Day four in Hampton, VA. We sold the farm, stayed with Kevin’s mother on Beech Hill Pond in Otis, Maine for a few days until we drove two days to get here. We are now waiting for a paperwork snafu to resolve.
The second day we were here I got food poisoning, likely from clams at the marina restaurant. I hadn’t slept the night before and was already trying to do my best to keep my chin up, only to find it hanging over the hotel toilet.
Thankfully the toilet was way cleaner than the last dive. Being sick was awful, especially after an already stressful day in a situation full of uncertainties. We just want to sail away and start our grand adventure. Instead there is an unexpected pre-adventure to ride out.
We upgraded to a suite across town that is quiet, clean and has a full kitchen. It costs more, but I figure between cooking our meals here and the free laundry service, it’s worth the rate. Eating out wasn’t only expensive, it isn’t good for us for an extended period and it’s too hot here to leave Chip in the car.
At this point it seems we are going to be in Hampton, VA for five more days. I booked our suite for the duration of this strange homeless in limbo period. I highly recommend Priceline over Expedia. I was able to snag a great extended stay rate.
We had planned to use a Carmax drop off location near the docks to sell our Toyota Rav4. The website keeps telling us to upload a ridiculous amount of documents over and over that we have now done three times. This actually worked out for us, because we would be carless and homeless. But I don’t recommend using Carmax, because had we been in a rush and depended on them, it would have been a major snag in our already tangled plans.
We had a late lunch with the sellers yesterday. At this point we have come to an agreement that is in our favor given the shady paperwork fiasco. It’s a difficult decision on their part. They are in a tough spot with family that needs them back home. I don’t want them to feel like we are using that as leverage to beat them down on the price. They are genuine good people and we enjoy their company. They have the sweetest little dog named Maggie that gets along swimmingly with our little Chip. They are the same size and chill-level.
I have invited them over to do laundry here while they join us for a meal and enjoy the AC, and have offered them our car to get around in the city for the day. I hope they take us up on it and it helps them during this stressful situation. Kevin and I are both working from the hotel at this point. Except for Chip. He’s working on his beauty rest.
