We finally did it. Kim and I moved out of our big family home to a downsized condo… and we are thrilled!
It’s not only a downsizing, but a radical change in culture. Imagine moving from a city whose slogan is “The City in the Country” to another city dubbed “San Diego’s North Shore.” We’re in Oceanside about a block and a half from the beach just north of the Oceanside Pier. This is unbelievable.
Creating the Poway to Oceanside Downsizing Transition Plan
First, we had to come to the conclusion that it was time to leave the nest. But at some point, you just stop being interested in managing such a large property. The time, energy and expense of managing 2 acres, a pool, and a 3100+ sq ft house is no small task. Plus, the older we get, the less interested we are in taking on the task. We finally got to the point it was time to call our favorite realtor, Rick McCandless, to help us get organized for the project.
We had to paint the inside and outside of our home and fix a variety of issues around the house to get it ready to be sold. Starting in Mid-April we seemed to be juggling 2-3 vendors each week attempting to get everything ready. We had to radically liquidate furniture using Facebook Marketplace. We staged the house.
Then we listed the house in early June, got an offer in just a few days, and we were in escrow. Then about a week before closing, we were out of escrow and starting the process all over. Our second buyer went through beautifully. They are happy. We are happy. Win-Win.
Poway has been our home for over 30 years.
We lived in Poway CA for 30+ years, including the last 19+ years at our home in Green Valley Glen. Prior to that we lived in Poway’s Sycamore Creek neighborhood. It’s has been a great ride in Poway. Great memories. Great friends.
Poway is the best city in the county to raise your kids. Great schools. A tremendous variety of people representing different ideas, values and cultures. Great sports culture. Beautiful outdoors/hiking culture. It is a very safe community. A special history.
Poway is a terrific blend of mostly suburbia with semi-rural fringes. The city is no longer “The City in the Country” in my opinion. I think the City is having something of an identity crisis right now trying to blend the country element with the suburban neighborhoods and new high density housing projects. But that identity crisis doesn’t change the fact it is a wonderful community for you and your family. Poway will always remain a very desirable place to live.
I personally was very active in the community. I served on the City’s Budget Review Committee and Parks and Recreation Committee. I coached Poway Girls Softball, Poway National Little League, and Poway American League. I served on the PNLL board and presided for a year. Plus, stints on the Poway Chamber’s Board of Directors and youth basketball coach. I ran for School Board, came up just short, but really enjoyed the opportunity to discuss important issues with fellow Powegians. I even helped out on a few local political campaigns.
I also started The John Riley Project as a podcast that interviewed political candidates for Poway Mayor, Poway City Council and Poway School Board. There I met so many community dynamos that had a passion for Poway. They wanted to get involved and make positive changes. The resulting video content from these interviews still exists on YouTube.
One of my motivations in doing these interviews was to create a broader forum for local issues. I know how hard it is for a candidate to get their message out. I also recognized that so many people in our community had something to say about one local topic or another. The podcast gave me that opportunity to produce content and share widely with others. I also included my own commentary on a range of issues in our city. I feel a strong sense of pride in this phase of the John Riley Project.
To say that I had roots in Poway is certainly an understatement. Moving out of town has been the conclusion of a major chapter in my life.
The Third Book of the Trilogy – Downsizing and Seeking New Adventures
It is interesting how it all lines up. If you think of your life as 3 Books in a Trilogy, each 30 years in total, then this move happens at just the right time.
- Book #1 was childhood, college and young adulthood. This was a time of figuring out the world and trying to figure out yourself.
- Book #2 was marriage, children, raising a family, starting a business, upgrading homes twice. Book #2 is my Poway book. The bookends line up almost perfectly on target.
- Now I start Book #3. I’m still working, but I have an eye on a new experience. I am not going to say I am going to retire. I will never retire completely. There will always be initiatives and projects that will grab my attention and let me channel my creativity. It’s just different now.
We have been in the new condo for 7 days now. Kim and I wake up every morning thinking, “I can’t believe I live here”. We traded in our big house with a pool on 2 acres for a nice 2-bedroom condo. We are in a very walkable community with quick access to restaurants, tourist attractions, coffee shops, the pier and the beach. It’s like living on a different planet compared to Poway.
Poway has been great. We will always love Poway. I still have great friends in Poway. My daughter and fiancé live in Sabre Springs. Poway will always be special to me. I will visit. I will still comment on Poway in my podcast, blogs and other John Riley Project content.
John Riley Project Evolution
So, what will John Riley Project be going forward? I am planning many ideas and changes ahead:
- I am going to continue to expand the scope of my News Commentary targeting national headlines and broader cultural, economic and societal issues. I will dabble with local commentary in Oceanside, San Diego, and likely still Poway, but the local focus will not be the primary focus. I am striving to make a larger impact.
- This new outdoor beach culture presents SO MANY opportunities for content creation. I expect to record short videos and podcasts from the roof of my condo building with an ocean front backdrop. I plan to do more mobile content generation whether it be short videos in and around town, outdoor beach/bench interviews, or even “Man on the Street” interviews and quizzes.
- For the past 4+ months while we navigated the big moving project, I spent time working on the JRP Infrastructure. This is the integration and automation of various technologies to make this project work. The goal is to focus my creative work on content and product creation. But once those are created, I want the information to be shared widely in social media, e-commerce, landing pages, website and more. One example is the integration of Shopify with YouTube and Google Merchant Center so the products I create are widely available to potential buyers. This has been a learning experience which I relish. I may be in Book #3 of the Trilogy, but I want to keep learning new things.
- Oh, I am still going to continue my work with Hacksaw, but I have a better framework on how to integrate Hacksaw with JRP with better time management discipline. The big reason my JRP content slowed down was because our Hacksaw content was so frequent. Dude is a firehose of sports information. 2 livestreams a week, short video editing, video clip editing, audio podcast editing, website creation and management, email newsletters (10 per week) and so much more. Hacksaw has the formula for content creation. I am getting better with the tools to produce all of this content including AI tools.
I am still settling into the new condo. I have my desk setup, but not yet my pro podcast gear. I have a little office, almost like the Harry Potter closet under the stairwell. I have a vision of integrating the high-end microphones, new lighting, better acoustics, and decorations into this small space. I’ve made a great deal of progress in just the 7 days we have been in the new place. I expect this “space” in my condo to continue to evolve as I try new things and express new ideas.
While I will do solo podcasts from my office/studio in the condo, I am hopeful that it is only about 1/3 of my content. I want at least 2/3 of my content to be outdoors with new energy and in a new environment.
It’s a new day! It’s a new chapter!
I am very excited about taking this next step and hope you will enjoy the ride with me.