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News From Tualatin (Almost)

Although we are still ensconced here in Colorado Springs, the move to Tualatin is underway.

Based on the ease and success we had moving ourselves using our own truck, and with help from friends and the U-Haul company last year, we hired professional movers this time.  We know they’re professionals, because their ad on the internet says so.  They’re based in Texas, which is another vote in their favor.

Isn’t it?

This move is a little different, since we’re not just moving for three months, but permanently, sort of.  At least, for our STUFF, it’s permanent.  We think that eventually we will live exclusively in our condo in Tualatin, but for now, we are bouncing back and forth between there and our home here in C.S.C.  So, the condo-full of furniture we are moving will likely just stay there.  What we’re eventually gonna do with the remaining house-full of furniture HERE when the time comes, is more difficult to say.  Arson has been mentioned. (Note to FBI: jokingly.)  It’s amazing that we have shipped off a complete living set of furniture but our house here looks still completely full of stuff, nevertheless.  Scary.

We arranged months ago for the movers to come today, August 8, and bought airline tickets to fly to Portland on night of the 10^th, this Thursday.  That supposedly would have allowed the movers to be late a day or two, or if they were on time, would still get us there in time to accept delivery of the stuff at the other end.  Note the word “supposedly.”

In as much as a great deal of time had passed since we made these arrangements, we called a week ago or so to confirm, and yes, the company had indeed heard of us, knew our location and our destination, and agreed with our expectations about the dates.  They told us the driver would call us the day before they arrived to confirm.  A couple of days later, we got a call from someone with a strong East Asian accent asking if we would be open to having our furniture picked up on the 6^th (this last Sunday) instead of the 8^th.  Our primary concern was whether we would be in Portland in time to receive it at the other end.  The broker in Texas had said it would take two or three days for the van to reach Oregon … too early for us if we were to leave on Thursday.  Oh, no, said the (Indian?) woman who called us … it will take seven to ten days for it to get there.  Hmmm.

Nevertheless, to get the ball rolling, we agreed to the early pickup.

Saturday, a man with a heavy, apparently Russian, accent called, saying he was the driver and would be at our house at 10 a.m. Sunday.  Sure enough, at about 10:15 Sunday morning a white dinosaur growled its way up our little street, and pulled up in front of our house.  “Legal Transport” was the name on the side of the van.  Well, that’s both reassuring and cause for concern, I guess.  I suppose we had assumed it was going to be legal transport all along, but on the other hand, it was nice to know they thought so, too.

Audrey, a tall, very lean man, climbed down from the towering cab of the truck, and introduced himself.  Our shipment constitutes only a small part of the volume of this behemoth truck, Audrey (yes, Audrey, not Andre) asked us if we could get the neighbors to move a couple of their diesel 4x4’s a bit so he could align a side door with our driveway (which the neighbors cheerfully did.)  After that, Audrey, with the assistance of another, much shorter man, also with an apparently Russian accent, dug in to our house and started to pack up our belongings.

Because they were primarily using our garage door as their portal in and out of the house, I pointed out to them that the vines above the door contained a sunning snake, and not to be alarmed if it fell down onto their neck or head while they were working.  Audrey’s assistant (Nickolai maybe?) pointed out that there was also another snake sunning itself on the brickledge above the garage door.  Taking a look, I noticed yet a third snake there.  We decided at that point to quit looking.  The movers seemed remarkably unconcerned with this development, although I noticed they kept a sharp eye on the vines.  I asked Audrey how long it would be before our furniture was delivered, as we worried that it might arrive before we did.  “Oh, dose agents always are saying two or tree days.  But we have delivery in Arizona and two in California first.  Maybe ten to fourteen days, okay?”  Well, okay.  Good to know, as we had only recently changed our stay in Oregon from two weeks to a month.  Hopefully, it will be enough.

Watching and directing them (the stuff we were shipping was this and that from rooms all over the house), we learned that they are not Russians, but relatively recent immigrants from Lithuania.  As an aside, if you should decide at some point to change careers to take advantage of the many opportunities in long-haul trucking, I would recommend driving a furniture van.  Although they do sit on their butts for hours and days at a time, they are lean and fit, because between drives, they lift weights and carry them up and down stairs and ramps.  I was embarrassed to see how easily they slung around our big old Sony TV, which I have struggled with several times.  And those of you who know me know that I’m a pretty buff guy, too.

After a couple of hours, they had everything well wrapped in blankets and tape (lots and lots of tape), inventoried, manifested, and loaded on the truck.  After accepting my assurances that they would be able to turn their truck around the end of the block the way it was already headed, rather than backing down the street a block and a half, off they went with our furniture.  I joked with Karen as they drove away that n Tuesday, the REAL movers were going to come.  Ha ha, she said.

Yesterday started what is going to be a long wait until our flight on Thursday.  Especially since, this morning, the moving company broker called and asked if we were ready for our big move today.

More later - Love you guys!

Mike and Karen Riley