Settling Down in Virginia

I haven’t posted any news for a few weeks now.  We’ve been pretty busy getting settled down in our new home state of Virginia, and getting established in my new job.  It was a stressful and tiring several weeks, but once again we survived.

The move went well, overall.  We did thin out a lot of “stuff,” including tools, furniture and collectables.  It’s okey as we wanted to start fresh in a new home and new life, so leaving a lot of excess baggage behind was a good thing.

We did keep my boat “Sea Dreams,” towing it the 900+ miles from Gautier to our new apartment located in Dale City, Virginia.  I have hopes to actually spend time out on the water this coming season, having the chance to explore the Potomac River and it’s tributaries.  But that’s for the spring!

We moved into a small 2 bedroom apartment for now while the Realtors down in Mississippi sell the house for us.  Winnie and I are beginning to look for where we want to live next, and debating on the type of home we want.  The price of homes here in the “Big City” were rather a shock to this Mississippi country boy.  Until we sell our Gautier house, we really can’t buy anything here.  So we’re taking our time house hunting.

I do admitt, it was a strange feeling walking through a completely empty house the morning we left for good.  After living there thirteen years, I had a lot of memories in that house, both good and bad.  At the same time, I’m excited about the chances for a new life in a new place, with a job very different than anything I’ve had before.

I’m now working in Arlington, Virginia, about 25 miles north of where we’re living.  There is a wonderful commuter system here, and I’m taking full advantage of it.  For the first two weeks I was taking the commuter bus from across the street from our apartment to the Pentagon exchange, then catching the DC Metro to just down the street from my office.  Starting today, I’m able to take the bus directly to just down the street from my office.  One less transfer to make and a quicker ride!

And taking the bus finally gives me a chance to do some reading each day.  Life is good.

I’m working up a Feature Article on the move that I hope will be published soon.  Meanwhile, I should be getting back to regularly posting here again, for the reading pleasure of our loyal fans (I think all three of you…?)