January 5th - Touchdown in Maine!

I arrived in Boston January 5th, 2011, my large, Goldendoodle dog, Lily alongside. This was going to be quite the adventure...

Lily and I had chosen to relocate when the physician I worked for in Spokane, WA had elected to retire rather suddenly. The job market in Spokane was slim and I was exploring every option. One day, I read a post from a medical group in Maine searching for someone just like me.

Maine....hadn't thought of Maine. I'd heard it was lovely. My son went to school in Boston and I'd visited him and liked the east coast...but, Maine? I was called for an interview and the next thing you know, making plans to move from Spokane, WA all across the country to the east coast.

My household goods were packed January 3rd, loaded the 4th and Lily and I few out on the 5th. Boston was the nearest airport that could safely handle animals during winter. She was a champ and arrived hardly worse for wear. I have to say we only hit turbulence just outside of Boston, so the rest of the way was easy. Alaska Airlines was great at tending to her and gave me a "I'm safely onboard" token when we changed planes so I knew she was ok.

Boston was pretty cold -- very windy. My car, which had been shipped a week earlier, was still not there, so I proceeded to rent one. Just as I was about to pull away, I got a call from the car carrier saying he was only 90 minutes away. Well, it didn't make sense to drive the hour to York and drive right back, so I canceled the rental and waited. And waited. And waited....FIVE hours later, I got my car. This put me in at 1 am to get my key from my new landlord I'd never met for the new apartment I'd never seen.

That night was a bit chilly -- apartment was cold and the air mattress I'd brought wouldn't inflate properly. Not to mention that I'd left Spokane with a bad case of bronchitis....