Catching Up

OK, I get NO points for keeping up my posts for the last couple of weeks. So sue me.

It's been a frenzy of getting packed, traveling here, and attempting to start to get into some sort of routine. But it's starting to come together.

The first couple of days were just a blur. So many things to remember to do, to plan, to worry about.

Construction is coming along well. I'm having a local contractor deal with the work that needs a crew - foundation, framing, siding. The slab for the garage was poured last Thursday (the morning of the day that I arrived),

This is what it looked like upon my arrival:

By yesterday evening:

And just now:

First floor walls are up, the beam that holds up the center of the upstairs is up, and the second floor joists are about half installed.

Amazing what a crew of people who know what they're doing can accomplish in short order....

Why Leave Santa Cruz County???

I get asked this a lot.

I'd love to stay. It's a beautiful place, and the weather is marvelous. This week, while most of northern California is sweltering, we're enjoying mid 70's with a little fog in the morning, and sun by noon. We have two acres - rural enough not to have neighbors in sight, urban enough to have paved roads and a water company (if you've ever had to pay for and maintain a well, you know what I mean).

I can afford to live here with a tech job. But they're almost all gone from the county, and I don't want to do the cube any more even if they weren't. Commuting would mean at least an hour - maybe more - each way, at $5 a gallon. Nope.

Last Day in the Box (for now, at least...)

The 26th ended up being my last day in the box. As big days go, it was typically anticlimactic: an exit interview that ended around 3, pack the last box of junk into the car, and drive into the sunset.

And then I drove home and had a lovely, well deserved nap.