Criteria for a place to move

I wrote this up to post on various boards asking for advice, and thought it ought to be posted here as well.

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My partner and I (ages 30 and 28 respectively) currently live in LA and are looking to get out of the city and buy some acreage in a more rural area. We are strongly considering far northern CA and the Pacific Northwest, and are about to take a road trip to visit these areas. We'd love to get some suggestions from fellow liberals for what cities/towns to check out. Here's what we're looking for in more detail:

--We are a same sex couple, and we plan to adopt children. Therefore, it is essential that we live in an area that is safe and welcoming. CA has excellent legal protections in place for couples (domestic partnership) and we have heard that Oregon may have civil unions soon. We'd like to learn more about Washington.
--We want to buy several acres of land to start an animal related nonprofit - we plan to have dogs, cats, horses, and assorted other domestic animals. Our budget is ~500-600K. So obviously, we need a place where this is possible.
--Higher education. We both wish to pursue graduate degrees/further our education, and I want to teach, so there should be a university relatively nearby (an hour's drive or less.)
--We wish to live in a liberal community that values connectedness, uniqueness, arts & culture, and has independent businesses rather than all Big Box/suburban sprawl.
--We would like to live within a couple of hours of a major city where we can have access to excellent hospitals, major theatre and cultural events, Pride festivals, shopping etc.
--The types of natural beauty we value most are trees and water. We can live near mountains, but our property needs to be fairly flat as I use a wheelchair and need to be able to get around. Weather-wise, we do not like heavy snowfall, or desert. We would prefer light to moderate rainfall.
--We smoke da reefer for medicinal and recreational purposes and would prefer a tolerant area in this regard. We also value alternative medicine and would like to have acupuncture, herbalists, and similar professionals nearby.

Places we have ruled out:
Sonoma County, CA - too many nonprofits like ours there already :(

Places we are especially intrigued by and would like to know more:
Mendocino County, CA
Humboldt County, CA and Arcata
Ashland, OR
Eugene, OR
Corvallis, OR
Portland, OR and surrounding counties
Bend, OR

We are looking for more info on all these places and other ideas for locations to consider - any help would be appreciated. Also, if you live somewhere cool and would like to show a couple of lesbians and their three crazy dogs around town, we'd love to meet you! :)

new van...are we nuts?

We bought a new (slightly used) minivan today. Part of me thinks we've lost our minds, but the truth is that much as I love the green van, it's showing its age. Last weekend we had what is perhaps the most amusing/embarrassing mechanical breakdown ever - for some reason, every time the wheels turned to the right, the horn would honk! So we're driving down the road, honking randomly at people as we're trying to get to the Abilities Expo - and then it gets worse, becoming a sustained honk anytime the wheel is turned right. Even turning off the engine wouldn't stop it! This was of course a Sunday at 6pm - so no mechanics were open, and we were an hour away from home. A gas station suggested calling Pep Boys, who sent out a pimply-faced kid to help Kristi look through the owner's manual for the van (amazing that we still had it) and figure out how to disconnect the horn. They were successful, so no more honking, but we have no horn at all. Plus the cruise doesn't work, there are other mechanical issues...and to top it all off, it would cost $2500 to modify it for the RV to tow, plus $1000 to put in an EZ Lock for my new wheelchair. Sorry, but it's not worth that much! So as of Friday, we will be the proud owners of a 2003 Chrysler Town & Country, IMS ramp conversion, with only 5800 miles on it. $35K - not bad considering that new ones are $10K more. We're thinking that after this trip, we'll get it modified for me to drive, scrap or store the '95 Dodge (which is getting to be a major junker) , and maybe get an accessible Honda Element, which I adore and would be buying right now if we didn't need a vehicle immediately (they take 6 weeks to build and are so new you can't really find them used yet.)

So this brings our total number of vehicles currently owned to six. Er. Yeah. I guess I did inherit the family car collecting gene after all. We'll be selling two of them ASAP, Kristi's SERIOUS junker (we're about ready to pay someone to take it!) and the green van. We might part with the '84 Mercedes as well, even though we reaaaaally don't want to. Kristi only paid $1100 for it, and it's almost old enough to be retro-cool.

Well, that is probably far more than you cared to know about our beater cars, so I'd better get to bed. We are seeing a lawyer tomorrow to get medical power of attorney for each other, so that if something happens to us in Godhatesfags, Oklahoma our rights and relationship will be recognized. Fun fun.

Testing photo e-mailing

I just wanted to see if it worked. This is a really crappy photo of our puppy, Elphaba.

How to contact us

During our trip, the best way to reach us is at karinandkristi@ NOSPAM gmail.com - remove the NOSPAM of course. You can also comment on this blog. :)

What we are doing, and why

...a rather ambitious subject line, I know, and I doubt I'll manage a thorough explanation at 3am, but here goes. First of all, in case you've wandered across this site by accident, or this is the first you've heard from me in many years, I'll update you a bit on my life over the past six years. I graduated from Stanford University in 1999 with a BA in English. I then moved to Los Angeles...I know, what the hell was I thinking?...where I've been living ever since. Unfortunately, shortly after moving there, my mother died of cancer, which devastated me emotionally and changed my life forever. Ultimately, after seeking help from a therapist, I felt inspired to help others who have been through similar experiences by studying psychology myself. I've nearly completed my MA, but had to temporarily put my education on hold due to a number of factors, the most significant being that my stepmother, Marilyn, is now ill with cancer. She is undergoing chemotherapy and she and my father appreciate positive thoughts/prayers during this time.

In addition to my graduate studies, I have been developing an idea for a nonprofit organization, which I hope to make my life's work. The mission of Noble Paws will be to rescue dogs from shelters and with the help of at-risk teens, train them to assist people with disabilities. Of course in the meantime I've been "testing" this idea, well at least that is my excuse - and I now have THREE crazy pups - Arthur, Kyla, and Elphaba. Well, technically, Elphaba is Kristi's service dog in training, which brings me to my next topic...

My co-blogger, traveling companion, and life partner is the beautiful Kristi. From the day we met last year, we knew we were meant to be together, and our love grows stronger each day. I expect that a few of you will be surprised to find out that I am a lesbian, but it is something that have known for many years. I waited a long time for the right woman to come along, and I feel so very lucky to have found her. My father and stepmom have met and love Kristi as well, and she is a welcome part of our family. Expect a wedding invitation sometime in the next couple of years! :)

We're a happy couple, with big dreams, big plans, and big challenges ahead of us. We both want to continue our educations, start our nonprofit, and start a family, but we have a lot to do before we can get to that point. First and foremost, we have to get the hell out of LA. The weather is great here, but the people are egotistical and housing prices are astronomical. We need to find a place where we can buy several acres of rural land for the organization, yet still not be too far away from culture, the arts, and educational opportunities. We also need to live in a place that is accepting, where we have rights and where "family values" means valuing ALL families. Unfortunately, that pretty much means moving somewhere colder, but we don't know where yet - hence the road trip, to explore various places as well as catch up with friends and family.

We will be traveling in a 34 ft RV, pulling the big green van...thank goodness for backup cameras! We bought this RV because it is both beautiful and functional - wheelchair accessible and we're having it customized for us, plus it has a dishwasher AND washer/dryer! Our route as very tentatively planned out thus far will take us through the following states (not necessarily in this order): Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota (Kristi's home state; we'll be attending her sister's wedding), South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine.

We'll be traveling at a fairly slow pace, and with a friend or friends whenever possible. (If you're interested in joining us starting in mid-July in the Midwest, please e-mail us!) Kristi has severe fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, and was just diagnosed recently so she hasn't yet found the best treatment. Therefore, if we don't find someone to accompany us and share the driving for the East Coast portion of our trip, we may have to cut things short. Hopefully we will get it worked out!

Well, it's extremely late and I must get to bed, but that was a good start & quick summary of what we're up to!