I started working for The Times in August of 1988 and for all that time I have commuted from my home in Chandler. Now, after almost 29 years, that has all changed. I no longer make the roughly 50-mile daily round trip to work.

No, this column is not to announce that I have quit; instead I am now a homeowner here in Fountain Hills. I, along with my dog, Ginger, spent the night here for the first time on June 3.

So why, after all these years, make the move? I never really minded the commute. It was about 30 to 40 minutes each way and a good time to think about a meeting from the previous night, catch up on news or just listen to some music. On a couple of occasions I even spent the time listening to audio recordings of meetings I had to miss, or just ditched.

As many know, a lot has changed in my life over the past couple of years and I’ve done a lot of thinking about where to go from here, when to retire and what to do if I do retire.

My daughter, Robyn, has lived in a Tempe apartment for a few years and is desperately in need of a larger home for her family of five.

I made a decision early this year I would look into making the move to Fountain Hills with the idea that Robyn and her family could move into my house in Chandler. As it turned out, things have come together pretty well.

A big thank you goes to Times General Manager Kip Kirkendoll, who made me what is probably the best deal I could possibly find on a condo in this town.

After nearly three decades working in this community I know more of you personally than any of my Chandler neighbors. The core of people you know around school with kids disappears after they graduate and move on. I know well only the three neighbors closest to me in Chandler, and with Robyn living there some connection will remain.

I look forward to getting to know the people I know here even better. I expect that having a (much, much) shorter commute to work will keep my interest in working past retirement age.

I will be around more for the events that occur in town, and Town Hall where I spend much of my time is within walking distance of my new home (walking that will most likely wait until it gets cooler in the fall).

An early morning walk to the Rotary clock at the Avenue and Saguaro has already become a routine, and I can already see that morning sunrise across Fountain Park will often be breathtaking. That’s something you don’t get among the rooftops in Chandler.

Ginger is still adjusting to this walking routine, but clearly there are many dogs that enjoy the morning romp (on a leash) through the park.

I recall the first time I heard of Fountain Hills just before I came to Arizona nearly 45 years ago. My dad brought to my attention a photo in a weekly newspaper we took back in Pennsylvania. It was a photo of a fountain shooting high in the sky with a caption about the new community being built around it. My dad said I ought to check it out when I got here.

It seems as though Fountain Hills has been my home away from home all that time; now it is home.