Best of Both Worlds

So here I am in Portland Maine, along with my kitties Vivian and Bob.  We flew in on Friday and JK and Crash the dog are driving out here.  It's been an interesting experience "camping" in the house.  We've got a bed, a sofa and hassock plus a small table and 2 chairs in our large kitchen.  That's it!  The van with all of our stuff will catch up with us in about 2 weeks.  It's  a rather Zen experience in living, only the basics. 

The first two nights I cooked with the limited cookware we fed ex-ed out to the house - spinach and cheese raviolis the first night and the guilty pleasure of fish sticks, tater tots and salad the next night.  Tonight I had been planning to check out a nearby local restaurant that advertises it's cuisine as Brit-Indian.  But then I went to whole foods today and espied their salmon stuff with spinach and feta cheese and Castroville artichokes!  Yes, I cooked at home again tonight.  And there's a local "moon pie" defrosting on the counter for dessert to go with the rest of the bottle of red wine I opened.  This one is different than the traditional New England style... chocolate cake-type cookies with the cream filling.

The kitties - Bob and Vivian - are still freaked out about our plane ride and a new house.  They've been cowereing under the covers of the bed or (in Bob's case) behind the dryer in our 2nd floor laundry room for the past 2 days.  Vivie did come down the stairs of our little Craftsman bungalow last night, but has been reticent today after I moved their food and kitty water fountain out in the hall instead of being in the bedroom.  Tomorrow I have to move their food downstairs as that might be the only way to get them down here.  I miss them.

This is not to say my first few days were without incidents.  I hadn't realized (mis-communication with JK and our RE agent) the water to the refrigerator and the dishwater weren't turned on.  Today I spent about 3 hours trying to get the new washer to work.  Tried every combination of where the water valves to the washer should be set at and no go.  I ended up calling Sears and a repair person will be out here tomorrow between 1 and 5.  So I guess I'm not going out to run errends tomorrow and finish the registration process on the car which includes going to city hall to pay an exise tax and then over to the DMV where I will probably change my CA license for a Maine one.

I've also got an appointment with the guy from Lowe's to measure the stairs that we need to get carpeted for our 12 year old doggie.  And I might as well call a fence guy to have him come over to give us an estimate to finishing enclosing the yard before Crash lands.

But all in all I'm happy right now.  I'm breathing so much better than in the smog laden air of Sacramento and relishing the tang of the salt air and the cry of seagulls overhead.  Yes, I think Maine will agree with me.  Can't wait until JK and Crash are here, so the whole pack will be together!

This is what the exterior of the house looked like this winter when we made the decision to buy it.  Now the trees are budding out and bulbs are blooming.  I'll have to go across the street to shot a new photo this week.  I've already met some friends of the neighbors across the street and the neighbors on both sides.  I think this will be a great neighborhood to start our Maine adventure.