Ruralopolis
Well, I think that’s it. I’ve got The Place.
This is the view from The Place, roughly.
The Place is 14 acres of vineyards and horse paddocks on a major scenic trail, a ten minute drive from downtown. It is a one bedroom cabin with a full basement and about 25% more space than I have in Vancouver, for exactly the same cost. Every horse owner I can entice to board his/her horse on the property lowers my rent by the amount the board brings in. If I feed and muck out, that amount is doubled.
Since I got fat, I’ve been looking for low-impact ways to get some physical work in, given that my career involves sitting on my ass typing, and since I was a groom in a hunt stable right out of school and have been pining to get back into the horse world for years, this seems ideal.
So the plan is to move my stuff into storage on Feb 25, either here or (more likely) up in Ruralopolis where it’s cheaper, and then when I get to move in, on April 1 (no joke) bung the lot in and sort it out later, acquiring or building more bookshelves as may be.
Maybe I should tell The Sister I’m moving out of Vancouver, after 32 years ( HOLY FUCK I AM OLD) but I don’t want to shock her.
raincoaster 
Oh my gosh. Welcome to Rural North America. We are glad to have you.
Rural North America is the Last Best Place, or so I have heard. Missoula – Best EVER. Santa Fe – 500 years old. Crawl around all the Gold History. THAT!! will never wither. NW Canada? stories.
I can’t wait to start gold panning. If you think I’m kidding, I’m not. I saw the stream coming out of the reservation and there were gold specks in it. Apparently there are people in the neighborhood making their living from gold panning.
Seventeen facebook shares? I had no idea people were that interested. Maybe I really SHOULD tell my sister.
OMG, Penticton! So, uh… Wine coaster?
This is what I am thinking. I was Icecoaster up in Yellowkife
I can see your avatar already – much like it is, only wine coloured and more splotchy :-)
+1
I imagine it will be too quiet to sleep properly. Maybe make a recording of those soothing downtown noises (gunfire, emergency vehicles, rowdy boozers, etc.) before you go. :) Best wishes!
Uh, yeah, perhaps you should have told your sister…
I agree – Winecoaster! I also agree – Missoula, MT is one of the most gorgeous places on the planet but Penticton is good enough. At least you will be out of the toxic mould and daily near-death experiences in the LES.
How’s the song go..?? “Fresh air!” “Nice hair!” ” Darlin’ I love ya but give me Park Avenue”…. Should be fun to watch you adapt to rural life and a 10-minute walk to the City. But I know you will love being back in the horsey life again, so good luck!
Hooray! This is such exciting news. We share a love of horses and a the rural life. In a past life I’ve been a horse owners, trainer, rider, driver and riding coach. During my earlier years I knew Penticton well. Now I will have a reason to visit one day and that’s so cool.
Pingback: Afternoon Links: Fergie is Pregnant? Baby Bump Showing | Girls Talkin Smack - Celebrity Gossip Blog, TV, Fashion, Pop Culture & Movies
What a spectacular view! I am so freaking happy to hear this news from you. I love city life but could never live in one. I love the peace and quiet of small town living.
Horses too! I remember it was about five years ago that I joined WordPress and you were one of the first people I met in the forums. You talked about horses quite a bit. I kinda have a soft spot in my heart for all the people I met through the forum as a newbie. I’m just glad to know everything working out for you.
Oh, and I know you love bacon as much as I do. I made bacon jam last night. It’s AWESOME!
Well. Didn’t YOU just land RATHER WELL!!
So it would seem, but I ain’t got the keys YET. Lotta packing to do first. Alas, the construction guys threw out my Starbucks Sumatra table but I still have my espresso machine and my beverage snobbery to remind me of the 90’s.
It’s a ten minute DRIVE to town. I think I’ll start with a bike and save up for a car once I’ve got another semiregular freelance gig. With the Manolo and the Daily Dot it’ll be very, very tight covering rent and utilities and groceries: no gin money at all!
Jennifer, did you ever see the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil? John Cusack is a New York writer and he has a tape of city noise that he plays to go to sleep.
And you’re all welcome to come visit, although you may have to bring a tent.
Penticton! Good choice. I hope by summer you’ve got aircon, though. And about that gold: is it the real thing?
Wishing you all the best! I’m too much of an urban girl to get excited about rural living, but I do hope it works out for you.
Yes, the gold is the real thing. This is on the Gold Rush trail, and there are people in the hills making good coin panning for gold in the summers.
Thanks Az. I live primarily online so I think this will work well for me. I expect to get a bit restless from time to time, but there’s always the greyhound.
Pingback: Buried Treasures « raincoaster
Pingback: The Prancing Pony of Penticistan | raincoaster