Year In Review
One year. What’s changed? This time last year Duncan and I lived on a boat. Unemployed. Transient. Intrepid travelers. Our six year sailing adventure on Whisper brought us to Brisbane, Australia in late 2008. Then, the winds of change blew our way – as they always seem to do.
Celebrating arrival in Bundaberg, Australia on the Port to Port Rally
Today, we live in a condo in San Francisco, work at software/SaaS companies and own one car. While this does not sound like much, going from “boat people” in Australia to “normal people” in San Francisco took a bit of effort. Here is the short version.
November 2008
Arrived in Bundaberg, Australia. Watched Obama win the US presidential election in Bundy.
December 2008
Sailed to Brisbane. Showed Whisper to her new owners for the first time. Decided to head back to San Francisco (via plane) in January for at least a visit. Needed to see for ourselves what the economy in the U.S. was really doing. Things certainly sounded as stormy as this video of a thunderstorm we experienced in Brisbane.
Home Sweet Home Again
January 2009
Closed sale of Whisper. Shipped possessions (15 boxes) back to California via a freighter (aka slow boat).
February 2009
Rented an apartment. Started job search. Robin interviews with Google Australia (huh?) for a secret project (now known as Google Wave). Duncan interviews with Atlassian for a position in San Francisco. Uh oh. Marianne & Richard visit from San Diego.
March 2009
“The Month of Clarity” (as deemed by us). We decide to stay in California. Duncan accepts position with Atlassian. Robin starts to search for a job in the Northern Hemisphere, preferably California, preferably San Francisco. Bought a car.
Sis in San Francisco
April 2009
Duncan starts work by traveling to Australia (wait a sec!) for three weeks. Life seems a bit circular at this point. Robin’s sister, Kari visits.
Chris, Chris & Robin celebrate being in the same hemisphere
May 2009
Robin continues the job search. Chris & Chris visit from Oregon. We start looking for a permanent place to live. Seems like it might a good time to buy something. Road trip to Bend to see Chris & Chris a the ranchita.
June 2009
Robin starts work at Innotas. We start looking to buy an abode.
July 2009
July 4th in Healdsburg. Ah, the mortgage loan process is fun – especially if you have been rather transient and unemployed for a few years. Alwyn visits from New Zealand. Sheri and Randy visit from Oz.
Duncan tastes some bubbles at Iron Horse vineyards
August 2009
Uh, perhaps we need to acquire some furniture before we move in to the new place. Shop, shop, shop. Tom & Barb visit from New Zealand. Jimmy Buffet. Coldplay. Dave Matthews.
Letting it out
September 2009
Good news – closed on the condo just 3 days after the scheduled close. Bad news – ordered furniture that will not arrive until December. More good news – bought a bed that can be delivered in a week and Ligne Roset will loan us a sofa until the one we ordered arrives. Hooray for having a place to sleep and sit.
Big Sur coastline
October 2009
Road trip to Big Sur. Snow Patrol concert. Adjusting to dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, grande oven, 4 burner stove, giant refrigerator, bathtub, already desalinized water and mass quantities of it.
November 2009
Fully engaged in saving the economy by buying, buying, buying stuff for the condo. Good thing we only bought a one bedroom. 50″ plasma seems/is huge after a 13 ” TV for most of the past 7 years.
View from the Condo Cockpit
December 2009
First holiday season in the Northern Hemisphere since 2001. Phew, I am exhausted. Nah, bring on 2010.
2009 can be summed up by this Roy Chapin quote:
Be ready when opportunity comes. Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet.
Man, have I been lucky!
Hi Guys
Good to see the blogs still going. Does sound like an unsettling year. I thought just one of those major upheavals would be bad enough, let alone all of them in one year, jobs, house boat sale!. wow.