Of course, no way would I move to Ohio unless they got their act together about “pit bulls.” Don’t own one, just not about to let some clown in the state leg. tell me what kind of dog I can have.

Just talked to a CA friend today, someone looking for a bit of land. They looked at a foreclosure near or in Morgan Hill. A little over an acre, and not in the best of condition — around three quarters of a million.

Our 26 acres in Western PA, with a 19th century farmhouse, barn, pole building, run-in shed — all in good condition, commuting distance from Pittsburgh — was a little more than a third the price of that California fixer-upper on an acre.

Reminds me of a grad school friend of my husband’s, who by chance also got a job at Pitt. His wife inherited her parents’ house — a very modest middle-class dwelling in San Francisco that they’d bought in the 60’s. They sold it (mid-late 1990’s), and needed to turn it back over into a house to avoid the capital gains tax. They bought an East End mansion, built in the 19th century by some robber baron friend of Carnegie’s.

1) Place where I can get small acreage, and afford it without winning the lottery.

2) College town with Div. I sports. I like college towns because they have things to do, arts, concerts, etc. But since my younger brother will one day join me, I need a town with a Div. I college sports program, since he needs real football.

3) Near veterinary school or college.

4) Dog-friendly, of course, with places to swim dogs.

5) Within a couple hours of a major metro center, for airport access, among other things.

So … you can see why Corvallis OR, Moscow ID/Pullman WA and Fort Collins CO are short-listed. But hey, I’m not going anywhere for a couple of years, at least. (Or at least until my house is worth more than my mortgage again.)

Predisone - I just was on this for a few weeks when my body when into full allergic reaction (head to toe (or should I say, scalp to bottom of my feet) hives. Talk about energy - I got very litte sleep but I can say my house is incredibly clean!

http://tinyurl.com/5gfrya

couple inaccuracies in the article (I don’t think she “picked Lance out” as I believe she’s also showing him if I have my Dals sorted right and I’m correct on his ped) but there is a small pic that shows his in air form :) We’ve been following him in our Dal group since his first “for fun” jump. He came in 7th outta 24 this weekend. Not bad for a spotty in a retriever world ;)

We just finished up some bad air quality here. Thankfully, Dot’s not down with heat and high humidity, so laying low for a few days isn’t a problem. I’ve been watching the temps and air quality for the area I’m moving to, and so far they’ve only had a day or 2 where there were smoke issues. Seems it’s just far enough up that I won’t be dealing with smoke collecting air (unless there’s a fire nearby!). It will be interesting to see how my CA allergies are when I get there. Having a dog has helped with the pollen allergies, so I’m hoping it’s only the first year that’s bad until I get used to lower levels. I was fantasizing about Ft Collins at one point, but I need to be within a couple hours of my parents, and that means CA. I have my boundaries though. Moderate summer weather and winter (I’ve had enough ice and humidity, TYVM!) No valley living (too hot!), prefer rural-ish. Can’t afford/don’t want to pay SF prices (also have too many cats!). Would rather work less and enjoy life more! Water nearby and lots of local sources for food. The simple life :) Oh yeah, and Dot kindly requests as few thunder storms as possible!

Enjoy your hunt! I’m having a good time just watching a local news site at my new to-be-home and looking at pics of the area. All kinds of fun local events and a weekly fishing report, lol!~