After 1400 miles, countless highway toll booths, a smelly motel room in Rochester, NY, and some serious cash spent on keeping the gas tanks full, we arrived in sunny South Deerfield, Massachusetts on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 8.
The move went relatively smoothly, and at this point we're about 75% unpacked. The apartment is already starting to feel like home.
The apartment is on the second level of an old house -- it features a big kitchen with walk-in pantry, a big living room, and several smaller rooms that we'll set up as offices / workspaces. We're almost exactly one mile from the main block of South Deerfield.
South Deerfield is in a hilly and mostly forested region right along the Connecticut River. Mt. Sugarloaf state park is on the edge of town, and it's a steep drive up to the top, but it's worth it for the great views of the valley, and one can easily see the U-Mass campus roughly 10 miles away. (The view seems to bring happiness to all, as you can see...)
Massachusetts residents seem to be morbidly proud of their state's (er, commonwealth's) nickmame of Taxachusetts, but things don't seem that much different than in Minnesota (except for groceries). However, this weekend Massachusetts is having a "tax holiday" -- the state tax (normally 5%) is suspended for the weekend, and stores seem to be doing brisk business as people go for those purchases they've been putting off for awhile.
- jbc
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