8:05 p.m. - Sept. 27, 2007
Greenville
We've been in Greenville, SC. now for almost two months. Living in that god-forsaken hell-hole of Central Florida is fading slowly into a distant memory. Hopefully, the trauma will fade and we'll laugh about the short time that we spent there which felt like an eternity...in hell.
Greenville, on the other hand, is amazing. Surprisingly amazing. When I first thought of Greenville, without knowing anything about it, all I could envision was trading one po-dunk location for another. Wow, was I wrong. Completely, unabashedly WRONG. Greenville is gorgeous and green and friendly and the weather is phenomenal. I haven't been bitten by a single mosquito (or ant or wasp)...and I've actually been able to take long walks again. No more lock-down from the sweltering heat and exhausting humidity. They have something here I've only heard tales of ~ they call them seasons. The leaves on the trees actually change colors and fall off. People wear things called coats & jackets, to stay warm.
It is divine.
There is so much to do here. Choices. Restaurants. Real food. Theatre. Dance companies. Art galleries and museums. Civilized people with teeth!
Love it, love it, love it here.
We found a small duplex to rent until our Florida house sells. Which could take a short lifetime. Or longer. The market there is awful. And who, in their right mind, would actually want to live there? The only thing that may prove to be a saving grace for us is that we did buy a house near the Kennedy Space Center ~ just about 5 miles away. Now we just gotta bank on the fact that it's a great neighborhood, very family-friendly and highly desirable for folks that work at the Space Center.
In the meantime, we signed a year lease here. It's odd to be renting again, after owning three houses. But, it's also a wonderful change because when something breaks down, we make one phone call and it's taken care of. At the owner's expense. Gotta love that.
We're in a fantastic location...and I do mean FANTASTIC! At the end of our street, actually two lots down, is the park. The park connects to the Zoo, to your left, and to downtown and the Falls, to your right. Henry and I take a lot of walks, at all hours of the day, through the park, along the Falls and all around Main Street. Main Street is QUAINT...and free wi-fi all around. Beautifully maintained parks & streets, tree-lined streets, families and young people everywhere! Saturday morning markets, farmers market, art markets, free live music on Thursday & Friday nights, festivals, etc. etc. A HUGE departure from Florida, where I felt like I was under house arrest, with so little to do and nothing but chain restaurants.
Ok, I'd write more but I'm hungry and dinner should be ready in less than five minutes. I gotta go jump on the sofa and eagerly await the season premier of Ugly Betty. Best show on television.
Life is good. Never been better. I've never been happier, living anywhere else, in my whole life. Greenville is just a blessing.
