Just something short to say that we made it into Providence last night sometime around midnight. An arduous, seemingly endless day on the road, but now we are here. And here we shall stay. For a long, long time.

I will say that I do adore the new apartment. After the long, degrading nightmare of that mean and grungy hole on Mansfield Avenue (1193, for the curious), all that time between December 2004 and two days ago, this seems like heaven. Built in 1875, the new place is a fine example of Victorian architecture in New England. I adore the elaborate crown molding, and the extraordinarily narrow stairwells that are like nothing so much as the stairs of a lighthouse. But, the bedroom and the room that is to be my office are both far smaller than we'd expected, which means, among other things, a lot of books will be going into storage, indefinitely, and we may have to jettison a few pieces of furniture (that I am loathe to part with, as they are antiques). But, even so, I still adore this place. It is a long-needed change of surroundings, and a beautiful space. After all the sickness and chaos of the last two or three years (and especially the last seven months), I think this is a good place to heal. I'll post some photos as soon as I can.

Byron's taking a nap. Hubero seeems pleased with his new home.

Yesterday, we crossed into Pennsylvania at 12:05 p.m., exiting the South. I do not expect to return for many years.

I'll try to make another entry this evening.