Getting close.....

Well, it's Saturday night and I am in Virginia at my home making the final preparations for my Mega Voyage. There are so many things to consider when you go away for such a long period of time and visit such diverse countries and climates. Packing certainly is a chore... I am well on my way...pretty much done. I sent off three suitcases with International Port Services yesterday. The idea is that the next time I see my suitcases will be in my cabin on the ms Amsterdam.... that's the theory anyway. I'll check two more suitcases on my flight to Seattle and carry on a garment bag and a "personal item" with more electronics than you could imagine. It's tough being a bit of a techno-geek and traveling. All the bills are set up for automatic payment, someone is set up to take care of the house, yard and mail and other than that, I shut the place down....Oh yeah! almost forgot... my neighbor will start up my car and drive it once in a while. I fly to Seattle on Wednesday and sail Friday. It's good to go a bit early since the airlines don't seem to care much about you or your luggage. I am going to visit the Headquarters of Holland America while I am in Seattle...should be fun. I'm taking the photo books I published for them to see while I'm there. I'm looking forward to seeing a couple of folks there because they have been very helpful in pulling this trip together. Well, back to the grind, only 4 days left...... By the way, my sister Lisa may be helping me out on posting some of my blog entries and photos for me.... much thanks to her and if you see any typos or problems with the posts I'll be happy to speak to her about the quality of her work.....