Maine!

We are moving to Maine in 15 days.

"We" consists of your blogger, my friend, Grey and our assortment of critters: 5 or possibly 7 cats, a Saint Bernard, and 4 zebra finches.

Our target is somewhere in the Bangor, Maine area. As of this point we have no house to move to, no job and not a whole heck of a lot of resources, considering what we are doing. Grey is disabled and receives a small Social Security payment which will mostly be eaten up by his medicines, we fear. I was a casualty of the economic bust in the real estate market in NC, getting laid off when one of my employers closed his rental business. So I am getting some unemployment for a bit. I also do some graphic design and with any luck will not loose ALL of my clients with this move.

I have friends and relatives who are interested in my crazy exploits, so I have decided to blog specifically about our adventures in Maine for their reading pleasure.

A bit of background might be in order, for those who happen upon this blog. I have been a bit of a gypsy, having been born in MI in the late 1940s, completing high school in SoCal and attending UCLA and almost graduating with a major in astronomy and math. Since leaving home I have lived in MD, CA (several communities), CO, WI, WA (several communities), TX, NC (several communities) and all without benefit of being in the military! At several of the points when a move was in order (as a result of economic changes) I had Maine on my possible places to move... usually along with Alaska. Most often it was not my choice but left up to the fates; I would move to where ever a job came open first.

While I have enjoyed my sojourn on the NC coast, and especially appreciate the people here, they have not been able to completely compensate for my lack of enthusiasm for summer. I have Summer SAD. When the days begin to get long, and the rising sun -- which is a welcome sight and feel coming through my kitchen windows during a winter dawn -- hits my skin and eyes it almost feels like a physical assult. I have taken St. John's Wart for depression the past few summers and while it has made it almost tolerable emotionally, I dispise the idea and feel of air conditioning and at the same time, want to not move at all when the temperature gets above 80 and stays. Normally I love being outdoors -- I am a gardener given earth to till -- and to loose most of the season to the over powering heat just gets to me.

So, some time back I began plotting to move North again and took a vacation last fall to Maine. I knew then I would be back this year, though I did not know how.

I am not quite sure how yet... but there are a couple of houses talking to me and one employer anxious for me to arrive for an interview. The fact that "a poor person" CAN buy a house and land there -- $40k can get you a building and a few acres within a communting distance to Bangor -- I find truly wonderful Even when I arrived here on the NC coast a few years ago, that was unheard of, and now even a beat up old trailer on a trailer park lot is listed for over $100k. Where are the real people to live??

I found a wonderful community of friends on City-Data.com, on their Maine forum
and have made contact with several folk of my general spiritual path.

So, come Feburary 28 I pick up a 16' truck and on Feb 29, we head north on this adventure.