Moving to California

My wife, Olya, and I have finally decided to move back to California. A UHaul moving van brough up yesterday from Indy is sitting in the street. I can see our 2003 Prius on a transport trailer in back through the frosty windows of the house we've been renting on Emerson Street since we sold our home in Fort Wayne. We'll be loading up this morning and tomorrow, I'll be once again driving the 2,000 plus miles out to Sacramento. I drove our 2005 Prius out there a couple weeks ago via Oklahoma City and Flagstaff. Olya and I decided to leave it there until we could decide what to do. I flew back for New Years. Now, I'm thinking about taking 80 through Salt Lake City if the forecast looks favorable, saving about 500 miles.

The past couple days, we've finally had a chance to sit together, talk and reflect on what is really important to both of us. As the song goes, I think I "left my heart in San Francisco" or there about. Olya fell in love with San Francisco a few years ago when we flew out for a JavaOne conference. She hasn't been satisfied with Fort Wayne (or Warsaw, Indiana at the time) since.

Since I moved to Indiana, I completely lost my inspiration for photography and enthusiasm for outdoor recreation. I have often missed my weekend forays into areas of California that were new to me and those that were like old friends. When I was in California last week, I once again felt that warm flow of appreciation that stirred me to grab my camera equipment and head out on Saturday morning to photograph the Marin headlands, or just walk along the headland trails watching the wisps of fog course through the laurel trees like fingers through hair. That land makes me feel awake, alive, in awe of this world!

Soon, I hope to be heading up to the Ridge Tahoe timeshare again to ski on the Nevada side or grabbing my camera and heading out for a spirit-nourishing hike most anywhere! Like James Taylor said about Carolina, "In my mind, I've gone to California!" We might as well physically be there as well.