I left Grand Rapids early on Saturday morning, August 12. It's about a 10 1/2-hour drive to Johnson City from GR ... unless you have a flat tire in Fort Mitchell, KY. Then it's more like a 14-hour trip. But I was really glad I drove on Saturday and was able to attend church at the Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church (my new employer) on Sunday. I wanted one more chance to see how things have been without me before exploring the changes I might want to make. There was a lovely potluck after church (very little I could eat, but still lovely), and I got a chance to meet a couple of new people and visit with some members of the music committee and choir.
When I arrived in JC, I went straight to Nancy's, a place I've stayed on several other visits to JC. Nancy is not here in her house. She is caring for her parents in Glen Arbor, MI; but she and her husband offered to rent the attached apartment to me for a reasonable amount. Nevertheless, I reached out to see if I could find any other abode that cost less. Monday, I visited a couple with a home in the "tree streets." Theirs is on Laurel. They were offering a large bedroom on the main floor for slightly less than Nancy's place. In addition to a lovely, updated kitchen, they have a fenced-in yard (but so does Nancy) and an organic garden. But the place felt small to me, and I had trouble picturing myself there.
Later in the afternoon/evening, I visited Amy's place. Amy is the former chair of the Music Committee at HVUUC. She is a bright, lively personality, and her home was lovely and spotless. But by the time I visited with her, I think I had already pretty much decided to stay at Nancy's. It's a bit more money than either of the others, but since I've already been there several times it kinda feels like home. This is the place that Archie and I stayed when I adopted him, and he loves it here! Plus, Nancy's neighbor, Kristin, has many dogs of her own, as well as fosters, and some are even appropriate for Archie to play with. Everything is emptied out of the van, and I'm staying here, at least for a while. I hope to find enough work that I will still be able to travel to see Alice and Abby, and maybe even save a little (or a lot!).
Here's a quick video tour starting on the deck outside the apartment, then walking through, and ending looking out the bedroom French doors toward the pool again.
When I arrived in JC, I went straight to Nancy's, a place I've stayed on several other visits to JC. Nancy is not here in her house. She is caring for her parents in Glen Arbor, MI; but she and her husband offered to rent the attached apartment to me for a reasonable amount. Nevertheless, I reached out to see if I could find any other abode that cost less. Monday, I visited a couple with a home in the "tree streets." Theirs is on Laurel. They were offering a large bedroom on the main floor for slightly less than Nancy's place. In addition to a lovely, updated kitchen, they have a fenced-in yard (but so does Nancy) and an organic garden. But the place felt small to me, and I had trouble picturing myself there.
Later in the afternoon/evening, I visited Amy's place. Amy is the former chair of the Music Committee at HVUUC. She is a bright, lively personality, and her home was lovely and spotless. But by the time I visited with her, I think I had already pretty much decided to stay at Nancy's. It's a bit more money than either of the others, but since I've already been there several times it kinda feels like home. This is the place that Archie and I stayed when I adopted him, and he loves it here! Plus, Nancy's neighbor, Kristin, has many dogs of her own, as well as fosters, and some are even appropriate for Archie to play with. Everything is emptied out of the van, and I'm staying here, at least for a while. I hope to find enough work that I will still be able to travel to see Alice and Abby, and maybe even save a little (or a lot!).
Here's a quick video tour starting on the deck outside the apartment, then walking through, and ending looking out the bedroom French doors toward the pool again.
Before I left for JC, I was lucky enough to see both of my daughters, however briefly. Abby and Adam arrived in GR on Saturday, after driving from Erie to a wedding south near St Joe. They were headed up north to spend a few days with the Peterson clan, so I was very pleased to have breakfast with them before they left. Alice and David drove from Los Angeles with Harvey, my granddog, bringing him to Michigan for the first time. Before leaving LA, David posted a picture of a new Star Wars creature, due to appear in the next movie, called a Porg. He was quite taken with this creature, and I thought, "I could make one of those!" So I went to work, and before David left GR he had his very own Porg.
I had hoped to take a couple of boxes of Alice's stuff with me, as I'm planning to travel to LA in October to celebrate my birthday there, but I was unable to reach Phil and Sylvia, the keepers of the stuff. As I was headed south on 131, I got a text from Sylvia inviting me to stop and get the boxes. At that point I realized it was probably a good thing we didn't connect sooner because I couldn't imagine where I would have put two more boxes!
Archie definitely misses his best friend, Daisy, who will be 10 times his size by the time we see her again. Here they are in a playful moment in Annie's backyard before we left.
But Archie will make many new friends here in Johnson City. This is an encounter with Vader, one of the dogs from next door, who couldn't seem to decide whether he should have a taste of Archie or not.
Let me close by saying that, while I already miss my dear friends in GR a lot, I have hope for some fun and creative times ahead. I also look forward to seeing my NC family, my SC family, Patrick & family in Charlotte, and Jennifer & Carol, and Ben, Eliza, & August in Asheville. I also anticipate paying a visit to Abby and Adam before too long -- when they say it's okay -- and maybe to Bay St Louis sometime in February.
The following shot was given to me as a printed photograph by my cousin, Valerie, after her dad's memorial service on Friday before I left. It was taken at their cottage on Crystal Lake many years ago and shows the joy that we felt as a family sometimes. We used to gather at their cottage on July 4, because that was my paternal grandparents' anniversary. After they had both passed, the family no longer carried on this tradition, and even at my uncle's memorial some of the local folks were missing. Sad but true. Here's to halcyon days!
If anyone knows how to turn the photo, let me know, and I'll fix it.
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