Paducah Paducah Paducah...

Well we have just spent a most stunning two and a half days in the mysterious and magical place called Paducah...

Victoria, right around christmas, delcared that she thinks that we cannot move back to Lopez Island yet! Zounds! and, that we should check out some of these Artist Relocation Programs that we hear about at the art shows that we travel to all over the country.

We were stunned as a family- this was a completely new script!- but, what I told Victoria was:
"You moved here with me so that I could take care of my Mother and now this is the chapter that you get to write... what would you like to do?"

We ended up in Paducah last week and found a smallish city/big town at the confluence of three rivers with regional health care centers and a thriving and excited arts community and a sense of being welcome in a way that left us feeling as if we had not arrived but had, instead, returned Home.

I found one of the original Artist/Pioneer families had a beautifully appointed room in their reconstructed house that they rented on occasion to wanderers... turns out that they were so generous and kind that we probably would have been happy sleeping in the car in front of the house just for the opportunity of hanging out with these guys and their 9 whippets, (yes, I did say 9 whippets). The Renzullis have one of the formerly derilict homes in the Lowertown area of the city and have tranformed it into the cover shot of "YouWannaLiveHere" magazine...

As we wandered the city, often in the company of the real estate agents Laura and Briana, Monica from city planning, or Bob Jones, I got the impression of Big Sky Country and a western feel (rather than a Southern Feel). Everyone was friendly to us- not only the real estate agents but also the cashiers at the Kroegers and the gas station attendants too.

The Renzullis put together a little dinner party for us on Wednesday... it was going to be 8 folks and it grew, as only the best dinners can, into 12 by the time we got back to the house... fortuneatly I made enough Chocolate Mousse the night before! There we were, sitting with 10 folks that we had not known 12 hours ago visiting as if we were already living down the block. Watching Victoria revel in the coziness and warmth of companionship it felt as if I'd already had dessert... sems like a place where she could thrive in a community of caring and alive women.

We are now wrestling with the pro's and con's of the move: How will it impact our 13 year old?; How will it impact the business?; Can we keep the Island house as well?; Do we go for the derilict building or the one that is 'done' that needs $50,000 of reconstructive surgery?...

It's Monday and already I've spoken to 4 different departments in City Hall and the Paducah Power engineering department... again, I have to report that everyone is being extraordinary...

What is the universe telling us?

Victoria is sort of sidling up to the question and asking me what I want to do and i am keeping my trap shut, (for once), with the philosophical idea that I don't want her to be influenced by how I feel. I really really really want this to be her choice.