Beyond My Boundaries

Welcome! I am 65 and this is my first year of retirement. My husband, Lee, just retired too and right out of the gate, we are moving to Albuquerque, NM via a year long house trade that we arranged over the internet. I came from the midwest to Oregon in 1970 and have lived in OR for more than 40 years. I've been teaching English as a 2nd language for the last 10 years. Retirement will be a major life change, and ABQ will be a major cultural and climatological change, so I want to keep notes. These notes are for me, but you are welcome to read them and add your own thoughts.

Portland, OR Skyline

Portland, OR Skyline

A view of Sandia Mountain in NM

A view of Sandia Mountain in NM

Sunday, July 10, 2011

We arrive!


Fiona and Chi Chi were refreshed by their day without driving and they ate better and seemed more relaxed. However, they still resisted another day in the car. But they quieted down for an uneventful final day and we pulled into Albuquerque at about 6:00 pm on Saturday night. We’d made it!! Our trip meter logged 1525 miles and told us that we’d averaged 38.7 mpg during the trip.

When we arrived at the house, there was a huge gate on wheels that had to be swung out of the way to pull into the driveway. We found the key to the front door just where Liz had said it would be, and we opened the door. It was Pueblo revival style home and palatial. All the floors are freshly finished wood or Santa Fe style large tile. The ceiling looks to be about 10 feet high. There are 3 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, a walk-in closet as big as our bedroom in Portland, an office, a laundry room, and a nook of a wet bar with it’s own sink. Out back is a covered patio with two hammocks and a view of the horses, ponies, donkeys, and pea foul next door. The place is nicely landscaped and made our Portland home seem humble.

It was hot... nearly 100 degrees. As soon as we arrived there was a short-lived, but heavy rain.  After unloading the cats, we drove four blocks to Montanita Food Co-op and loaded up on groceries. Then we came home, ate on the patio, washed up and crashed in their wonderful bed.

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