On The Blackwater

Musing on retirement, writing, puppies, and whatever else strikes my fancy

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Spending my life in 20-year increments: DC, Calif, Maine, & now in the BlueRidge Mountains of VA, where my YoChon, Sadie Mae, has started to blog...

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Oh, this glorious weather!

Hubby motioned me out onto the sunporch this morning, where it was COOL and lovely. And it has been breezy today, soft and mellow weather after all this baking in 90 degrees.

About Florida: When I was 4 years from retiring, we sat down with a map and discussed our options. Despite my mom and dad, maternal grandparents before them, and my sister and her family, neither of us had any desire to head to Florida from northern Maine. We'd had a family reunion there in late August for my grandmother's 90th birthday, and I so remember leaving my sister's house and walking through what seemed to be a hot felt curtain until we could get to the AC cars. Since then, both parents and grandparents have passed on, and my sister moved north. Maybe it was the bugs as big as Volkswagens...

We talked about NC, where many of his hunters (he still is a Master Maine Guide) live, but that didn't appeal to either of us. Since I'm originally from DC and my mother's family settled in NOVA early on, I called my realtor Uncle in Reston, who suggested we look at the Roanoke/Smith Mountain Lake area. A Rocky Mount realtor brought us to this 12-acre wooded parcel on the Blackwater River with the incredible view, and we both knew this would be our retirement home. Mod-U-Kraf built us their Newcastle home (I was still up in Maine, working) and lifted it onto our land with a huge crane. One of the two segments nearly crashed! That was the half with the jacuzzi tub that looks out on the incredible view.

What we didn't know? That this red clay dirt would stain our silver-blue carpet, our socks, our clothes. I wanted hardwood floors, but so far only the foyer & dining area are hardwood. (I have not given up on that!)
***I'm sure glad this blogspot self-saves! Dick just drove me down to the river, where he had a fellow bushhog today, and what a difference. The fellow said we have the prettiest spot on the river, so calm and quiet down there. Now Dick will have to keep it mowed...do I feel a Lowe's riding lawnmower attack coming on?

Ah, this weather! Looks like we won't get rain for a bit, but it is supposed to stay around 80. Wonderful~

3 Comments:

Blogger Amy Hanek said...

Halleluiah!! You are not kidding about Florida. I could have gone on a couple hundred words more about Florida and this-time-of-the-year.

The year I was pregnant with my son and every day during the month of July was over 100 degrees. We had smog warnings. The two years worth of hurricanes.

Everyone complains that August is the worst month in Florida, but I believe it is October. I think there is something wrong with 90 degree weather and Halloween.

I am off to bask in the not-so-hot-sun.

5:58 PM  
Blogger colleen said...

I think Virginia is a happy medium too as far as climate goes. I actually have first cousins who live in the Smith Mountain Lake area. About ten years ago we both discovered that fact. Oh but I do miss the ocean and am sad that I don't have one on my blog front page anymore (from my recent vacation there).

12:04 PM  
Blogger Marion said...

Colleen, I've never been fortunate enough to live near either ocean. We were inland in CA and much too far north in Maine. But the Blackwater River calms me with it's gentle flow.

6:46 PM  

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