We've moved our ground base again. After about 16 months in Richmond, we're off to Tyson's Corner, Virginia.

CA bought about 16 boxes from U-Haul: a mixture of medium and small. She bought some tape, too: the brown paper tape is better than the clear.

We don't have too much that's left "loose." There are some things on the closet shelves, some things in the head. The galley supplies involve the largest number of boxes and some complex scheduling. Most everything else is kept in a container.

In the picture, you can see two Ikea Kallax which have four plastic baskets in a shelf. We stacked the baskets on a hand truck and carried the empty shelf. Also we have two Ikea Algot which have four drawers: we can just carry them around. They're a little awkward for a long-distance lift, but everything stays in them.

The most complex part is the last few days before the move. We want some galley supplies, enough stuff in the head to shower, and enough bedding to be comfortable. But everything not on that short list are boxed during those last few days.

Moving Red Ranger

When we moved the boat, the berths were always available, the galley could be used, and the heads were in full service. The complexity of leaving two just towels out wasn't part of the planning.

When moving the apartment, the last things to get packed are the first things to get unpacked: the minimal set of galley supplies, head, and berth.

Since downsizing the house — back in 2009 — she's gotten really good at moving.

We went from Niskayuna to Norfolk on Boissevain Ave. Then to Manteo Street. Then from Manteo to Red Ranger. Each step involved less and less stuff.

Red Ranger through something like 4,000 miles of anchorages.

Then from Red Ranger to Exchange Place in Richmond. And now to Tyson's Corner.

And things got discarded. CA made trips to Goodwill to pare down some things we'd accumulated over the past year-plus that we didn't really need.

It took about 90 minutes to move stuff from apartment to lobby and then lobby to truck. The staging allowed us to be sure the apartment was empty and clean. It also allowed us to consider the whole pile of stuff as we loaded the truck.

We did the same thing at the other end. We moved everything from loading dock to the vestibule for the freight elevator. Then we moved everything from there to the apartment. It was a slightly longer walk, but the elevator was bigger so we took fewer trips up and down.

We started at about 08:00 and had finished by 17:00. Here's the breakdown: an hour to get the truck; total of 3 hours of shifting cargo in our out; 2 hours of driving; an hour for lunch; an hour to return the truck; about an hour of "other" activity.

We actually run a timer on the cargo shifting just to see how long it actually took us. She had allocated two hours. We did each leg in 90 minutes.

Monday, I'll find my new work space here in the office in Tyson's. CA will start doing "1womanwalking" to explore the neighborhood and look for a job.