Life creates memories.  After living in the same place for a quarter century, our house overflows with ghosts of days past.  The current dog snores before the front door where his predecessors guarded against mail carriers and other evil intruders.  An ornate brass chandelier reminds me of an interview publicizing a long-past home tour.  Then there was the time a couple of concussion grenades interrupted NCIS and a SWAT team marched across our front lawn to take out the bad guys next door.  As most people grow older, recalling the past gives them comfort.

So why have we decided to leave Phoenix, to abandon the amenities and bright lights of the big city, to leave our favorite haunts, to put ourselves through the agony of uprooting our household?  The answer is simple: time.

Over the years, both Phoenix and I have changed.  Like too many married couples, we have simply drifted apart.  Citrus groves lined the south end of the town I remember; in the early spring, their fragrance was intoxicating.

  http://www.leifswanson.com/history/4013a.htm

Now the few remaining trees are skeletal, the others burned in the fireplaces of the subdivisions that replaced them.  In the old downtown area, highrises stretch skyward, built on the bones of “old” buildings, like the Art Deco Kresge building and the Fox Theatre.

 http://www.acmeron.com/puhs/uc%20fox%20west%20exterior.jpg

Arizona State University has devoured most of downtown Tempe and was welcomed into downtown Phoenix for a repeat performance.  A completed Interstate 10 snakes through our neighborhood, endlessly spewing fumes and noise.  (http://www.flickr.com/photos/docsearls/4907492552/

Not all the changes have been negative.  Flying into Phoenix at night is still breath-taking.  The city lights below resemble a fantasy necklace of glowing jewels.  Expansion of the junior college system has allowed them to add a myriad of new classes such as creative writing, forensic science and culinary arts.  Cultural opportunities now include everything from Elton John concerts to French Impressionist exhibits and NASCAR events.  First Friday art walks attract hundreds to downtown and feature studios from Seventh Street to Grand Avenue.

But for us, the time has come to move on, to embrace new adventures.  Come enjoy the journey with us, from picking a new place to live onward.