City Livin'

We're still plugging along, and as we see our once-filthy double-wide trailer slowly morphing into our home, things are looking up.  I'm slowly getting used to Little Rock and living on a military post.

For the most part, base life is quiet.  We enjoy the tranquil surroundings, with our house set on several grassy acres with big mature trees, surrounded on three sides by pretty extensive woods, with only one distant neighbor - a very nice family who mostly keep to themselves except when their dog comes over to visit our dogs.  We're one of only a handful of permanent base residents, and at quitting time there is a mass exodus from the front gate.  In addition, our house is located away from the offices where most hustle and bustle takes place.  Still, there are some things to get used to.  While we're away from the offices and large buildings, we are close to the airfield, and helicopters frequently interrupt the silence.  I can live with that, though.  In the evenings it's a nice area to talk a walk or sit out and enjoy the porch.  The nicest part is that it seems the base housing authority has a true "hands off" approach - we're pretty much free to do what we want.

So far, the biggest annoyance has been our proximity to the officer training classrooms as well as the military programs for "troubled" youth.  Most days cadence calls can be heard in the distance, reminding us that we do live on a military installation.  Now that I've gotten used to it, I really don't mind - EXCEPT when it starts at 4:30 a.m.  I can live with 6:00...but I think earlier than that is a bit much.  It seems I'd just settled into a nice deep sleep when I was ripped from my dreams by "SIR YES SIR!!!  WE ARE MOTIVATED SIR!!!"

Well, lately I'm not ever motivated at 4:30 a.m., unless it would involve catching a plane to a warm sandy beach (are you seeing a theme in my posts lately?).  Usually I'm able to get back to sleep, all the while feeling sorry for the poor schmucks who are out running around in the dark calling cadence.

The trips I make back to The Homestead have made me realize that it's feeling less and less like "home."  The house feels empty and strange.  So, I guess I'm making the transition just fine.  Hopefully soon we'll be moved, settled, and back to the stuff that makes our world turn.

Stay tuned for some pictures...I'm still figuring out my new phone. :)