Preparations for moving to Turkey

We are creating this blog as a way to keep in touch with friends and family while in Turkey for the fall of 2006. Contributors will include Orin, Robin, Frances and Ray. Though we are still three months away from leaving, we are already deep into preparations, finding a house, schools, placing Betsy and Mothra with loving caretakers, renting the house, setting up bill payments and (a daunting task) cleaning and preparing the house for our new renter. Right now, Turkey seems VERY far away... But I (Robin) wake up every morning to a computer screen with a beautiful picture of the Bosporos, from an Istanbul neighborhood, to keep myself inspired...