We left the boat on the hard in Deltaville, VA in early August with plans to return to Minnesota and North Dakota to see family and do a couple weddings. Hopefully by the end of the two months I would find a job in Bismarck or Fargo. The drive was just over 20 hours and since we left the boatyard at about 11:00am we spent the wee-est hours of the morning sleeping in the rental minivan at a rest area. After a week or so in Rosemount we left Louise and headed to Dickinson to meet Tyrel and then ride with him to Whitefish for a wedding. I recall that we really enjoyed cleaning out Tyrel's car in the morning before we left. It's weird how it is fun to clean someone else's car!
The wedding (and hiking, Cold Smoke, mountain, shared lodge, etc.) were all great. Then we had a blast volunteering in Medora where I worked outside service (moving golf carts around and cleaning them) and Anna worked laundry and retail. Then after settling in for one night at my parents' in Bismarck we decided that it was now the best time to go see Anna's grandparents in Minot. So we spent a few days there and then returned to spend a week preparing for my sister's wedding in the back yard. That wedding was a great success too!
My job search was not so successful. I had done a few video interviews but gotten no offers. My mom tested positive for COVID and we were still living with her so we had to quarantine for her 10 days of possible contagiousness PLUS 14 days of time after that during which we might develop out own cases.
Quarantine was an interesting experience, and I can easily look back on it with positive or negative overall feelings. The facilities (their house :)) were very nice so we were fortunate there, and had plenty to do. I worked on job applications and interviews, and made a lot of OpenStreetMap contributions in south Bismarck. I played some Minecraft: Dungeons, went on walks and bike rides, and worked on building a wooden bucket with my dad.
After quarantine Aaron went pheasant hunting and Anna went to Minot. Then we headed to Rosemount to help Anna's mom move. I did a lot of painting in the old and new houses, and then made many trips back and forth moving stuff. I had brought a trailer down to pick up some unused used appliances for our house remodeling project, so that was handy to have for moving furniture and things.
About one week into November we rushed back to Bismarck on the last day of the warm spell. The idea is that we would get the furniture off of the trailer and load some dirt from digging out an egress window into the trailer. But about 20 minutes after we got the appliances unloaded the weather front came through, bringing cold, wind, and drizzle. So I ended up loading the dirt a couple days later. And then I finally got a job offer, and then a second one on the same day! I accepted the one in Bismarck/Mandan and we are living in my sister's condo while we renovate it.