We now know where we are headed next, and have a target date for being there.

By the end of March, we will be on our way to Fort Collins, Larimer County, Colorado.



It seems obvious now, but it took over fifteen months here for the choice of location and timing to be clear. My recent visit to Mexico was the last element for me to clarify how everything fits together and be prepared to move on. I still felt a small degree of uncertainty about whether we should be heading directly for Mexico - bypassing another extended stay elsewhere in the U.S. The dream of living in Mexico is still very much alive, but we now see it more as a phased-in change, with winter seasonal visits the probable first step. Before, when I was so rigid in my thinking about how things were supposed to work out, there was a risk that Mexico would just be out of the picture entirely, but as long as we are flexible about how and when, I think there is a wondeful time there ahead for us.

There really was never any question that our time in California is at an end. Of all the other location in the U.S, Fort Colins has continued to shine, with the lovely setting, amenities, tolerable weather, proximity to the ranch and Mona in Wyoming, and glowing comments from others who have lived or spent time there.

I think for Pat everything is clear in his context as well. He has been uplifted and inspired by recent visits to the area to scout neighborhoods and houses. He can keep his job as we relocate, which will provide some financial stability. The location will be better for him due to the DEN airport location within the continent and its direct flights to most destinations that his work requires him to travel to.



Houses for sale in Fort Collins are plentiful, often charming and comfortable, and priced between a quarter and a third of the price of comparable property in the nauseating hyperinflated Bay Area housing market.

There is an active counter-culture element in the area, with food co-ops, activist groups, and the usual stuff that comes with a town where the University campus is one of the biggest influences. Pat noted that there were a lot of Buddhist prayer flags, and yard signs taunting the Clueless Ones in the nation's capitol.



There is a Buddhist Shambhala center in town, and nearby is a Buddhist mountain retreat and practice center of global prominence. While I am not really very actively engaged in Buddhist practice at this point, I have benfitted greatly from reading and understanding the wisdom and views, and find it reassuring and comforting that there is such a strong presence there - whether I pursue it further or not.

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So here we go - I'll be re-packing everything here beginning in the coming week. I don't know exactly where we'll be living once we get there - at this point we'll probably rent so we can enjoy the better opportunity to house-hunt locally rather than over the Internet with expensive fly-in visits to look around.

But just being comfortable with that uncertainty is a big step forward for me.

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