The million dollar question.

I was at the airport this morning coming back to Oakland after a four-day weekend in Maryland for a friend's bridal shower. The older guy in front of me asked, "so is this home or are you going home?"

I really didn't know how to answer that question.

September will mark my 10-year anniversary in the Bay Area. I can't believe it's been 10 years. At this point, I'm just as comfortable stepping off the plane in Oakland, as I am stepping off the plane at BWI. There are people who know me well, and still welcome me into their homes, on both coasts. Either coast offers me home improvement opportunities - Maryland, where the folks are fixing up the place to sell it "someday" and Oakland, where I got an email from a friend saying "I need to demolish my kitchen wall this weekend so that my new refrigerator will fit, wanna help?" (Is there sugar in it? Then YES!)

It's been years - 5 years, to be exact, it was my 10-year high school reunion - since I was in Maryland when the trees had leaves on them. I was struck by the stark difference in landscaping there compared to Oakland. For example, this is what I looked at for an hour Sunday afternoon as I was lounging on the patio talking with the folks:


There, the trees are bright green and lush, and it tends to be maple after oak after maple. Here, the trees have darker leaves and there are so many varieties of plants that you can't even begin to find a pattern...

But I digress. Back to the question. Where is home?

Maybe there is no one answer. Maybe that's OK.

________________
My dad is quite the gardener: