We've Got Mail

Today was one of those days that it is painfully obvious that we're newbies at this fulltiming gig. 

What did we do?

We obsessed about getting our mail. 

With plans to venture down the coast for some sightseeing, we decided to hold off until today's mail delivery to the park. (That wasn't a problem for me, as Juanita invited me to join her on a trip to Quilter's Corner this morning. I happily obliged!) By late morning, the mail had been delivered and there was nothing for us. And, there should have been. 

Going from our daily mail delivery into a slot at our house to having to think about when and where we can have mail delivered is a big change for us. Ever since my first days in a college dorm, where I had my very own mailbox, I have come to love that part of the day when I see what came in the mail. Having been deprived of that daily rush for nearly two weeks, I was really looking forward to our first on-the-road mail delivery. 

As members of Escapees, it was an easy decision to enroll in the club's mail forwarding service. It has a well-earned reputation for dependable, personal service. Plus, it's a great value. As newbies, I decided to call them last week to request a one time delivery to our park in Port Orford. I was impressed to receive an email confirming our maiden mail shipment was on its way, complete with a tracking number. Like a kid tracking Santa's route on Christmas Eve, I logged on the USPS web site and charted the progress of our package. It was delivered to the Port Orford Post Office on Saturday at 7:38AM. 

So, when our much-anticipated package didn't arrive this morning, I was more like an addict in need of a hit. How much longer would I have to wait for the pleasure of opening my mail?  We decided to go to the source. We headed for the post office. 

Where we come from, going to the post office is something you avoid at all costs. It's a place where lines are long and people can get grumpy. Really grumpy. But, here in Port Orford, the post office is a pleasure. Everyone is really helpful and very friendly. I'm so sorry we won't have to go back. 

Before long, the mystery was solved. That precious Priority Mail package was in our possession. As he pulled the tab to release the contents inside, Paul exclaimed "We've Got Mail!"

Indeed we do. Was it anything terribly important? Not really. We've gone paperless with most of that stuff. Even though it was just a magazine and a few random pieces of bulk correspondence, it's stuff to open and read, if ever so briefly. It definitely scratched our itch.

Most importantly, we now know that we can make our mail forwarding service work. Already, we're looking at the calendar for when and where we want to have another package delivered to us down the road.