I'm back.....

Did you miss me? I bet you did.

Well, California turned out to be a great trip. I found us a place to live- a great one-bedroom very near 'Old Town', the quaint area on the west side of town. The apartment has hardwood floors, lots of windows, a breakfast nook (so we don't have to eat in front of the TV anymore) and they're cool with Maddy. The biggest problem we were running into was not a single landlord wanted to rent to people with dogs. What a nightmare. But these new landlords seem cool, and much like our current landlords- very down to earth and easy to get along with.

While there, I was able to check out my new town. The climate there was beautiful- a cool 61 degrees most days I was there. The weather changes almost every hour. Overcast, then sun, then fog, then sun again. It only rained one day I was there, and I spent that afternoon at the mall. The nice thing about Eureka? No smog. No allergies. I could breathe there, the air is so clean. The south side of town is a bit grimy due to a paper mill there, but once you head north, it gets a little nicer. My first night, I had dinner at a thai restaurant, then hit Samoa Dunes, where I called my folks and Rob to boast about the waves I was watching roll in from the ocean.


Sunday was when I met the new landlord and saw the place- I knew I had to have it the second I saw it. Spent some time at the mall, then had mexican food while I watched Independance Day in my hotel room. Ended the evening with taking a dip in the hotel pool.

Monday secured the apartment, then celebrated by treating myself to dinner at Woodley's Marina, just off the Dunes. I caught up with a quite intoxicated B while again listening to the rhythms of the earth roll upon the shore. Here is the proof I was there.


With an extra day to kill, I headed to Sequoia Park and Zoo. Unfortunately the park was "Closed due to wind", whatever that means. But I was able to walk around the cute little zoo. My favorite part was the petting zoo, where they had all kinds of goats, sheep and such you could pet. The zoo's resident dog, Sandy, walked around with me and kept coming back for a scritch or two. I was then chased by a cock (pun surely intended here) through the entire barn. At the end of the zoo is Bill the Chimp. Bill is the oldest living male chimpanzee in captivity, at a ripe age of 60. The dude is hooked up, with a heated bed in his own "monkey apartment", complete with TV and stereo. Unfortunately, he was fighting a lung infection, and was a little too tired to make an appearance for photos (so said his keeper). Bill has made appearances on Letterman because this chimp is also an artist. You can even buy an original Bill painting in the giftshop for a mere $65. I almost splurged. Returned the rental car and spent the evening in my hotel, again having mexican food and subjecting myself to Elektra.

My plane left Eureka at 7:30 am (Jesus that was early) that next morning, and I finally arrived back in Indianapolis at 8pm. Long freakin' day.

I'm glad I went. I think if I hadn't gone, I would be a lot more freaked than I am. I've seen the town, I get the vibe. It's cool. But now it's finally starting to hit me that we're leaving. How much I will miss everyone. I don't want to talk about it. It will just make me sad. So good night. More to come soon.