Things are starting to move quickly now that PJ has determined a definitive end date for her employment at ServiceNow. Her last scheduled work day is June 30th. I had been taking my time getting things organized but now we have kicked our preparations into a higher gear. The storage unit is starting to fill up and I’ve been working on final projects to get the house ready to rent. I bought all new innards for the two toilets. One ran at times and the other just had old and rusty parts. Luckily the kits came with pretty clear instructions and I was able to remove the rear tanks and replace and install all of the new components. The toilet in the master bath had a long bolt that had rusted solid and I had to cut it off with the Sawzall. I managed to get it done without breaking anything and both units seem to be working well. Much faster and more forceful flow than previously.

My friend Randy came over and we put in an overflow pan under the water heater. What was seemingly an easy project quickly got complicated when the water refused to drain from the water heater. The shut off valve just kept spinning and the pressure relief valve was frozen. We tried a few things and finally had to cut one of the copper pipes and re-solder it after getting enough venting to empty the tank. Even empty, the heater was heavy and awkward. After a major wrestling match we managed to get the pan installed and plumbed to the outside to drain water away from the garage if it ever springs a leak. We strapped it to the wall to make it earthquake safe and moved on to the bathroom sinks.

The faucet in the hall wiggles and with the rotted away seal, I ended up having to buy a whole new faucet in order to get it to seat tightly and not move.

The new set is a Kingston Brass unit from Denault’s that looks like a decent quality faucet. We cleaned the aerator in the other bathroom and got both of the stopper valves working smoothly.

Up until now, I’ve been the Ebay guy but today I put a bunch of larger items on Craigslist. Not my favorite venue, but for the big stuff you have to go with it. The little Toyota truck didn’t last but a few hours before it was being driven off by a young man named Moises who is planning on using it for his new landscaping endeavor. We’ll see how well we do with the furniture and surfboards.

Yesterday, I put the computer in for a tune up, then did several runs to StorQuest to pack in the kayak, some bikes and a bunch of misc. boxes. Tomorrow Sandra, our property manager, is showing the house to a couple of prospective renters, so we have to be up and out early with the the dogs to give her the space to show the place. Not quite looking its best but she is getting lots of responses. Still need to set up paint and carpet and I think we are good to go. Two weeks! It is flying by fast. PJ is getting pretty scared and more than a bit emotional as things are starting to line up and the whole adventure is becoming a reality. She cried as the little white pick up drove off to begin its new life.

We are up early and in bed late. Time to pack it in and get ready for tomorrow’s adventure.