Izzy and I are planning a road trip around the states this fall. As a family (all 3 plus dog), we will head to Sweden late summer, settle into the apartment we have rented, get a car, and I’m sure a lot more that we haven’t figured out yet. Susanna will be looking to start working, hopefully as a preschool teacher; she needs to work to sponsor my residence permit. Izzy will have to repeat 3rd grade, and I’ll have to be out of Sweden for Susanna to apply for my permit. Our current plans are for Izzy and me to fly back to the US in late August.
We’ll spend a week in Connecticut catching up with friends and getting the mini-van ready for our road trip. Once ready, we will head west towards St. Louis and family. From there, maybe Colorado, California, and back. We’ll have time to plan it as we go and see where we feel like wandering.
I’ll put in a rudimentary DC electrical system for the trip. We’ll need to power a refrigerator/cooler, computers and phones. I’m planning on putting a solar panel on the roof and use a 50Ah lithium battery that I already have on hand. I ordered a 100W solar panel and a 30A PWM charge controller to start early testing of the system. I’ll eventually build a box for the battery and associated connectors.
I hooked up the solar this afternoon and was getting 2-3 amps of charging current even with the overcast weather. The next challenge for the electrical system is to figure out how to run the cables into the mini-van without having to drill a hole in the roof. I have some ideas, but will have to spend some time looking more closely at the van.
This Friday marks the end of a nearly 30-year chapter working for the U.S. Navy, as I make my final commute to Newport and turn in my computer, phone, and badges. With the recent push to reduce the size of the federal workforce, I’ve been given the unexpected opportunity to retire almost five years earlier than I had originally planned.
The past couple of months have been a whirlwind of planning and soul-searching. Susanna and I have a full spring and summer ahead—we’re preparing to sell our home and move to Sweden, where I’ll begin the next chapter in retirement.
This fall, Izzy and I will return to the States while my residence permit is processed, and we’re planning to take a few months for a road trip across the country.
Earlier this year, Susanna and I had grand plans for Izzy’s spring break. Izzy and I were going to fly to Texas to visit Ben; we would spend a few days in San Antonio before the major heat of the summer. Susanna was going to fly to Sweden to visit the newest member of the family, Agnes. Then came late January, new direction from the top, and huge amounts of churn in my job and the country. Any chance of telework disappeared, so any extra days I had to be at home with Izzy would have to come out of vacation time. And finally, came the “fork in the road” email and it started looking like I might get an opportunity to retire early.
So we decided to hold off on any major expenses and trips. I would save up my vacation hours until we figured out what was next. We would start looking at what it would take to sell the house and downsize or move. Instead of a grand adventure, Susanna and Izzy had to plan a spring break at home.
We have been spending a lot of time getting our house ready to sell this summer, and going through the many years of junk we (okay, mostly I) have accumulated. But we still needed to do something fun for school break; at least something more fun than every day at home. We watched the weather forecast and I put in extra hours early in the week.
Yesterday we headed down the coast to NYC. The weather was perfect for a day in the city. It wasn’t so hot that we baked in the sun, and it wasn’t so cold we froze. Light jackets and sweaters were perfect, and easy to pack in my backpack when we armed up.
Izzy wanted to bring her best friend, Evelyn. We picked her up first thing in the morning, stopped and Dunkin for breakfast and drove to New Haven. From New Haven we took the commuter train to Grand Central Station. Evelyn hadn’t been to New York City before, so it was a new adventure for her. Izzy normally did NYC with just her parents, so having a friend along was a new adventure for her.
From Grand Central Station, we walked to Times Square. There we jumped on the subway to Chelsea and the High Line Park. We found a bagel bakery for lunch then walked maybe half of the park. By the time we left the park it was almost too crowded to walk the trail. We exited the park to street level and took an Uber to Magnolia Bakery. We took our afternoon sugar snack to Central Park to find a nice rock outcrop to sit and eat on. Izzy and Evelyn ran around the Heckscher Playground until it was time to walk back to Grand Central Station, with a stop at Midtown Comics.
Susanna bought what must have been the worlds most expensive grapes at Grand Central to hold us until we got back to New Haven and found a place to eat on the way home. We dropped off Evelyn at here house and made it home around bedtime. Both girls gave two-thumbs-up for the day; three-thumbs-up if they had an extra digit.
Theater season is starting. Today Izzy had auditions at Granite Theater in Westerly for Peter Pan Jr. The weather was cool and overcast, but not raining. Not the nicest day to walk around, but the overcast sky made it a good day for photography. I dropped Izzy off at the theater and strolled around Westerly, winding up at the Westerly library 30 minutes before I had to pick up Izzy. It was a nice break from the chaos and uncertainty at work.
Westerly, RIWilcox Park, Westerly RIPawcatuck River
Yesterday was beautiful. The sun was out, and the high was near 60. I put in extra hours Monday through Thursday so I can get home a little early on Friday. It was a perfect afternoon to take Hoagie for a short hike.
Tomorrow is our last day in Sävsjöström before starting the journey home. I plan on heading into the nearby city, Växjö, tomorrow to meet up for coffee, but otherwise take it easy. On Wednesday we take the train to Stockholm, and Thursday morning we fly back to Boston.
This trip has been pretty busy. We have had a lot more social time pushed into a shorter period than our trip the summer of 2023. While it has been a lot of fun, I am tired. The weather has been mostly overcast, with some rain and finally snow for the past few days.
My workbench, as complete as it will be this trip! The only thing left to do is wax the tools and sweep the floor on last time. The shop is a 15-minute walk from the house.
It is pretty thin on tools, but I plan on adding tools each trip over here. I’ll bring some of mine over, as well as pick some up here. I finished up a shelf under the bench as well as some accessories to hang tools on the wall. I didn’t get bench vice this time, and I really missed having a good way to hold work. I need to make or buy some proper planing stops, but was able to make due with a thin board and clamps at the end of the bench. I also need a marking gauge; they are small and light and that was an oversight to not bring one.
We returned the rental car today and visited the swim park (Växjö Simhall) before grabbing lunch and taking the bus back to Sävsjöström. The rain/sleet/snow slowed down enough that we completed the 20-minute walk home from the bus stop without getting soaked. Tonight Izzy’s cousins are over for a sleepover with Grandma and Grandpa; I’ll be hiding in the annex to keep my sanity.
Yesterday (Saturday) was pretty quiet. I helped Dan install a fence gate down at the cabin on the lake. The whole family took a walk to check out the new gate, and Dan made a fire at the cabin. I walked to the workshop and back to get my steps in and I did spend a little time there. Overall, it was a relief to have a quiet day.
Saturday, we went to a hockey game with Susanna’s parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephews. I was surprised how much Izzy was into the game, but it way more engaging watching in an arena as opposed to watching in TV. The Växjö Lakers had a family day with face painting and candy drop. It was a disappointing loss in overtime, and Izzy’s cousins took it pretty hard. We followed the game with dinner at Foodie in Växjö centrum and followed that with some tears from the kids after dinner (yes, of course it is much less fun to ride with mom and dad instead of grandma and grandpa).
The past week has been busy. We arrived in Sävsjöström on Thursday. We didn’t pick up our rental car until Monday, so spent a lot of time at home and getting rides from Susanna’s parents.
I spent time building a workbench in Dan’s workshop. He generously offered to let me take a corner of his shop to start my wood shop over here. Even more generously, he let me pick through his lumber stock to make the bench. I brought over three hand saws and two handplanes to leave here, with the plan to pick up clamps and chisels (and other tools as needed) locally. The workshop is a 15-minute walk from their house, so I have been getting my steps in most days.
My workbench pushed alongside the wall. I will probably still add a shelf below the bench and some shelves to hold the handplanes if I have time.
The week has been very social. For New Year’s Eve, Susanna, Izzy, and I went with her Sister’s family to a friend’s house for dinner and games. Almost all the kids stayed up until midnight and the neighborhood fireworks display. We had a great time, and Susanna has been paying for it today. I was the designated driver, so I’m not feeling the effects of the night today. Izzy and I had a nice outing to Kosta outlets while Susanna slept until early afternoon.
Earlier in the week, Susanna, Izzy, and I went to an open house. We are a few years away from buying a place here, but we don’t have lots of time here between now and then, so it is good to get an idea of what we like and don’t like about apartments here. Of course it was new, so Izzy loved it. I suspect Izzy will love most of the properties we go look at.
A snowy morning walking to the workshop in Sävsjöström, Sweden.
Dan took me bowling with a group of his friends over the weekend. I am certainly not a good bowler, but I had fun. I even won the first game, but was trounced the second game. After bowling we all went out to the pizza buffet in Kosta. I was invited to join them at the Sävsjöström “sport club” sauna that evening, but I was still feeling the time change, so declined. It was a good call. Apparently the person that was responsible for turning on the sauna that morning didn’t do it correctly, so they had to wait over an hour for it to heat up.
I found a woodworking store (SweDendro-Tools) in the nearby city, Växjö. Not really found it; Dan has been there, so he pointed me in the right direction. I dragged Susanna there with me so I could get two parallel clamps, chisels and a sharpening stone. I decided to get Axminster Tools clamps and chisels. I haven’t seen them before and I believe that they are a UK company, but the quality seems decent. The chisels sharpened up nicely, but time will tell if they hold an edge. The clamps are nice; they were half the price of the Bessey clamps. Then again, I haven’t used Bessey clamps, so won’t be able to compare them.
We have a busy week planned with visits to relatives and friends, a hockey game, and possibly a sleepover with Izzy’s cousins. I will see how far I get in the workshop in the time between all the activities.
Susanna keeping me company while I build the workbench.
This year, Susanna and I decided to try something different. Instead of all of us going to Sweden over the summer, we took a family vacation to St. Louis. We came to visit Susanna’s family in Sweden for Christmas instead of having a Christmas at home.
We started our journey in New London on the 23rd of December. We planned an afternoon Amtrak train to Boston. And that morning the train service decided to start our trip with delays. Electrical problems caused delays from all the trains out of New York City going north. Luckily, Amtrak let us change tickets to an earlier scheduled train, which still arrived after our planned departure.
Waiting for Amtrak in New London, CT
The rest of the trip went smoothly. The security line in Boston, and the passport control in Iceland were both thankfully short. Izzy even slept for an hour or so on the flight from Iceland to Sweden. A short taxi ride later we were at our hotel, with time for Izzy and I to grab lunch at Max Burgers while Susanna took a short nap.
Christmas day started slow. We didn’t plan to meet Susanna’s family until the afternoon for dinner. Susanna and Izzy walked the mostly-closed mall next to the hotel, and I took a mostly pleasant walk around the city. I tried to get some pictures, but a wet and overcast day presented challenges.
Thursday we drove to Sävsjöström with Susanna’s parents and plan to spend the rest of our vacation there. I had been expecting snow and cold, but so far that hasn’t been the case. While it is overcast and damp, it is otherwise pleasant for walking around. At least for the 6 hours of daylight this time of year.
Walking around Stockholm – a view across RåstasjönDucks in Råstasjön, Solna, SwedenStatue at Filmstaden, Råsunda, SwedenParking Garage, Solna, Sweden
According to Izzy, “It was chaos at my house today.” At least that is what she told her Swedish teacher during class tonight. To be fair, it was.
But it was fun. Only one dish was broken, and no one seriously hurt. It has been a while since we have had a 2-year old and 3-year old running around the house. On top of the toddlers running around, we had an extra two dogs and a rainy day that kept them mostly inside. Where to start?
For Thanksgiving dinner, we had 7 adults, an 8 year old, a 3 year old, a 2 year old, 3 dogs (ours plus 2), and one person with pneumonia that stayed in their room.
I am thankful for my wife who helped me put together a Thanksgiving dinner for family and friends. When the toddlers were running around, she became her preschool teacher self and helped stem some of the chaos. Even before the chaos, she got up in the morning and drove up to Hartford to pick up Ben’s girlfriend, Nu, and bring her down for the day. And after it was all done, she stayed in the kitchen and helped me clean up debris.
I am thankful for my oldest, Will, and that he was over his pneumonia and able to join us. Despite still a bit weak, and tired from taking care of his partner, Bug, who now has picked up the pneumonia from Will, helped me get the table setup, extra chairs needed, and even cleaned the bathroom.
I am thankful for Ben. He is at Navy boot camp and still has weeks to go before becoming a sailor. I’m thankful that he is going well and has chosen to serve. Unfortunately I’ll miss his graduation in January, but plan to visit him at A-school in April during Izzy’s spring break.
I am thankful for Izzy. She is growing up way too fast. She helped watch the young ones during dinner, and even cleaned up all the toys after everyone was gone (with only a little complaining). She started the day helping set the table and bringing down age-appropriate toys to setup for the kids.
I am thankful for my two boys’ partners, Bug and Nu. Bug helped take care of Will when he was sick over the past few weeks, and now is paying the price for that with getting pneumonia himself. Nu is holding down the fort at home so Ben can focus on his job of becoming a sailor.
I’m thankful for the friends that were here today. First, my neighbors who left their dog at home today (but thankfully bring her over a few times a week so Hoagie can have a play date). Somehow they remained unfazed with the running around. Next, an old Navy friend who is brave (or crazy) enough to bring his young daughter and son to visit us on one of the few days he gets to spend with them.
I’m even thankful for the three dogs that are currently sleeping next to me after they spend an entire day adding to the chaos. They certainly made sure no food was left on the floor, and provided endless entertainment for the kids (when they were let out from behind the baby gate. Of course I’m thankful for Hoagie, who helps make sure I get out and go walking more than I would otherwise (though less than I should). But I’m also thankful for Oreo and Dakota; them being here means that my friend, Mark, gets to spend Thanksgiving with his family who is in Washington, DC visiting him.
And finally, I’m thankful for the family and friends that I didn’t get to see today.
I departed Boston Logon on Friday morning and landed at Taoyuan International Airport on Saturday night and took the high speed rail to Kaohsiung City. I arrived at my hotel after 10pm hoping that I would be able to get a long night sleep. However, the 12-hour time shift had me up early, so I took a walk around the city before it got too hot. Today will be an easy day before starting work first thing on Monday. Hopefully I can head home by Friday.
Kaohsiung music centerTemple on Xintian RdKaohsiung City – Along the sidewalkKaohsiung Port
