Exploring my new neighborhood

Since my friend left I have realized how exhausted I still am. I think I went about 14000 miles by plane and 4000 miles by car in the 2 weeks since I had flown back from Cape Town. I also hadn't slept any long sleeps except the night of my friend's wedding. I am overwhelmed by the boxes stacked up in every room of my house, and also of all the things that I have to do to settle in. I haven't done my bank balance in 2 months - yikes! I have had to prioritize like figuring out how my sprinkler system works before killing some of the beautiful plants I have like the Japanese Maple tree.

One of the high things on my list is of course finding the best places to hike/walk with my dog. One of the reasons I choose this neighborhood was the many spaces left undeveloped and the paths running throughout it. I walked with her on them the very first morning here. She saw deer on the path that same morning - oh what a thrill for her! We have also seen deer in the common space right behind my yard. I am so happy to have that common space because with the tall trees left in it, it provides a lot of privacy. Today she got to chase deer - I think she is very glad we moved here. She seems to love the smells in the air as sometimes in the car she gets very excited - there are a lot of sheep farms around. She also loves the back yard though she's already found a way under the fence :(

Last night we went to a dog park not far from here. I could walk there from my place though we didn't last night because we were checking out a few different parks. The people at the dog park were nice and Audrey seemed to enjoy it though she mainly wanted to fetch a stick with me instead of running around with the other dogs.

Today was our best exploration yet and has confirmed that I picked a good neighborhood to live in. We took the common space paths through my neighborhood into an "open space" that is something like a city park, except it is basically undeveloped land with trails. It is a hilly meadow from which you can get a nice view of the town. That open space backs up to a huge city park, and to a very large forest that is cared for by the University. I could hike for days in there and getting there requires passing only about 6 blocks where I can actually see houses - the rest is totally natural and tranquil.

One thing that I will have to learn more about is safety issues around here. There are cougars - I don't know how common they are, but there are warnings at this park and forest. These animals can easily be over 100 lbs and could eat my dog :( Apparently sightings are uncommon and mostly at dawn and dusk since they hunt at night, so I'll just have to go mid-day. There are also black bears - I wouldn't want her to mess with those either, even though they are mainly herbivores.

Speaking of safety issues it was interesting for me to contrast this neighborhood and lifestyle with Cape Town. Very expensive houses on the upper side of my neighborhood (upwards of $700,000) have fully decorated porches with very nice furnishings that are totally open to people who are walking along the road. One person even had a very artistic wood bench that I am sure cost at least a few thousand dollars. It wouldn't be easy to steal - it is heavy, but none the less it is great to live in a place where things can be kept outside like that. I also loved how open things are. The most private path through the neighborhood has many side paths so people can easily walk straight out of their back yards and go hiking.

I know I will love living here. I still miss Cape Town, and especially the friends I made there. Oregon is now my home, though, and I am looking forward to settling in here. I am sure I will go back to Cape Town - perhaps even next fall. By then I will have my heart here as well so it will not be so easily lost there :)