Ready, Set, Go [tomorrow]

Those that follow our travels might remember that we usually buy an orchid or two 'down south' for us to enjoy during our winter.  Since many orchids have their own blooming time, it happens that some of the orchids we buy in bloom during the first three months of the year, keep blooming at the same time.  Ergo, we never see the blooms!

This little guy has bloomed every year since we bought it, but we've missed seeing the blooms for the last four years.  It surprised us this year by opening a few days before Christmas, and today, there are only a few buds left to open. Each bloom is smaller than a dime, but collectively, they make quite the show, don't you think?

They also have a fairly sweet but rich aroma in the morning: bonus!

We are planning to leave at the usual crack of dawn tomorrow. Here's what part of our staging area looks like before we pack the car.  

The blue items in the hall are our sucky bags.  These four bags contain almost all our clothes for three months!  ... and they go in the trunk.  

The shoes at the front, as well as the coat hangers and shoes, and all the boxes along the railing, go behind the back seat, just in front of the rear window.  Remember, we have a convertible, so the trunk is small, but there is storage behind the back seat where the top is stored when the car goes topless.

So what's left, you ask?  Two smallish suitcases, two computers, one camera bag, toiletries, and an assortment of stuff that didn't fit anywhere else.  

In the backseat will go winter coats, a cooler with sandwiches  drinks, and boiled eggs, the usual maps and hotel books, and our usual 'snack canyon' [a shoebox filled with sugar and calories,  yum].  I'll try to remember to make a photo of the stuffed car for later use.

All in all, we seem to have less than last year, but we've felt that way every year so far.  I'm sure something will have been forgotten, but I understand they have all kinds of stores just dying to help us out...   To be continued...