What a wild and crazy month September was this year! It started in hot, muggy Tennessee and ended in cool (no humidity!) Portland. We had a very enjoyable drive west with Kaipo and Tilly, got into Portland a day earlier than expected, spent a week in two lovely Airbnbs, and we are now almost finished getting settled our new apartment. Brett spent this past weekend getting all the pictures hung around the apartment, and everything else has found its place. We made one final trip to IKEA yesterday for a few odds and ends (shelving and a coat rack) but we’re done!
Our Portland apartment is 147 square feet smaller than our apartment was in Tennessee, and yet the space seems more efficient in some ways even though it has less storage space. The Tennessee apartment, we realize now, had a lot of wasted space, open areas that we couldn’t really use but gave a feeling of spaciousness. The kitchen here is the opposite of the huge kitchen we had in Tennessee; it’s small but cozy and efficient, and I’m getting used to working in a smaller space again (and washing dishes again too). We have a dedicated dining area though, something there was no room for in our last apartment. Overall we’re very satisfied and happy with this apartment. Our biggest challenge still awaits though: the outside space. We’ve got a few ideas but that’s all for now.
Both Brett and I feel right at home again in Portland (with our time in Tennessee almost like it was just a long dream). We’ve had just one day of rain so far, but overall it’s been sunny and cool, perfect fall weather. The fall color has been gorgeous, but it’s also kind of a mess because leaves are falling off trees everywhere and sidewalks, streets, and yards are coated with them. We enjoy walking and looking at everything in our neighborhood, and the “cultivated wildness” in so many of the yards and gardens. Yards seem overgrown and blowsy but in an intentional sort of way – so very different from Tennessee. Space is not wasted on lawns for many homes either although we somehow have a small lawn in front of our apartment (the dogs love it). We couldn’t have asked for a nice neighborhood either – Trader Joe’s two blocks away and the perfect coffee shop less than a block away.
I’ve started driving again, something I refused to do in Tennessee, and love being in a place again where I know exactly where I am, and which direction is north, south, east or west. I like knowing where I’m going and my memory of where everything is and how to get there remains strong. We’re walking a lot again but until the apartment gets completely set up we haven’t wandered too far.
I have just a few goals for October:
- Work on our claim being settled with the moving company so we can buy a new dresser. Hopefully this won’t take too long as our bedroom remains a mess with the broken dresser taking up a lot of space. We heard though it could take as long as six months 😱 but probably more like two or three 😠. Maybe we’ll get lucky though.
- Find a dog groomer and a good boarding solution for Kaipo and Tilly (they won’t be going to Boston with us at Christmas).
- Continue to walk every day and increase our distance bit by bit.
Toward the end of this month we’re heading out to the coast to camp for a few days, and I can’t tell you how much we’re looking forward to that. We have all our supplies and are ready! We have our fingers crossed though that it won’t rain the entire time we’re there. Otherwise we’re just happy to finally be here and are enjoying the cooler weather. October in Portland is beautiful!
