Did Mother Nature throw a switch? Summer was over, just like that. The inland northwest has even had a couple days of rain, back to back! Let's hope that means the end of the wildfires.
It has become so frustrating to use eBay that I abandoned town while still waiting for a couple of their packages. In all the years I've been in the travel/camping racket, this is the first time I have just said, "To hell with it." And left.
The difficulty comes from 1) the eBay seller saying they will ship via the US Postal Service, 2) me supplying a General Delivery address at some post office, and 3) the seller mistakenly using UPS or Fedex, which can't deliver to a post office.
So I will go back to using Amazon when they have a pickup location or locker in my area. Another thing that might help is to use one of the smaller online retailers who might charge for shipping, but allow the customer to choose the shipping service since the customer is paying for it! The small online retailer might even let you talk to somebody on the phone who speaks English as their first language.
After all these years, I still get excited about starting the autumn migration, literally feeling a lump in my throat. I must be doing something right.
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| September, the transition season. |
What exactly does "right" mean in that last sentence? Is there an art to migrating in autumn? I think there is: you need the right balance of practical, known locations and routes, with an allowance made for something new. There must be some uncertainty or there is no sense of adventure.
The other important skill is to minimize the months in the Southwest where camping is completely known, discovered, mapped out, and crowded with "bougie" snowbirds.
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| Unusual symmetry in the side branches. |
from Ed: Using a small online retailer does not work out all that well either. I'm awaiting an order placed with a family-owned by three generations that has screwed up the delivery just as much as your big online retailers. Before placing the order I asked how they would ship, was told USPS. I provided the USPS address and the claimed that they shipped using DHL and gave me a tracking # that lead me to FedEx which says that the # is not theirs. I have contacted their Chat robot which claims that a service request has been submitted. With any luck I'll get the order before I leave here at the end of this month. Heading back to your despised Southwest. HA
ReplyDeleteNote: If I enter my name and URL I get an error and the comment does not post. Same thing happened with Anonymous.
Ed
I posted your email as a comment with Anonymous checked in Firefox browser.
ReplyDeleteI do NOT despise the Southwest, I continue to love it, but for fewer months per year.
Maybe the Brave browser you are using has something about its adblocking. Try Firefox.
ReplyDeleteI'll try once more, said publishing, but never did. Enjoyed your photos. Looks like tiny oak leaves painted in the middle of those leaves. Have never seen that pattern in a tree branch before. Pretty cool. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteBarb, it sounds like you too were having trouble posting a comment, but I can't tell.
ReplyDeleteTrying with Chrome, Brave and Firefox did not post.
ReplyDeleteIt usually says publishing and then the message it will be approved. It just said publishing. Waited a few days and now it works. However, the comment box has shrunk. Only 5-7 words per line. Not a problem to comment though. Publishes fine.
ReplyDelete