Movin’ to the country

A view of the Russian River, by Nik Schulz

By Nik Schulz

I just walked down the street today and this guy waiting at the bus stop said to me, what I thought was, “Do you have a dime?” I said that no, sorry, I didn’t have any change and kept walking. He then looked at me sort of confusedly and said, “No, not a dime, the time, do you have the time?” at which point I felt embarrassed that had mistaken him for homeless and said, “Oh, yeah, sorry, it’s ten to one.” Either my hearing is terrible or I’ve been in the city way too long. Possibly both.

Ever since I returned from St. Agnes, I wondered how to get more nature into my life. Yes, that was eight years ago. I suppose some things take a while to figure out. Or, more to the point perhaps, some people (meaning me) take a while to figure themselves out. But that’s another story.

So here’s the thing. I’m an illustrator. I work from home. I don’t actually need to live in one of the most expensive cities in America. I could live in a place that’s beautiful, inexpensive and get my nature on at the same time. So, what did I do? I did what we all do. I got on Craigslist and started looking. All of a sudden I was staring at an ad for a cabin with pine paneled walls and a freestanding wood stove. The paneling went halfway up the walls and the rest was all windows. And what was outside of those windows? Nothing but redwood trees. Gah!… So great!

The cabin was located in the Russian River. Instead of bookmarking and endlessly browsing, as I’m wont to do, I called the next day. Too late—it was already gone. I sat, stroked my beard and thought, “Russian River, eh?...” The next place I found looked like a keeper. It’s right on the river, a little two-bedroom place that looks like it was built in the 30s, except that it’s been totally remodeled. It’s got knotty pine walls, wooden floors and a big deck, and it’s a sweet deal. I know…

If all goes well, I’ll be signing the lease this Saturday.

I’m looking forward to the smell of the air through the redwood trees, the sight of ducks, having lunch by the river. Ok, the house is in a secondary flood plain but that’s not that big of a deal, right? Actually, it should be fine. Flood insurance is included. More importantly I’m looking forward to addressing this long-standing desire and to starting a new chapter in life. Also, if my proposal for 1-Mile Island is accepted, it seems like it’d be a great place to write a book.

Cheers to that.

Link: Nik Schulz’s site

Let’s stay in touch.

Comments

[Nik]

Thanks, Mie. I'd like to. I'm sure there'll be lots of nice experiences to share. I feel the same way: happy in nature, happy by the water. After I put the deposit down, I was literally "whoo-hooing" in the car driving out of town. It feels really good. (!)

[Mie]

Wow. Please share the experience of living closer to nature. I think about it more and more, especially now that we have Tesla. I always feel so inspired and happy when camping or out in the woods. Maybe it's age, maybe it's too many years in the city, but you move seems brilliant to me.