Ten Years in Texas

This is the second longest I have ever lived in one place my entire life!

The record is eleven years on Zandhoek Road in Hurley, New York. The very first home we ever bought. 1982. $38,500. No, it wasn't a dump. Homes were pretty cheap back then. But interest rates were high. Our first mortgage was 17 1/2%%%. How's that for an interest rate? That house would be paid off now. Damn. It had a gorgeous view of the Catskill Mountains. Biggest problem was the backyard. Pretty much all downhill. Not much usable space. But it sure was pretty.

If you had told me 25 years ago that I would end up in Texas, I would never have believed it. Then again, I was always open to new places. Left Philadelphia after I got married in 1980 to live in the Catskill Mountains. Four hours away from home was perfect. Far enough away that the family couldn't just 'drop in', but close enough for a weekend visit back home. It's not that I'm not a family person, it's just easier to like your family more when you don't have to deal with the internal politics on a daily basis. Plus it forced me to grow up and it made my marriage the most important relationship in my life immediately.

In 1994, we moved to Boca Raton, Florida. Now THAT was my favorite place to live ever. From our front door to the beach was twelve miles. It was perfect. I call that my 'two year vacation'. We moved to Texas in 1996. I hated it at first. But now, it's home. And it was a great place to raise my boys. They went to good schools and are excellent students. But I don't think any of us will ever call ourselves "Texans". Me? I'm still a Philly girl. But when I talk to people 'back home', I am starting to hear their accents. So I guess that means I've been gone long enough to notice.