Update

It's been a couple of weeks since we've updated, things got hectic but have slowed down a bit and we hope to be able to post more regularly.

Work update: Cristen got a job but there are some complications that are leading her to seek alternative employment. And that's all we'll say about that. This blog is meant to be informative, reflective and fun--work talk has no business here (pun intended) :)

One realization that has hit us unexpectedly: being "homeless" is expensive (if you don't stay in one spot all day). Living in an urban to rural area where gas prices are hovering around $4/gallon makes travel expensive. And by 'travel' we mean shuttling between local area parks, interviews and the few days a week of work Cristen has. Coming up with money for food and gas has become a full-time job. We're extremely lucky that Cristen's mother is willing to help with that, unfortunately the drive to get gas money from her pretty much eats it all up by the time we get back into town. Thankfully our car is extremely efficient and gets 30+ mpg and has a small tank. We couldn't imagine having to do this in an SUV or something with a huge tank that only gets 12-18 mpg (ahem, Jeep, we're looking at you!).

Our sleeping arrangements have also been a sanity-saver. I'd say where we're staying but then I'd have to find you all and kill you b/c "no one is allowed to know". Just know that we're safe and comfortable at night. :)

Spending so much time in the park districts has renewed our views on a lot of things. We've been able to reflect on life, the future, the present and the past. We've fallen in love all over again by the side of a slow, cool river. We've listened to the peepers and birds more closely than before. We've started to learn which creature is which by their calls and routines. We've seen a couple baby deer running behind their mothers, trying to cross unfamiliar streets, barely able to run in straight lines because they're still so young. We've realized that some of the birds that Cristen calls "monkeys" are actually owls. Perhaps one of the newest things we've seen is a flock of Canada Geese diving and swimming under water.

A new favorite past time: watching storms come in at the park. Beautiful summer storms that take the light from the sky and open up a torrent of rain on the landscape. Last night we were able to sit and watch the sky light up for hours. Some of the lighting was so intense and frequent that it looked like daylight outside. You could see every angle of the building across the street and every leaf on the trees. It was brilliant and breathtaking.

We stopped by to visit our dear friend Andrew (he passed away May 29) and saw where he was finally laid to rest. It's a beautiful cemetery where he found one of his first geocaches with us. We're planning to plant a memorial cache behind his site and let everyone who finds it know what an amazing guy he was.

If you're in the area in the first week of August, stop by The West Woods Nature Center on Rt. 87. They will be having a Nature Festival and we will be entering a couple of pieces in their art show. Their events are always fun and beautiful. We hope to see some familiar faces! :D

"And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the

running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." -William Shakespeare

Days 1-5 on the town

Days 1-3 we did not have our camera on us (it was lost in the boxes of crap to unpack) so we don't remember a lot. It was hot. Very hot. We saw at least one deer every day and a couple of nesting snapping turtles.

Day 4 we arrived at Beartown Reservation around 7:30am, just as a storm was skirting us to the northeast. As we pulled in we realized that the clouds had gotten darker and the system seemed to shift to the southeast, taking aim at the little park. Within two or three minutes the sky had turned green and black. It was nearing 8am and it looked like midnight. We made a break from the car to the park bathrooms and took shelter from the wind and rain (I didn't feel the car was a safe place once we saw debris falling from the sky and not the trees that surrounded us). We spent a good 20 minutes in there, waiting for the rain to let up. It didn't, so we hopped in the car and took off towards Chagrin Falls. The rain didn't stop for another hour. The thunder didn't stop for another two.

Driving into Chagrin Falls, we saw major tree damage, power outages and debris, but as soon as we hit downtown Chagrin (about 500 feet to the north of the damaged area), everything was virtually untouched with full power. We would have like to have seen what happened there. An unconfirmed EF1? Straight line winds? Whatever it was, it looked interesting from our point of view.

The weather this last week has been brutal, mid-high 90's and humidity usually reserved for the tropics. We've taken refuge at the local library on more than one occasion and have been reintroduced to what a nice service it is. Free air conditioning, free comfy chairs to sit and read in, free internet/computer access. All in all it's quite a comfortable place to waste time. The computers have come in extremely handy as we've been able to put out a bunch of resumes and job applications. Which leads us to...

Day 5. Cristen had a job interview and she got the job! Nothing huge, but a seemingly stable, well paying position at a hotel in a neighboring town. We know it's not something that is going to get us out of our situation tomorrow or next week, but within her first two to three paychecks we can find a place to stay! Hope is once again restored.

River walking at Sulphur Springs was a must on a 93 degree (felt like 101) day. It was beautiful, the sun reflected off of the trees and turned their leaves a vibrant green. The limestone along the river bed was smooth, at times slippery, the water clear and cold. Everything was wonderful. Until Cristen slipped and fell. No major injuries, just slight bruising and swelling. She did say she wanted to go for a dip!

Our attempt to hide from the heat at the library today failed miserably when their power went out it took 15 minutes for the computers to reboot and the a/c went off.

All in all Day 5 (and whichever day Cristen applied to her new place of employment, she doesn't remember doing it) was a success and we're actually enjoying the time we get to spend in the woods and heat.