The "big announcement"

It's been no secret for quite a while and yet I've never said much about it yet, mostly because very fluid plans have only begun to congeal into something more solid. There are still many things to be worked out and decided, but we are planning to move to France by August 1st of this year. We have rented a place in Lille for three months and will use that time to find something longer term, probably still in Lille. 

Why move? The most obvious and easy answer is everything you see on the news. I'm disgusted with the voting majority in this country and have little faith in the basic human decency of most of them. But that has been true for quite a while and that alone wouldn't have convinced me to move. The real answer is more complex and personal. We've been in the same location and doing the same thing for the past 25 years. It's time to make a change and have some new experiences. I'm retiring at the end of March, so this is one of those times to look back, reflect, and also look forward while we still have something to look forward to. 

Why France? We can easily meet the requirements for a renewable one year visitor visa and, this is a big one, Clay speaks the language. Why Lille? Cost of living, location, and proximity to high speed rail line are primary factors. We will be within a 2.5 hour train ride of London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam or Cologne. We may or may not stay there forever, but it seems like a reasonable place to start. 

It's going to be a big change in every aspect of our lives. If we hate it, we'll do something else, but we are committing to it and will adapt as needed. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Everyone's big question is what about the dogs? The answer to that is still to be determined in part. We don't plan to be involved in rescue work over there, but in the future, who knows? I do plan to continue the blog, but its focus will necessarily change.

Today's pictures aren't exciting, just pictures from today's training walk with Bailey. We practiced sit, look, and stay, as well as walking. She did very well, of course, but she got rather freaked out when a group that I assume was the track team from the high school ran by us. We need to start doing our training walks in town.