FWIW.


Many people like to vacation in a specific area. We found such an area
along the central coast of California. for 20 years we would take a
vacation rental & move in for a week or 2.

At vacation time many people notice a shift in mental attitude. Mistakenly
they can equate the shift in attitude to the area. They think "If I could
only live there I would feel like this all the time." An obvious trap. If
they sell their primary home and move to the area and ultimately find out
they've made a mistake and move back to their original area all they have
accomplished is to support the Real Estate sales profession and the movers.

We decided to rent along the central coast for at least one year (our
special vacation spot). That was 2 1/2 years ago. Yep we like the area
very much but we're away from our children & grandkids. We're in the process
of moving back into our home & then we'll decide what is the right decision
for our retirement. Deciding to rent was one of my better decisions. I
don't make many wise decisions.

Dimitri

On 5/21/2010 11:43 AM, Dimitri wrote:
> FWIW.
>
>
> Many people like to vacation in a specific area. We found such an area
> along the central coast of California. for 20 years we would take a
> vacation rental & move in for a week or 2.
>
> At vacation time many people notice a shift in mental attitude.
> Mistakenly they can equate the shift in attitude to the area. They think
> "If I could only live there I would feel like this all the time." An
> obvious trap. If they sell their primary home and move to the area and
> ultimately find out they've made a mistake and move back to their
> original area all they have accomplished is to support the Real Estate
> sales profession and the movers.
>
> We decided to rent along the central coast for at least one year (our
> special vacation spot). That was 2 1/2 years ago. Yep we like the area
> very much but we're away from our children & grandkids. We're in the
> process of moving back into our home & then we'll decide what is the
> right decision for our retirement. Deciding to rent was one of my better
> decisions. I don't make many wise decisions.
>
> Dimitri

We're in the same boat, it's a three-hour drive to where the descendants
all live. DW retires from teaching in May 2011. Even though we have
lived here for 22 years home is till where the kids, grands, and great
grands are. We're expecting to move to within at least an hour drive of
them. Looking around the Livingston, TX area right now, time will tell.

I still do technical writing part-time but I can do that anywhere
there's email service.

"George Shirley" > wrote in message
...
> On 5/21/2010 11:43 AM, Dimitri wrote:
>> FWIW.
>>
>>
>> Many people like to vacation in a specific area. We found such an area
>> along the central coast of California. for 20 years we would take a
>> vacation rental & move in for a week or 2.
>>
>> At vacation time many people notice a shift in mental attitude.
>> Mistakenly they can equate the shift in attitude to the area. They think
>> "If I could only live there I would feel like this all the time." An
>> obvious trap. If they sell their primary home and move to the area and
>> ultimately find out they've made a mistake and move back to their
>> original area all they have accomplished is to support the Real Estate
>> sales profession and the movers.
>>
>> We decided to rent along the central coast for at least one year (our
>> special vacation spot). That was 2 1/2 years ago. Yep we like the area
>> very much but we're away from our children & grandkids. We're in the
>> process of moving back into our home & then we'll decide what is the
>> right decision for our retirement. Deciding to rent was one of my better
>> decisions. I don't make many wise decisions.
>>
>> Dimitri
>
> We're in the same boat, it's a three-hour drive to where the descendants
> all live. DW retires from teaching in May 2011. Even though we have lived
> here for 22 years home is till where the kids, grands, and great grands
> are. We're expecting to move to within at least an hour drive of them.
> Looking around the Livingston, TX area right now, time will tell.
>
> I still do technical writing part-time but I can do that anywhere there's
> email service.



Interestingly when we lived in their area they would come up for an
afternoon or several hours but the traffic fight back to their homes was
always on their minds. While living up here we would see then for 2+ days -
come up on a Friday go back on Sunday or Monday. I think we had more
"quality time'

Dimitri

On 5/21/2010 11:48 AM, George Shirley wrote:

> We're in the same boat, it's a three-hour drive to where the descendants
> all live. DW retires from teaching in May 2011. Even though we have
> lived here for 22 years home is till where the kids, grands, and great
> grands are. We're expecting to move to within at least an hour drive of
> them. Looking around the Livingston, TX area right now, time will tell.

Livingston is a nice area. We go through there often on our way to the
Houston area.

I just hit 60 a few months ago. I like living in Shreveport, but I'm
not sure I want to spend the rest of my life here. Over the past few
years, we have been visiting the Rio Grande Valley Area of Texas. It is
high on our list of possible locations.... but I wouldn't mind moving
back to the Houston area... as long as we are far enough out of town to
get away from the worst of the traffic.

> I still do technical writing part-time but I can do that anywhere
> there's email service.

My business is as portable as a computer and cell phone. I doubt that
I'll ever completely retire..... I enjoy it too much.

George L

Dimitri wrote:

> We decided to rent along the central coast for at least one year (our
> special vacation spot). That was 2 1/2 years ago. Yep we like the
> area very much but we're away from our children & grandkids. We're in
> the process of moving back into our home & then we'll decide what is
> the right decision for our retirement. Deciding to rent was one of
> my better decisions. I don't make many wise decisions.

Not true.

I've read that you should rent for a while before committing to
moving to a new area when you retire. Seems like a good idea
to me, even if you decide that's where you want to be, you should
get the lay of the land, so to speak, before buying.

Seems like a good idea to me. I'm glad you have a home to move
back to. I know you'll miss that beautiful area you're in now.

nancy

"Dimitri" wrote:

>FWIW.
>
>
>Many people like to vacation in a specific area. We found such an area
>along the central coast of California. for 20 years we would take a
>vacation rental & move in for a week or 2.
>
>At vacation time many people notice a shift in mental attitude. Mistakenly
>they can equate the shift in attitude to the area. They think "If I could
>only live there I would feel like this all the time." An obvious trap. If
>they sell their primary home and move to the area and ultimately find out
>they've made a mistake and move back to their original area all they have
>accomplished is to support the Real Estate sales profession and the movers.
>
>We decided to rent along the central coast for at least one year (our
>special vacation spot). That was 2 1/2 years ago. Yep we like the area
>very much but we're away from our children & grandkids. We're in the process
>of moving back into our home & then we'll decide what is the right decision
>for our retirement. Deciding to rent was one of my better decisions. I
>don't make many wise decisions.

Initially it is a good idea to rent first but why did it take you 2
1/2 years to realize you were in the wrong place, that's a very long
time to be lost. And no way do I buy the away from kids reason...
there has to be other reasons... to be near one's kids is the very
worst reason to move, not long after you settle in your kids will need
to change jobs or some such and move half way across the
country/planet. Normal parents/adult children don't want to see each
other every day anyway, in fact they shouldn't want to speak to each
other every day let alone see each other every day, otherwise there is
something seriously psychologically amiss, an abnormal dependancy.

I know quite a few people from NY who upon retirement moved south, the
smart ones keep their home and rent a condo in say FL, the Carolinas,
wherever, this way they can still come back, otherwise they usually
get priced out. They typically become snow birds, winter in FL,
summer in NY... half the people on my road are snowbirds. But some
after a short while decide the new lifestyle is not for them so they
return. The main reason is usually financial but also because their
life long friends in the north never visit and they have trouble
making meaningful relationships in retirement communities. Retirement
condo living is very transient anyway, most elderly are mistrustful to
begin with so relationships made later in life are at best superficial
but especially so when there is so much moving in and out. Often
folks of retirement age can't visit, sometimes finances but usually
for health reasons. I've never heard any say they come back because
they miss living around the corner from their adult children. The
most common reason I hear for visits is medical, people want to see
their regular doctors/dentists... many women even miss their
hairdresser. My brother has a home in both Florida and Argentina,
he's a snowbird between the two... he's been back to FL this month
mainly to have dental work done, he only trusts his regular dentist
for root canal work. He'd like to live in just one place but so far
he can't decide which... eventually as one ages fraility dictates.

Nowadays with computers, video cams, digicams, and such people can
visit 24/7, except for health issues with elderly parents there really
is no good reason to live next door. My daughter lives in the next
state, a three hour drive. We can visit pretty easily but we don't,
3-4 times a year is plenty, and we don't need or want long visits,
after like six hours I'm ready for them to say byebye, and so are
they. And the telephone reaches any distance, but we call each other
less than once a month, ten twenty minute conversations a year is
sufficient. Except for real emergencies (not I need to borrow an egg)
I don't think it's healthy for parents to get into the intimate
minutia of adult children's lives.

I thought you loved living up the coast... where are you contemplating
trying out next for retirement, but don't spend 2 1/2 years
contemplating, you're running out of years. Good luck.

Dimitri wrote:
> FWIW.
>
>
> Many people like to vacation in a specific area. We found such an area
> along the central coast of California. for 20 years we would take a
> vacation rental & move in for a week or 2.
>
> At vacation time many people notice a shift in mental attitude.
> Mistakenly they can equate the shift in attitude to the area. They
> think "If I could only live there I would feel like this all the time."
> An obvious trap. If they sell their primary home and move to the area
> and ultimately find out they've made a mistake and move back to their
> original area all they have accomplished is to support the Real Estate
> sales profession and the movers.
>
> We decided to rent along the central coast for at least one year (our
> special vacation spot). That was 2 1/2 years ago. Yep we like the area
> very much but we're away from our children & grandkids. We're in the
> process of moving back into our home & then we'll decide what is the
> right decision for our retirement. Deciding to rent was one of my
> better decisions. I don't make many wise decisions.
>
> Dimitri


That was a pretty smart thing to do. Your 2 1/2 years gave you the
opportunity to decide that you really like the area but don't
particularly like being that far away from the grandkids. It's a
dilemma wrapped up in a conundrum. Kind of like a mental spring roll.

FWIW I like being near to family, to be able to see them more than
occasional visits. I also love (and miss) the ocean and am not crazy
about Colorado, but I have learned you can't have everything.

gloria p

George Shirley wrote:
> On 5/21/2010 11:43 AM, Dimitri wrote:

>>
>> We decided to rent along the central coast for at least one year (our
>> special vacation spot). That was 2 1/2 years ago. Yep we like the area
>> very much but we're away from our children & grandkids. We're in the
>> process of moving back into our home & then we'll decide what is the
>> right decision for our retirement. Deciding to rent was one of my better
>> decisions. I don't make many wise decisions.
>>
>> Dimitri
>
> We're in the same boat, it's a three-hour drive to where the descendants
> all live. DW retires from teaching in May 2011. Even though we have
> lived here for 22 years home is till where the kids, grands, and great
> grands are. We're expecting to move to within at least an hour drive of
> them. Looking around the Livingston, TX area right now, time will tell.
>
> I still do technical writing part-time but I can do that anywhere
> there's email service.


Make sure you can garden wherever you choose to live. What would you
do without your produce?

gloria p

In article >,
"Dimitri" > wrote:

> FWIW.
>
>
> Many people like to vacation in a specific area. We found such an area
> along the central coast of California. for 20 years we would take a
> vacation rental & move in for a week or 2.

Try the Oregon Coast. Seriously.
Good fishing if nothing else, and a LOT of wild blackberries.
>
> At vacation time many people notice a shift in mental attitude. Mistakenly
> they can equate the shift in attitude to the area. They think "If I could
> only live there I would feel like this all the time." An obvious trap. If
> they sell their primary home and move to the area and ultimately find out
> they've made a mistake and move back to their original area all they have
> accomplished is to support the Real Estate sales profession and the movers.

Which is why when I will eventually end up living alone, I plan to do
the snowbird thing and live in an RV.
With internet access of course. <g>
>
> We decided to rent along the central coast for at least one year (our
> special vacation spot). That was 2 1/2 years ago. Yep we like the area
> very much but we're away from our children & grandkids. We're in the process
> of moving back into our home & then we'll decide what is the right decision
> for our retirement. Deciding to rent was one of my better decisions. I
> don't make many wise decisions.
>
> Dimitri

You must decide what works for YOU. Is our opinion really of any value?
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

On Fri, 21 May 2010 09:43:22 -0700, "Dimitri" >
wrote:

> We decided to rent along the central coast for at least one year (our
> special vacation spot). That was 2 1/2 years ago. Yep we like the area
> very much but we're away from our children & grandkids. We're in the process
> of moving back into our home & then we'll decide what is the right decision
> for our retirement. Deciding to rent was one of my better decisions. I
> don't make many wise decisions.

Heh! I was wondering how long that would last. You're too close to
your family to move even a few hours away.

I was brought up in a vacation spot, we had "summer people" all around
us. I used to ask my family why we didn't have a summer house and the
answer was always: because we live where everyone vacations! It's
kind of like being a permanent resident of Aspen or Cabo San Lucas...
visiting is great, but when you live there it's not a vacation - it's
home.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

In article >,
"Dimitri" > wrote:

> "George Shirley" > wrote in message
> ...

> > On 5/21/2010 11:43 AM, Dimitri wrote:
> >> FWIW.
> >>
> >>
> >> Many people like to vacation in a specific area. We found such an area
> >> along the central coast of California. for 20 years we would take a
> >> vacation rental & move in for a week or 2.
> >>
> >> At vacation time many people notice a shift in mental attitude.
> >> Mistakenly they can equate the shift in attitude to the area. They think
> >> "If I could only live there I would feel like this all the time." An
> >> obvious trap. If they sell their primary home and move to the area and
> >> ultimately find out they've made a mistake and move back to their
> >> original area all they have accomplished is to support the Real Estate
> >> sales profession and the movers.

Yup, I've seen that. We go to a church camp every summer (25 years).
Everything is so wonderful. Why is that? Because people are on
vacation and doing what they want. I'll bet these same people aren't
the same when they aren't on vacation.

> >> Yep we like the area
> >> very much but we're away from our children & grandkids. We're in the
> >> process of moving back into our home & then we'll decide what is the
> >> right decision for our retirement. Deciding to rent was one of my better
> >> decisions. I don't make many wise decisions.

Best wishes on that.

> > We're in the same boat, it's a three-hour drive to where the descendants
> > all live. DW retires from teaching in May 2011. Even though we have lived
> > here for 22 years home is till where the kids, grands, and great grands
> > are. We're expecting to move to within at least an hour drive of them.
> > Looking around the Livingston, TX area right now, time will tell.

Best wishes to you, also.

> Interestingly when we lived in their area they would come up for an
> afternoon or several hours but the traffic fight back to their homes was
> always on their minds. While living up here we would see then for 2+ days -
> come up on a Friday go back on Sunday or Monday. I think we had more
> "quality time'

Well, I've seen that, too. Since you are retired now, maybe things will
work out better.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA