Hi! Sorry i’ve been kind of quiet lately. The reason is simple — and complex. At an age when most people have settled down for life, I’m undergoing a major transformation. I’ve lived in southern California for decades and my husband is a native Californian. Three years ago, we moved from our 28 year residence in Laguna Beach (where i’ve set many, many books) to Laguna Niguel. Great house, nice surroundings, but we had a sense that it was temporary. About a year ago, we started thinking about the possibility of making another change and this time it would be a big one — possibly even the life changing kind.

While my hubby had always been a water lover and lived most of his life in sight of the ocean, he declared that he’d done that and was open to places not beside the water. That expanded our horizons. A few years ago, we’d visited Ashland, Oregon to go to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a huge enterprise in 5 theaters that runs 9 months a year. Ashland is a beautiful, artsy town not unlike Laguna Beach, but inland and far more rural and forested. We loved it, but it took a while for the idea to grow. Then, a couple years ago, a friend from college moved there and started sending us pictures. We started talking.

Last November, we visited Ashland for fun but with an eye to whether or not we could live there — someday. We decided yes, but the gating item was my husband’s business. He has long term commitments with clients that make it hard for him to break away, unlike me. I do both my jobs — writing and running a marketing agency — from home.

Then two months ago, my honey came home and declared that he was at a stopping place and if we were going to do it, this was the time. We put the house on the market the next day and sold it in a month. We thought we were going to go to Ashland and find a smallish house (still big enough for both our offices) that would simplify life. HA! Instead, we found a wild-ass property at the top of a hill next to the forest. A 1960’s modern place in terrible repair that we’ll have to spend the rest of our lives fixing up. And we’re looking forward to it.

Today, we’re surrounded by boxes (see photos), the movers are coming this weekend, and we’re getting in 2 cars and driving to Oregon! We’ll have to live in a hotel for 2 weeks with our dog while they make the house even vaguely habitable. Send us good thoughts as our life-changing adventure begins! Hugs!