Parents of College Students

Sorry I have been so out of touch here, ladies. I gave up the reins and pretty much disappeared - not due to lack of desire, but life has just been pretty full lately! And this won't really be about my kids, but here it is...

So remember that cute little cabin we bought in the Sierras a couple of months ago? Well, we got a phone call a week ago Wednesday from a neighbor up there, who actually had to call information to find us, to let us know a tree fell on the house! There had been a bout of bad weather, with high winds, and one of the trees in that lovely natural area behind our house snapped half-way up and fell on the roof. We raced up there the next day to survey the damage - it was my first day off of my 2-week vacation time from work - and fortunately found the house still intact. There was enough roof damage to require a new roof, internal damage to the ceiling (but no through-and-through holes), and some plumbing damage. Fortunately, our insurance will cover it all, albeit with a $2K deductible (ouch!). The repairs have been going all week and should be done by tomorrow evening - hopefully, because we are heading up there tomorrow.

The timing was not great, because we were heading out to Florida to see family the following Monday (a week ago today). Dh wasn't sure he was going to be able to go, but luckily the damage wasn't as bad as we thought and we found a good contractor. So off we went, for a 5-day trip to see my aging aunts, joined by my sister and my cousin from MA (her 2 brothers live there). We spent 3 days in Orlando and 2 in Ft. Lauderdale, and just got back Saturday night. It was a wonderful visit and I'm so glad we went, as I really don't know when we'll be able to see them again.

Aside from really special time with family, the highlight of the trip was a canoe trip down the Wekiva River, in the suburbs of Orlando - I sure had no idea there was such a natural area that close by! Dh and I went out for a couple of hours in the morning and it was heavenly - we saw dozens of turtles, birds, and fish...and 8 alligators! We could have spent 4 times as much money at Disney World and take the Jungle Ride to see fake wildlife, but this was so much better! I'll try to attach a couple of photos.

Elle - I thought of you when we were there! Not sure where you live, but I think we may not have been too far!

Other than my adventures, all is well with the family - CS dd is coming down later on today for a short visit, and 27yo is enjoying married life and still basking in the glow of the wedding by looking at all the photos and videos that have finally been received! Life is good here!

It's good to hear that all is going well with you, except for the fallen tree. Those beautiful trees can be costly, can't they? My mother had a chronic problem with the roots of a neighbor's tree clogging up her sewer line. At least you were not in the cabin at the time, and you were still able to get away to see your relatives and enjoy your vacation in FL.

When does your DH retire? Or has he already? I hope that in future posts you have only pleasant stories to tell us about the serene life at your cabin :)

It was good to hear the update. It sounds like everything is going well, but you must have been stressed when you got that phone call and wondered how it would impact your vacation. I'm glad that you were all able to go. And although I've only been to Orlando a few times, I had no idea that there was any natural wilderness areas outside of the Disney parks - the pictures were beautiful. I would have thought you had been down to the Everglades. Very nice! :)

Thanks for the update

Theresa

Hi Calmama! It's great to hear from you, although I wish it didn't involve trees on roofs. ;) What a relief to find a good contractor though - that can definitely be a nightmare.

Glad that you were still able to make your FL trip and have a good time. Hope we'll see you more often!

Hi Calmama!

No wonder I've had you on my mind! Here you were in my neck of the woods! I could have lent you a canoe!The springs are the coolest thing about Florida. Nobody can believe the water temp stays 72 even in the dogdays of summer. 

The cabin sounded so romantic we forget sometimes how unforgiving mother nature can be! I'm glad you weren't hurt.

 We had a tree out back,  our local tree guy stopped, when my Dh was outside, to point out to him a tree he  called a widow maker). We didn't have the $ to chop it down,  he dropped it for us, told us to pay him whenever we could.

You have been missed! How was your visit with your youngest?