Our epic journey is almost to a close: Beaverton to Sedona. It took me months to get my mind wrapped around the idea of leaving Oregon and all our friends and family there, as well as the reality of packing up a house we had lived in for 12 years, crammed full of stuff, and hauling it, one child, two cats and two dogs, one of which is very old & infirm, some 1,300 miles away.
There have been so many huge hurdles to this thing, some physical and some emotional. First getting the Ludwig Street house ready to sell. Massive de-cluttering was required and then a daunting to-do list put together by our real estate agent and Mr. Athy. Then the excitement of having to keep a house staged and ready to show at all times. And then the packing and loading, the Inner Circle of Hell if ever there was one.
The drive went really well for everyone. I had to resort to caffeine to keep alert by the afternoon of the second day. That So Cal traffic was intense. After that, the only concern was finding places to stop in the desert. Apparently there are still towns in America that don't have a Starbucks. Humpf. But we could smell home on the third day so that kept us going. The cats were troopers and didn't seem to resent me having put them in their crates, they were just pleased that I let them out. Hobbes yowled a bit at times but seems to have recovered his good nature. Jack & I had Harry Potter to pass the time and the two-way radios were indispensable for Dale & I.
We got here Wed. night (waking up to a stunning view from the motel, my first look at Sedona which I texted to some of you), sign the closing paperwork Thursday, got the keys to our house Friday, and had our trailer delivered Saturday. The timing on everything was freakishly flawless! We really missed our fab packing & loading crew (you know who you are!) during the unloading process. Unloading is gobs easier than loading, but then that isn't really saying much. We just slowly worked at it over the weekend & Monday, finally getting it down to one last item, which turned out to be the piano. Just as we had it poised above the ramp, discussing constructing a pulley system or something, the telecom guy showed up to work on our installation. He took one look at us, said "OK let's do this thing.", hopped up on the ramp and he and Dale managed to get it down in one piece. Now the house is a sea of cardboard but we are slowly getting things unpacked and organized. Dale has already gotten the gazebo and Jack's trampoline assembled. Our house is such a great fit for us, very cozy and homey. The neighborhood is amazing with great views, very quiet & walkable and yet close to all the stores we need. Everyone has been very friendly. Our neighbors to one side are named Jones, which is the same last name as our old neighbors. They brought us over cookies. The neighbors on the other side totally remind me of Jerry Seinfeld's parents. The guy apparently has been taking care of the lawn for a while for the previous owner and he has come over several times to give Dale advice on the things, prefacing all comments with "It's none of my business. You can do what you want." It's hard for me to keep a straight face!
It's hard to even describe how beautiful Sedona is. There are startling views around every corner, amazing birds & wildlife and great stargazing even from our backyard. I am totally impressed with the town so far. There is small town friendliness & relaxed pace without the nosiness or parochial attitude you often find.
I wish we could construct a portal so you all could come hang out with us!
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