End game

Yeeha - both my social security card and my greencard have arrived in the post. Getting the greencard is a big moment as, while I could still work and travel using my visa, the greencard finalises my status and simplifies everything when I apply for work. Sounds silly but it was another one of those "oh mi god this is really happening" moments. Happy happy happy.

Casual observations

The USA really is big - okay this isn't rocket science but as I've been looking at possible jobs to apply for I've been checking out what state they are in and the city websites. Each state is distinctly different and the cost of living changes wildly depending on where you are. I found a site that lets me compare the cost of living with relative salaries (yes sometimes I find myself tedious too). Using NY as the basis I compared salaries and the cost of living with Atlanta (yep one of many possible destinations). Cost of living in NY is 47% higher than Atlanta (no big surprise) but, on average, companies in Atlanta offer salaries around 15% lower than NY.............not hard to figure where the money is.
Have to confess that one of my homing criteria is whether or not there appears to be an active, positive queer community. Wow checking that out has been a surprise too. Some of the "smaller cities" (relative term) seem to have heaps going on and look like they might be fun - others, including some of the bigger cities, seem deathly. Still not fair to just go on a website but I need to start somewhere.
Mostly the sort of work I have been focusing on is consulting, with travel (25 - 50% of the time would suit me fine..........the joys of being a singleton) and a decent salary of course.
On a more practical note this week we have finished painting the barn. My painting buddy is 80 years old and owned diners in NY state for 40 years. Got a great brooklyn accent and has some great stories. He was also a fire figher in his youth so has taught me much about how to move a ladder without getting a hernia. Peter only works mornings and starts at 7am so guess who's been getting her sorry ass out of bed at 630 - can't quite believe it myself but have loved being outside doing something physical and can see the merits of rolling out of bed just as the sun rises and the birds start up. Don't get overly excited though - it really only works because I don't have to say much until morning tea!
It has taken me a while to get used to the altitude as well - but that seems to have come right, although I am definitely off some of the foods I used to love (fish and olives don't seem to have the same appeal). Random food fact: at higher altitudes it takes twice as long to boil an egg - I don't know why, it just does and I refuse to be so geeky as to "Ask Jeeves".

Living the life

It’s been a few days since I have been online – the joys of rural remote living and upgrading of internet providers. In the interim I have been busy. Working with one of the part time staff I have painted one building (yellow) and start painting the barn this week (and yes it will be red and has seen me learning how to use a cherry picker). Also helped with stacking hay bales……..heavy suckers but lots of chuckles along the way. The scenery here continues to take my breath away and living at 6500ft keeps the lungs going. B tells me this is the cleanest air in America, it’s not hard to believe. Overall I am fitter than when I arrived, have a healthy tan and have lost some weight – it’s the simple things that keep me happy!
Found my first job to apply for which did give me cause for a minor panic attack and crisis of confidence. Soon past as I start to look around at just how much work is out there – the right job will come and every now and then I need to remind myself that I haven’t actually been here very long.
Have travelled to Albuquerque and Santa Fe several times – both an hour either side of Zorro. The architecture here is very distinctive and reflects the desert like quality of the place. Everyone seems to drive around in bigger than big vehicles and I’ve driven B’s dodge ram a couple of times (leaping up into the cab can be the biggest hurdle). Seen no snakes yet but coyotes, antelope, little ratty things, blue birds and an 11 pointer stag (see am getting the lingo).
Random point of interest – anyone who was interested in reading the 911 Commission Report (yes I am that geek who read it) but felt overwhelmed by the size of the document can now get the comic book version. Yep two guys figured that what the report says is important for the average American but most people couldn’t/wouldn’t wade through the whole report. Actually it sounds terrible but the extract I saw was pretty good. Where they can they have used the actual text from the report and wrapped it around the cartoon………..welcome to America.

El Rancho

Have arrived in New Mexico to stunning weather and very comfortable lodgings. Have my own little house to live in (the Yellow House - picture to come later) that is located at Ranch Central, which is a little village of houses on the Ranch where the staff live, close to the stables (no I haven't ventured near the horses) and generally a very lovely place to be. Am sporting a good tan and feeling very relaxed and happy. K&B have given me a four wheel motorbike to get around on so all and all I am about as far away from life in Wellington as I possibly could be. Am going to start helping with chores (painting tomorrow....), get my social security number and drivers licence (yeech).
Got up at 5.30am this morning to go up the mountain (10400ft) with B so he could do some work on some satelite stuff (technical term) they use for comms at the Ranch. Apart from having a most spectacular sunrise the view was amazing - all the benefits of a long climb up a mountain without actually having to hike anywhere!

More adventuring

Six has become four but before K&B left we spent the last few days doing more adventuring and perfecting the art of navigation! Headed off to Vancouver Island to see the Butchart Gardens in Victoria. They really are spectacular. The gardeners can check it out on www.butchartgardens.com. The day was fantastically sunny and we had a fantabulous seafood dinner down by the water front before heading back on the ferry - no detours and no loop roads.
The Vancouver Aquarium also proved a highlight as we saw baluga whales who are happily playing and breeding. For those who are less attached to the idea of aquariums it was nice to hear that they had let the killer whales go free a while back as they didn't appear happy and weren't breeding very well. Beavers were also a big highlight as they are way bigger than expected and very playful.
I also got a little fixated on checking out "The girl in a swim suit" statue, which featured on the map, so took everyone on a little side journey, but, as you can see it turned out to be worth the visit - well I thought so. K of J&K has her segway with her and managed to do some quite elegant off roading (although no photographic evidence is available) which somewhat detracted from the totem pole display we had been walking to..........
Went out for a very fine dinner to actually celebrate mums birthday, enjoying serveral courses of the very finest seafood dishes British Columbia has to offer. Including much wine and the singing of happy birthday as mum was presented with her dessert, complete with candle. All very noice.
As a side entertainment we have been tracking down bears........well in an artistic sense. All over Vancouver and on Vancouver Island we have been stumbling across various versions of these fellows and felluses. Similar to the "Cow Parade" this is part of the "Spirit Bears in the City" fundraiser. You can check them out at the Bear Gallery www.spiritbearsinthecity.com/index.php/content/gallery-vancouver.html. It's been a fun distraction!
On a different note and for the more socially minded who are concerned I have completely lost my mind and turned into the tourist from hell I have taken some notice of the cities goings on. Vancouver appears very laid back - you seldom see anyone on a cellphone and I don't think they have heard of texting. It's very "white" as compared to San Fran (or NZ for that matter). While I am sure there must be quite an ethnic mix of people living here it's not much in evidence when strolling around (and we have strolled alot, mostly choosing to walk everywhere). We did get to see the very ugly side of the homeless scene out driving one night but generally during the day, while people are begging, in the main they don't appear to be either drugged out or drunk - and are very polite , makes you wander how they have found themselves where they are. Anyone that has been to San Fran and hasn't been back in a while will be quite shocked at the number of homeless and clearly unwell people in evidence 24/7 - it has become much like New York prior to Guiliani deciding to clean up the streets and get the homeless into shelters and/or out of town - Vancouver is in sharp contrast! It's certainly a nice city to holiday in and probably a great city to retire in but I'm not sure its quite the city I would choose for me right now as I can't see the politics of it or much evidence of big business (oh and the minor detail that I don't have a greencard to work here anyway). That said I am not sure San Fran is quite the city for me either (although not a terrible choice if that's where the job is). Anyway this a long read and it's almost time for (more) vino. Probably won't be back on line for the next week as we trip into San Fran and I arrive in New Mexico but will try and get some other photos on-line (through a different site) so you can see more of the adventures.

Ski lifts, long drives and family ties

Family are now all in residence and there has been much laughter, good food, good wine and adventure had. Vancouver is everything everyone promised. For those in the know we are down by the water front (opposite Granville Island). The whole area has been beautifully landscaped and they have managed to build high rise housing without ruining the whole effect – do you suppose Wellington City Council would come and visit? We have walked miles and, while we stuck to most of the tourist routes, I have managed to navigate us through some slightly dodgy areas at least twice (both here and in San Fran!).
Highlight so far has been our trip to Whistler. A ski field in winter in summer it transforms into a mountain bike park……..no we didn’t go for the mountain biking. We ended up heading up the mountain on a gondola (half hour ride), taking a shortish walk and riding a ski lift to the very top of the mountain – wow. Needless to say all the runs in the area are black diamond and, as far as I could tell, involved some perilous dropping off the side of cliff faces in order to reach snow. There was still some permafrost on the side of the mountain but even the seasoned skiers among us (K & B) weren’t convinced this part of the mountain was for them.
Whistler, in theory, is only 2.5hrs from Vancouver. We decided to take the “loop road” only to discover that the road we really wanted didn’t seem to exist, there began a very beautiful scenic journey through the mountains, heading North for a very very long time (at this stage there is much nervous giggling from K and I who have the maps – neither of which quite matched up). All up our 2.5hr trip took 5hrs, involved much mocking and deriding from the cheap seats and no relationships or familial ties were destroyed in the making of this adventure (that in itself is worthy of note).
Weather has been fantastically hot and I am now sporting the first signs of a summer tan. All of which comes to an abrupt end shortly as, yet again, I find myself in the northern hemisphere about to enjoy a winter.
We are here until Friday so still have more adventuring to do.
I have been talking to K & B about “what happens next” and getting very excited about going to the ranch, doin’ chores and starting to look for work (luckee, luckee, luckee).

It's your luckee luckee day.........

So said the very very welcoming customs/home security guy who processed me through the immigration queue! Duly noting my “lucky number” had come up he even thanked me for waiting as he parallel processed a whole bunch of other people ahead of me in the queue – all taking less than half an hour. Mum was hardly processed when I popped out the other end complete with stamp confirming I was officially legal to pay tax (assuming a job of course!).
Arrived to a balmy 18c into the worlds tiniest, but cheapest, room in downtown San Fran……….surreal surreal surreal (tinge of sad – not all that I had anticipated for this moment but, still, overall the warmest welcome one could hope for).
Quick sluice and the mother and I headed out in search of matches………it’s the little things that prove the most difficult……..food and a vino (well it was late evening at home). Eventually found ourselves sitting in Union Square in a very familiar space – we have both been here together before. Enough to say my very petit mother and I consumed half a panini each and two glasses of wine, then proceeded to stumble around trying to keep track of where the hotel was and, eventually, succumbing to it being midnightish at home. Not quite ready to give up we got ourselves a bottle of Teresa Raiz Pinot Grigio (yes T, tipping the hat to you), figured out how to get something other than pay TV and I sat through the mother watching Andre Agassi and Baghdatis play tennis………I told you my life has got surreal.

On 'da move

Quick update...at San Fran airport about to fly to Vancouver. All been very smooth and much warm welcome at San Fran airport. Immigration a breeze - more about that next message. Dollars about to expire but will send a longer message from Vancouver.