...God Laughs

I moved to Crestview from Driftwood, Texas in '04, and immediately fell in love with this sweet, weirdly Austintacious neighborhood.
I hoped I'd be able to stay in Crestview for good, but when we make plans, God allegedly laughs.

Through no fault of his own, my dear landlord found it necessary to put the house on the market, so all of a sudden, I've moved out...out of the house and, sadly, out of Crestview altogether, literally to the other side of the tracks.

The whole thing was very sudden and heart-wrenching at first, because I knew I'd never find an affordable rent house in the hood that welcomes pets and could accommodate me. But I can't complain, since we had an agreement from the beginning that I might have to leave in as little as two or three years. Happily, I got to stay in my little rent house on Piedmont for over 5-1/2 years, and I've never enjoyed living anywhere so much in all my life. I loved everything about Crestview; the people, the houses, the yards, the yard art, the gardens, the park, the little shopping center, everything.
Since my house was just 4 houses away from Woodrow, I was able to watch the beautiful, inspiring Wall of Welcome being created from my own front porch (view from my former front porch, below), and could "walk" my dog Claude to Brentwood Park in less than 10 minutes on my little mobility scooter;
Claude learned to play nicely with other dogs at Brentwood Park, and I met a lot of very cool dog owners there.

The thing I miss most about Crestview is the overall laid-back, friendly vibe. Everybody smiles and waves; people don't do that everywhere, you know. (They sure don't do it here on the other side of Research Blvd.)

The convenience of being only 4 houses away from Woodrow, a bus stop, and the Crestview Shopping Center is something I'll always remember fondly. I especially love the wonderful little IGA grocery store...I still buy my Lotto tickets there, because if I ever won, they'd get a lot of money too, and that could insure their future. And I'd buy myself a house in Crestview, preferably the same one my landlord is readying for sale...

But for now, I'm in exile. Still, sometimes when life buries you under what feels like a crushing load of , a bit of luck comes along and all of a sudden, you're swimming in . Even though I'd rather be in Crestview, at least I'm now in a significantly cheaper, roomier, more accessible house. In fact, this house is so large that my son is going to move in with me, which I hope will be a plus for all three of us. Anyway, wish us luck; lets hope we don't wind up on Jerry Springer...

The new neighborhood is a letdown after basking in Crestview's peaceful mellowness for over 5 years, but there are perks here as well; Target is only a 5-minute scooter ride away, as is my bank with its drive-up ATM, and Taco Cabana. It's all good.

Meanwhile, if you know someone who's looking for a house to buy in Crestview, 1312 Piedmont Avenue is now sporting a "For Sale" sign out front, and I can't imagine a better location....

Well, that's it. Happy Trails, everybody!