Happiness Is Loving Where You Live

I spent my life on the East Coast. When I told my son I as moving to he Northwest he told me I was an East Coast person and wouldn’t be happy out here.

I was an East Coast person growing up – maybe. But in my heart I think I always longed to live out here. While I thrived on the hustle and bustle of Manhattan and Washington, D.C., I knew what I really wanted was to live in the mountains.

Before I made my trek across the country I drove up and down the east coast checking out the mountain areas. I never found any place that felt right and also offered me the culture, good food and spiritual life I sought.

Boise, Idaho. Who’d a thought I could find what I long desired in the potato state?

Well, I lived here for a year before I ever saw a potato farm And I don’t remember where that was so I haven’t seen another since. The grocery store has bags of Idaho potatoes so I suppose there are lots of potato farms = maybe not in the Boise area.

Doesn’t matter, really. I came out here because I love the outdoors and mostly because I love water.

Many of my friends here have boats. Idaho has more natural waterways than any other state. I moved here from Virginia. Virginia has no natural lakes in the entire state, jus some rivers – none too close to where I raised my family in the Washington, D.C. suburbs.

So it was no surprise I only knew one person with a boat back there. Yet here many many people have boats and campers too. You don’t have to drive far to find great camping. Now I just need to figure out if I really want to go real camping – something I never did.

Living in the high desert is really different. There are all kinds of land formations here I never saw back East. Some of the gorges look like mini Grand Canyons!

The Birds of Prey flock just down the road and sometimes in the tree that overhangs my deck! Ever seen a peregrine falcon up close ad personal?

I drive real slowly to get to my house as the owls patrol the road and the jackrabbits scurry across after dark. I think the funniest things that I never saw in Virginia are the whistle pigs and quail that move faster than you can imagine!

Yes, if you like the outdoors and wildlife then consider moving to Idaho. No. Don’t! We want to keep this place a secret!