Fall-Winter 2003-2004: Back in Brookings, Oregon,
and Preparing to Move, Again

In October, I visited my German friends near Frankfurt for about one week.  The red hanging geraniums were still in bloom when I arrived, then an overnight frost finished them off until new ones are planted next year.  Cake and coffee, tea for me, at 4 PM in German cafes was a real treat, again.  I enjoyed this quality time with Schulze’s, my German family, and Bitterlich’s, my German friends.

Tom and I were both quite depressed during this time. We had hoped to be on the road traveling, but the delays made that not happen. The delays did give us time to pack-up the house and move the necessities into the apartment over the garage and other belongings into storage. We gave lots of stuff away, too. This move was a step toward living in a much smaller space.

Tom ordered our camera equipment and we learned to use our Canon EOS 10D's with a telephoto lens, macro lens, and wide-angle lens. On warm days, we'd venture down to the beach or go on a hike and "shoot" away. In the evenings, we'd review our photos and choose the best for a slide-show which we shared with each other with popcorn.

Also during this time, I slept late and took lots of naps with Sadie. I didn't realize how exhausted I was from the previous year from moving across country then teaching for one last year full-time as a special education teacher in the public schools in Northern CA. I was pooped after teaching full-time for 24 years and part-time for four more. And, I missed being with friends and family during the holidays, but I didn't have the energy to do anything about it. Last year, I cancelled a trip to Hawaii during the winter holidays because I was too tired to go. That was a mistake. I may never get that opportunity again! For a job that pays so little, teaching has cost me a lot. Maxine said this about being a social worker in my favorite TV show, Judging Amy.

Tom and I had frequent discussions about how to develop our photography business. About a year later, we both agreed that we were really enjoying being retired photo hoboes and didn't really want to work at developing a business out of this enjoyable hobby, so we let MacTom, Inc. expire.