The BIG Move....

Am finally moved to California.  What a monumental task this has been!

*Sell the house (took almost a year!)

*HUGE garage sale and multiple trips to Goodwill, Saint Vincent DePaul's. Gave living room furniture to Jeff and Kristy...

*move temporarily into my parents beach house, and my childhood bedroom for 6 months (the last 3 weeks with no furnace!).  That was just a little weird...

*baby steps with a new business - start ordering inventory (what was I thinking?????)  Coastal home decor inventory shows up by the truckloads...

*Find an apartment/storage unit/UPS store/grocery store/Post Office/etc in California... still looking for a car wash

*Load the U Haul (again, what was I thinking???) with boxes of unopened Caron's Beach House inventory, a few pieces of my left-over furniture, my precious beach cottage dinnerware (nothing matches!), favorite home decorating coffee table books, cookbooks,  antique glasses and plates, PILES of sea glass and shells (couldn't part with those)   How did I get so much stuff??

*Drive 2.5 hours the first night to a beautiful Econo Lodge in Kelso, Washington,  AFTER loading the truck.  It was a deal! $39.99 for the night and included free wifi AND breakfast!  Me driving the truck, Alex driving the car and the 17 year old black cranky cat. (+ cat box)

*Leave Kelso at 6:30 am,  and drive 15 hours to Belmont, California. Stopped for Burger King breakfast in  Salem, gas in Eugene (love how someone else puts gas in your car in Oregon!) KFC in Yreka, gas in Redding + chocolate and bad gas station coffee. Listened to anything that would come on the radio while rattling along on I-5. (that's right, I listened to lots of country music and old rock and roll!)  Up steep, windy, beautiful mountain passes in Southern Oregon and Northern California, while trying to get the truck to go even 50 miles an hour.... Many many hours driving through farmland in California, while the sun set on acres of emerald green fields.

*EXHAUSTED!! Thank goodness Tom had pizza and red wine waiting when we got here. Had a few tears....

Ready for my new life here, whatever it might look like. Excited about finally being able to market to my old Caron's Beach Cottage customers, and to finally really get all of the marketing in place for Caron's Beach House.  Stay tuned... there's will be so many more adventures at the beach!

P.S. Had a blast with the kids when they came to help move and to be tourists in my new town!  Here's a few shots of them having fun -

On our new deck in Belmont, overlooks the San Mateo Bridge and the Oracle buildings in the background.

On the trail to Point Bonita - they were a little freaked out on the one-lane road through the Marin Headlands... Alex did not even want to venture out to the lighthouse, I will admit that it was a little scary!

Allison at Point Bonita Lighthouse

Somewhere along Hwy 1 .... so many beaches to explore!

Scott's Beach on Hwy 1  - great spot to watch kite surfers and play in the sand and surf!

Pigeon Point Lighthouse overlook - we had gorgeous weather!

All of us at San Francisco's famous overlook on the Bay and on the Golden Gate! Fab lunch in Sausalito that day too in the sunshine on the deck at Horizons - great food and service! 

See you soon! 

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