The Move Comes Into Focus

Americans move less today than in the past. I’ve figured why. It’s a pain!

I’m saying this now even though moving is still weeks away.

We’ve already thrown out a dumpster’s worth of stuff. It’s possible we’ll need another… hopefully smaller.

A man came by to prepare an estimate for moving our household goods. This is alchemy, right? He walked around and took notes. He seemed very knowledgable. How can you translate that into weight?

At the moment our plan is to drive Helaine’s SUV. Google says 41 hours of driving from here to Irvine, California where we’ll live. A week’s drive? I’d be happier with five days, but there’s no sense pushing it too hard.

Doppler will not be strapped to the roof!

We’ve started keeping lists. Who has to be informed? Cable, oil, lawncare, electricity, etc., etc., etc.

So many decisions. So many tasks. So little time.

The most intricate part is putting all the pieces together in the right order. Some steps are dependent on earlier steps being completed. That’s especially true of the two ‘closings’ we’ll be part of.

Frazzled? Me? Sure. It probably gets more intense from here.

23 thoughts on “The Move Comes Into Focus”

  1. My sister went through this last year. After living in Hamden for all her life, she had to pack up and move to Littleton CO. Her husband got a job offer and after being laid off this was their only option. It is amazing how much “stuff” you accumulate she told me!! Not something she want’s to repeat anytime in the near future……..if at all!

    I am very happy for you Helaine and Dopplar, but sad for us. Good to know we will still be able to get our “geoff fix” through your blog and Facebook.

  2. I miss you already and you haven’t left. I sure wish we could watch the weather forecast again. It’s not fair.

  3. Wow! I’ve been out of contact for several months. Did’nt know you were moving geoff! It’s sad that there’s no longer a chance of seeing you on local TV.I wish you and your family the very best of everything! Beautiful in Cali! Loved it when I was out there! Good luck in all your endeavors Geoff!

  4. We are SOOO going to miss you. Can’t even fathom the weather here without you! We miss your calm and informative nature! You’ll keep in touch, right? Maybe some fun videos from your new dining room? Connectucut will be a poorer place when you and Helaine drive away.

  5. We’ve been in our current house almost 6 years now and there’s STILL stuff packed in boxes in the basement. I’m guessing it’s not stuff we are missing much or we’d have unpacked it by now. I told my husband we need to be in this house at least 10 years before I’d move again after we moved in. Now I’m thinking closer to 15 years. You never know how much stuff you have until you move. I feel your pain, Geoff. Best of luck with the move.

  6. My wish is for you, Helaine and Doppler to create a wonderful life in Irvine, CA. We’ve missed you on the telly, but everything has a purpose. So good luck and live big.

  7. Oh Geoff….. Feeling both happy and sad
    at the same time. Happy that Helene and
    you will be starting a new life closer to your
    daughter. BUT sad that we will be losing
    your presence here on the east coast. I hope
    you will continue to look out for us over here
    and keep us safe.

  8. We did CT to AZ 10 years ago. Sell what you can buy new. Your tastes will change once you move!! Take it all in stride. It will be an adventure. If I did over again I’d have gotten rid of everything save for personal things. Moving companies base on distance,weight etc. good luck. You’ll get thru it.

  9. With my first husband we moved a lot. Company he worked for is now gone. Engineering believe it or not move their people a lot or used to. I have gone through moving 3 times in 6 months when the energy industry was going through turmoil. I was an expert in prepacking before the movers came to load us up and unpacking in 2 weeks to repeat every few months!! Since being in CT, Waterford was my last “company move”. I have moved myself 3 times but have stayed longer in a couple of the places. Another move is on the horizon just not sure where. Waterbury is just a stop along the journey, however, since I’ve got to know the area I do like it here. Actually, after exploring a new area I have grown to love living where I have landed. Enjoy exploring your new area and we’ll enjoy reading your blog relating your new adventures!! Not to worry its not as bad as it seems right now. Does this mean you have a contract on your house?

  10. When we moved to IN from CT in 2002 the cheapest quote I got was around $10K!!! Eventually struck a deal with the moving company and cut that in half. They had a guy coming west and rather than send him empty they put our stuff on instead. We filled a 53’van and 20′ of a 30′ truck AND left some stuff behind. Filled a 10 yard dumpster in 8 hours. I know EXACTLY what you mean!!! I like the suggestion to sell it all and buy new, makes a lot of sense.

    Travel safely Geoff.

  11. I have driven cross country 3 times. Twice it took 5 days and once 6. My husband, son and I moved from CA to CT 14 years ago. You think the packing and minutia of moving is hard? Wait until you have to start saying goodbye to people. It is exhausting.

  12. I did the CT to CA move in ’85. Young, in love and with no furniture I moved via UPS! About 12 boxes total and then I flew out there.
    In the 8 years we lived there we moved FOUR times. There were boxes that barely got unpacked but they were dutifully moved each time.
    In ’95 we moved CA to CT. We used a moving company – $6,000 about?, had my husbands truck shipped and drove the minivan Sonoma county south to LA to visit family and then the southern route visiting the Grand Canyon, and relatives in OK on the way.
    I swore this house is IT. Pry my cold dead hands and all that I’m not moving again!

  13. Jeff and Helaine we are very happy for you.sounds like a great move.. Best of luck on your new journey

  14. Although I have never met you, I have always known you lived just a few miles up the road from us. It is a little sad to know you won’t be there any more. However, I trust I will be able to continue to follow you and your California adventures via this “Permanent Record.” I sincerely hope the move will turn out to be a very happy one for you, Helaine, and Doppler.

  15. The pack, load, and watch it depart bit is the tough one. Saying goodbye to neighbors is also very wearing.

    Try to plan the cross-country drive to have plenty of time to play tourist if you can. There is a lot of cool stuff to see going cross country, and getting a bad case of ‘gotta-get-there-itis” is dangerous because you can get too tired and in a hurry. We really, really want you and Helaine and Doppler to survive the journey without difficulties.

    If you take the route 40 (southern) route, try to stop in Monahans, Texas. There is a Barbeque place there that has the best BBQ in Texas, hands down. Place is called “Pappy’s” and it’s family owned and operated. The town is so small there are only two highway exits and the business district is all of about 2 blocks long…worth a stop for a great meal. Even my food-fussy wife and daughter loved it!

  16. Consider taking a few extra days on the drive. It’s probably the only chance you’ll have to drive cross-country – if there’s a way to swing it, take the time to take the scenic route and see the sights. I drove to Dallas some years back (2 and a half days – driving alone) and really wish I could have spent more time. There’s so much you don’t experience just flying overhead in an airplane.

  17. Geoff,

    Surely, you can’t continue to “tease” your audience about whether or not you’ve sold your home here in CT. This is not TV where the “promo tease” is a fact of life. Some of the “hints” you’ve given about procuring a mortgage in Irvine, Ca. leads one to conclude that you have indeed made a home purchase there. Your loyal friends and fans here in CT are hoping for confirming news. As a well known tabloid is want to proclaim…..”Inquiring minds, want to know!”

      1. Congratulations on both accounts. Of course it is bitter sweet. We have invited you into our homes virtually every night for the past 28 years and it’s sad knowing that that chapter is now closed. But opportunity knocks on the “left” coast and I’m certain that there are many more chapters to be written. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to view you on some West Coast station at some point, knowing that there will always be that long standing and familiar connection with your fans and friends back here in Connecticut. I’m still hoping that I’ll have you on one of my flights one day! Blue skies and gentle Pacific breezes!!

  18. Having moved 7 times in 9 years, the main thing I can tell you is that you don’t need all that “STUFF”. Also be sure you go with a Name Co. (National, Global Van, Mayflower,etc) You’ll be happier in the end.

    Johm

  19. Geoff and Helaine (and Doppler,too).
    You ought to know that you will be missed by all your friends in the media. Over the years, I’ve appreciated your forecasts, not only for their accyracy but the breadth of your weather knowledge, history and focus. And the great way you delivered your forecasts and the news. Yes, it’s also been good to compare our knowledge of Queens history, the best pizza places and growing up in New York. Glotia Puzza is still the standard (for me) against which all pizza places are judged. On the drive to Irvine, I hope you snd Helaine take lots of pictures and you keep a diary of your cross-country travel and the things that impress you. Note: even as I write this I am pretty sure you will. I don’t know how soon your bug out day is, and if there’s a way to say Safe Travels in person I’d like to. Basra LaVista sounds so much better than goodbye — even if it does remind be a bit of Tge Terminator. I hope you and Helaine have an easy, enjoyable drive and know you will be missed. Your friend, MariAn Gail Brown

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