Leaving Palm Desert

I've decided to leave Palm Desert by summer - would like to relocate somewhere towards the I.E., preferably in mountainous areas for the summer, i.e., Forest Falls, Angelus Oaks, Crestline, Running Springs, or areas behind Yucaipa in the lovely foothills. I promised myself I wouldn't spend another summer here. I moved here in 1999 and this is year 10, and every summer it's been a struggle to deal with the heat for four or five long months. Even the POOl is no relief during July and August, as the water temp is in the 90's! Pulling the plug, pulling the plug, on things here, detaching from the electricity hookups of this home and place for good.

The parents sold the childhood home in the much cooler high desert climes of Apple Valley a few years ago (there went THAT partial-summer escape route) and I simply can't afford the mortgage on this house, $400/month electric bills, being stuck indoors day after gloomy day - a reverse cabin fever of harsh winter climates. It's not worth it, when an hour or less away lay lovely, gentler summer lifestyles. And hey, those of you in Riverside who say it's hot there - you got NOTHING on this place! Average daytime temp in July-August is around 115 and I've seen the nighttime temp here one July, at midnight, sitting at 100 degrees! Paying for this place....trying to rent a summer place....no longer can do. Freedom!

It's daunting, however, this letting-go. I lived in a rental a mid-century architecture pad, owned by a friend of mine, for my first three years, and then bought my house in 2002, prior to the housing bubble. So I'm not in any real trouble with the finances, but it seems ridiculous to pay a mortgage in an expensive-to-live tourist town, with my daughter Tarah almost 21 and getting on her own, when I really never wanted to live here in the first place - my job brought me here, nothing else.

But, like all good desert stories, this one has been fertile. Starting from virtually nothing, except my new-found college teaching job in hand, I built small empires - a college literary magazine program; many poetry readings and series; made many friends, most of who have come and gone while I've been here. I've been carving out a very focused scholarly field of study in desert lore and literature. I raised Tarah, and she went to some of the best schools in the state - Palm Desert High prepared her well for her college years. We've had fun. We've eaten at numerous cool places, enjoyed the cosmopolitan funk and mid-century legacy of the place in many ways. Soaked in Desert Hot Springs spas many times over. Had some amazing times with many amazing people, many from all over the world. But everyone comes, and goes. And so it is for my time here, too.

This is not a longterm place for most, and I suddenly understand why many, such as my friend Swami Ramanananda, just had to one day pull up roots and go. Speaking of Swami, he had a wonderful spiritual center for 2 years that I was overjoyed and honored to be part of - lots of fun - but I feel the spiritual center and vibe of this region is long gone, especially since he left town a few years ago. I just don't belong in a Republican stronghold. I've explored all the great mountains and hikes, many times over, and now it's a situation where it's starting to haunt me. I remember people and friends I've hiked with, and the memories are lovely, but sad, because I do them now alone. Because the desert, at heart, is isolationist, I don't have longtime roots here, and let's face it, empires in the deserts of the world tend to come and go.

I'm going to ease on over to the west, towards the coast. Continue to build on the writing communities I've connected with in the past few years, and go from there. Keep the day job on a 2 day/week commute. Visit my parents, who live here now fulltime, except for lengthy trips they're now enjoying abroad, and their usual 3 or 4 month summer exodus, now that they are retired. I'll be like my brothers, who all live far away - it's delectable to come here in the winter, visit, hike, enjoy, and leave to where there are people, places with true community, and where the gated "community" and "closed garage door" thing is not a lifestyle.

So I'm putting it out the universe - bold and scared, at once. Give up being a homeowner, at least for awhile - rent, simplify, and be closer to my new friends, and an hour closer to the beach. I'm actively seeking a cool housing situation - short term/summer or possibly more longterm, so if anyone reading this blog has ideas, please post 'em to my blog or feel free to email me at runolan@aol.com and wish me well! Selling the old 2nd car....having another yard sale....a good feeling to purge, again, as I haven't done in more than five years. I thrive on change and new things - which I did when I moved here - and it's just - time to go. Don't know where I'll end up in the longterm, but it's great to take one step at a time for now.