one week impressions

already, our first week has come and gone here in the berks. i feel at home in an easy way. its beautiful here, our relocation was seamless, as we dropped right into visits with my parents, dinners at the sisters' houses, birthday celebrations, school plays and even, scottish night at the elder care center, complete with bagpipes, dancers and the much adored haggis. no joke!

we're not on vacation, and we're not traveling, though the trip across country felt much like an adventure of travel...but there is a mind-broadening feeling of trying new things and exploring new places. i love this time, when everything is happening with fresh eyes, and while i thought i would miss all my california habits and ways,  i find i am open to this time of experiencing and forming new favorite things. it reminds me much of our exotic travel, as if some of this is foreign to me. being an active daughter in my parents' lives, and a sister and aunt...i'm discovering who i am in each of these roles. and i am really enjoying all the discovery of being here. funny, i fought this for so long, and now i'm so grateful.

this weekend, my friend shine drove up from jersey. we had fun exploring. today we walked out on the frozen lake by our house, until i couldn't feel my face anymore (which wasn't very long!) we talked to one of the many ice-fishermen, a most determined and robust breed of outdoorsman.

we are looking forward to getting down to nyc soon to see some friends and see some action, but so far, i am loving the peace and quiet and the stars and october mountain, above which the sun rises every morning. 

much love to all, 

jen

We've Arrived!

hi everyone...finally, finally, we arrived at our new apartment on golden hill! here's the photo out our window as we woke this morning. we love our place, it's perfect for us and our new landlord is one cool cat. we had a truly wonderful cross country trip: good weather, no car trouble and a non-hysterical cat who comfortably found shelter under the passenger seat. our trip was packed with amazing visits and picturesque landscapes and such colorful sunsets, glowing behind us as we made our way, ever eastward. here are a few of the landscapes that caught my eye: 

this last one is suspicious at best. 

our first stop was at susan and riley brown's in flagstaff, arizona. our first snow, but hardly our last, and so we began thickening up our skin for the winter to come.  susan is hanging tough and rocking the 'single mom' role.

little riley warmed up to us and we were soon in the inner circle with her many stuffed bears-i think there's at least 20 of them now!  even our kitty nola got in on the act. (speaking of nola, after two years of having her in our life, we find out on this trip that she is scared of ceiling fans.  go figure!  every room that had one was a frightful experience for her.  alas, she grew used to them and  finally was able to sleep under one.)

after a wonderful two days through the desert of arizona and new mexico, we arrived at oklahoma city. 

unfortunately, my mom was in the hospital for stomach issues, and so we hung out with her there, and after a couple of days she was released and we had christmas at home after all.  

stay well, mom!!  we had a nice visit with my family and were soon on to the next stop: fayetteville, arkansas.  there we had a great night visiting my old college friends tom and jen and their 3 amazing daughters.  who knew fayetteville was so hip?  we were indoctrinated into the cult of Wii, and their daughter's imaginative world of "The Great War between Healthy food and Junk food."

then we cruised out to massachusetts, and have been hit by -10 degree temperatures. never thought i'd be saying "21 degrees? that's a heat wave!" but it's too beautiful to care.  the berkshires has a similar quality to marin, so in a way, we are right at home, as the nature speaks to us. and for now, there is lots of unpacking and settling in, but we will keep you updated as the process unfolds. stay tuned for stories of family and our discoveries of the area...and we hope everyone is doing well. drop a line when you can... 

jen and casey

That's a wrap!

That's a wrap kids! Ducks in a row, peas in their pods, crap in the storage, cat in the car. Let's go! It never fails to amaze me how much stuff two people can accumulate in such a short time, even though we try to keep it to a minimum. Alas, humans are collectors. Nonetheless, we managed to make it all precariously fit into this 10' x 10' space!

We hope everyone had a safe and happy new year. We had a great one with our friends Craig and Julie, a mellow night after a hectic day packing up. On NY's day, my favorite Tilden hike, dim-sum and the movie Milk. A great start to what we hope is an adventuresome year...stay tuned, as we head south and east into the great winter of '09.

Adios!

Casey