I have reviewed my last writing, and I find that I have left an unusually long period of time lapse. Most of this quiet time was unfortunate, but there is a pretty good excuse for the most recent months. My husband and I have experienced a huge change in our lives. After thirteen (13) years of coastal living from Brookings, Oregon to Lincoln City to Newport, Oregon, we have uprooted and moved to an entirely different environment in the High Desert of the State of Arizona. This desert clime is not foreign to either of us, however, as Dean spent most of his life in New Mexico and I spent a good deal of mine there and in Southern Utah. So we are familiar with the desert.
This move began in the summer of 2017, when Dean had been challenged with an early retirement (not of his choosing) from Walmart Pharmacy. He came to me with a question, "Where do you think we should spend the rest of our retirement years together?" This question brought many answers, but no real solutions. If I had my druthers, I would move back to my beloved Utah. Dean was not too keen on that idea. He thought moving to Washington State, closer to his father (who is 91 years old) would be a better idea. I didn't feel that that would change the climate we had lived in on the coast very much. Then, we thought of Southern California together. We had spent some time in the Carlsbad area and fell in love with the climate and the beautiful beaches there. However, we did not fall in love with the high population creating unreal traffic problems on the freeways; nor did we fall in love with the high cost of living there. So #3 was ruled out.
We knew that we did not want to live anywhere in Oregon. Too many bridges had been burned and we could not envision ourselves returning to any of the places we had already lived. Then, one day I saw something on the internet that caught my eye. It was an invitation to visit Prescott, Arizona. We had friends in the Newport area who had lived there and so we began asking them questions. They loved the area and had raised their family there. With that information, we formulated a plan to visit and see what Prescott (pronounced "Press-cut") was all about.
We scheduled a vacation to the area in late October, 2017. We debated on whether to drive or fly and rent a car. For this trip, we decided to fly and spend a few days with a Realtor, searching and getting acquainted with the area. Les Fowler was the Realtor we found and he was most congenial and helpful in showing us many areas to think about whenever we were ready to make the move. We both had a really good feeling about Prescott. We were there on Halloween, and saw how the locals took their holidays seriously. We enjoyed our Art Walk down "Whiskey Row," so named for all of the old saloons on the block dating back to the 1800's. A hunger to learn more about the history of this place was piqued!
We both have friends and relatives who live in the Phoenix area and some of them came to visit us in our motel and spent some time in and around the area. My granddaughter, Elissa, and her fiancee, Travis, came to spend a day. We walked along the shores of Willow Lake and explored another lake in the woods. It was all so beautiful. We ate a delicious dinner at "El Gato Azul" restaurant in Prescott. We shall have to visit this one again.
Dean's cousin, Charlie and his wife, Carol also came for a visit. We explored another lake and hiked along its shores. Next, came my Brother-in-Law, Hal. We ate breakfast with him and spent the morning getting better acquainted. He is doing quite well and though he misses my sister every day, his grief is less visible. I love him and pray for him every day.
Finally, a dear friend of mine, whom I call "My Adopted Brother,: Burdell, came to spend time with us at our Motel. He traveled a long distance to come see us and I am grateful. I love my "little brother!"
Back home, in Newport, we found that we had a lot to think about and plans to make. It would take a full year for Dean to get his finances in order and for us to pack, empty our storage unit, and prepare ourselves for this, our final move!
Part Two, to follow...
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