Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[voyager70]

48 minutes ago, jagsfan said:

Jacksonville has Mayo Clinic (hospital) and MD Anderson is affiliated with Baptist Hospital. 
Miles of beaches, and enough winter when we have some days in the 60’s, to make us feel we have 4 seasons. 
Easy drive to all 3 Florida ports. 
And not a tourist area!

Mayo Clinic is definitely a big plus for the Jacksonville area and beautiful beaches as well. Just a little too cool for me personally in the winter. If/when I make the big move I plan on going just about as far south as I can!

 

 

[bobmacliberty]

1 hour ago, jagsfan said:

Jacksonville has Mayo Clinic (hospital) and MD Anderson is affiliated with Baptist Hospital. 
Miles of beaches, and enough winter when we have some days in the 60’s, to make us feel we have 4 seasons. 
Easy drive to all 3 Florida ports. 
And not a tourist area!

 

What Mimi said!

 

I say that where we live is more Georgia than Florida, with Live Oak trees, spanish moss, etc.  I originally wanted to be further south with warm weather year round, but Micheline wanted a little bit of other seasons, so Amelia Island was our compromise.  I'm glad she talked me into being a little further north.  I don't think I'd like mid to upper 80s temps with humidity more than we have it here.  We have several friends who moved here from southern Florida for better weather.  Spring and fall here are perfect...mid 70s with low humidity. 😁

[George C]

1 hour ago, voyager70 said:

Prices have definitely come down in the Lee County area since Ian hit last fall. I have a couple real estate apps on my phone which I play with frequently. It’s very sad to see how many people are selling their storm damaged homes “as is” but there are many homes on the market that suffered only minimal damage which has since been repaired. Being quite familiar with the area I pretty much know which areas to avoid as far as flooding/storm surge issues although no place is immune from natural disasters. And yes, when the time comes, a pool is a must have! I actually prefer pools without a cage. I know they keep the bugs out but I like the open air feeling much better.

My brothers cage and I am sure most others near the water in Ft Myer were destroyed, I kind of agree with not having a cage . Obviously in Texas they are definitely not needed . 
  We are back in New York City in two weeks to eat and drink and see family and friends 😁😁😁😁

[Luckynana]

On 5/11/2023 at 5:23 PM, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

Our last night’s sunset as we head for Vancouver

 

 

 

I love your pictures, Helen!  I like your heart-framed sunset, along with the pictures taken from the back of the ship (your cabin?)

On 5/11/2023 at 4:50 PM, grapau27 said:

Thank you Maryann.

She has been like a daughter all of her life and we are in daily contact.

She has been to WDW Orlando with us as well as 6 times to our favourite hotel in Spain etc.

It is definitely your sister's loss Maryann that she doesn't speak to you.

Lovely picture of the 3 of you!

[Luckynana]

22 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

 

Thanks, I'm preparing for retirement and I want a home in a state that has certain attributes.  I thought Idaho might be the answer but this turned into a big waste of time.  I'm leaving tomorrow.  The search continues...

Best of luck on your Quest, Dave.  The home in a state that you are looking for is out there, just waiting for you!😉

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

18 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

I love your pictures, Helen!  I like your heart-framed sunset, along with the pictures taken from the back of the ship (your cabin?)

Lovely picture of the 3 of you!

 

Thank you, Maryann.  No, that was not taken from my balcony.  It was taken outside in the back of the Windjammer on Deck 14.

[Arzeena]

4 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I was surprised when I read that you and RJ were moving to Fla.In my opinion you live in a great town.

We do that is true!
But we also don't want to pay $12K + in taxes.
Our daughter is in FL.
RJ can work from anywhere.

We are close to 3 cruise ports🤣

[Luckynana]

7 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

 

We’re thinking about snow birding to Florida in the early retirement years. 

Being snow birds works really well for us😊

12 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

A one day drive to the ocean seems like torture to me.

In Naples, we are less than 10 minutes from the beach down the road from us, and around 15 minutes from our favorite beach.  In N.J., we're 20-25 minutes from the beaches.

[Jimbo]

2 hours ago, jagsfan said:

Jacksonville has Mayo Clinic (hospital) and MD Anderson is affiliated with Baptist Hospital. 
Miles of beaches, and enough winter when we have some days in the 60’s, to make us feel we have 4 seasons. 
Easy drive to all 3 Florida ports. 
And not a tourist area!

Did not know there was a MD Anderson in Jacksonville, Fl. We have been to the MD Anderson in Houston, Tx.

 

Good info to know.

[George C]

The biggest plus with my move to Dallas is a meet my wife at work, weird thing is I was born and raised in New York City, my wife was born and raised in a famous suburb of Buffalo called Attica where her dad and several friends and family members worked as guards etc. so our trip in two weeks starts in the city then in to a Buffalo suburb called East Aurora.

[helen haywood]

I saw my first pelican in the pond behind our house yesterday!  Geese, ducks, egrets, loons etc seen frequently but first pelican!

[Momof3gurlz]

I’m back from my grandson-sitting gig in PA and finally rested up from that gig. Those are three busy, active boys.  The running, jumping, falling and thumping noises don’t stop until bedtime. Nor does the non-stop eating.  But I loved being with them for 6 days & nights. 
Which ties into our retirement plan. When we were young, we always talked about retiring somewhere down south, either Florida or South Carolina.  We both hate the cold weather and winter and we both love living close to beaches.  That idea went out the window when we became grandparents.  We just don’t want to be that far from our grandkids, or even our daughters and SIL’s.  Being a 5 hour drive from our oldest and her family is hard enough, for us anyway.  RI isn’t very tax friendly for retirees, but many things in life are a trade-off and we’re happy with our choice (maybe not so much in February lol).

The old kitchen island is gone and Andy has starting installing the new one.  I’ll post before & after pictures when it’s done.  
@dani negreanu I want to add my thoughts and prayers for the continued safety of you and your family 🙏.  

[aussielozzie18]

9 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

I saw my first pelican in the pond behind our house yesterday!  Geese, ducks, egrets, loons etc seen frequently but first pelican!

Love Pelicans.  My mum’s favourite bird.

[voyager70]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

What Mimi said!

 

I say that where we live is more Georgia than Florida, with Live Oak trees, spanish moss, etc.  I originally wanted to be further south with warm weather year round, but Micheline wanted a little bit of other seasons, so Amelia Island was our compromise.  I'm glad she talked me into being a little further north.  I don't think I'd like mid to upper 80s temps with humidity more than we have it here.  We have several friends who moved here from southern Florida for better weather.  Spring and fall here are perfect...mid 70s with low humidity. 😁

Amelia Island is beautiful. Definitely feels more like Georgia, or the low country of South Carolina. Reminds me of Hilton Head which was another popular vacation spot during my childhood.

 

[Tree_skier]

6 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

I never heard of Visalia until I read the article.

 

 

They focused on small to medium sized cities although they probably could picked any one of 3 dozen similar communties. Maybe the writer had a house there & wanted to drive up home values. 😀

If someone was asking me and you want to live in town I'd recommend Kingsburg, CA. It is the cleanest city in Central CA that I know.  It' proximity to Fresno gives you big city access without being close enough to be affected by wretched crime issues that plague Fresno.

 

For us we want to be out in the sticks away from the city.  I just want to be within one hour of decent small or midsize airport or within two hours of a Major airport. 

[aussielozzie18]

Good morning.  It’s a cool & overcast Saturday here.  Very rare for me to be up before sunrise, so had to take a photo.

 

Since I was up, figured an early morning walk seemed like a good idea.

 

 

 

 

 

Been interesting reading how much taxes influence everyone’s retirement choices.

 

Here it’s family, house prices , proximity to the beach & access to medical care.

 

 

 

[Tree_skier]

5 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Those photos don’t show Hasting Street. 😢

The downtown Eastside is utterly destroyed.  It is a true tragedy. I have a friend who does extensive work down there. He was recently assaulted on his way to the mission to teach a substance abuse class.  YVR has the best and the worst of Canada all within a few Postal Codes.

[DaniDanielle]

Holding a butterfly

[helen haywood]

53 minutes ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Love Pelicans.  

I was excited and called DH to come see.  He said I must be mistaken…a pelican wouldn’t be that far inland.  😡  Really?!  What else looks like a pelican except…a pelican!!

[Ocean Boy]

5 hours ago, jagsfan said:

Jacksonville has Mayo Clinic (hospital) and MD Anderson is affiliated with Baptist Hospital. 
Miles of beaches, and enough winter when we have some days in the 60’s, to make us feel we have 4 seasons. 
Easy drive to all 3 Florida ports. 
And not a tourist area!

The 60's is your idea of winter?

[voyager70]

1 hour ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Good morning.  It’s a cool & overcast Saturday here.  Very rare for me to be up before sunrise, so had to take a photo.

 

Since I was up, figured an early morning walk seemed like a good idea.

 

 

 

 

 

Been interesting reading how much taxes influence everyone’s retirement choices.

 

Here it’s family, house prices , proximity to the beach & access to medical care.

 

 

 

Always enjoy your photos! Just curious, in the second photo it looks like the leaves on the large tree in the center are changing color from the change of season. Does most of the foliage in your area remain green year round or do you have many deciduous trees as well?

 

[Ocean Boy]

You never know where this thread is going next. I think retirement planning is new territory for the thread.

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, DaniDanielle said:

Holding a butterfly

Beautiful❤🦋

[jmh2006]

2 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

I’m back from my grandson-sitting gig in PA and finally rested up from that gig. Those are three busy, active boys.  The running, jumping, falling and thumping noises don’t stop until bedtime. Nor does the non-stop eating.  But I loved being with them for 6 days & nights. 
Which ties into our retirement plan. When we were young, we always talked about retiring somewhere down south, either Florida or South Carolina.  We both hate the cold weather and winter and we both love living close to beaches.  That idea went out the window when we became grandparents.  We just don’t want to be that far from our grandkids, or even our daughters and SIL’s.  Being a 5 hour drive from our oldest and her family is hard enough, for us anyway.  RI isn’t very tax friendly for retirees, but many things in life are a trade-off and we’re happy with our choice (maybe not so much in February lol).

The old kitchen island is gone and Andy has starting installing the new one.  I’ll post before & after pictures when it’s done.  
@dani negreanu I want to add my thoughts and prayers for the continued safety of you and your family 🙏.  

Phew!  I am exhausted just reading your description of your time with the grandsons.  I had that boy experience but with only one it was not that bad (although we had many weekends changing from soccer to baseball to basketball uniforms in the car)!  Glad Andy is hard at work on that island!

[Jimbo]

2 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

 

 

For us we want to be out in the sticks away from the city.  I just want to be within one hour of decent small or midsize airport or within two hours of a Major airport. 

That's us, small or midsize (Roanoke/Blacksburg Airport)........within 2 hours of Major Airport(Charlotte, NC Airport)