Just one month shy of 24 years ago, we packed everything we owned into a rented Ryder truck and began the 714-mile drive from Alton, Illinois, to Washington. We arrived one day later, on March 1, 1981, to begin what became almost a quarter century there.

Today, we drive back up to the Washington area to oversee two teams of movers as they empty out our storage rooms in Arlington and start the 300-mile journey from there to Floyd. Our last connection to the National Capital Region comes to an end.

This time around, it will take two trucks to hold our belongings and we gave away or discarded twice what we kept. We’ve been in our new home for nearly two months now but had to wait for some work to be completed there before retreiving the collection of furniture and boxed belongings. They will join the new furniture that awaits in Floyd.

We leave at 4 a.m. to drive from Floyd to Arlington and meet the movers at 9. With luck we will be back by late-afternoon and they can complete the unloading and be back on their way to Washington by early evening.

Then, finally, we will be home.