Susan Fick:  

I bailed out of the SW Gulf coast area, about the time the bp spill might have hit the gorgeous coast. Just had enough of Ft Myers, tho I left wonderful friends. Imagine this... I put two carriers with my 2 cats, one 20#, the other a mouthy Siamese, in my little Audi tt along with my computer and a small bag of cd's, licorice, toiletries and a gps and drove from Ft Myers to Phoenix. It took me nearly 3 full days on I 10, and by the time I reached my new home, my butt was nearly flat and for sure numb! I had listened to "soothing tunes" rather than retro rock n roll, to keep the non sedated pets comfy, and navigated trucks, 2 lane and 8 lane hwys, the LA bayou and then got my first ticket ever 8 miles into NM in a 20 some car pullover trap where speed limit went from 75 to 60. After 8 weeks of increasing my circle of driving comfort here in Phoenix, and learning that if the ladies on the Gulf coast wore little clothing, the women in Phoenix wear less and spray painted on. Well, pilates pays off and thankfully, I brought 75% of my shoes and boots, but grocery shopping in spandex dresses just seems weird and I opt for something more LaGrange Parkish, no! not Mom jeans! I still love it here! My only child and his lovely bride are stationed out west of here at Luke, so I get my fix of the kids every couple of weeks rather than every cpl yrs whe...Expand for more