#123 - Commuting Changes

Most of our lives, Deputy Dave and I have held professional jobs that required us to make trips into downtown Houston. For Deputy Dave, he's been driving back and forth to downtown Houston , daily, for about 17 years straight now. Wow!

From our house within the Harris County limits, he drives mostly down highways lined on each side with chemical plants, refineries, holding tanks, massive pipeline; he passes over the Ship Channel loading docks and he shares the road with an inordinate number of big rigs since this zone is their territory for loading and unloading.

Houston is very large and the county that holds Houston also holds multiple cities outside of Houston...Harris County is one Big Bad County to live in. The other counties that surround Harris County are known for being more "country" and more "laid back" without a city council ready to make ten new ridiculous rules for home-owners to follow this next year. Living in Harris County is turning out to be more and more expensive. We want out of it.

But, Polk County, which will be our new county, is still full of rural land and country people. Polk County holds the county seat and that helps with growth in the city, but things still stay rather slow and easy around that area. It's nice.

I've been reading lately where people all over the country, some in New York, some in California, some in Florida...will drive up to one and a half hours to get to their job...one way. Just to live where they want to live, to get out of the city, to get away from the craziness that comes with congested city life...people will drive a long commute.

Currently, it takes approximately 35 minutes to get from our house to Deputy Dave's downtown destination; however, if there is a tad bit of traffic that stands in his way, that time-frame can change in a snap. Once we move to Livingston, that drive will increase by about 15 minutes...it's about 50 minute drive one-way from our land to his downtown destination.

However, the drive from Livingston is a beautiful drive. Since the freeways and highways have all been expanded early to be top of the line travel choices, it is pleasant to ride in the expansive five-car lane and to only see small towns and country life with trees and rail-lines running alongside the freeway...all the way to Houston.

And as Deputy Dave returns home, he will pass by these same things on the freeway, but as he gets closer to our home, the lanes go down to four lanes, then two lanes and the highway is rolling on gentle hills with scenery that could come straight from a post-card. He'll mostly pass by our historic old town, a few churches, some old farm houses with their antique farm equipment left up near their frontage to pay homage to the farmers of yesteryear and he'll pass the towering trees on each side of him and a couple of mom and pop diners and convenience stores, then he'll turn onto our road and he will know that his home that is sitting on several acres is waiting for him to walk its woods, to visit the farm animals, to cast a line into our private lake or to go build something in his wood workshop...he won't have to do some fast and careful maneuvering to get into his own driveway, there won't be bumper to bumper cars blocking the way to his own driveway; he can take in a deep breath of fresh air and won't have to smell putrid chemical released air that is so thick that you can taste it, no he'll be breathing fresh, clean forested air.

The house that he walks into won't be on a concrete foundation, it will be built on pier and beam, so there might be some creaking here and there. Kind of like a farm house is supposed to creak. Polished wood surfaces will greet him and make him feel warm and proud. I might even learn to bake apple pie...then I can add to this scenario that he will walk inside to the smell of warm apple pie. Yes, I can do that or I can at least buy a Mrs. Smiths to start with...

Anyway, the point is...the commute from Houston to our country home will be a tad bit of extra time but the payoffs that he will be surrounded by once he arrives will make it so worthwhile.

And every weekday this wife will be waiting to hear his truck rumble down the road or to hear his economical car whiz my direction because every moment out on the farm together...in our wooded paradise...will be worth it.