We are off the mountain for good, “camped” at the beach, trying to take in whatever this is that we have just done. It doesn’t feel momentous yet … but it is. We are exhausted and stretched but starting to unwind from this past week’s constant high tension. My beloved ceramic Christmas tree is lit up and colorful. The dogs are dancing around Steve making dinner, hoping for some cheese tidbits, the generator is giving electricity for the moment but soon we will have none. Ultimately, solar power will facilitate computing but tonight electricity is limited in supply. Best to turn off my computer for the evening. Wow… it’s a new life.

“What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.”

~ T.S. Elliott

It was weird waking up this morning on someone else’s property. This will be the status quo in the months to come but this morning is a bit different. The property that belongs to someone else looks just like ours … emptier and cleaner than usual, no doubt … but the “grandpa” tree and the twin firs … the beautiful rock wall and lovely creekside decks … the cozy hexagon treehouse with triangle skylights … well, it all looks like home.

But it isn’t. And it hasn’t felt like home in quite some time. We have been emotionally separating from it for months and tomorrow the break will be complete when we drive “off the mountain” without looking back.

There’s more to write… about the wonderful neighbors who have helped us through this transition (Trux and Vaiva, you are the BEST!) … about the sweet folks who fell in love with this place and whose future is here … and of course about the adventures to come. But for now, it’s off to work for me. And off to the dump and the storage yet one more time for Steve. Then one more night here, and a seemingly endless number of “final” tasks in the morning, and then our new life begins. Stay tuned …