First Trip After Settling Down - Pittsburgh, PA

I haven't seen my friend who moved to Pittsburgh a few years back in a long time. I decided to take a road trip to visit her and her husband for a few days and stop by New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia.

On the way to Pittsburgh, I stopped by Bush Creek Falls Trail that was barely crowded. The hike broke up the 7.5 hour drive in half and provided some exercise after sitting in the car for a while. The waterfall was not really that impressive, but let's be real, I am a bit spoiled.

I arrived at my friend's house just after 5 pm after stopping at Whole Foods to pick up some dessert. That weekend in late June was very hot, and we planned to walk around Pittsburgh for a while visiting historical buildings. We took a map and followed the directions from one air conditioned building to another.

Impressive ceiling set up at one of the theater places

I realized that many of my photos feature ceilings... but it's really pretty, right?

Speakeasy cocktail bar - sadly, closed during the daytime hours

In the evening, we had a nice dinner which for me consisted of different spreads and flat bread. I really enjoyed it!

The following day I headed out in the morning to hike in the national park. The drive was only 3 hours that day, so I had plenty of time to hike during the afternoon. My first hike was Long Point Trail, a short 3-miler with some fantastic views.

I then decided to stop by the visitor center where I walked on the boardwalk following another short trail to the view point.

The last hike of the day was Endless... Literally, Endless Wall Trail felt long but rather pleasant to walk with similar viewpoints of the bridge and river. But then it was time to check in my Airbnb and get dinner. I was surprised to have found a neat place in Fayetteville, WV serving sushi-like bowl. It was absolutely delicious!

The next day I was heading back home, but not until the late afternoon as I had Grandview Rim Trail to Turkey Spur Rock to hike. The trail was located in a different section of the national park that required a 40 minute drive. I didn't have high expectations, but was blown away by the beauty and energy of that place. Firstly, I was the second person to arrive at the park's large paved parking lot. On a Monday morning, it was not surprising, but it also was the height of a vacation season. I had the first viewpoint and the hike to the mid-point all to myself.

Changing clouds and lighting made the river look different in every picture. I loved the rolling green hills of West Virginia covered in forest. 

It was nearing early afternoon, and I still had one more stop on my agenda. Blueberry picking. I found an ad on Facebook and decided to stop by at a small farm in Virginia. It was in the middle of nowhere, but I left there an hour and a half later with a gallon-full bucket of blueberries and $10 less in my pocket.

My friend stayed with Kitty, so I was at peace knowing that he was well taken care of. It was still time to go home.

Adjusting to Stationary Lifestyle in Tennessee

The next day after closing on the house, I asked my friend to help out yet again moving, and finally after over 2 years of keeping my things in boxes, it was time to unpack. With three small bedrooms, I had more space than ever before, so unpacking went smoothly in less than a week. I realized quickly that my first order of business was to order two beds with mattresses so that I didn't have to sleep on my 3 inch mattress I used back in Knoxville (although that arrangement worked just find for me). I ordered a medium-firm and a firm mattresses of different sizes to fit my small bedrooms. It was odd having a brand new bed to sleep on.

I started noticing sounds around the house. The dog next door yapped in the high pitch voice at least several times a day with the owners not bringing it in; the traffic noise from cars driving by was higher than expected for the subdivision, especially during the morning and evening rush hour; the house made odd cracking noise in the evening as the temperature dropped down. Most of these were annoyances that I would ultimately get over except for the yapping dog. After a few attempts talking to the owner who said they could not be bothered shutting the dog up, I accepted my fate of living with a noisy neighbor's dog, yet again.

I changed the location of my room three times (well, I have 3 bedrooms). I started out with the master that faced out to the road and the neighbor's dog across the street, then I moved to the bedroom across at the back of the house only to realize that my other neighbor likes to drag metal things at midnight occasionally. I settled in the smallest bedroom of the house located between the other guest bedroom and the kitchen. Also, there was a fan in this bedroom, hence, the final decision. I had to downsize to a full size bed and left the queen one in the master bedroom. Small spaces appeal to me, they make everything feel cozier.

I started gardening pretty much right after I moved in. I ordered 13 trees to plant in the back and front yards, 3 peaches, 7 apples, 2 pears and 1 plum. I made 4 raised beds and planted a variety of vegetables from tomatoes to peppers. The harvest was the best I have ever produced, although there were quite a few failures.

I learned that it takes garlic a long time to grow, and that onion needs well-draining soil.

Cucumbers (after blight set in), tomatoes and jalapeño peppers

This is the only corn that I got from my 7 plants - fail!

Beautiful cucumbers before blight set in

Tomato plants - only 4 plants total, but produce a bunch of tomatos!

One yellow squash, he just survived. So far produced 2 fruit with 2 more on the way.

I bought a ton of furniture in the first month, but tried to keep the house minimalistic as I like it. I bought my first book, "Flour Water Salt Yeast" to make a variety of breads, I caulked the bathroom, replaced the kitchen faucet and stained the deck, bought a bike, planted succulents that ultimately died and got at least 10 estimates on the basement renovation which I never completed - all that in just a few months.

I started looking for my community, like-minded people who might be outliers among the mass in the area. I began volunteering for a local animal rescue farm and even joined a young professionals group realizing that I no longer belong there. 

The need to travel never goes away though; the desire to live in a small place with limited expenses is still there. Perhaps I am taking a break and ultimately will continue with nomadic lifestyle in the next few years, but for now I need to start enjoying the routine, relative stability and Kitty's satisfaction with my house choice. Heck, I bought a house for my cat!