When I lived in Wichita I would drive to KC and my sister would fly up from Chicago. KS Missouri has so much to do and I could easily live there too.
You have no idea how true this statement is. When I lived in NYC I could keep track of when things happened because of the seasons. Now that we're in san francisco I can barely remember how many years we've lived here, much less how long ago any particular event happened. Especially with all the drought years where summer and winter were basically indistinguishable. Fortunately facebook is forever reminding me "Share your memory from 2 years ago" or whatever.
As for where I'd want to live. Western Sonoma County. Possibly the Russian River area, or somewhere further north, west of the 101. It's gorgeous. The weather is awesome. It's progressive. It's close enough to san francisco that we could visit occasionally. There's lots to do. We have plenty of friends who like to go to Sonoma for the day or weekend, so we'd have no trouble keeping them in our lives. There are plenty of other places I have visited that I like. But the idea of moving halfway across the country, or further, holds less and less appeal the older I get.
SO thinks Palm Springs would also be nice. We've been there a number of times on vacation and have enjoyed a lot about it. And there are lots of geriatric gay people there so we'd likely fit right in. I'm dubious about the weather in the summer, though. I keep telling SO we need to plan a trip there for Independence Day weekend before we add it to the short list of possible retirement locations.
Palm Springs can make one age more quickly. We love it, but as a permanent address I don't think so. If you love golf and tennis and travel a lot I could understand. It is a bit remote and one can get cabin fever there. We have thought about buying a one bedroom condo near downtown during the next real estate downturn and stay there during the week and coming to town (Pasadena) on the weekends.
When I was young and with a strong back it was a remote homestead in Alaska or possibly Canada or Montana.....the swift downstream current of life, a wife and family made that simply a dream pondered on a winters day infront of a wood stove or fireplace. I’ve incorporated elements of self sufficiency in my places of living but a limited pension and an even more limited investment savings account determine I stay right where I am. And this is where I want to live, for now.
Alaska is beautiful but I could not imagine living in such a harsh climate year round and being isolated.
Portland, Seattle, or Vancouver. Love the mountains, climate, and greenery.
I can certainly agree with your comment. Twenty years ago i had a coworker who was probably 50 (my age now) who moved from suburban boston to florida. He worked remotely and was actually more convenient to atlanta and miami, the two places he traveled most for work, and his wife was a nurse who could find work anywhere. What they discovered was that there was a big lifestyle difference between them and the mostly retired, 60+ crowd of people who were their new neighbors.
I personally think sonoma is a better choice for us, since the population is more varried in age and lifestyle, but who knows. Ten years from now, when we're actually ready to move, we may be more ready for the 'retired' lifestyle of palm springs.
I like where I am very much, it is expensive but it has my kids and everything I want to do in life here. I am also close enough to my parents in case they need me for anything.
And I would LOVE co-housing. I met some lovely people with a co-housing development very close to where I work, I was invited to dinner and actually knew some of the families from my school. A unit came up for sale but I didn't even look at it, it would have been out of my range at almost any price anyway. But I still love the idea of having my own space and shared space with consistent people. The friend who owns in the co-housing community offers the community space for day-long retreats with our Buddhist teacher. It is a very nice and comfortable space for that.
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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