More house pics

My buddy Mark the Shark did some more legwork for me this morning, meeting the owner of the house I am looking to rent and checking it out for me. He took some interior pics and a couple more exterior pics. Looks just perfect for me!

Froggie

Saw this lil fella hanging around on my porch the other day when it was raining...pretty neat!

"Gift" from friends

When I went back for a visit to Omaha a couple weeks ago I met up with a lot of friends. Some of those friends are my Moto Guzzi riding pals.

They brought me a wonderful, handmade "gift". Sort of a bit of teasing about my love of Alfa Romeo automobiles.....Thanks fellas ;-0

Click the pics to enlarge

Couple of tidbits

My friend Mark the Shark is going to meet the landlord/owner of the house I am considering renting tomorrow morning. Mark will look over the interior, etc. and take some pics and we will have a discussion Saturday about the house. If it looks good the process moves forward.

I am expecting an offer on my Alfa 164 soon. Hopefully a good offer. I am torn about the car as it is a nice car but I think it is bet that it stay behind.

I applied for a new job at work. Things look pretty good but I don't like to count my chickens before they hatch. Makes for a lot of disappointment and I have walked that road in life too many times.

Doofus

You'd think after numerous instances I would learn, but no. Yet again this afternoon I looked out the window near my 4th floor office to see rain falling from the sky...and into my Alfa Romeo Spider, who's top I had left down. This happens to me a lot. I drive to work in the a.m. with the top down, whistling a tune and feeling the wind pass through my thick, luscious hair. I leave the top down at work, because it is nice out, clear skies and all that. Then out of the blue a lousy shower passes through and gives my Spider's interior a nice little soaking.

Then there's the scene of me scurrying out the door, running down 4 flights of stairs, out to my car and looking for anything I can find in the trunk to mop the water beads off the supple vinyl seats, etc.

Oh well, it dries out quickly as the clouds pass and the Florida sun does its job. I just wish I wasn't such a dumb*ss sometimes!

Onto other news.....it looks like I have found a new spot to live, unless something unexpected happens.

Check out this map below from the house to my office in Omaha. 1.4 miles by foot! Yeah! Also here are a couple more house area pics ("A" on the map) and one pic of the office, located on the top floor of the US Bank building ("B" on the map)

A possibility

For my move back. Located in SW Omaha (Millard)

According to Google maps 1.4 miles away from the office. I could walk there in 26 minutes :=)

# Bedrooms..........................4
# Bathrooms.........................1-3/4
# House Style.......................Multi-level
# Square Footage.................2,200 approx.
# Garage..............................2-car

# KITCHEN - - - - - -Electric appliances (refrigerator, dishwasher, stove, disposal). Dine-in area.
# DINING ROOM - - Separate eating area for family dinners!
# LIVING ROOM - - "Cathedral-style" ceiling with large windows.
# MAIN BATH - - - -Located off upstairs hallway; tub/shower combo.
# 4 BEDROOMS - - - 3 upstairs, 1 downstairs. Large walk-in cedar closet off master!
# LOWER LEVEL - - Carpeted FAMILY ROOM, 4th BEDROOM, UTILITY ROOM w/laundry hookups. "3/4" BATHROOM (shower, toilet & sink) in laundry room, lots of storage.
# GARAGE - - - - - -2-car garage w/auto opener
# BACKYARD - - - -Access from kitchen; patio, chain link fence.
# Central Air, Gas Heat

https://post.craigslist.org/manage/1442535180/by9bs

Lunchtime snapshots

Today I went to lunch with Scott the Canuck. We went to Subway and then hoofed around the little outdoor mall area near work.

'twas a nice break from work for an hour. Here are a few pics, including the Dream Team shot of my Alfa Romeo 164L and the Canuck's Honda Accord dominating our sector of the parking lot....

I thought I might escape.....

.....the fall deluge which was engulfing my Guzzi Stelvio as I peered out the window. Sheets of rain were smothering everything in sight, but it appeared it had let up. So off to the Guzzi, helmet on, fired her up and on way way. Not bad...good in fact!

Very little rain as I hopped on I-4 for the 17 miles home. The bike sounds good as I lay a heavy hand to the throttle. Wait, what's this? As I continue north toward home the rain is increasing. Light, now moderate....oh dear it is getting heavy now!

Now I am getting good and wet! Through puddles and oh, my shoes are soaked! I can feel the wet through my jacket and soaking my shirt. Pants, well, not dry anymore!

Ah well, it's been a while since we had a nice gulley washer and longer still since I have been caught in the middle of one!

To steal a phrase, I'm not made of sugar so I won't melt away :-)

Moving on-ward

So a couple more things falling into place today. I have my moving truck reserved now as well as a trailer to tow the lil Spider behind it. Looks like 11/25 is truck pick up day.

I also have a friend to assist me with some truck loading and also to help with the driving on the way back. Prolly leave on Thanksgiving for the trip north which will take a couple days. Maybe stop at Subway or Quizno's for the traditional turkey samich feast :=)

30 day notice given on my lease here. So i gotta be gone by 11/30 for sure now. No turning back! :=)

Finally I talked to a realtor contact in Omaha today and have a lead on a house in midtown area (84th and Dodge-ish). An older two story home with wood floors. The neighborhood seems okay and the rent is reasonable. Not the ideal location but it might fill the bill for now. Also have looked at some internet property listings in the Millard area and Gretna. Just not sure yet.

More reports to come as things develop further.

Plan in place

Regarding my move to the Great Plains I am moving strongly in the direction of trying to get the move accomplished over the Thanksgiving holiday, before the really nasty weather generally arrives in Nebraska. I have buy in from my bosses and from the people in Omaha on this, so that is what I am shooting for. I am gonna be busy packing and getting all sorts of things taken care of in the near future. My goal is to be working in the Omaha office on 12/1.

I have lined up a couple of contingencies, such as a temporary place to stay in Omaha if needed until I get a house lined up and also a place to leave my Alfa 164L down here for a bit if I do not sell it before the move.

So the plan is made....I just need to get busy executing it!

Tidbits

Well I have a realtor in Omaha now helping me with my search for a place to live there. Additionally I have been scouring some websites looking for places there. It actually seems I can get a nicer place here in FL for the same money than in Omaha. Go figure. Oh well I will just settle for a little less there...that's ok.

I think I might have someone interested in the Alfa 164L, prolly because I am not asking a heck of a lot for it. I hope I am able to sell it quickly.

Since my lease here expires November 30, I am not obliged to stay in the house here past that point, but I do have to give 30 days notice, so if I did want to vacate as early as December 1st I need to make that decision before the end of this month. That would mean getting a lot of my ducks in a row in a short time. We'll see how that goes.

What I have to consider is that the weather just keeps getting worse in Nebraska after December which would make the move more of a PITA.

Guarding the Guzzi

Whilst out washing my Alfa 164 today, I spied a new little friend perched upon the top case of my Guzzi. He seemed genuinely interested inn what I was doing and hung around for quite some time!

I am sure I have posted this here previously, but I like the melody, I like the words, I like the feeling of the song and I like Don Henley's voice, so here we go again :)

Selling my Alfa Romeo 164L

If any of my blog readers knows of someone interested in buying a black 1991 Alfa Romeo 164L, which has upgraded 164S model seats and a good deal of recent maintenance, let me know please.

With my move to Nebraska I am not bringing both cars back with me and have decided to bring the 1986 Spider and leave the 164L.

An agreement in principle

Ah yes, a productive day. I have come to a verbal agreement with a friend in Omaha to go in on a major purchase together upon my arrival there. Something that will save us literally thousands of dollars over the course of our lives.

If you haven't figured it out by now, of course I am speaking of the AMAZING....

FLOWBEE!! Yeah, kick hiney, I will finally have a Flowbee! The amazing hair cutting system which yields a perfect cut every gd time! YAY!!!

Hmmmm, where to live

After my haircut and outdoor chores today, I started surfing the web for places to live in Nebraska.

Ideally I think west Omaha is best as my office is in Millard. Maybe Gretna might be nice? I have to have a 2 car garage at least for my bike and cars, though I may sell the Alfa 164 and just bring the Spider up north. Undecided as of yet as I do like the 164 but I fear Nebraska winter weather would not treat it well at all.

Anyway, anyone from Nebraska with any ideas on good houses for rent please shoot your ideas my way. I don't need a lot of square footage but I must have a 2 car garage :)

Chris visits the barber

I went to the barber this morning. It's been a while since I have done that. Since I bought myself a little Wahl haircut kit a while back, I had taken to (poorly) cutting my own hair. However I determined it was time for a pro to do it.

I go to a place in downtown Deland called Shaw's barber shop. An older fella named Vernon cuts my hair. He's been a barber for over 50 years I think. I like barbers to cut my hair, not beauticians. I also like the fact that Shaw's, which is located in busy downtown Deland's main street, has a parking space right out front reserved for MOTORCYCLES only :) I pull up on my Guzzi and walk about 10 feet to the door :)

Anyway, here are a couple pics of me with shorter hair after this morning's haircut. Can you say low maintenance?

Coulda, shoulda, woulda.....

Why didn't I? Why did I?

Hindsight is 20/20 but dammit I wish I had 20/20 vision on all the could haves and should haves in my life.

I guess the best thing to do is just follow your heart in life and even though it might not always seem to be the wisest decision, you'll always feel good about it in your heart.

Check: Life lesson learned.

State of flux

After giving it a lot of thought over the last 6 months or so, I have put the wheels in motion for a return to Omaha after about 4 years here in Florida. I will be able to stay with Fiserv and work out of the Omaha office of Fiserv.

The timing works out pretty well as the lease on the house I am living in expires at the end of November and I can continue month to month as needed.

So there is a lot to do re: living arrangements in Omaha, all the things related to moving all my stuff back, etc.

This seems to me to be the right thing to do. All of my family is now back in Nebraska, except for my folks who are still in Kansas, but only a couple hours drive from the Omaha area.

It's a bittersweet decision for me, as I have made some really good friends here in Florida, whose friendship and comradery I will miss. But I'll be able to see my nieces and nephews grow up and see my brothers, sister, in-laws and my mom and dad more than the current once a year or so....and my Omaha friends.

The moving time frame is up in the air, but let's just say it will be sometime between now and springtime.

I like this melody and the execution of it on harmonica by this young lady.



Here I found a rendition of the same song featuring two legends....Tom Jones on vocals and Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) on guitar. Great lyrics, Tom's voice sounds fantastic and Mark's guitar is haunting.

Gnocchi

Tonight I had gnocchi for dinner. Gnocchi is a little ball that looks like a pasta but is made of potatoes, flour and spices. You boil the little guys for a couple or three minutes and then toss them in your favorite sauce or some olive oil...whatever you like.

Reflections

So here I sit in the Minneapolis, Minnesota airport waiting for my flight back to Florida. I see the forecast for Orlando today calls for a high of 68 degrees....I could have stayed in Omaha for that! :=)

I had a great time in Omaha. I actually welcomed the cooler weather as a refreshing change from the unseasonably hot Florida weather we have had the last few weeks. Sure it was gloomy and a lot of the time rainy and drizzly, but it was home. Where I spent most of my life growing up. Where my family is and where many of my long time friends still live. Where a lot of people I love and prolly even a few that love me live.

I had a great visit in Omaha. Thanks all of my friends and family for getting together to share some laughs, smiles, hugs and as I sit here thinking about it thanks for the tears too. Good tears. It was great seeing everyone and I hope someday I can see you all on a more regular basis.

Last day in Omaha

Today was my last day in Omaha. I started my day having breakfast with a very dear friend at a place called Wheatfields in Papillion, NE. I had a really good granola/fresh fruit/yogurt mix.

The rest of the day was spent watching a lot of football with my friend Mark and my brother/nephews, including a pitiful performance by the Nebraska Cornhuskers and a couple other very exciting games.

Sunday a.m. at about 4:30 a.m. I am on the road back to the Omaha airport and the trip home via Minneapolis.

See you later Omaha...it was a really nice visit.

Yuckin it up with some friends at Upstream

Thursday night I drank too much ale but had a great time with some friends at the Upstream Brewery in West Omaha....

Today's fun in Omaha

Today I had a visit with Super Cub pilot Bob and has lovely wife Barb. Bob and I had breakfast at the nice little Heartland cafe in Elkhorn, NE.

After that we went to the Millard airport to check out Bob's awesome Piper Super Cub. What a sweet plane! The cloud ceiling was too low to fly but it was great to check out the plane.

Later in the day I paid a visit to downtown Omaha and walked across the new pedestrian bridge over the Missouri river.

Tonight is family night at my brother Luke's house.