A few Impressions

Since we've been back on the same side of the Pacific as most of our readers for a while, It seems appropriate to share a few thoughts and impressions of what it's like to come back to the US after an extended time away.



The first complication is that we are not yet quite "home". While our new residence is in Snohomish, we are still adjusting to being pretty far from where all the familiar people and things are located. There are beautiful sights here, but the difference from our sleepy town of Staunton are exaggerated by our time in Australia.

The most obvious characteristic of Australia is the low population density. Yes, the cities are just as density packed as any in the US, but there are few of these and in the vast spaces in between, there simply aren't many people. This means that, once out of a major city the roads were mostly empty. I've posted many images on this blog of roads straight and vacant all the way the horizon. Adjusting to this emptiness meant that we developed new travel habits. We adjusted to drive on roads we used to think were farm paths. We learned to never let the fuel tank drop below about 1/2 full. We kept our phones fully charged all the time. We carried bottled water everywhere. Snacks were always at hand. To travel nearly anywhere was to prepare to be stranded on the side of a road for hours waiting for help. We never worried where the next restroom was because it was at the side of most any stretch of highway. Naturally, walking a few miles to the next village for help was risky due to sun, heat, and the prospect of deadly animals along the way.

Fast forward to the Seattle area. Here, there are a filling stations on every corner and a coffee shack in places you can't imagine would be a place for commerce. We've replaced the batteries in our iphones and now we can sometimes go two days without a charge. Our trips in the car are often so short, we forget to grab a bottle of water. When the trips are longer, they often include stretches on 5-lane highways filled with cars. Smith's chips are not sold here (OMG, manna from heaven!). We are slowly learning where to find public toilets that we can stand to use. But, most obviously, there is no place you can drive and not be accompanied by a constant flood of people, cars, and trucks. Here, you are never alone and this has required significant adjustment.

Australian television is a civilized affair. We watched commercials trying to sell us unsecured loans for coping with daily life, ads for online companies to help find a mortgage, consolidate credit cards, or find funeral insurance. And the news...civilized people discussing political differences like real humans. No gun violence. People voting to allow gay marriage. The state investigating sexual assault and the coverup committed by church officials. Government response to the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef. Respect for aboriginal art and culture. The Prime Minister, even though I did not often agree with him is a well-spoken, intelligent man who really does work to represent all Australians.

But here we are trying to readjust to the constant flood of ads trying to sell us prescription drugs. People are still yelling at one another on cable "news". Gun violence fills the airwaves. Idiocy flows from politicians at local, state, and national levels and none care if what they say is true.

But corners of the sharp contrasts are beginning to erode and smooth out. There are many small ways that Snohomish feels familiar and we are moving toward home. Just like the way your body takes time to fully adjust to the correct time zone when flying internationally, it is taking us time to move our spirits to our new "home zone" .

We've landed in a great little town, in a nice house, near our family. What better way to start a life in a new place in what seems to be a new country? After about a month in our new home, we took a 10 day housesit in Madison Park and I must admit that being in someone else's home feels more natural than being in ours. This, too, will pass and we'll get settled in.

Meanwhile, we'll keep you updated on our travels and our perspectives.