Today, there really is only one subject that I will be touching upon, and so I will be interrupting the posts on the recent trip out West which my son and I recently got back from, in order to post on something entirely different.
My brother is going to be moving from northern New Jersey, where he has lived for the vast majority of his life, to northern New York, where to my knowledge, no one in our family has ever lived. Nor, to my knowledge, does he go there really knowing anyone else.
That makes this a move that takes courage.
Yes, he will be moving to Port Henry, which is right by Lake Champlain,which divides New York from Vermont. So, he will be close to both states, and will also not be far from Plattsburgh, New York.
For that matter, he will be relatively close to the Canadian border, which I suspect is no small part of the reason why he chose this area to begin with. After all, my family is French, and Canada (particularly the French speaking province of Quebec) has long been an attractive draw, and our closest and most convenient link to Francophone culture.
I think that the pressures and annoyances of life in New Jersey, not to mention how unaffordable it is, was a major factor in his moving so far away. Port Henry is approximately a four hour drive, give or take.
Going to the countryside, far away from New Jersey, where the levels of stress tend to be high for many people, is an understandable move, if and when it can be done. Plus, being close to picturesque mountains, as well as relatively close to a French speaking land (my brother can make the trip easily for a weekend, and even fairly easily for a day trip) is not bad. Certainly, it is not worse than New Jersey. He will not have to deal with massive traffic jams, and the relentlessness of overpriced housing and overcrowding, all of which are clearly prevalent in New Jersey. Good for him if he succeeds in managing to distance himself from all of that.
Going to the countryside, far away from New Jersey, where the levels of stress tend to be high for many people, is an understandable move, if and when it can be done. Plus, being close to picturesque mountains, as well as relatively close to a French speaking land (my brother can make the trip easily for a weekend, and even fairly easily for a day trip) is not bad. Certainly, it is not worse than New Jersey. He will not have to deal with massive traffic jams, and the relentlessness of overpriced housing and overcrowding, all of which are clearly prevalent in New Jersey. Good for him if he succeeds in managing to distance himself from all of that.
So, I wish him all the best on his move up there, and truly hope everything works out there to his liking!
Good luck, brother!
Thank you so much for your kind words. It's 10pm as I type this; I arrived roughly 3 and a half hours ago. Beautiful countryside up here as you know, and I look forward to exploring the area in the days and weeks to come. The proprietors of the house in which I'm renting a room seem very nice; I get a far better vibe from them than from some of the people I've rented from over the years, a number of whom caused me to think "Oh no, what am I getting myself into, here" within moments of meeting them. Plus, the rent is paid weekly, so it's not like I signed my life away so to speak with a one-year lease. Thanks again, and I hope to see you here soon.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that they seem like decent people. I know you have had some issues with other people that you rented with, so hopefully you will catch a break this time. Best of luck in finding the stability that you went up there for, and enjoy exploring the abundance of natural beauty available in that entire region, as well as presumably easy access into Canada.
ReplyDeleteThe two of you make me so very proud -- you guys are absolutely my heart!
ReplyDeleteThank you, mom!
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