AHHHHH….

That’s the sound of relaxation. I can’t imagine anyone ever leaves Maui in any other state. Maybe it’s the warm temperatures (70s at night, 80s during the day…with those comfortable winds), or maybe it’s the ocean (the sound, the rhythm, the visual beauty). Or maybe it’s that island “state of mind” that predominates. Whatever it is, they should bottle it. Yes, we had a very enjoyable visit. We stayed at the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas. Luxurious.The resort grounds are lovely and the beach is just one of those classic “paradise” vistas. And the water is nice and warm and clear (and salty!). We swam in it several times. Drove to Hana, all 600+ curves and switchbacks and 50+ one-way bridges. Very pretty. We might go back and visit Kuaui next year. Aloha…..

Home now. Picked up the animals on the way. Feels good to be here. Maybe there was some rain and wind while we were away? A small branch is down and the power was out at some point. But today is sunny with a few clouds. There are new purple flower stalks growing down one side. I don't know what they are. Could be weeds for all I know but they are pretty. There are some things to do today and I think we’ll begin settling in for real….

Still Here

Well, I thought I wouldn't have any more to say until we had returned from Maui. Apparently that was my cold talking. Most of the time I have something to say. Some of the time I just keep it to myself :-) Really.

We have had our first bit of rain! Not a lot, but a light shower overnight and some sprinkles today. Smells really fresh. You can always smell the cedar trees outside, but they are a bit more noticeable in the damp air. We are trying to figure out what types of berries we have. There are several types. Some look like small raspberries, changing from yellow to bright red. Very tart. Some look like small blackberries, dark and tasty. Maybe they are actually blackberries. Then there are some which I think are huckleberries. They look like blueberries, but smaller, and kind of grow hanging from the branch end. They taste a little tart. And then there are these tiny, very red berries which grow in clumps. I haven't got a clue what they could be. I haven't tasted them either. A book about Northwest berries is on its way to help.

Have decided to go ahead with composting despite the possibility of bears/deer/raccoons etc. If they figure out there's a potential food source there, we'll deal with it then. So far, the only regular visitor is a brown rabbit who munches grass. That's a good thing since it takes John about 4 hours to mow that grass. Shall we start a pool to see how long it takes him to acquiesce to a riding mower? Right now he is calling it "exercise". Sweet.

July promises to be a busy month between visitors and "stuff we want to get done". The latter category holds things like putting up a shed, putting stuff in the shed, building planting boxes for the raised beds, staining the deck, cutting back some of the jungle that threatens to take over, as well as putting up the rest of the pictures and such in the house. And we want to hike back in the woods to see what is in there. From the perimeter you can see some areas where it seems to thin out a bit and the sun just sparkles among the trees. Oh yeah, there's work too :-) I haven't even got to the "my stuff" list yet. It will all come in time.

Call me a wimp but I found that I can have Safeway deliver groceries out here. Then I can just get fresh things from the Farmers Market or more exotic things from Central Market near town. You might think I have a luxury of unlimited time in which to do things like this. It's interesting how the day just flies by. Going out for groceries is not high on my priority list.

We had this trip to Maui planned before we ever thought about selling the house and moving. It comes at a perfect time though. Tomorrow will be the anniversary of the day John and I first met 12 years ago. I actually prefer to celebrate that date more than our wedding anniversary which is what the trip originally intended to do. But, whether we celebrate 10 years or 12, Father's Day, or the Solstice, what better place than Maui! Should be a delightful experience. Aloha....

As much as my stuffed head will allow...

We traveled to Los Angeles this past weekend. The best part of the weekend was getting to attend our daughter's commencement for her Master's degree. Both our gals received their Master's this year. And they have worked hard to achieve it. So it was a worthy trip to take. However, going to LA is never delighful. It's hard work. You couldn't pay me to live there. And it was a real validation that we are living where we want to be. Such contrasts. It's good to be home.

We had to kennel the dog and the cats while we were away. I don't think they liked it. Zoe has never been boarded before and probably wondered what she'd done to deserve this. We realize what a treasure we had in having a trusted housesitter before. I hope we find another one but it's not likely.

Things are continuing to fall into place as we have just passed our 3-week mark. I attended a faculty information session last night at the local college. And consequently I spent several hours today completing the application to get a faculty position. I also went back to work in my new on-call position this week. Spent a few hours already prepping for a course that needs to be updated quickly. John says he likes working here and feels very productive.

Looks like we are becoming a destination of sorts for folks. That's great news to us. We are anxious to share our new place with friends and family. We have 3 weekends in July filled already.

So, there are still some bits to be done before we are really settled. Maybe it will always be like that though. But we are focused less on those bits now and more on the day's flow. I think that's a good sign. I have a cold which I am blaming on airplane air. Blah! Can you snorkel with a runny nose?

I know this blog is supposed to be about our move. But I think the next entry will have to talk about Maui. We're going on Saturday....

Sushi, Vampires, and the rest of it....

Okay. Got the appliances today (at 7am). I'm working my way through 2+ weeks of laundry and have started to stock some foods which require cold storage. Fresh veggies! And that freezer does indeed hold some ice cream. Not to be outdone by a dear friend (who shall remain nameless), I bought TWO half gallons (come on...they were on sale). I opened a bank account at a local bank. Once again I was treated to local "niceness". I like niceness. Life is much more pleasant when people interact in a friendly manner. And not that artificial thing they do at many businesses where evertone you see asks how you are. And when I was at the market, a woman in a yellow safety vest approached me as I wheeled the cart up to the car. I thought I might be getting some warning about my lousy parking, but she wanted to help me put my groceries in the car! I really have been in California much too long. I forgot about "nice". So, I went home and ate the California rolls (I know...ironic) that I bought at the market (picture Whole foods but much larger) and touched base on the phone with John. Then off to look for some small bookshelves so I can get all the books unpacked and stashed away. Jeez we have a lot of books! And for those of you who might visit, you'll be relieved to know that I am putting some window covering on the east facing window in the main guest room. Without that I realized anyone sleeping in that room wouldn't actually be able to sleep past sunrise. So, I will concede one window. See....niceness.

The movie Twilight was filmed in North Kitsap county (which is where I live). If you have seen that movie, you might understand why I like it here. Real big trees, real big mountains, and water views all around. We have not had any rain here for all you doomsday predicting folks.

Tomorrow is looking like a trip to the recycling center to offload some cardboard. After that I'll work around the house. Or maybe I'll get a watercolor started. That would be great. After all, I'm on vacation! I forget that sometimes....

Order Emerges

I'll admit it. I prefer order over chaos. People close to me are probably saying "Jeez. ya think?!". So, I'm happy to say that, at last, order seems to be firmly winning over chaos in this new space. On a sheer visual and physical level, nearly all the boxes have gone and things are finding places to land. They may change their initial place after settling in some more, but at least there is a lack of clutter now. People and animals are moving with some regularity through a kind of underlying routine while exploring new rhythms and new places. We got our driver's licenses and the license plates for the car, adding another layer of "official" to our residence here. And they have an "enhanced" driver's license that uses biometrics and is machine readable to allow you to cross the border without carrying a passport. We'll be setting up an appointment to get one of those since Vancouver Island is not far away. The refrigerator and the washer and dryer were supposed to arrive today but they are delayed until tomorrow. Once we have a freezer on site, can ice cream be far behind? We visited the local Farmers Market on Saturday. Such lovely produce and lots of plants to plant. Definitely the place to get our herbs. I got some huckleberry jam and I tried some lotion made with emu oil. Nice!

So, as the boxes diminish, I have turned my sights to shortening my "to-do" list. There's a very tall, dead tree that will be taken down on Thursday. Not by me. But some very nice guys who like to climb trees will do it. I've arranged to have all the locks re-keyed to get rid of the pocket full of keys that we have to carry right now. One will do nicely. That is also happening on Thursday. And the shower in the master bath requires a door to be built around its one and one-half exposed sides. The curtain didn't keep the water from finding a way to the floor. So, maybe some glass bricks on the half-side next to the tub and then a door? Don't know. To be discussed on Thursday. Guess I'd better put some coffee on for my "crew" Thursday morning.

John has run off to the Bay Area for a few days to tend to business at the business. So, we are all trying out this new soon-to-become routine. I am still officially on PTO (vacation) from actual work. I am told that there is work to be done when I return to my cyber-based role. And I am planning to attend a job fair at the local college in a week and see if I can get my big toe in the door as faculty. Gotta run for now...the dog just threw up....chaos threatening....

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Well, maybe not lions and tigers. But there was a bear sighted near Poulsbo Elementary School yesterday. Parents were contacted to come and get their kids. The largest critter we've seen is a raccoon who ran out of the woods and across our yard until he ambled up and out the driveway. That suits me fine. I think if we see a bear, someone should come and get me!

We have had "issues" with getting all our computers to communicate with the internet. Three are up and running now. Tomorrow I will take my "work" laptop for a test drive. For someone who works remotely, as both of us do now, internet connectivity (or lack of it) can really create frustration. So, we've upgraded our wireless cards, spoken to "technical assistance" (not really very helpful), said nice things to the computers, said some not-very- nice things to the computers, and somehow it all just started working. Sometimes it's just best to leave the room, close the door, and let the cyber fairies work their magic overnight.

I bought spray paint today. Not very interesting on its own. But what is significant is that I just walked in and took it off the shelf and paid for it. I didn't have to ask a salesperson to unlock a cabinet or show my ID to get it! I guess it's just harder to tag a tree here. Graffiti isn't the problem it was in the old 'hood :-) Now, if I can buy some razor blades without going through security measures...

The weather has been in the 80s. Everybody here is melting! It's a heat wave! I say, if this is as bad as it gets, bring it on! We might get some thunder tonight as cooler weather comes back in. Speaking of weather, we noticed that the construction documents for the house talk about withstanding wind to 85mph. Hmmm, we thought. Then the phone guy told us that the new telephone poles aren't very easy to climb since they are rectangular. Apparently that's because that shape withstands strong winds. Hmmm, we thought again. So we asked the phone guy about these "winds". Are they a problem? The phone guy replied "you have a generator". Well, we do have a generator, circa 1989 Loma Prieta. Better test it.

The new compost bin arrives tomorrow! (I did warn you that this might not be a very interesting read). But compost is good. We are planning raised garden beds and probably way too many vegetables. Fruit trees too. We might get some of it started this year. Certainly the herb garden will go in. As for non edibles, I will have a lilac bush. I love the fragrance and they don't grow well in the Bay Area. But here they grow quite well. It's like comfort food for my nose, a memory from childhood.

June is a busy month. John will visit the Bay Area and when he returns we will travel to LA to see daughter Karen graduate with her Masters in Education. And later in the month we will escape to Maui for some R&R. Maybe we will find time in July to settle in....

It stays light later...

So at 10pm it's still light up here. And it starts to get light about 4am. I guess that changes in the winter when the times are probably reversed! Right now it's pretty cool though. We have a mailbox installed now so we can claim to be "official". At least it's easier to find the driveway! For a while we were using yellow balloons tied to a post to alert service people to the location :-)

I'm liking not having any curtains on the windows. Everywhere you look, it's like a painting. Speaking of which, I will work on setting up my studio in the loft today. One of our furniture purchases was a lovely black table which will serve as my workspace.

Zoe conquered the stairs yesterday. She did it in portions, going up and down a third, then two thirds, until finally she was there on her own. As I have never made it up to the top of a lighthouse, I think I understand the "issue". And no amount of rational-seeming coaxing makes it happen.

The weather remains warm and sunny. Today is predicted to be 82. If I get tired of unpacking books and/or the mysterious boxes in the garage, I'll go into town and locate the licensing office and open a local bank account. All part of moving a life...

What a week!

Well,we have been in the new place for a week since arriving last Sunday night. We spent the first part of the week getting oriented a bit and then the movers arrived early Friday and the pace has picked up. They couldn't get the truck on to the property so had to shuttle our stuff in smaller loads from Kingston which is about 2 miles away. Took until 4:30 to get it all here. And it only took 4 hours to load us in Newark! Friday was also our anniversary (#10) so we "celebrated" by actually cooking (pasta) and opening a nice bottle of wine (all of which survived the truck ride!) We made proper dinner reservations for Saturday and enjoyed sitting outside on the waterfront in Poulsbo. We agreed that the last time we actually had dinner outside was when we were in Italy almost 2 years ago! And we have done so twice since moving here. So far, we have not experienced the rain everybody in California warned us about. It has been absolutely beautiful.

Saturday saw the arrival of some new furniture we bought earlier in the week and the installation of the satellite for TV. And unpacking! I have thought more than once this week that maybe (just maybe) we have too much "stuff". Unlike many folks our age, we have "upsized" rather than downsized our living space. And still I wonder "where will I put this" as I open yet another box. Things are still finding their own niches and I know there are untapped places to put things in this home. But I wonder how all this stuff came out of an 1100 sf house! Still, I will admit, it's a little like discovering old friends as I unpack things that I haven't seen in a while and remember the meaning they have for me, reminding me of a place, a person, or an event :-)

We took a little break from unpacking Sunday afternoon and visited a local winery on Bainbridge Island. And found the local Dairy Queen :-) John started mowing the yard yesterday. I say "started" because after an hour and a half, he was halfway. He still hasn't agreed to getting a riding mower, preferring to call this "exercise". He clips Zoe to his belt and she walks alongside as they mow up and down. She is pretty good about staying on the property. She hasn't ventured to the road and it's pretty hidden. Instead, she prefers to explore the woods. So much to smell! Both cats have decided to live on the second floor so far although Mr. Purrkins ventured out the open front door on to the porch one day. In time I'm sure they will get more comfortable with their new surroundings. Zoe will not attempt the stairs yet.

I don't know how exciting this blog will be to readers, but it allows me to journal this new life adventure once and let you decide if you want to read it. Saves getting nuisance emails from me! I have to say, that even doing the mundane work of settling in brings us moments of sheer amazement. Going to Home Depot means we see the Olympic Mountains on the way, have a spectacular view of Mount Rainier from the parking lot, and see the Cascade Mountains on the way home. Ther are birds singing songs we have never heard before and a pair of house martins have made their mud nest under an eave on the front of the house and we watch them busily gather nest materials and catch bugs on the fly. There is a woodpecker who stops daily in a "drive by pecking" to knock on our front porch. Just once. And then he's off. Wild huckleberries are growing all over, so I'd better see if I can make jam with them.

I promise to upload some photos soon. Just as soon as I find the cables for the cameras. It's time for breakfast. And John will make his way up the stairs to go to work. What a commute! And there are still some boxes awaiting my attention. Till next time...