A few months back we bought a house in Grass Valley, CA. We’re now got the house pretty well set up and have some idea what it’s like. Mostly it’s awesome. I really like the area. And I’m loving being in a big, spacious, quiet place with privacy and calm. San Francisco was really getting me down, so crowded and noisy and aggro. Nevada County is worlds away from all that and very comfortable. I’ve ended up spending a lot more time at the new place than I originally expected, mostly because it’s just so pleasant. My big decision yesterday evening was whether to watch the sunset from the hot tub or set up the telescope to look at Io’s shadow transiting Jupiter.

I’ve gotten to know the area pretty well and there’s a lot more depth than I originally expected. Grass Valley and Nevada City are a surprisingly sophisticated enclave for rural California. There’s a lot of independent tech oriented folks up here, some working full time (typically remotely) and some semi-retired. I was fortunate to be able to join the Nevada City Hackathon last month and met a lot of great people.

We’ve had a few guests come and stay for a couple of nights which has been great. We’ve got a really comfortable guest bedroom, a big social kitchen, and plenty of relaxing quiet. My hope is that more friends from the Bay Area will want to come up and spend some time with us.