Goodbye New Hampshire Options

[Ron Fortier]

I was born in Rochester, NH in 1946 and raised in the nearby community of Somersworth, which sits on the south-eastern border of Maine, separated by the waters of the Salmon Falls River. And except for my four years in the army and six actually living in Maine with my first wife, Somersworth, NH has always been my home. In fact the house where Valerie and I have lived for the past 27 years (a really lucky number for me) is exactly one mile from the house I grew up in.

Yesterday afternoon we sold this house to two really wonderful ladies. We will remain in the house until next Thursday morning. Moving truck is coming Tuesday to take all the furniture, TVs, all Ron's toys, books, DVDs etc.etc. to haul them off to Fort Collins, Colorado, our new home. With the help of our third son, Alan, who lives there, we've leased a really nice house and will most likely live there for the next two years. The plan is to save up, with Al, and in two years time buy a piece of land in that area and build a nice big house for me and Val and Al's family. It will mostly like be the place we end our lives in.

This morning, while taking our normal mile and a half walk around the neighborhood, we passed my aunt Blanche's house. Seeing the front door open, we knocked on the screen door and there she was, this smiling, wonderful little woman of 86 who has always been like a second mother to me. When she saw us standing there, she was puzzled, until Valerie said, "We've come to say good-bye." Fifteen minutes later we were back on our walk and I wondered if I'd ever
see Aunt Blanche again, in this world that is. The emotions started to get to me and Val just reached over and gave me a hug. Tomorrow we attend Sunday
mass at our church for the last time and it will be our opportunity to say good bye to our pastor, Father Mike, and all our great friends with whom we have worshiped with every week. This will come as a big surprise to so many of them.

This is going to be rough week in that regard. At our ages, friends and colleagues are taken aback by this huge change. Val and I have many reasons for it, all of them most practical and all to make our lives lots easier and carefree. One of the big plus factors I only recently discovered is that Fort Collins is only a 12 hour drive from Hallsville, MO., where my pal and Airship 27 partner, Rob Davis resides. A one day drive. I've already told Rob we are certainly going to be taking advantage of this proximity in visiting each other...a lot. Denver has lots of writing colleagues as well, all of whom are thrilled at my arrival in the locale and that is a very welcoming feeling. Denver is the home of the Colorado Rockies baseball team. Although we will always remain loyal to the Boston Red Sox, who says we can't have a favorite National team as well. We plan on being loyal Rockies fans from day one.

One fellow wrote to me this morning, sensing my melancholy and said, "Remember Ron, beside the stuff you are packing up, you are also packing up 27 years
of memories that you will keep in your heart forever." How wise and true. Our five children grew up in this house, that's what made it a loving home. Those memories will remain locked up inside us safe and secure no matter where we rest our heads. Come Thursday morning, we say good-bye to New Hampshire and hello Colorado. I'm thinking it will be wicked to cool to get a Cowboy hat. What do you think?

God Bless, Ron

[AaronSmith]

Ron,
I haven't had a chance to say this yet. Congratulations on the move! Change can be good and I hope you have a blast in Colorado!

But...don't let that western air go to your head too much. I can see the headline on All-Pulp: "Airship 27 announces it will now publish nothing but Westerns!"
And you know I hate writing Westerns!

[G-Man]

Best writing cliche I know.

One chapter ends and the next begins. If plans go as you and Val hope even more great memories await to be born and properly aged in Fort Collins.

[ChadStrohl]

Good luck Ron. The mountains might get you, but the law never will Different region, I know, but I couldn't resist - I just heard the song on the radio.

As far as that Western...

... might be kind of cool to see Ron don a cowboy hat.

[Ron Fortier]

Thanks, amigo. I truly am getting very, very excited about this new life we are embarking on. You know, my friends, it truly is good to shake things up every once in a while.

[Rob Davis]

I'm thinking it will be wicked to cool to get a Cowboy hat. What do you think?

God Bless, Ron

I'd be surprised if you DIDN'T get one, Ron. I picked mine up in South Dakota and it's one of my prized possessions. Just pick carefully.

Can't wait to drive out for a visit...

*** Rob Davis ***

[Ron Fortier]

Told Valerie what you said about the cowboy hat. She swears they don't make them BIG enough to fit my heat.

[Lainey]

Safe travels Ron!

[Ron Fortier]

Thanks, Lainey. One more day, tomorrow moving van shows up. Tomorrow night we'll be sleeping in an empty house.

[doombug]

you should somehow take many pictures of your cowboy hat shopping.

[Ron Fortier]

As long as I don't have to get on a horse, we should be all set.

[Ron Fortier]

Moving van showed up at 7 a.m. sharp and Val and I have been watching our house empty out bit by bit, room by room. Will be sleeping in a pretty empty house tonight. Don't even want to talk about the "ghosts" who've been saying good-bye too.

[G-Man]

There's a another great five pager waiting to happen.........

[Ron Fortier]

Bill, there have been several incidents in the past few days, including one this morning, that defy rational explanation. Its as if certain spirits are all too aware of our leaving and simply manifesting themselves in these unorthodox ways to say good-bye. Both Val and I sense our family on the other side wishing as well.