Thursday, July 3, 2008

The Fouth on the Fifth

Skokiam Day in Soap Lake begins with a pancake feed, followed by a parade down Main Street, a Salmon bake and fireworks - all on Saturday the 5th. Maybe I'll find some apple pie and a hot dog around here.

I love small towns. The stress level is minimal, road rage is over in a couple seconds, people smile and talk to each other, parking is free. Every other corner is not inhabited by Starbucks or McDonalds. The local grocer may not have the exact type spice that you just have to have for your sauce, but I bet the meat and potatoes are fresh - and the apples for your pie are still on the tree. I've never liked that frou-frou cooking anyway. I guess I'm too much of a Swede.

I've had fun the last four months, travelling around the western US of A, but I think at heart I need to own a house. I search the real estate ads of every area I visit. I've learned that I'm comfortable by myself, but Thom's visit (and departure) made it clear that I need to be close enough to my kids to hold them from time to time. I also learned that I need sunshine. The 19 clear days we had in western Washington last year were not sufficient. I want 300 days per year minimum.

That's how I feel this morning, I'll let you know if I change my mind.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Scott...I am appreciative of the fact that you are working on the problem of where to relocate to that is warm, sunny, accessible to ones children and affordable. Now those are all concerns I can share with you. I'll be anxiously awaiting what you find out.

alepel

The Voice of Soap Lake said...

My wife and I moved here 2 years ago "from the other side" and haven't looked back.

I drove by your RV park yesterday, saw your trailer but no bike so I figured you were out.

(I think my comment the other day was the one you deleted :-(

Glad you like our little town. Maybe we could meet at Van's and I can tell you some of the really special things happening around here.

Are you staying for the motorcycle rally "Run for the Sun". It'll be our 4th. What a hoot.

Scott said...

I didn't know about the rally. When? I like the town and area, not sure about the winters though. I'm here until the 25th, then I'm riding around Oregon with friends.

The Voice of Soap Lake said...

July 18-
20. http://www.soaplakecoc.org/lavalove.html

This last winter was a doozie even for the old timers. Not a lot of snow but we do go below freezing for a few days in the winter.

Anonymous said...

Good luck finding that special piece of real estate to call "home".
I, too, enjoy the small towns, for each has it's little quirk and cool things to discover. The exploring of new territory is always fun for me.
Happy trails to you!