We live in Northern Idaho. 29 miles from Montana. 15 miles from Washington. Pretty much smack dab in the middle of the Panhandle. So technically, I shouldn't use the Big Skies motto - but hey! - I can see the Montana mountain range border from my property.
Sounds like you have sampled a few good places to live. I agree with you that the priorities and culture are very different in this area of the country. (I've written about this on FG.) We find it liberating. Life can be lived about 10 notches above anything we experienced in any big city.
What part of Washington are you in now? Western? Northern? Or?
dzd&cnfzd wrote: specifically tombstone, wa state, although i'm a little curious if your location is where it's inference suggests, we came back from ravalli county and kick our selves daily for it. we have no elk,deer,moose,eagles or fox in our yard now and miss it much. no dish for the first year, our son was born 5 weeks after we arrived. it was so peaceful and the priority system so much more realistic. my personal travels are oregon 60's- 70's, so cal 80's, seattle 90's. there had been a few detours here and there and the sum of the whole has left me incapable of a concise biography. academic, but computer illiterate. redneck, but no blue tarps allowed in the front yard. hippie attire, but still listen to grunge. conservative, but believe all humans have the right to their own truth. make a mean roast and the house is clean, but am not the warm and fuzzy mommy of the year.( the boy is either going to save the world or he's going to blow it up) he's precious to me, but doesn't give me the right to set him loose on humanity. hope it didn't bore you to tears. later.