.  

Thank goodness for the ample space in this Chevy Suburban.

Canada has been a very special place for us particularly these last 14 years during our sojourn in the U.S.  We have had many enjoyable camping holidays with the Canadian Snoeks.  There has always been a warm welcome for us at various relatives' homes in Toronto and environs.  This last time was no exception.  All of Ron's 7 cousins (with additional family members) came to a potluck meal, along with his uncle and two aunts.  We are truly sad to leave them all.

One of the groups of friends and relatives scattered around and in Art and Nettie's house the night before we left Canada.  

A lunch stop in Canada at Tim Hortons which is the Canadian equivalent of Dunkin Donuts.  I much prefer it since they make fresh coffee every 30 minutes or so and have more healthy food options.   Apologies for the uncharitable face from T.S. and that is not short for Troy Snoek.

Last night we met up with dear friends, Bill and Hazel at a restaurant in Grand Rapids, MI.  It was wonderful to catch up and reminisce after several years.  Bill was the pastor of our former church in Newtown, CT, before he left to pastor a congregation in Ohio.  

Bill and Hazel and us at a restaurant in Grand Rapids.  

So far after leaving CT,we have passed through MA, NY, Ontario, MI, IN, and are currently in Illinois.  On long trips we often see how many different license plates we can spot.  Thus far we have been too busy with crosswords (me), clash of clans (Eliot), candy crush (Ron), reading and ipad games (Troy), and a competition between Ron and Eliot for maximum fuel economy.  No points for guessing who has won the competition so far at 23 mpg.  Who always wins games in our household (except 'Set')?

Troy would be going into high school if we weren't returning to NZ.  It is customary to celebrate the transition here with a graduation ceremony.  Americans love to celebrate.  Troy attended a small local Christian school for the last 18 months.  Here he is giving the class speech and generally looking handsome.

There were only 4 students in the 8th grade class.

Until the next post,

The US Snoeks, almost to be the NZ Snoeks (except Eliot)