The Reflexive: Seattle to Austin 2.0

My former residence at 684 W Olympic Way in Seattle

Back in September of 2017, I came back to Seattle after living in Austin for only a year. I won’t go into why I made that decision at the time, I’ll just say some it was due to a few circumstances. About a year after coming back to Seattle, I thought about going back to Austin. I know, make up your damn mind already Paul. Anyway I thought about it now and then until the beginning of 2020 when I put some serious thought into moving back and decided I would do so in late spring or early summer. Of course COVID happened which changed everyone's plans.

An Empty Chez Fabulique

My Little Truck

Tetris

Fast forward to March of 2021 where I decided I would definitely move back to Austin. I went online and found a place after a 3 week search and figured out every possible way to get my stuff down there as cheaply as possible. The cheapest way would have been to take nothing but some suitcases and hop on a plane. But then I kept thinking what about all my camera gear and what about these photo books I’ve collected over the years and what about this and that. Anyway I ended up getting a 12’ cube van, which was definitely not the cheapest way to go. But that was the decision I made. I tried to sell the stuff I was not taking, as you might remember as I blasted Facebook every other day with mention of the sale. What I didn’t didn’t sell, I donated to Goodwill or gave to friends and “buy nothing” groups. On April 26th I picked up the truck and loaded it with the help of two fabulous people, Justine and John, both fellow members of local 15 and together we played Tetris and got everything I had into that truck. Though it did help that for the previous 2 weeks I would just lie awake every morning around 3 AM thinking about how I would pack everything in the truck. Just going over it again and again in my head until I faded back into sleep.

views from the terrace

I had a wonderful time at Chez Fabulique the 3 and a half years I lived there. Chez Fabulique is the name that Miss Kitty Baby gave that apartment. Many of you might have been to her fabulous stripper movie nights or other fabulous parties. My introduction to Chez Fabulique was at a stripper movie night where we ended up calling Satan’s Angel and had a Q & A with her. Kitty Baby left Chez in 2018 so I needed to get a roommate. Luckily my aerial teacher Jenny Penny suggested Avery, also an aerialist and someone who was looking for a place. We got along great and I was certainly on the upside of the equation as I got to partake in her wonderful baking skills. Over the years at Chez Fabulique I was also able to do 6 photo-shoots and of course it goes without saying I will miss that view. It was in the months after Avery moved out, that I made Austin the focus of my attention,

Frankly Frankie at Chez Fabulique

Maggie McMuffin at Chez Fabulique

Katya Starin at Chez Fabulique

Violet Tendencies at Chez Fabulique

Olatsa Assassin at Chez Fabulique

Randi Rascal at Chez Fabulique

Since my bed was in the truck I had to sleep on the floor. At least it was carpeted. The next day I headed out around 9:30 am to I-90 and headed to my first stop in Boise, ID where the awesome Frankly Frankie and Nina let me crash for the night. Then I headed down south through Utah and stopped in Salt Lake City for a few hours. Then it was back on the road traveling on US 6 &191. This was some of the best scenery of the trip and I recommend you take this route if you’re ever wanting to take a road trip. I made it to Green River (about 40 miles north of Moab) that evening. The next morning I hung out in Moab City center for some breakfast and coffee. I’ll have to come back to see Arches Natural Park. My next destination was Sante Fe, New Mexico. I mostly stayed around Sante Fe Plaza, just walking and snapping photos. The next day I headed for Lubbock, TX. I went to the Buddy Holly center but it was closed but at least I got to see his statue. I was originally going to spend the night in Lubbock but I decided to drive a few more hours to Sweetwater, TX. The next morning I headed for Austin and arrived at my new home around 1 in the afternoon. I arrived to severe thunderstorms which delayed my unloading of the truck until the next day, I slept on the floor again but this time there was no carpet. The next day, my friend Davie helped to unload the truck and get everything in my new place. After that we went out to one of my favorite places, The Cherrywood Coffeehouse. In my previous Austin life I would go there at least once a week and now it’s less then a 10 minute walk from my house.

Frankie & Nina in Boise

Somewhere in Idaho on I-84

Salt Lake City

Cool building in SLC

On I-215 heading out of SLC

Along US 191

Moab

Moab-Bullick Cross Creek Park

Sante Fe-New Mexico Museum of Art

Sante Fe-Kinetic Red Bull

Open market in Sante Fe Plaza

View of Sane Fe

A lonely Texas highway

Buddy Holly statue in Lubbock, TX

Driving 2,200 miles did get pretty boring after a while. I also had strange thoughts. I felt that every time someone would pass me they might shoot me in the neck. Also after I left Sante Fe I was on this great stretch of road, US 285, for a long time and I did see any other vehicles in sight. I thought I might get jacked by highway pirates like something out of Mad Max. But of course I made it safe to my new home in the Cherrywood Section of Austin. I love where I live and hope ya’ll can come down for a visit. Drop me a note at 1406 Kirkwood Rd. Apt B Austin, TX 78722. Also not one thing broke in the move. YAY!