Ah, internet service.
Have jumped straight into new job and life with both feet. So far I like it pretty well, though the whole "Giant Corporation" thing will require some getting used to. Have quickly relearned to navigate my city, and overall feel good about the move. We have a small garden on our large balcony/porch thingie on the front of the house. There are more windows and cabinets than in our last two houses combined, which is marvelous. I am rediscovering art and dishes and photos that I had comepletely forgotten about.
The dogs seem pretty happy. They finally got their summer haircuts, and they have cousins to play with here. We have yet to find a place for them to swim locally. There is a dog beach on the lake, but it's a long ride into the city and will require a full day off with good weather and no other obligations.
At present I am sitting on a beach in South Carolina, escaping the chaos that is the bh's biannual family reunion. We'll be home on Wednesday and then it's back to the grind, and hopefully more writing discipline.

So, the eagle has landed and all that. We don't have an Internet connection yet, so I'm way behind on reading and writing, but I will catch up when I can. I do seem to manage to keep up the photo blog, so at least I might remember the sequence of events by the time I get around to updating.

It took three full days, but we've managed to pack our belongings, send them ahead, and clean the whole house. We did a walk through this morning with the landlord, had the last two items of furniture picked up, stopped at Birch Grove Bakery for the standard road treats (which were generously given to us by our neighbors and friends the bakers), and finally hit the road. Now we're aboard a ferry crossing Lake Champlain to upstate New York, where we will star the eight hour drive to Erie.

There is a moving truck in the driveway. Slightly guilty pangs as I sit typing while two Eagle Scouts load our entire house into a thirteen foot square space.
We leave on Wednesday, drive to Erie, and then in to Chicago on Thursday. We will see our house for the first time when we arrive. Hilariously, there are two shows we want to see Saturday night. Already got tickets for Kelly Hogan, so we are decided. It's like the universe telling us we are doing the right thing. I promise to be back more regularly when things calm down.