After what I think has been 9 years on the beach, Cyndi and I are heading to the "mountains" and will be living high above Silicon Valley in Woodside, just east of Skyline. While the ocean has been great and we'll miss it and Pacifica, we won't miss the HOA and their insane desire to bankrupt all 42 homeowners.
The new place has character, as the real estate agent puts it. Garage is on top of the house, a spiral staircase down into one bedroom (no doubt my new "office"). Master commode has a spectacular view of the backyard and the backyard has a spectacular view of the commode. Large living area, really too large for the two of us, a very open and yet still small kitchen complete with a new wood burning stove which the cats will love in the winter. Hot tub and rabbit hutches. Low maintenance yard that the previous owner maintained lowly.
Cyndi will miss her many friends but hopefully they'll be willing to make the 40 minute drive into the "mountains" to enjoy the hot tub and Cyndi. I'll miss a few things: my morning walk on the beach, Leigh, the Mermaid and the Farmers Market. And the best two Japanese restaurants on the Pennisula. I won't miss the 25 miles at 85 mph down and then back up I-280 each day, especially when beater pickup trucks pass you wildly on the shoulders at that speed.
In the last year or so I've not seen any ocean mammals but just today a couple of whales swam by and one of them noted me and rolled on his side and waved a flipper goodbye to me. At least I think it was a flipper ... could have been a finger, I guess.
So for a while I'll appear to be rich while actually being poor. I'll have two houses: my mountain retreat and the beach house. I need to sell the beach house before the HOA decides we need to replace the ground under all the structures because Al found a gopher hole in his backyard.