After 405 five days in hotels I’m once again in a house. Although I saw lots of wonderful places on my trip, I still wanted to settle back in Western WA.

First, a bit of background. I was born and raised and lived 22 years in Ellensburg, a small town in Central Washington. Then, at 22, got a job and lived in the Seattle area for 36 years, the final 30 years actually within the City of Seattle (West Seattle specifically).

For my retirement years, I’ve decided that I once again wanted to live in a small town. I thought about Ellensburg (for maybe a few seconds), but the cold winters and the constant wind during the spring and summer would just be too much for me. So after a bit of searching and 13 months thinking about it I’ve found my new home – in Mount Vernon, WA.

The house is laid out somewhat similar to my last house in West Seattle. Main floor with kitchen, dining area, living room, two bedrooms and a bathroom. Basement with two more bedrooms, bathroom, a “hobby room” (as described in the listing) and a large open area with a utility sink and the laundry pair. The basement, with a bit of work, will be ideal for beer making, a hobby that I’ve enjoyed for about 20 years. I have a lot that’s about four times the size of what I had in West Seattle and the kitchen, remodeled just a few years ago, is best described as “gourmet” (though I hate that word).

Excellent location – just a few blocks from a wonderful little dive tavern, a little burger shack and a “coming soon” brewery and pub. And only about 3/4 of a mile from the Mount Vernon downtown core, with plenty of bars and restaurants. Gonna be fun exploring, eating and drinking.

And for my friends in West Seattle who remember, I’ll once again be able to hang out at a place called the “Porterhouse Pub”.

The included photos are from the Real Estate listing, I’ll take some more once all my stuff is moved in.