I've so appreciated your wonderfully supportive comments, even knowing I can't respond that often. I can't believe how fortunate I am to have "met" so many of you from all over the world, interacting with you every day, some of you for almost two years. You've been so supportive!
This photo is actually from the Railway Museum at the Cairns train station where I caught the train to Kuranda last month. A metaphor for what it feels like at the moment. P3 took his turn tonight and posted an introduction to the toy-group at
http://365project.org/365toygroup/365/2014-11-13
Fire Saga Report, good things first:
1. We have a place to live! It's quite beautiful, with view of the city on three sides, and near the university and our house.
2. The insurance company is hiring a company that unpacks all the rented things and sets up the house so it will be ready by the end of the work day, including making the beds and hanging bath towels - yay!
3. We have three contractors coming tomorrow to see the house and potentially make a bid as general contractors, all come highly recommended and seemed really nice, so it's just a question of 'good fit.'
4. I was able to spend some time at the university for some meetings and calls, nice to feel normal.
5. My replacement camera body arrived (because of the oil on the sensor problems that kept recurring) and I realized how good it was that my 'good' camera was off being repaired and has had no exposure to smoke or heat or water.
6. We're moving to Junko
@jyokota and Bill's for the weekend so will be in a comfy house instead of hotel room, and be with friends (though Junko's still in Japan).
Not so good things:
1. BIG DANBO HAS GONE MISSING!!!!!! Yes, I realize this is a toy, that it is replaceable, but it's my Danbo that I saved from the fire and carried in my pocket to the hotel and now he is nowhere to be found. I feel just awful and just hope I put him somewhere to be safe and just can't remember where. But, Little Danbo and P3 were right on the dresser where I'd put them -- and the three had been together in the same pocket. AGH!
2. On a much lesser scale...we learned it's a minimum of 6 months for rebuilding our house so are now looking at least at next May before we'll be back home.
3. On a still lesser scale, I realized I left my tripods in the house when we had time to pick up a few things, and now they've been taken away for cleaning and storage so it could be next May before I see them again. Dumb!
4. I have a company meeting on Saturday and still haven't found any slacks or skirts among the cleaned clothes. Not good...may have to fit in shopping which at the moment is not appealing.
If you've gotten this far, thank you again for your comments and kind wishes and hugs and warm thoughts and funny observations and shared stories. They mean so much. Off to sneak in some viewing and commenting for a feeling of a normal night!
and for the record. i LOVE this image.
Hope you manage to settle in your temporary accommodation soon.
Since I wrote my first note, and you said you've found it interesting to read of the stories f others, you might find it "interesting" to read that "my fire" began when a paint stripper I used (carefully) on some art projects, had slipped on a shelf, switching the toggle on and the heat against a shelf of paper ignited the fire! When we can sit and chat someday, I'll share more of that "rather incredulous" event as it unfolded... My friend, Melinda, visiting, is a published landscape architect/photographer, so she got all the photos and a good chat with the firemen!! As for myself, the imagery is seared in my brain to this day! And so it will be with you...