Some were because of the itinerant nature of the radio business and others simply for a change of scenery, but the sum so far is 22. Twenty-two times in 66 years I've packed and moved to a new location and my wife and I are ready to do it again. She has been aboard for (also organized and bossed) sixteen of these adventures and could probably teach the folks at Bekins, Allied, United and Mayflower a thing or two about the finer points of moving. This time, as she recovers her health, lots of the planning and execution falls to me. I don't know how she ever managed when the kids were little and I had gone ahead to start a new job. Now retired, I sort, toss and pack for what I hope is the last time. I have a new appreciation for all she accomplished. I also have taken note of the obvious fact that it's a hell of a lot easier to pull up stakes when you're in your twenties or thirties than it is when you're rounding the bend toward seventy. It's a BIG job!
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| The garage begins to fill with packed boxes. It's only a start. |
After two stays totaling 34 years, it is time to leave California and head north to our soon to be completed new home on the shores of Lake Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. The state I once considered truly Golden no longer has much appeal. Taxes and pretty much everything else we can't control has us both weary of the place. Our disenchantment has been building for several years thus making a fresh water lake in a conservative low tax locale more than a little appealing. We should be settled by September and ready to enjoy a real autumn for the first time in years though winter is something neither of us has experienced or pined for since 1973. It's a fair bet that after the first real cold season it may become our habit to travel to warmer climes in January, February and March.
Idaho will be the eleventh home state for me and the eighth for Linda; we look forward to getting to know its people and the landscape. The lakes and the pine forests remind me a little of my Michigan boyhood but the snow capped mountains will be something new. We're both excited to explore the miles of bike trails and, though it may take a while to find the right one, a boat will complete the "living on a lake" experience. Also, fishing with my one and only grandson is already a much talked about future calendar event for the two of us.
Like most moves there will be things to miss from the old home and welcome surprises at the new place. Old friends are never lost and will always be welcome at the soon to be completed digs just as we look forward to meeting new people with interesting stories in Idaho. One of the pluses of living in the West is that most everybody is from someplace else and has a fascinating tale of how they came to be where they are.
As we put our current house up for sale and make lists of all the things we need to do for the move, I am reminded of a line from the Alan Jay Lerner classic production of "Paint Your Wagon". Ben Rumson, a longtime prospector and grizzled denizen of the West, is asked where he's headed as he makes his way out of the town of No Name City. His reply: "I'm an ex-citizen of nowhere and every now and then I get a little homesick." Sounds about right Ben.
Idaho will be the eleventh home state for me and the eighth for Linda; we look forward to getting to know its people and the landscape. The lakes and the pine forests remind me a little of my Michigan boyhood but the snow capped mountains will be something new. We're both excited to explore the miles of bike trails and, though it may take a while to find the right one, a boat will complete the "living on a lake" experience. Also, fishing with my one and only grandson is already a much talked about future calendar event for the two of us.
Like most moves there will be things to miss from the old home and welcome surprises at the new place. Old friends are never lost and will always be welcome at the soon to be completed digs just as we look forward to meeting new people with interesting stories in Idaho. One of the pluses of living in the West is that most everybody is from someplace else and has a fascinating tale of how they came to be where they are.
As we put our current house up for sale and make lists of all the things we need to do for the move, I am reminded of a line from the Alan Jay Lerner classic production of "Paint Your Wagon". Ben Rumson, a longtime prospector and grizzled denizen of the West, is asked where he's headed as he makes his way out of the town of No Name City. His reply: "I'm an ex-citizen of nowhere and every now and then I get a little homesick." Sounds about right Ben.
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