and it begins…

Sell condo.  Check. 

Sell camper.  Check.

Sell stuff.  Store stuff.  Donate stuff.  Check, check and check.

What’s left?  Let’s see… change address.  A quick search shows that Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire (with some exceptions), South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming do not tax personal income.  Actually, change address, and residency, to a state without income tax!  There are a couple of options: you can hire a company to receive your mail (to hold, forward or destroy it), or you can impose on family.  I will still need access to snail mail for tax documents, refund checks, and the like; I will need a mail box but I don’t expect much mail.  Washington here I come!  No income tax and an obliging sister.

I loaded what few possessions I had in the car I still had, and started driving to Washington.  Somewhere around day 2, I decided I definitely should have flown to Washington.  After a quick stop in Pendelton, Oregon, for a steak at Hamley Steakhouse & Saloon, I was in Washington.  I had a few “to do” items: niece’s birthday dinner; install new smoke detectors (really? I have to tell people that smoke detectors aren’t just for decoration?); fix everything I had f-d up on my new website; have lunch with my nephew (ok, didn’t do this one… I had somehow blocked his number on my phone… sorry); and get a Washington driver’s license.  Turns out, a driver’s license is an important step when changing your residency:  it shows a definite break with Colorado (which would have happily collected income tax forever), and a move to Washington.  All I needed was an appointment and a collection of documents to rival the National Archives.

Next stop: Oregon.  And more obliging family to impose upon.  Once again, I had a few “to do” items:  hand over old maps of Oregon and the US (funny how things change in just 150 years); sell my car (yep, the one I should have sold in Colorado, but the driving is nearly done…); attend an in-law gathering.  All easily done.

Finally, I made it to the airport.  Two bags and me.  Portland to Toronto via Vancouver.

I agree.  I really do.  My first blog post is pretty dull.  It is also posted.  Who would have thought a luddite like me, could have accomplished so much in just 3 weeks?