Travel to Scotland Part 4

We couldn't leave the beautiful area where we had stayed for two days without one last look at Eilean Donan Castle. It is truly magnificent, and we chose wisely in staying within walking distance of it and the cute little town nearby.

Eilean Donan Castle

Our May 7th travels took us towards Glencoe National Reserve. Along the way we visited the Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous as a Hogwarts Express route in the Harry Potter movies.  Built in the late 1890s, it is the longest concrete bridge in Scotland. It contains 21 arches and is 100' above the River Finnan. It was a crowded tourist destination, but worth visiting.

Glenfinnan Viaduct

We drove through the central highlands on our way to the village of Killin, where we would spend the night. The drive to this area of the central highlands was beautiful. 

the central highlands

Killin is located near the western head of Loch Tay and is quite charming. The River Dochart runs through Killin in a series of falls, which are stunning. It was quite by accident that we found lodging there, and it was a nice spot to explore and spend the night.

The next day we had breakfast in town and checked out the historic bridge, mill and waterfalls. There was also an old cemetery behind our cottage that was interesting to walk through.

village of Killin

We then started making our way back to Edinburgh as we had a 9:55 p.m. flight back to Dublin. We wanted to see the Drummond Castle Gardens, located near Crieff, but they did not open until 1:00. That gave us time to have lunch and then visit the Glenturret Distillery, which worked out well.

sights along the road

The Drummond Castle Gardens were definitely worth the wait! The keep itself was built in 1491 by John, 1st Lord Drummond. The Annexe was built in 1630, and this became the living quarters of the family. This portion is still occupied by Drummonds to this day.

You do not get to see much of the keep, but the gardens are open to tour. The formal gardens were first laid out in the 1630s by the second Earl, combining elements of French and Italian styles. The gardens cover about 12 acres, and it was a treat to see (and hear) the peacocks. This stop was a wonderful way to end our tour of Scotland, and was a highlight of the entire trip.

Drummond Castle Gardens

From Drummond we only had about an hour drive to Edinburgh, where we retuned our rental car and headed to the airport. We arrived in plenty of time to check into our flight, and had an uneventful, short trip back to Dublin. We spent the night at an airport hotel as we were flying home the next morning.

leaving Dublin

One nice thing about flying out of Dublin (besides the direct flight) is the fact that you clear US Customs there, which saves time on the other end. Once we arrived in Charlotte we only had to go and meet the party who was picking us up since we did carryon luggage only. It was the icing on the cake of another great adventure with long-time friends.

Tianyu Lights Festival

Tianyu Lights Festival

Tuesday night several of us who are working on the lanterns for the Mount Holly Lantern Parade attended the Tianyu Lights Festival in Charlotte. Tianyu strives to bring authentic Chinese lanterns traditions to the US and Europe. We thought it would be fun to see how their lanterns are constructed, and also get inspiration for building our own lanterns. We arrived early enough that we could see the lanterns in the daylight, but stayed until it got dark out.

The theme for this year's Mount Holly parade is "Into the Deep Blue Sea", and we already know that we our entry will be based on the incredibly successful Baby Shark YouTube video. We will obviously build the main characters, but are looking for ideas for other items to add. The Tianyu show had quite a few lanterns that were water-related, and that gave us some good ideas.

While the Tianyu lanterns are constructed of wire, lights and fabric, our lanterns are wire, lights and colored paper. But still the ideas are somewhat transferable. The festival was very well done, and included some live performances as well. They had quite a few lanterns that were interactive for the attendees, as well as many that were mechanized. We were all happy that we attended the show, and it was fun to get together in a manner that didn't involve sitting and working on our own lanterns! 

Chinese lanterns

Debby Downer

When we looked at retirement locations, we both agreed that we did not want to live near the coasts. We didn't want to have to worry about hurricanes and all that comes with those. We were also happy to leave the tornadoes of the Midwest behind. So we settled in an area just northwest of Charlotte.

Well, the joke was on us! Our first fall here there was a tornado warning. As our house is built on a slab, there is no basement. We hadn't considered tornadoes here, so we searched for the safest spot in the house to hunker down during the storm. That ended up being our laundry room. Fortunately no tornadoes have touched down anywhere near us, but it is still scary when the warning comes.

We also did not expect to get the backlash from hurricanes here. I'm not sure if being by the lake exacerbates weather conditions or not, but Tropical Storm Debby brought us crazy winds and rain. We watched as the trees out back bowed to the wind (though none fell down), and the rain pelted our plants and house. We received 7 inches of rain in a 24 hour period on Thursday. It was crazy.

We only lost power for about 45 minutes, but many people were without for hours. Roads were flooded, trees came down and the area was just a general mess Thursday into Friday. 

I guess there is truly no where you can live that is without perils of some type. It has just been surprising to see the weird weather here. But the view makes a lot of the other things seem forgivable.

calm after the storm

Charlotte Douglas International Airport Tour

On Wednesday thirty-six members of our community took a tour of the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). As one of the top ten busiest airports in the United States, CLT always has some construction going on. Right now a new terminal is being finished up, and it will have seven gates for Delta Airlines and three gates for other airlines. Construction is also underway for a new public viewing area that will include a playground, picnic area and space for food trucks. The biggest project is a new runway, the fourth for Charlotte and the only new runway being built in the US right now.

Most of us on the tour thought we would be looking at the inside workings of the airport, but in fact that was not the case. They put us on two buses so we could see the massiveness of the airport holdings and get a closer look at the control tower and out buildings, including the original airport terminal building. We also parked by the runway and watched some planes take off and land.

The tour was interesting, and I hope we go back for the other tour which does include going inside the terminals. They are also getting ready to open the Sullenberger Aviation Museum in June. A Smithsonian affiliate, the museum will house artifacts of importance to North and South Carolina aviation history. Of special note is the "Miracle on the Hudson" collection, which will include the actual jet that landed on the Hudson River in 2009. The plane was headed to Charlotte on the day it made its emergency landing, which is why the local museum received the exhibit. That would be another fun field trip for us to go on.

Charlotte Airport

A (not so) Total Eclipse of the Sun

83% eclipse of the sun

Yesterday a solar eclipse traveled across America. We were headed back from visiting our son and his family in Virginia, and did not think we would have an opportunity to see any of the eclipse. Charlotte was to get only a little over 83% totality at any rate. Surprisingly traffic was light on the interstates we traveled on. I guess everyone was clogging up the highways on their way to total eclipse sites, so the east coast was in the clear.

The moon eclipsed the sun around 3:11, and we were home in plenty of time to see what 83% gets you. Our next door neighbor was in her back yard with out of town guests, and they had extra glasses for us to borrow. Someone even had the protective cover for the phone lens, but I was quite unsuccessful in capturing any photos with my iPhone. It was fun to watch the moon in progress, but while the light dimmed a bit, it was still quite bright out.

In 2017 we had totality where we lived in Missouri, and that was an amazing experience and quite different from what occurred yesterday. Then it got completely dark out, the birds stopped chirping, the night insects began making noise, and the streetlights came on. I guess because we were able to take part in the one seven years ago, I was not in a rush to drive many hours to see the one this year.

When Friends Come to Call

early morning on Mountain Island Lake

Last week some friends from St. Louis came to visit us for the first time since we moved to the Charlotte area. It was fun being able to show them our new house, and drive them through the neighborhood to let them see why we chose this particular development. While our lot with a lake view certainly speaks for itself, all the other amenities such as the pool, game cabin, library, pickleball courts, sewing and ceramics cabins, fitness cabin, etc. were certainly a big part of our decision-making process. After showing them around, they said they understand why we made such a big move several years ago.

We also took them to a couple of our favorite waterfront restaurants, showed them some of the quaint towns in the area and drove to a beautiful old mill that we had visited in the past. They really enjoyed the history and beauty of it, as well as the covered bridge that is located a few miles from the mill.

cherry jam

The guys took off on a motorcycle trip, so I busied myself with pickleball clinics, attended a dueling piano concert here at our pool, and tried my hand at making cherry jam. I made blueberry jam for the first time a couple weeks ago, and I saw that our local produce market had cherries in stock. I absolutely love bing cherries and cherry jam, but had never attempted making it due to the hassle of removing the pits. But then I remembered that I had picked up a pit removal tool, and decided I would give it a try. At $5.99 a pound, the cherries were certainly not a steal. And it took nearly two pounds of them to make four pint-size jars of jam. But I have to say the results were worth it. It is delicious! Now I will keep my eyes peeled for a better price so I can make some more while the cherries are in season. Soon it will be time to make peach as the freestone peaches from South Carolina will be arriving in a couple of weeks. About the time my granddaughter will be coming for her first visit!

Professional Pickleball in Charlotte

The PPA North Carolina Open was held for the second year in a row in Charlotte last month. As in the previous year, Jim and I decided to volunteer at the event. Unfortunately the PPA cut out some of the benefits of volunteering this time around, such as no included lunch and no free access to the venue except on the day or days you were volunteering. We liked our volunteer positions last year, and those were only available on Saturday - the semi finals of all events, so a good time to be there. I worked in the VIP section, which was right by Championship Court. I made sure all people in the section had the correct arm bands on, and made sure they had enough to eat and drink and answered questions. It was a great group of attendees, so I was mostly able to watch the pros play.

Jim was down by the Championship Court ensuring that people who had purchased court-side seats had the appropriate arm bands and a place to sit. From last year's experience we knew that they had oversold the seats and Jim had to deal with angry folks who couldn't find a place to sit. That was corrected this year, and there were no problems.

For Sundays finals we had purchased court-side seats. We arrived very early to make sure we would get a good seat, and that ended up to be a good move. Between Saturday and Sunday we met and talked to many of the pros we watch on t.v. or YouTube, and it was quite a thrill for us. There is just something about being able to see them play in person, and the Charlotte audience is very enthusiastic and appreciative of the PPA having one of their tournaments here.

Last year we hosted two pros at our house, but neither one was coming to Charlotte this year. Though I had put it out that we were willing to host, apparently there was a problem at the tournament in Florida recently with misbehaving female pros at a host's home, so the PPA is no longer reaching out to people to arrange housing. That is too bad, because we had such a great experience and were hoping to repeat it again. Hopefully our guys will come back next year!

North Carolina Open 2023

Things are Not Always What They Seem

illusions

Last Friday was the opening of a new museum in Charlotte. The Museum of Illusions is part of a global movement of illusion displays. A project that began in Croatia in 2015 is now in over 30 cities around the world. The museums offer an interactive experience involving vision and perspective to help you comprehend why your eyes see things that your brain cannot understand.

We purchased our tickets online ahead of time for the 11:00 entry on the 9th. The museum opened at 10:00 that day. There was no line to get in, and museum staff were readily available to get us started in the museum. At each station there was a staff person to answer any questions, give suggestions on the best way to photograph each exhibit, and to take photos if you wanted one of your group.

Having no idea what to expect, I have to say that all three of us really enjoyed our experience at the Museum of Illusions. It was thought-provoking, and sometimes puzzling as I tried to figure out what I was supposed to be seeing. I highly recommend a visit if it comes to your city, or a city in which you are traveling.

more illusions

Happy Anniversary Baby

wedding anniversary

Friday was our 44th wedding anniversary. It's hard to wrap my head around that. We met at Iowa State University when we were 18 years old, and started dating a few months later. We married shortly after graduation, and relocated to St. Louis where Jim had secured a job. In St. Louis we completed master's degrees, raised a family and built a good life.

When we retired to the Charlotte area nearly three years ago, we didn't know anyone or much about the area. It was a huge leap of faith to come here, and only a strong marriage could survive the stress and upheaval of the massive move. During one of our three years here we buried both Jim's mom and dad, and my beloved sister. Having someone to share the grieving process with made all the difference in the world in how we coped with the huge losses.

The support network within our new community is phenomenal as well. Because we are in a 55+ community, we have experienced many deaths already. But I think most of us moved here in the hopes that the community will wrap us in a loving embrace when we experience a severe health issue or death in our family. That has certainly proven to be true so far. I am confident that when something happens to me or Jim, our neighbors will rally around the survivor. And the community will share in the grieving process.

Getting back to our anniversary, we didn't do a lot to celebrate this year, save for going out for a meal at one of our favorite restaurants. It offers waterside dining, so we always know we can sit outside. But as next year will be the 45th anniversary, we are already thinking of something big to do in honor of that occasion. We are both eager to cruise again, but there are still so many people getting Covid on the ships that it just doesn't seem worth the risk yet. Maybe by next summer it will be more under control. Who can say?

High Country Getaway

Blue Ridge Parkway

The Charlotte area had some record-breaking heat last week, so we decided to escape to the North Carolina high country for a couple of days. Encompassing seven counties in the northern part of the state, the high country is typically much cooler than the counties down south.

We left Thursday morning, driving straight to our first destination. Craggy Gardens, located on the Blue Ridge Parkway and part of the National Park Service, is known for its abundance of rhododendrons. Peak season at this altitude of 5,860 feet is mid-June, so our timing was perfect. While it was a bit overcast when we arrived, the cloud cover did clear as we hiked the area. The low 70s temperature was a delight after the high heat and humidity we had left behind.

Nearby the Craggy Gardens is Mount Mitchell. That was the next stop on our itinerary. At 6,684 feet, it is the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. Established in 1915, the 4,789-acres became the first state park in North Carolina. Unfortunately the peak was shrouded in clouds the day of our visit, so visibility was nil. 

We spent the night in the Linville Falls community at an old lodge. While it was quaint, clean and beautifully maintained, it had no WiFi to speak of and we had zero cell service. It also had no air conditioning in the rooms. While that might not be a problem normally, the humidity was extremely high and the room was sticky. With its location between two highways, leaving the windows open at night was not an option. Suffice it to say, neither one of us slept well that night.

The next morning we made the short drive down the highway to Linville Falls. While we have hiked in this park before, this time we practically had the place to ourselves. That was a refreshing change from our last hike where Covid brought everyone and their brother out into nature. It was a lovely way to spend the morning. We grabbed lunch in Morganton before heading home. It was a short but very nice change of pace for us.

Craggy Gardens, Blue Ridge Pkwy, Linville Falls

Spring Sighting

March can be a somewhat gloomy month here as we eagerly await spring and all the colors it brings. My next door neighbor and I went to the University of North Carolina-Charlotte Botanical Gardens earlier this week to see what was in bloom. My husband and I are still trying to get a handle on plant materials that do well here as this is a different planting zone than St. Louis. We haven't done any plant installation at our new house other than annuals in the 2 1/2 years we have lived here. We have been watching to see what our neighbors put in, and what has survived and thrived.

We will be expanding our screen porch this spring, as well as extending our back patio. We are working with a landscape contractor for the hardscape, and will pick his brain on plants that will work well with the design. But until then, it was wonderful to go to the botanical garden and see some early signs of spring.

UNC-Charlotte Botanical Gardens

Snow Day

snow day

We are in our third winter at our new home in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. We experienced our first snow on Sunday. Or maybe I should say our first snice storm. It began as snow and then turned into freezing rain and sleet. I was hoping we had left this weather behind in St. Louis, but apparently not. I would rather have a bunch of snow than ice, that's for sure. We didn't have anywhere to go and our freezer and pantry were well-stocked, so we just prayed that the ice wouldn't cause a limb to fall on a transformer.

We dodged a bullet this time, but more rain followed by snow are on tap for Thursday and Friday. Yippee!

A Friendly Visit

We have lived in our new home in North Carolina for exactly two years. The first four months were filled with getting settled, making new friends, and participating in the many activities going on in this community. Then Covid hit, and things came to a screeching halt. Due to that, we have had very little company here. This past weekend Jim's former business partner and his wife flew in for a few days. We have a great relationship with them, and picking them up at the airport was like old home week. 

We had a wonderful time catching up, and showing them some of the sites of our new hometown. Friday we went to Uptown Charlotte (they don't call it downtown here!), walked some of the greenway and explored the urban parks. Ted went to Whiskey Club with Jim Friday night, while Jill and I watched a documentary and then a movie on Netflix.

Saturday some friends took us out on a nice pontoon boat on Lake Norman. It was a beautiful day, and the lake wasn't too crowded. Sunday following brunch, Jill and I took our kayaks out on Mountain Island Lake. The temperature was perfect, and we spotted an egret, turtles and blue herons while out on the water. Their flight left later that day, so we had a quick bite on our patio before taking them to the airport. The visit was way too short, but very sweet!

visit with friends

Carpe Diem

When you are given 70 degree, sunny days in December, you seize the moment. We went to a newish seltzer bar to sample their wares as they have outdoor seating, and then took a walk on a downtown greenway. It was great to see some semblance of normalcy with the Christmas decorations.

Little Sugar Creek Greenway

The next day we took our kayaks out on Mountain Island Lake. The water was calm, and the blue herons were extremely cooperative in having their pictures taken. As an added bonus, a large herd of deer ambled through the woods while we were watching the blue heron. 

Mountain Island Lake

That evening we went to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden to see their Christmas light display. It was an outdoor walking tour, and while it was a little more crowded than we would have liked, everyone wore their masks and it was easy to step off the path to let a group pass. I've said before that we are so blessed to have relocated to an area where we can enjoy the great outdoors, particularly in light of Covid.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

In Summation

 Current life, in a nutshell...

theater in North Davidson neighborhood of Charlotte, NC

Celebrating Mother's Day During a Pandemic

During any other time we would have been up in Iowa visiting my mother-in-law for Mother's Day, especially in light of the fact that she just lost her husband a few weeks ago. However, COVID-19 has made travel impossible for us, so we didn't dare even drive to our son and daughter-in-law's home in Virginia. My husband wanted to do something special with me though, so I selected a few locations in downtown Charlotte for us to visit and photograph. I knew we would be able to keep social distancing in play, and the pretty weather was just what we needed to explore our new city.

We began at Midtown Park as it was reputed to have great views of the downtown area, as well as a small reflective ball similar to the "Bean" in Chicago. We very much enjoyed the park with its proximity to a major greenway which we want to return and explore later. The view of the city was okay, and the ball was certainly nowhere near the "Bean" in terms of interest.

Midtown Park

From there we stopped at Elizabeth Park, which is also located on the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, to see the statue of Captain James Jack. He was a Patriot leader in the Rebellion in 1775. Historic St. Mary's Chapel is located across the street in Thompson Park.

Elizabeth and Thompson Parks

Next we headed to Nebel's Alley in Charlotte's South End neighborhood. We were not in search of shopping or a place to eat however. We were looking for the Confetti Hearts Wall mural, which is located in the alley. It seemed very appropriate on Mother's Day to have our picture taken in front of the wall. In this day and age of the virus, you don't dare offer to take a photo of someone using their camera or telephone. But a complete stranger offered to take our picture using her phone, indicating she would then text to me. Social distancing at its finest! It epitomized the "Be Kind" heart on the wall between us in the picture. We were able to return the favor by taking a photo of her family as well. By the time we got done chatting with them it was time to head home to grab lunch prior to our 2:00 video call with mom at the nursing home.

Nebel Alley

Our kids were able to join us on the call with Lorraine, and it went well. She seems to understand the seriousness of the virus and why we can't yet come to see her. It is so hard to see her on a call and know that she cannot safely even leave her room right now. She has to be very lonely without Jerry.

We spent a little time enjoying our lake view before grilling up some filets that were given to us by a neighbor who doesn't eat beef. The icing on the cake, so to speak, was a new recipe I tried combining brownies on the bottom and chocolate chip cookies on the top. They are called brookies, apparently. I would just call them delicious!

Mother's Day meal

Keeping Busy

Imagery by Lennar, the community where we live, has a Lifestyle Director to keep us busy and out of trouble. Ha! All kidding aside, the activities have enabled us to meet many new neighbors, stay fit, and learn about the greater Charlotte area. Jim and I are enjoying the hiking club, and Jim attends the whisky and wine clubs as well. Many new clubs are being established, including photography and Bunco, which I will definitely participate in. We have taken tai chi and the yoga classes are working out well for us. The first of the small refurbished artists' cabins have opened, allowing us to have an onsite fitness and yoga studio as well as a beautiful party center. Additional cabins are under renovation, and will house a library, pottery space, sewing and quilting, a game room and pool house. An outdoor pool is currently under construction.

amenity cabins

On Saturday we drove to Lake Norman, which is less than an hour away from us. Jim wanted to take the Porsche out for a spin, and we decided to celebrate his birthday a couple days early at a restaurant on the water. Many places are seasonal and not open yet, but we found The Landing. It is a retro lakefront property with a fun vibe. Our meals were just okay, but with the location we would definitely give them another try in the future.

The Landing

On our way back we stopped to take pictures at Rock Springs Camp, which is located in Denver, NC. We have driven by it many times on the way to our friend's house but had never stopped. The wood structures look like an accident waiting to happen, but people still stay in them for a couple weeks in August. The camp traces its roots back to 1794 when a Methodist minister held a camp meeting in the area. In 1830 the current property was purchased, and except for two occasions the camp has been held each year. Though they are called tents, the roughly built cabins have dirt floors, no screens, and many have no indoor water. Despite this, the cabins are mainly passed down from one generation to the next. As many as 10,000 people of all denominations attend the religious celebration.

Rock Springs Camp

By far the biggest attraction in the area, though, is the constantly changing palette in our backyard. A new painting is created there nearly every morning and/or evening. THIS is why we bought our new home here.

Mountain Island Lake

On Retirement

My husband retired a couple of months ago after selling his portion of a design firm that he and his business partner had developed 20+ years ago. While he will remain on in an advisory role for 12 months, for all intents and purposes he is done working.  I have not worked in corporate America since 1997, though I did contribute to our organics company until we sold that several years ago. Since then I have been writing and doing photography, so I have been working out of our home for many years.

We knew that we would not want to stay in our 2 1/2 story Queen Ann-style home for much longer, so last year we began to talk about where we would want to move. We could stay in St. Louis, of course. But a lot of the work involved in moving would take place whether we moved a mile or thousands of miles away. That thought process opened up all kinds of opportunities to us.

When we moved to St. Louis in 1978 with our fresh college diplomas in hand, we thought we would be here for a couple of years and then would move on. Yet here we are, 42 years later. St. Louis has been very good to us, and was a wonderful place to raise our children. But they don't live here any more. We have got one on each coast of this vast country.

As we started discussing where we might like to live, several things became clear. First of all, the benefit of being with the same person for over four decades is that you do tend to think alike. We both wanted a location that has all four seasons - just a little less of the winter season. That automatically ruled out a number of retirement spots such as Arizona and Florida. We have zero interest in owning and maintaining two separate residences. Neither of us wants to live any further north than where we are, or to spend way too much of our retirement savings in expensive cities like Washington, DC (where our son and daughter-in-law live) or Los Angeles (where our daughter lives.) Being adverse to worrying about our house being demolished in a hurricane, the coastal United States was off the consideration table as well. That still left a lot of options to examine.

view from the community center

North Carolina made the top of our list due to its natural beauty. We had visited the state and loved it. It also seemed that anytime we wanted to fly somewhere out of St. Louis we had to go through Charlotte to get where we were going.

We thought we found the perfect place in a community called The Coves. Located in northwestern North Carolina equal distance between Charlotte and Asheville, the development would allow us to buy as many acres as we would like and to build a custom home. With 3,600 acres of land, it offered a community center, hiking trails, a riding stable, a vineyard and community garden, rivers, waterfalls and miles of hiking trails. On paper it looked perfect. For a number of reasons, it was not right for us once we visited in June of 2018 even though the mountain views were quite pretty. On that trip we looked at a several places in central North Carolina as well as the Charlotte area and didn't fall in love with any of them. We were back to square one.

After talking with a number of my pickleball friends who either travel extensively or own second residences, we began to think for the first time about 55+ active adult communities. In a million years, we never thought we would even consider such a concept. But the more we read about them, the more intrigued we became. People are drawn to them because they want to make new friends, have a variety of activities available, have their yard maintained, and be able to "lock and leave", knowing their home will be safe and looked after when they travel.

I decided to give the Charlotte area another shot due to its great international airport and good health care reports. Did you know that Charlotte has 38 of these kind of communities? Holy smokes! That says something about the area to me. I could eliminate a lot of them because they were too large or too small, or they focused on an amenity (like golf) that was not important to us. I was left with a list of 6 or 7. Through my search I found Roger Holloway, the YouTube star of 55+ communities in the Charlotte area. I reached out to Roger, who is a buyers agent, and we set up a time to go to Charlotte and see some of the communities. That happened in February of 2019, prior to our Southern Caribbean cruise out of Fort Lauderdale (because yes, we had to fly though Charlotte to get there from St. Louis.)

We were very impressed with the design and amenities of the Trilogy development, which is about 50% built out. All the people we met were friendly and gracious, and the community center and gathering spaces were incredible. The only problem was that the most desirable (in our opinion) lots were already taken. We were not interested in a lot that backs to a retaining wall, or the neighbors screened in porch.

Imagery by Lennar

Then we went to see Imagery by Lennar. It is the only community that is built on a lake - Mountain Island Lake, to be specific. So new that there were not even models built that we could take a look at, this 320 acre development is being constructed on land once owned by the Bechtler family, for whom the art museum in Charlotte is named. They had a home on the land as well as 6 or so large cabins, where visiting artists could live in residence while creating their art. When the Bechtler's sold the land, a commitment was made by Lennar to keep the "artistic" feel of the property, including the house and cabins which will become activity centers for the new community. While it is a little hard for some people, me included, to visualize what the community will become, fortunately Lennar has a similar community nearby that we could visit. Tree Tops is not located in a lake, but it gave us a good sense of what Lennar is going for in the new development.

As it is so new, lake view lots are available. Well, once you see that you cannot unsee it. We knew we would not be happy in a home that did not offer us a view of the lake from our own property. We just were not sure that we wanted to live through the pains (and noise) of a construction zone for quite some time. We headed off to our cruise, enjoyed going over all the pros and cons with our friends on the trip, and came back to St. Louis to think some more.

proud owners of Lot 33

After a couple of weeks we decided to make an offer on a lot and one of the house plans that was available to go on it. Following a little back and forth, we came to a mutually acceptable price. And just like that we were landowners - in a new land. With these communities, you must have them begin construction pretty much right away. While that pushed us some, we like the fact that people aren't buying lots and then just letting them sit, which is pretty much what is going on at The Coves. With a construction timetable of 5 months, we selected a closing date of October 31. Happy Halloween!

We quickly kicked into purging mode here on the home front. It has been a dirty, challenging, frustrating, and somewhat freeing process. The unusable has gone in the trash or recycling bins, but three truckloads have been picked up by the Salvation Army and a couple of other loads delivered by us in our pickup to their store. We will have at least one more load before it is all said and done.

The toys and games of our children were boxed up separately for them to review. They both came home recently and went through the boxes. Andy took what he wanted back to DC in his pickup, and Katie has 2 plastic bins that we will take with us and store for her. Her apartment in Los Angeles has no storage space, and she couldn't have taken them on the plane anyway. The remaining toys were taken to a charity.

I've also had some fun with a Facebook group called Webster Groves Buys Nothing. Local residents are always putting out a call for something they are looking for, such as the original "Home Alone" on VHS which I gladly re-gifted. On the opposite end, people like me are getting rid of things, so a simple photo on the site usually results in multiple people vying for the free item. It is fun to see that others will enjoy things that we no longer want.

Less fun has been getting the house ready to go on the market. More on that in my next post.

Photography Challenge Weeks 7 and 8

Without internet on my trip for the most part the past two weeks, I was unable to post the photo challenges.

Week 7 was to take a picture that tells a love story. This heart was part of a Locks of Love project in Charlotte, NC.

Dogwood Photography Challenge Week 7

Week 8 was to use a leading line in an image to show the concept of infinity. This view of the sunset from the balcony of our Southern Caribbean Cruise aboard the Crown Princess seemed to fit the bill.

Dogwood Photography Challenge Week 8

Reaching for Retirement

As my husband begins to prepare for retirement, we have been talking a lot about where we want to live. Staying in our house, much as we have loved it for the past 31 years, is not the best option. First of all, at some point the 2 1/2 stories will be too much for us. The upkeep and maintenance are already more that we want to undertake, and the taxes and insurance here are killers. So...if you know you will want to/have to move, where do you go?

While it is possible that we will remain in this state, we are exploring other options. We have eliminated places that are too hot, such as Florida, Arizona, and Texas, as well as states that are just too expensive such as California. We don't want to live any further north than we are now, but we still want to experience some of the four seasons. North Carolina and Tennessee have both made our initial short list.

Lambert St. Louis Airport

Last week we spent 7 days in North Carolina. Uncertain as to whether we would prefer lake or mountain views, I lined up an itinerary that offered some of both. We began in Charlotte for a number of reasons. It has a wonderful international airport, which we always have to fly through when traveling abroad. Why not live there and eliminate one stop on foreign trips?

Charlotte is a large city (population around 800,000) with many of the cultural institutions and activities we have grown to appreciate in our current hometown. With that comes great medical care, which will become more important as we age. We don't want to live right in Charlotte, but instead wanted to look at the six lakes that surround the area. After 2 days, we knew that none of these lakes were what we were looking for in terms of livability. They are located off of narrow, winding roads with no amenities nearby. I don't want to have to drive an hour to buy a loaf of bread, go to a store, or see a doctor.

Our next destination was the town of Lenoir, located northwest of Charlotte at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. On the way we found the two remaining covered bridges in the state of North Carolina.

Pisgah Covered Bridge

Bunker Hill Covered Bridge

In Lenoir, a smaller artsy community, we stayed at the Irish Rose B&B. It was a huge, beautiful old home, and the proprietor made the most amazing breakfast that we have ever had at a B&B. The other guests we met were so interesting to talk to, and a couple from Maryland were on the same journey as us, so it was fun to compare notes. They were even looking at The Coves, a mountain gated community that we had come to see. Alas, with Lenoir being 1.5 hours from Asheville and 1.5 hours from Charlotte, we decided the distance was more that we would like to drive each time we want to fly somewhere. There were other reasons we dismissed this area as well, but the travel time to get to any cultural events or flights was a big one.

Next up was the town of Black Mountain, which had a couple of gated communities we wanted to see. We had an appointment with a realtor, and she took us to several communities but also to a few regular residences that were up for sale. She wanted to give us an idea of what our budget could buy us in the area. I have to say, Black Mountain will probably remain on our short list. It is less than 30 minutes from Asheville, the community is darling, we could purchase a lot with mountain views and build our own home, and we could be on Lake Lure in 30 minutes if we wanted a lake experience for a day or weekend.

Lake Lure, NC

After spending most of the day with the realtor, we drove to Lake Lure. I really wanted this area to work out as it is only about a half hour from Asheville, and the lake has wonderful mountain views so we could have the best of both worlds. Unfortunately the houses are very close together, which we are trying to avoid. Plus there are no shopping or medical facilities in the area. You would have to drive to Asheville for most things, on a winding road with a 35 miles per hour speed limit. It was a pretty and fun place to visit though, so we had a good time playing tourist for a couple of days as we explored the lake and Chimney Rock State Park.

Chimney Rock, NC

We worked our way back to Charlotte on Saturday because we had an early flight home Sunday morning. Though it wasn't exactly on our way, we made a second trip to Black Mountain so that we could see a little bit more of the town on our own. Despite the fact that it was a Saturday during tourist season, it wasn't too overrun with crowds, so that was good to see. If we decide to get more serious about settling in that town, I think we should go there for a couple weeks in the spring or fall and really get a feel for the area.

St. Louis

At the end of the day, while we were a little disappointed that nothing called out to us, it was a good experience and we learned a lot from this trip. We will be better prepared for the next one. We are in no rush, and we want to take the time to make sure this next move won't be the wrong move. We have been in St. Louis for 40 years, so we obviously don't take relocation lightly!