Update : We love where we live!Here ’s a mail six years lateron our impressions of Central Oregon .
Oh man , so much has happened in the last couple weeks that I ’m fight with where to start on the big intelligence , so I ’ll just get square to the point : We are moving 900 mile northwards to Bend , Oregon , in October , and we ’re beyond thrilled !
term of a contract has been signed , boxes are being pack , bye are being said . This move has been in the works since the start of summer , when we started menage track down more seriously , but it was a tobacco pipe dream for a few years as Will and I were trying to resolve where we wanted to settle with our pocket-sized but growing house .
You could say it started with mybook tour in 2015when wedrove cross - countryto promoteThe CSA Cookbook . The six - week trip was part business and part pleasance , but on the Q.T. it was also an informal exploratory survey mission to see if any other part of the country vibed with us as much as the west coast did .
late down , Will and I always knew that California — in cattiness of how much we have a go at it it — would in all likelihood not be the place we put down roots . The high toll of living , shortage of urine , and desire for alteration were all gene that weigh on our decisiveness to relocate .
There were passel of foretell competitor on our listing , like Vermont , Montana , Idaho , Colorado , and North Carolina ( all of which we adore ) , but after all was seen and heard , Oregon had everything we were face for .
The four - time of year climate , combat-ready outside community , beautiful neighborhoods , small - town life , and genuinely good mass made us feel like we ’re good at home . ( I could go on and on about Central Oregon , but I ’ll assay to spread it across a few mail so you do n’t tyre of get a line how psyched I am about it ! )
The peculiar thing is , we never even stopped in Bend on the book circuit . I hadbook events in Portland and Corvallis , and we road - tripped down the stunning Oregon slide to consider more places , but Bend only come up in our discussions post - book hitch .
It was a town I ’d only know and read about in Outside Magazine , and it seemed to top the list of “ Best Places to Live ” in nearly every news publication that gave such ranking . Friends pass on it high-pitched praises , and it had the sunny , high desert climate we preferred .
One visit to Bend that class and we were hooked .
We ’ve since been to stoop a act of times , in every season ( include snowboard time of year , where I carved turns down Mount Bachelor at32 weeks pregnant on our babymoon ) , and love it more and more each time .
It ’s very conducive to our lifestyle , we ’re excited to lift our girl in what ’s basically a immense outdoor playground , and despite jumping four(four!)climate zones ( from 10b to 6b … eeek ) , I ’m every bit as unrestrained to take Garden Betty to a whole new grade in advanced homesteading .
I ’ve always been one to have a go at it — and thrive in — unfamiliar environment , and crafting a new life in Bend will be an inordinately rewarding challenge I can not wait to take on .
We ’d originally hoped to buy a base this summertime , but house hunt from out of state is no easy project , and we did n’t require to rush along into construct such a monumental decision without knowingallof our choice .
So , we ’ll be take right in town and can take our clip exploring and getting a feel for various neighborhoods that we ’ve only scratched the Earth’s surface of .
We lucked into a lovely theatre on a one-half Akko to settle into for the meantime , and this retiring week has been a whirlwind of readiness — all from afar , which has ask a huge amount of trustingness on both side , but we sense really good about the move .
The property is owned by a generous couple who put a mountain of heart into it , and best of all , they ’ve set aside us to bring our chickens , so Iman , Harlow , Ginger , and Greta will be conjoin us in Bend !
It ’s both astonishing and a little nerve - wracking , so if any of you snowy - clime chicken - keepers have any winterizing tips to pass off along , I ’m all ear ! We ’re still trying to reckon out what to do about a chicken coop , as we ’re result ourtiki coopbehind , and are count the pros and gyp of building versus purchasing .
That , plus sempiternal other decisions to make for our impend farseeing - distance move , is add together to my land mile - long lean of thing to take on .
I have so many ideas for blog posts and half - write tipple that I ’d hoped to finish in September , but I ’ll be honest , my regularly schedule blog message may be a small lighter than usual as we ’re in full - on purging and backpacking mode around here . ( And mickle of boxes are chop-chop begin to invade my oeuvre distance … )
October 1 is the adult day , and though it ’s still a little over a calendar month away , I know September ’s going to fly by before I know it .
I ’ll hold in in a few more meter before then with updates from our move - in - progression , but meanwhile , here ’s to the last three weeks of summertime ! ( Can you believe it ? Have to say I ’m pretty stoke for fall to set out ! )
