My lifetime of moving is coming in handy this year. Last week I helped John and Troy with their move from St. Louis to Fort Collins. Then next month I'll be helping my mom with her move from Temecula to San Juan Capistrano. Come March, I'll be in DC to help with the finishing touches of Mary and Andy's cross-town move. And it's not certain yet, but quite possibly I'll be assisting Peter and Jessa with their relocation this summer when they return to the States. (After that I'm no longer a volunteer and if anyone is interested in my services let me know and I'll send you my hourly rate!) But first, take a look at the guy above. This is the only time he's ever moved and as the packing was getting down to the wire in St. Louis, Sirius didn't seem too sure about it.
Although a record-breaking snow storm would hit St. Louis the following day, we had clear skies and sun on the day the moving van got loaded. There were a couple of professional movers to do the heavy work. The rest of us brought the boxes downstairs for the movers to expertly pack it all into the truck.
This 16-foot truck was stuffed in almost every inch of space. John was the sole driver and he did a great job, getting it to Fort Collins like he'd been doing it all his life.
I think it was bittersweet for this trio to leave St. Louis, but they have a lot to look forward to on the other end.
Our moving caravan included Troy's car, loaded with two bikes, Sirius, and two human passengers. (Troy's mom, Esther, and I were both along.) John's car stayed in St. Louis as he's working for another couple of months at his job while he looks for work in Fort Collins.
This guy was a great traveler. He slept the whole way and hardly needed any bathroom breaks.
There was a dog park along the route and Sirius seemed to appreciate the chance to stretch his legs and meet some other traveling dogs.
After loading up we drove on our first day as far as Topeka and stayed at a hotel. On our second day we drove to Denver where we stayed overnight and had a home cooked dinner with my sister Kathy and her family. Lauren made, among other delicious dishes, this focaccia that tasted as good as it looks.
Although I have no photos of humans from our stay in Denver, I do have a photo of these two. Watson welcomed Sirius into his home with open paws and the two became fast friends.
The drive from Denver to Fort Collins is about 90 minutes and so our third and final day was easy, notwithstanding the fact that we pulled out of Denver at six in the morning. John and Troy's little log cabin house was all ready for our arrival and everything was downhill from there. A couple of professional movers met us upon arrival, which made unloading a cinch, and we spent the weekend unpacking.
The day after we arrived in Fort Collins, Kathy, Lauren, and Brian came up to help out. They also gave us an excuse to see some of the town. Here we are at a reservoir/hiking area near John and Troy's house. As promised, photo credit goes to the inimitable Brian Kidd.
Naturally, seeing "part of the town" included seeing some breweries. This is Funkwerks Brewing.
And this is Snow Bank Brewing. In case you're wondering, Sirius came along with us as dogs are allowed in many of the breweries in Fort Collins.
Also Snow Bank Brewing. (Lest you think the roads of Fort Collins were made less safe by our arrival, Kathy and I didn't drink anything stronger than craft sodas at both breweries.)
After our trip to the breweries it felt like the house was christened when John prepared a home cooked meal and the seven of us ate together under John and Troy's new roof. (They even used their new wedding dishes for the first time.)
Since John and Troy don't have a kitchen table and chairs yet, we all ate around this coffee table, but it still felt quite civilized.
I started with Sirius and I'll end with him too. After packing up his old house and unpacking at his new house, he seemed more at ease with this transition a few days into the process. It's my prediction that this Missouri dog is ready to be a Colorado dog.
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