Ringing in the new year in the peach state was a new experience. We had arrived here before the holidays, made a quick trip north to see the family, then headed south once again.
This new place we have found ourselves in is different than what we left in N.C. There are still lots of pine trees, but so far, no geese. Some of the street names change depending on which way a person is going so I have come to the conclusion that must be a "southern" thing.....or maybe it is a city thing. Of course, along with a large metropolis comes all the amenities like restaurants, grocery stores, shopping centers and the like, all within a short distance from what we now call home.
The apartment complex is set up to where the front doors are hidden from view and are located in a common area towards the center of the building. There are four doors at each level. Then the back of the apartment faces the street. I don't know whose idea this design was, but they obviously never experienced "sittin' out back". Most folks, after a hard day's work, enjoy a little quiet time. When the weather is nice, a lot of that quiet time is spent sitting out back, on the patio, minding their own business. Here, everyone is facing everyone else. The level of privacy is so low that one could actually jump over to the neighbors' deck for a visit. Being on the third story, I won't be trying that any time soon. There is the advantage of the screened in sun room, that leads to the deck, but it's still not the same as sittin' out back.
The entire complex sits in what I call a soup bowl, nestled in a wooded area, so walking involves either going up or going down, but the hills are not near as steep as the ones in N.C. Right next door is a huge park with mountain bike and walking trails. I have yet to find any information as to how many acres are in the park, but it spans from mile marker 7 to mile marker 8 on the map and one of the trails boasts a total of 12 miles. I may have to tie a few ribbons along the path in order to find my way back to the starting point.
I had looked at the map, before we came here, and noticed that one of the major thoroughfares skirted the back edge of the complex. Since we had been warned about the traffic, I hoped there would be enough trees between it and us that we maybe would not hear it. Standing out on the deck the first evening we arrived, I asked my husband what was the noise I could hear. It sounded like the feed mill back home, when all the dryers were running full blast. His answer was short, "The traffic." I listened more closely. Sure enough, it was the sound of thousands of vehicles, of all shapes and sizes, speeding north and south to whatever destination lie ahead. I expressed my disappointment that it was so loud. He smiled at me and said, "We can just pretend it is a waterfall."
With the din of our automotive waterfall in the background, we rang in a new year, with new hopes and new dreams and new adventures to be found. May your new year be full of the same, well, maybe minus the din.
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