100+ Days Traveling - draft of a new version of 77 trip
100+ Days Traveling
draft of a new version of 77 trip
Henry I'll be out right away. Got to make sure all my lights are turned off and I need to unplugged things I don't want plugged in for the next 3 months.
Henry and Susan had just pulled up in front of my condo in Boynton Beach.
I ran back inside raced upstairs to check the bathroom and the two bedrooms to unplug all the electrical devices: TVs, clocks, and radios. Then I went downstairs taking two steps at a time and zipped around to the kitchen and dining room to double check if I had left anything still plugged in. The refrigerator I cleared out yesterday afternoon and gave the perishable food to Tom and Kathy next door.
After pulling the curtains in the dining area and the living room I grabbed my large backpack and my brown nylon shoulder bag filled with 100 rolls 35 mm color slide film and 50 audiotapes. My plan was to capture as much as I could as I traveled around Europe for 3 months.
"Henry I need to change our plans slightly. I need for us to drive to my office in Delray Beach on Federal Highway. Tim Greene and his dad are going to take care of my car during the summer."
We can get onto I-95 just south of my office off of Palm Boulevard and then drive to Miami and your parent's house.
Henry seemed to roll his eyes. I couldn't see Susan through the tinted front window of their car.
Let's take Seacrest to 28th ave and over to Federal hwy just north of my office. It will only take 10 minutes.
Morning Tim and Mr. Greene here are my car and condo keys. Please start up my car once a week and let it run for a few minutes or use it to run an errand of two. I set the thermostat at 75 degrees. Please check on the condo once in awhile like you agreed.
No problem Alan. All set. We'll probably have Harvey do both when he comes in each week to drop off his finished drafting work for the houses for the Pegasus Heights development.
That is the project you are going have him work on this summer after he finishes the drawings for the Wilson home on AIA that I gave him.
Yes that is the plan.
I really appreciate the help the 3 of you are giving me so I can travel for the next 3 months. Judy is all set up to pay Harvey his salary weekly while I am gone and paying my bills to.
See you in September. Have a great summer.
Travel safe and have lots of fun Alan.
As I opened the back door and climbing into Henry and Susan's Van I greeted them again. Good morning fellow world travelers. Off we go on our trips of a life time.
"My dad told we to arrive at their house by 1:00 pm. We have time."
Our flight to the Bahamas on Bahamas Air doesn't leave until 5:30 pm. We've got time."
"Here we are the 3 musketeers, a mid-westerner, a south-easterner and a Chinese American from Hong Kong traveling to Europe for the first time."
"It is going to be great to travel to Germany, Switzerland, France and Spain during the next month and a half, Susan said with a happy voice."
"You are going have your own stories to tell your students about how you two spent your summer in August when school starts up again." I responded cheerfully.
"Henry did you get all your client projects done?"
"I left a couple for John to finish because he is doing the architectural drawings for the same clients." Henry said confidently."
"Tonight we will be flying across the Atlantic to Luxembourg, our first European country."
"Looks like we are going to make it no problem. The traffic is light, very light for a Thursday."
After about an hour of driving we arrived in Henry's parent’s suburban neighborhood south of Miami.
Who's taking to the airport?
My dad, my brothers are both working this afternoon.
We pulled into the driveway of their normal middle class Floridian single story rambling ranch style house, 4 bedrooms 3 bath. I have drawn plans for several of these the past 5 years since I moved here from Michigan. My own house that I gave up in the divorce settlement last year is very much like this one. White stucco walls with simulated fieldstone and concrete roof tiles. Augustine grass lawn or what we in Michigan called crab grass with the scattered palm trees, one grapefruit and one orange tree both with mid stage fruit hanging on them.
"Hello mom, dad. We’re here. "
Actually Henry said that in Mandarin. Neither of his parents speak very much English even thought they have live in the US for over 15 years
Hello Susan and Henry and Alan welcome.
My mother has fixed sandwiches for the 3 of us and cups of soup. Let's sit down and have lunch before my dad takes us to the airport.
draft of a new version of 77 trip
Henry I'll be out right away. Got to make sure all my lights are turned off and I need to unplugged things I don't want plugged in for the next 3 months.
Henry and Susan had just pulled up in front of my condo in Boynton Beach.
I ran back inside raced upstairs to check the bathroom and the two bedrooms to unplug all the electrical devices: TVs, clocks, and radios. Then I went downstairs taking two steps at a time and zipped around to the kitchen and dining room to double check if I had left anything still plugged in. The refrigerator I cleared out yesterday afternoon and gave the perishable food to Tom and Kathy next door.
After pulling the curtains in the dining area and the living room I grabbed my large backpack and my brown nylon shoulder bag filled with 100 rolls 35 mm color slide film and 50 audiotapes. My plan was to capture as much as I could as I traveled around Europe for 3 months.
"Henry I need to change our plans slightly. I need for us to drive to my office in Delray Beach on Federal Highway. Tim Greene and his dad are going to take care of my car during the summer."
We can get onto I-95 just south of my office off of Palm Boulevard and then drive to Miami and your parent's house.
Henry seemed to roll his eyes. I couldn't see Susan through the tinted front window of their car.
Let's take Seacrest to 28th ave and over to Federal hwy just north of my office. It will only take 10 minutes.
Morning Tim and Mr. Greene here are my car and condo keys. Please start up my car once a week and let it run for a few minutes or use it to run an errand of two. I set the thermostat at 75 degrees. Please check on the condo once in awhile like you agreed.
No problem Alan. All set. We'll probably have Harvey do both when he comes in each week to drop off his finished drafting work for the houses for the Pegasus Heights development.
That is the project you are going have him work on this summer after he finishes the drawings for the Wilson home on AIA that I gave him.
Yes that is the plan.
I really appreciate the help the 3 of you are giving me so I can travel for the next 3 months. Judy is all set up to pay Harvey his salary weekly while I am gone and paying my bills to.
See you in September. Have a great summer.
Travel safe and have lots of fun Alan.
As I opened the back door and climbing into Henry and Susan's Van I greeted them again. Good morning fellow world travelers. Off we go on our trips of a life time.
"My dad told we to arrive at their house by 1:00 pm. We have time."
Our flight to the Bahamas on Bahamas Air doesn't leave until 5:30 pm. We've got time."
"Here we are the 3 musketeers, a mid-westerner, a south-easterner and a Chinese American from Hong Kong traveling to Europe for the first time."
"It is going to be great to travel to Germany, Switzerland, France and Spain during the next month and a half, Susan said with a happy voice."
"You are going have your own stories to tell your students about how you two spent your summer in August when school starts up again." I responded cheerfully.
"Henry did you get all your client projects done?"
"I left a couple for John to finish because he is doing the architectural drawings for the same clients." Henry said confidently."
"Tonight we will be flying across the Atlantic to Luxembourg, our first European country."
"Looks like we are going to make it no problem. The traffic is light, very light for a Thursday."
After about an hour of driving we arrived in Henry's parent’s suburban neighborhood south of Miami.
Who's taking to the airport?
My dad, my brothers are both working this afternoon.
We pulled into the driveway of their normal middle class Floridian single story rambling ranch style house, 4 bedrooms 3 bath. I have drawn plans for several of these the past 5 years since I moved here from Michigan. My own house that I gave up in the divorce settlement last year is very much like this one. White stucco walls with simulated fieldstone and concrete roof tiles. Augustine grass lawn or what we in Michigan called crab grass with the scattered palm trees, one grapefruit and one orange tree both with mid stage fruit hanging on them.
"Hello mom, dad. We’re here. "
Actually Henry said that in Mandarin. Neither of his parents speak very much English even thought they have live in the US for over 15 years
Hello Susan and Henry and Alan welcome.
My mother has fixed sandwiches for the 3 of us and cups of soup. Let's sit down and have lunch before my dad takes us to the airport.
Henry and I met 3 years ago when he was assigned to work with
me part time doing some of the graphics and signage projects I was doing
through the P&E Graphics & Signage firm In addition to my architectural
projects for P&E architects I ran a connected Graphics & Signage firm
that Bill Parson & Tom Entry financially supported initially 4 years
ago. Henry was working as a planner with
TeamInc, another P&E firm created for doing master planning and consulting
work with large scale residential development clients. They did not have enough work to keep Henry
busy 40 hrs a week nor did I have enough, so we both paid him to do some with
each of our smaller firms.
Susan and Henry married about two years ago before he left P&E slash TEAMInc to start his own graphics design firm.
We are professional colleagues and partially personal friends not close friends. Early this year Henry convinced me to leave on my 3-month trip two weeks earlier than I had planned during the last 8 months. Henry told me he had found out about a great international graphics conference in Dusseldorf, Germany called, DRUPA that only happens every 10 years.
Also he said the 3 of us could help each other with the languages we couldn't speak because he could also go to a Chinese restaurant and talk to the chef or owner in Mandarin or Cantonese, Chinese dialects he grew up speaking and writing before he and his family left China to live in the United States. Henry came over when he was 14. His brothers and sisters came one year apart. Their father had come ahead and started a Chinese restaurant to support them.
Susan and Henry married about two years ago before he left P&E slash TEAMInc to start his own graphics design firm.
We are professional colleagues and partially personal friends not close friends. Early this year Henry convinced me to leave on my 3-month trip two weeks earlier than I had planned during the last 8 months. Henry told me he had found out about a great international graphics conference in Dusseldorf, Germany called, DRUPA that only happens every 10 years.
Also he said the 3 of us could help each other with the languages we couldn't speak because he could also go to a Chinese restaurant and talk to the chef or owner in Mandarin or Cantonese, Chinese dialects he grew up speaking and writing before he and his family left China to live in the United States. Henry came over when he was 14. His brothers and sisters came one year apart. Their father had come ahead and started a Chinese restaurant to support them.
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