Into the Woods

Into the woods
And down the dell,
The path is straight,
I know it well.
Into the woods,
And who can tell
What's waiting on the journey?
~Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods

It's never a dull moment for your favorite gypsy. At the end of last month I was informed that my lease here is not being renewed, so I have to move by the end of this month. At first I was sad - I've called this place home for nearly four years now and it holds a plethora of memories for me. Granted it's been very difficult for me to manage financially on my own. Then I began to think about it, to think about the freedom it was affording me - the freedom to do something completely different. Rental prices being at a ridiculous high here in the greater Seattle area, I started looking further out. And the further out I looked, the further out I wanted. I pondered what would be most important to me in a new place and the word that always popped up first was peace.

I want peace - a peaceful place. I want a place of solitude and rest and reverie, a place that inspires me by the very nature of its quietness. A while back I posted that I felt a deep and nearly insanity inducing need to get away from it all. And so I am. I've found a place that all but screams in response to my soul's longing(s), a corner of the universe where every weekend spent at home will be "getting away from it all." As I've mentioned to anyone I've talked to over the past month or so, after the past couple of years I desperately need a place to land. Well, I've found it.
Into the woods
Without regret,
The choice is made,
The task is set.
Into the woods,
But not forgetting
why I'm on the journey.
Into the woods
to get my wish,
I don't care how,
The time is now.
~Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods

I've found the perfect place for my restless spirit and I get the keys tomorrow. I'll be renting and moving into two little cabins up in Granite Falls. One cabin will be my residence and the other I'll use for my studio and guest house (mi bunk bed es su bunk bed). The cabins are very rustic and everything one could want in a woodland retreat. The property itself is absolutely lovely, nestled next to the Stillaguamish river (for all you worry worts, I'm not in the flood zone), at the base of Mt. Pilchuck. From the porch of the main cabin there are steps leading down to the river (there's trout in that thar water - slorp!) and the property is surrounded by the fragrant Douglas Firs that made me fall in love with the Pacific NW from the very beginning. The only sounds to be heard are sounds made by nature - the rustling of the trees, the rush of the river, and the twitter of birds.

I'm in love. I can scarcely stand the wait to have my first cup of murky bean on the porch that overlooks the river, to listen in the deep dark of a morning to what others would consider nothing. The property even has a fire pit that just begs for some gypsy dancin'. In an email the other day, Laura said, "I'm just incredibly happy for you-- maybe this is the break you've been needing-- a restorative, creativity inspiring space where you can throw yourself into your art(s) with reckless abandon." Mayhap, dear friend, mayhap. I'd be surprised if it turns out to be anything but.
Into the woods-
It's time, and so
I must begin my journey.
~Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods