Monday from Chicago

I woke up this morning and it took me several seconds to figure out where I was. For the past several weeks we’ve slept in about a half dozen different places, so I’m never too sure where I am until I look out the window.

I’m here for a number of reasons. First, I had to leave Bermuda since my entry was only as a visitor and only for 21 days. (I now have my letter allowing entry/re-entry for the next three years, so that’s one hurdle we’re over). Second, I’m here to meet a contractor who will be installing some additional cabinets. Third, I need to bring along some additional personal items that we left in Chicago three weeks ago. And finally, I need to pick up some items that are either difficult to find, or outrageously expensive, in Bermuda.

I’ll only be here for a few more days. I’m eager to get back and get us settled and moved into our new home. Kim and I were there last Saturday and got the kitchen and our bedroom mostly sorted out. Still lots to do, though, and since Kim doesn’t have a car yet, she won’t be staying at the house.

Hurricane Kyle was out in the Atlantic about 200 miles west of us on Saturday. It resulted in some fairly strong winds and dark clouds. From High Corners, the view was really quite beautiful. A bit ominous, but not enough to be frightening, although my thinking might change if we’re in the direct path of a hurricane. On the positive side, the house is quite solidly built, and there are storm shutters on almost all the windows.

Thanks to those of you who’ve given me feedback on this blog. A couple have said they’ve tried to add comments, but couldn’t. I think the first week or so, adding a comment required some sort of signing-in. I removed all restrictions, so I think it should be fairly simple now. If not, well, let me know, and I’ll try to figure it out. I’m new to this, too.

It’s 6:10 PM on Friday evening. I’ve been following Kim’s flight from Switzerland (through London) and it has just arrived in Bermuda. With a bit of luck through customs and immigration she ought to be here in about 45 minutes. It’s an odd feeling thinking about how the three of us have been scattered around the world this past week. Michael Anne in the middle of the U.S., Kim in the middle of Europe, and I in the middle of the Atlantic. It’ll be very good to have Kim home.

It’s been an interesting week. All of our goods are now in our new house, but I haven’t a clue where everything’s going to go. I pretty much started in the kitchen and after nearly filling all the cabinets realized I had no place to put food. So ….. Kim and I need to put our heads together to determine how to prioritize. The same goes with just about every other room in the house.

One of the things that have become apparent is that we had lots of built-ins in our house in Racine. Our Bermuda house has virtually none, so we’re left with piles of books, knick-knacks (fine art, according to Kim), dishes, glassware, etc., etc. I’m sure we’ll figure it all out, but I’m also sure it’ll mean buying more furniture. I think Kim will be up for that.

On the plus side, we got the Internet connection and the home network up and working. Also got one of the TV’s hooked up and working. That’s sort of temporary since I’ll need new wiring for the home theater speakers. Which I won’t install until we’re sure of room arrangements.

I also was able to get my driver's learner license today. Which means I can now take driving lessons, take my driver’s test, get my permanent license, and finally drive.

I’ll be in Chicago for part of next week, so give a call if you want. My U.S. cell phone number stays the same (262-909-2938).

Time to make a couple of martinis (it’s Friday night and that’s a ritual).

Cheers!

Well, my buns are dragging at the moment.  I spent the day at the house directing the movers, but also lifting, sorting, moving, and unpacking.  The temperature and humidity were in the discomfort zone for me (i.e., when the sum of the two exceed 150).  Today’s total was probably around 155, and since the doors had to be open all the time, I elected to just open windows also and use the ceiling fans. 

Got to the house around 9AM in anticipation of the movers, and got a phone call from the landlord saying that he was removing his name from responsibility for the electricity today and that I had to get my name onto the bill or the power would probably be cut off (which is inconvenient in itself, but then I’d have to pay for a reconnection fee also).  If only it were easy to get this resolved.  First, I was at the house with no transportation of my own, and I had to be there to direct the movers as to the location of all the goods.  Then, if I could get away, I had to get back to our temporary condo (the plumbing contractor who’s doing some work for me gave me a ride) to pick up my passport, our house’s assessment number, and the meter number, then head over to the Bermuda Electric.  (By the way, this is stuff that can’t be handled on the phone).  At which point, I realized that the lease for our house is in Kim’s name, not mine, since she’s the one with the work permit.  So it was her passport that was needed.  And, of course, she and her passport are in Switzerland at the moment. 

So, a call back to the landlord to keep the power in his name at least for another week.  It turned out OK, but it was another hassle I wasn’t looking for.

At the end of the day I finally made it back to the condo (by taxi) and am now relaxing with a martini and writing this blog. 

Tomorrow, of course, more of the same.  Our second container will be delivered to the house.  I don’t know whether or not there’s enough room for everything.  I’m obviously going to be making decisions on locating all our possessions that Kim will either love .….  or will move herself.

One other change ….. tomorrow, I’ll take my swim suit and at the end of the day, use the pool. 

Time to eat.

Kim rescheduled her driving lesson. Too much going on right now and she’ll be in Geneva all next week for work. One of the reasons to use a driving instructor is to have help in getting the Bermuda driver’s test scheduled. Seems that driving instructors book blocks of test times for their students. Result, of course, is that without an instructor it might take four to six weeks to get an appointment. We’re learning the system.

We did, however, decide on a car. Never thought we’d own a Peugeot before, but I think it’ll be this one: http://www.peugeot.co.uk/model_range/images/307-cc_big.jpg. We won’t be able to pick it up until one of us has a driver’s license, so it might be a few weeks yet.

You may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned MY driving or testing or licensing. That’s because I’m still officially only a visitor and can’t apply for my learner’s permit yet. The only wheels available to me are taxis and rented scooters. Fortunately, with our current, temporary location there’s very little need for me to have wheels, so it’s cheaper to use taxis whenever there’s a need.

We spent the afternoon doing a bit of sightseeing. Took the ferry from Hamilton to the far west end of the island, then took the bus back. Check out some photos I took from the ferry at http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/kimandneil/Bermuda%2020Sep08/.

Kim leaves for Geneva tomorrow evening. Our containers arrive at our new home on Monday and Tuesday so I expect to be busy unpacking, sorting, putting away, and generally trying to set up the house. We’re looking forward to getting reasonably settled.

Oh --- and a first for me. A couple (obviously tourists) came up to me on the street yesterday and asked for directions. The best part was that I knew what they were looking for and could actually direct them to it.

Interesting bit of trivia: Hamilton, Bermuda is the antipode of Perth, Australia.

Our first full weekend in Bermuda. Weather has been warmer than what apparently is typical for this time of year. Some of the locals are saying it’s warmer now than in July, although when I was here in July it seemed just as hot to me.

Kim and I spent Saturday cruising the City of Hamilton on foot (fairly easy since the city is only about ½ mile wide by ½ mile long). We shopped for a new car, which was a real eye-opener for us. With Bermuda’s tax structure for new cars (get this: 75% tax on the first $10M plus 150% tax on everything over $10M), that cute little BMW convertible that Kim had her eye on came to about $120,000. On to plan B which may be a stripped down Toyota.

Sunday was a day of rest. Actually I think that all the fresh sea air we’re getting has made us both run out of gas much more easily. We’re both sleeping more soundly and much longer than usual.

We found out that our surface shipment arrived in Bermuda late last week. (That would be all our household furniture and goods). If there are no problems clearing customs we expect delivery next Monday and Tuesday. We’ll probably continue to stay at the temporary condo until we get things a bit more settled in our new house.

By the way, our house is call High Corners. Seems that Bermudians like to name their houses much the same way the English do. And, our address is 1 Windcrest Drive. I went out there today to do some measuring for our furniture. Also took some pictures. I was going to put the pics onto the blog, but so far I haven't figured out how to post pictures that you can enlarge. Those already posted are a bit too small. (If anyone knows how to do it, let me know). In any case, I instead posted a few to this link: http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/kimandneil/Bermuda/.

Next time: Kim goes for a driving lesson.

She Likes It! She Likes It!

What a relief. Kim really seems to like the house. (In case you didn’t know, it was I who picked it out, and last evening was the first time she saw anything more than pictures of the place).

Turns out it’s not as pink as it showed up in pictures. Kim was expecting “bazooka” pink, but it’s much more subdued than that and she says she’s OK with the color as it is. The house is currently in a state of repair. The interior is being completely repainted, all the carpeting in being replaced, and one of the bathrooms is being renovated (it’s gutted at the moment). We don’t expect to move in before the end of the month and the landlord thinks the work will be complete by that time.

I think I’ll like the landlord. He seems about as picky as I.

Only one photo op during our tour since it was starting to get dark and I didn’t want to take any more time.

And, some more factoids about Bermuda that I found interesting:

Population 62,000 (previously mentioned)
Gender ratio 52% female
Bermuda-born 71%
Total workforce 37,700, of which 72% (27,100) are Bermudians and 28% (10,600) are expats
Average hours worked per week 33
Unemployment 2.6%

Welcome to Bermuda

If you were expecting my first post from this beautiful island nation to be accompanied by pictures of Kim and me with gorgeous ocean views in the background, I’m sorry to disappoint. Pictures will come, but there seem to be so many other things that need to be accomplished before I take out my camera.

We arrived on Tuesday, the 9th, several days later than expected, only because of a minor glitch in Kim’s work permit which has been at least temporarily resolved. The not-unexpected workings of the Bermuda bureaucracy will most likely try our patience over the next several weeks. Patience is not one of the things that come naturally to either Kim or me – but we’re working on it.

We’re staying at the Bacardi condo which is conveniently located just around the corner from the office and within easy walking distance to just about everything we need. No need for car or scooter or taxi just yet. No ocean views from this place (well, if you go out onto the second floor balcony and crane your neck, you can see water), but it’s plenty large and fully outfitted. We’ll be here until our goods arrive from the U.S. Maybe three to four weeks, and then into our ‘permanent’ place.

Kim will see our new home for the first time later today. More next time about her reactions.

Up at 3:15 today to drive Kim to the airport for a 6:15 AM flight. Over the weekend our packing strategy changed because our status when we enter Bermuda on Friday may be as tourists until Kim’s work permit is completed. Keep in mind that the things we carry on our flights into Bermuda are all that we’ll have until our household goods arrive (in four to six weeks). For reasons too complicated to easily explain, that meant that Kim wanted to take the largest possible suitcase today while I follow with the rest on Friday.

Well, guess what. The suitcase wouldn’t fit into the trunk of the car (a two door coupe). It did the other day when we brought it to Chicago, but with the expandable portion now unzipped, I couldn’t get it in. The choice for Kim was taxi or back seat while the suitcase rode in the passenger seat. She opted for back seat. With the suitcase buckled in to keep the alarm from beeping.

My plans for the week: I need to clean the condo, get the perishables out of the refrigerator, get the trickle charger on the car, cover the car, get a haircut, make arrangements for someone to check the condo every other week, buy a couple of luggage tags, buy an extension cord, take delivery of some furniture, pick up some pants that were shortened, get the electrician to install the dimmers, do laundry, settle up with the general remodeling contractor, finish off the closet remodeling, cover the furniture (to minimize fading). Then re-pack the suitcases and get a taxi to the airport for a 10 AM flight on Friday.

I thought I’d try to upload a few pictures of our Chicago place for anyone interested. We love the location and the views.

Eventually, we’ll get to Bermuda and maybe some interesting things will be happening. At the least, I hope to have more pictures.

Does the world really need another blog? Probably not, but during the many goodbyes that we’ve said over the last few weeks, we realized that we’d like to keep in touch – and many of you said you’d like to hear about our new lives in Bermuda. In fact, several of you have suggested a blog, which I guess I never thought of. But I like the idea, so here it is: The Bermuda Onion.

Blogging is new to me, so I expect to further develop and improve the format as time passes. Please add your comments, and/or write whenever you can.

First, some Bermuda facts. Most of these are in response to the many questions that we we’ve been asked over the last few weeks.

Bermuda is NOT located in the Caribbean, but rather in the Atlantic Ocean about 600 miles east of North Carolina. It consists of several dozen islands (I think someone has counted over 180), with the largest of them linked by bridges and a causeway. It’s J-shaped, about 22 miles long and 2 miles across at the widest point. Total area is only 21 square miles. Only Monaco and Gibraltar are smaller territories.

Bermuda is a British territory, self-governing, with a Parliament similar to Britain. Britain controls defense, internal security, and foreign affairs.
Population is 67,000 -- 58% Black, 36% White, 6% Other.

OK, that’s enough of the Bermuda “factoids” for now. I’ll include more later as I think of them – or when questions arise.

It has been an exhausting month. The emotional exhaustion is from saying goodbye to family, friends and co-workers. The physical exhaustion is from packing, sorting, tossing, and moving. I told Kim that when and if we move away from Bermuda, I doubt if I’ll have the stamina to do anything more than direct the action. Or better still, I may just hire someone else to direct the action – and let me know when the move is completed.

We are currently in our Chicago condo, continuing to say our goodbyes and waiting to leave for Bermuda. Kim leaves tomorrow morning (Tuesday), and I’ll follow on Friday. We are eagerly looking forward to seeing our new home even though we probably won’t move into it until the end of September when our household goods arrive. In the meantime we’ll be staying at the Bacardi apartment located around the corner from company headquarters.

My camera’s ready for pictures, so I hope to post some soon.