We move into an apartment in Ashland, Oregon

During a year of exploring the country from sea to shining sea we came across lots of towns and cities where we could live happily.  And if one of us had a job in Burlington, Vermont or Fredericksburg, Texas or Newport, Rhode Island, or if there was family in Portland, Maine or Asheville, North Carolina or Fort Collins, Colorado, we could move to any one of those without regrets.  As it turns out, we are probably unemployable, and our family connections are limited to Nancy's brothers and sister back in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.  (We won't totally rule out Pennsylvania and New England, which have their own positives.)  But we are free to select a landing site based on whatever bizarre Wilson-specific characteristics we choose.

One of our favorite options turned out to be Ashland, Oregon.  It's in a pretty part of the country and has a charming downtown.  There's a college there - Southern Oregon University.  The restaurant scene is an exciting one.  The Oregon Shakespeare Festival runs there from March to October.  The natives are friendly.  The weather is not nearly as nice as in the Santa Cruz area, but it's not as harsh as in most of the country.  Ashland has the significant draw of being closer to our friends in Santa Cruz than most of the other contenders.

And so we left Napa and after two days' travel - me driving the motorhome and towing our pickup truck and Nancy following in our sedan - pulled into a storage facility where we'll be leaving our motorhome for as long as we stay in Ashland.  We loaded up our car and truck with items we'd need immediately and headed the few miles to Ashland, where the landlord's representative Bob let us into our rental unit and filled us in on Ashland lore.

We're staying in the first-floor apartment of the DeLauney House, built around a hundred years ago in the craftsman style.  We rented it on the basis of some photos on the internet, and while it isn't our dream palace, the fact that it was furnished made it practical for the four months or so we'll be staying in Ashland.  And it's in a very nice neighborhood.  (That's our Tammy Faye strutting her stuff at lower right.)

Our new home is rather spacious - two fair-sized main rooms plus a decent kitchen (including a vintage but functional Wedgewood stove) and an excellent laundry room.  The decor is old-fashioned, with some charm and doo-dads from days gone by overflowing every shelf and table.

There was a small TV set carrying very basic cable, so as television addicts we bought a nice 43-inch set at Costco and arranged to receive an upgraded cable package plus streaming capability.  (The prices on electronics these days are amazing.)

The weather has been cold and rainy.  Over the first few days we ferried supplies from the motorhome and found drawers and cabinets to put them into.

Downtown Ashland is within easy walking distance of our apartment.  It is especially beautiful during the holidays.

Tammy Faye had a visit with the very likeable Dr Bialasik at the A Street Animal Clinic, just a few blocks from our apartment.  We located the grocery stores and other retail establishments where we'll be shopping.  I made an appointment with a local internist to follow up on my medical issues.

We are slowly getting used to having a home not sitting on wheels.  Our year's adventure was truly wonderful, filled with exciting experiences we'll remember always.  It is satisfying, however, to have a home base, with the opportunity to meet people, make friends, explore this fascinating area in detail, and try to form conclusions as to whether this is where we'd be happy long term.  So far we're loving it.