Go west, young man. Go west.

On April 28, Emily and I left the Florida life we've been living since August 2003. The good from the last 5.5 years will stick with me, while the bad became history as soon as I left the curb.

The trip out west took nine days. The overall movements were complicated, but to cut to the chase, I met up with Griffin, Emily, and her parents in St. Louis on May 2nd. (For those musical fans out there, of course I made the "Meet me in St. Louie, Louie" joke at least once before my flight). From there, we made Tacoma in six days of driving. Not bad, considering we did it all with a 4-month old. (Griffin was a real champ, by the way.)

We're now holed up in a Tacoma hotel room, our stuff in storage and the U-Haul trailer safely returned. Already, this place promises more sanity for the zimdog. If nothing else, I'll be living under cooler weather, a fact that leaves me physically and mentally pretty cool.

If you've never been out West, I recommend driving it... if you have the time. Those Florida skies may look big, but they ain't shit compared to big mountains topped by big skies. Here's a visual sample of what one encounters when forging new frontiers. Pioneers, Ho!

Father & Son Reunited in MISSOURI



Somewhere in IOWA


SOUTH DAKOTA







WYOMING






MONTANA








IDAHO



WASHINGTON








Tacoma at last! (>3800 miles traveled)


This one says it all...


It feels good to be still, for a few.