This is going to be a pretty quick, but important update. I'm moving!
After 11 years in the San Francisco Bay Area, 6 owning this lovely home, I've decided to sell and move to someplace less expensive.
I was going to move overseas, but the dynamics with my dog just didn't work out in an acceptable way. I'm not traumatizing her with a 3 month quarantine. So for now it is looking like either New Mexico (the inexpensive place I'm most called to) or North Carolina (where most of my family is).
I just signed the paperwork with the realtor today. (And no, I'm not capitalizing that.)
So as I sit here looking out on this beautiful view, I realize I'm seeing it for one of the last few days.
My house overlooks a regional park. I don't have coverings on most windows because I don't need them. I have sweeping views of trees, valleys, hills, and sky. Up the street there is a bubbling creek, a vineyard and a horse farm. I know all my neighbors and we share food from our gardens routinely. There is even a neighborhood clubhouse where we've been having monthly potlucks since the 1930s. Well obviously I wasn't there having them with them back then, but it's been happening continuously.
The horse farm up the road
The creek from the road
The backyard bench area
Wisteria in front of the garage
My meditation room
The other side of the back yard where the apple and plum trees grow
These are some of my favorite memories (that I can find photos of on my laptop). What I can't capture though is the way everyone slows their car to wave and make eye contact when driving by as I walk the dog each day. Or my relationship with a certain grove of trees in the park. Or the easy conversations that pop-up when several of us happen to find ourselves at the same spot on the road at the same time. We can talk for hours. Sometimes we just sit down on the ground, because we can tell it's going to be a while.
Once someone even came upon a few of us, just neighbors sitting in someone's driveway, and pulled out an instrument he had with him and started playing. This attracted some of the kids from the neighborhood, who started dancing, and then more people went into their houses to bring out instruments. Before you knew it we had a little spontaneous jam session, then naturally dispersed after about half an hour. Such is the easy way of these parts.
So yes, I'm leaving. I'm in that last 6-8 week period. Houses go into contract here in 2 weeks or less, so it will be quick. The staging of the house comes next week. Odd thing is I have to live in a staged house! I have to pack away my art and some of my furniture, and they put new furniture and art in my house, then I live here still! Bizarre, but necessary, since I have nowhere else to live.
Well I'm sure this isn't the last you'll hear of this little journey of mine over the next few months. Pray for me!
(all photos taken by me)
Wow. That's a big move @indigogo. It sounds like you've had a wonderful time there with many happy memories.
I can't wait to see where you go to make some new ones. How exciting!
I didn't realise that house staging was a common thing in the USA. I thought it was just for houses that didn't sell. And houses going into contract in two weeks in mind boggling. It leaves no time for dithering though which is probably good when you're making such a big move.
Where will it be I wonder . . . New Mexico, North Carolina or a surprise!
Where ever it is I wish you a smooth and happy transition. 😍
It has been a lovely place to live, but tough place for a single income. It will be nice to essentially retire, just somewhere cheaper. Which is most places! Yeah, the staging I know they routinely do here, but I thought only for vacant homes, not ones where the owner is still living there through the sale period. It's going to be weird living in a house that isn't decorated by me!
It doesn't sound like you'll be living in a staged house for long though @indigoocean and being essentially retired sounds wonderful!
It sounds like a whole new chapter in your life. Very exciting! 😍
ah happy travels! i love how you talk about your neighborhood- sounds like a very special place~ continuous potlucks since the 1930s! woah!
we lived in new mexico for a year and absolutely loved it .. would've stayed there if not for the food forest dreams that don't do so well with the 9 inches of rain a year (where we were in Taos) and short growing seasons. it's really an amazing place to live and if you ever want to talk about it, find me on discord ;) where are you looking to move there?
Safe travels; we'll def pray for you and know you'll have incredibly beautiful and smooth sailing. Happy transition! <3 <3 <3 !
How wonderful! If I go to NM it will be Santa Fe area. In NC it will be Research Triangle Park area. Yes, the dryness of a desert will be new to me. Hope my plum cuttings will thrive if I do wind up in NM! I would love to find you on discord. I'll search for your handle there later. Thanks for all your generosity and support.
awesome! very close to where we were. i can say that the energy in those areas is very magical and there is a lot of open mindedness (so much Vata with all that Wiiiiiind -- very windy there, literally and it brings in lots of new thoughts)... much to be inspired by there! <3
I wish you to find your next home soon. I am sure it will be as beautiful as this one.
Thank you!
These pictures deliver such a positive vibe. Thank the place and people around it, let it joyfully go, and get excited for the new. Get excited!
Yes, I'm sometimes tapping into that. I'm actually a little exhausted when I think about all that's to come in the next couple months, but I know the other side of it will be a better way of life for me, without all the stress of living in such a ridiculously expensive place as the San Francisco area. Thank you for your inspiring words.
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el tiempo pasa y con el los recuerdos, lo mejor es lo que pasa y habrán razones que provocan tal situación, aunque el paisaje, la granja, el riachuelo y el ambiente comunitario creado durante años son espectaculares, Dios tiene la ultima palabra y vendrán tiempos mejores, saludos