We are looking for a smaller place with less maintenance, and we really aren't geographically limited in terms of places to live.
Justin was the main reason we continued to live in south-central Wisconsin. We both have some friends in the area, but not a lot of close family. Julia's parents have both passed. My dad passed this year, and my mother isn't necessarily committed to living long-term in Iowa, although she will probably stay there in the short term.
Have we considered staying in Wisconsin? Yes, we know we like Madison, and we would consider living there, if it wasn't the most expensive place to live in the state of Wisconsin. The truth is that we could sell our house and barely afford to trade to a newer two bedroom townhouse or condo. Add in the much higher property taxes and a monthly chunk for an HOA, and living in Madison loses much of its allure.
On the other hand, we know Madison. We've lived in the area for over 40 years. It's a progressive city with great parks, festivals, bike paths, lakes, etc. If we could find the right place that we could afford, we would certainly consider it. But we've been looking at the market for quite awhile without finding anything that tempted us. In the meantime, we are doing our due diligence to see if there might be somewhere else in the country for our next adventure.
What are the criteria that we are examining for our next location? A medium-sized city in a walkable neighborhood, good bike trails, access to hiking (mountains and/or desert), diversity in culture and restaurants, sustainable water supply, sunny climate, less winter, affordable housing, good health care, reasonably low crime, a blue or at least purple state, and a thriving arts/weaving community.
We've done quite a bit of research already, and the four states at the top of our list have both pros and cons. None of them meet all of our wants, but life is about compromises. The three states we will visit this fall include: Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. There are four cities where we will airbnb in apartments and condos to get a better "boots on the ground" feel that can't achieved with internet/Zillow research.
The plan is to blog about each of the cities as we experience them.
On a more immediate note, last night I won my first pickleball medal (bronze) at the second annual Baird's CAPA Cup. It was my partner's first tournament, and we played at the 4.0 level (men over 50). I felt like we both underachieved, losing badly in two out of three games at the start. In the next three games, we were often behind but kept battling, winning each game to qualify for the bronze medal round. Then we won decisively in the medal round. It was a lesson to never give up--no matter how badly things are going.
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| Sweaty John |
It's a rainy, cool day in southern Wisconsin, but we won't complain as most of the rest of the nation goes through a summer heat wave.
This month was marked by our 36th Anniversary. Julia and I celebrated by going out to dinner at a small Italian restaurant bar a few blocks away from the State Capital.
This has been a summer of projects in order to get the house ready to sell next spring. We've been staining, patching, and painting. A couple of bigger projects involve hiring contractors to replace some storm windows and doors that have reached their expiration dates.
In the fall, we will pack up the car and visit four different places to relocate/downsize in the West. We've visited these places as tourists in the past, but we will be doing a deeper dive this time, trying to visualize what it would be like to live there. If none of those places feel like home, we have back-up plans, one of which includes downsizing here in Wisconsin. But we are in agreement that, if we're going to do a big move, this is the time in our lives to do so.
Otherwise, we have settled into the Wisconsin summer. We are both playing lots of pickleball. I have a big tournament tomorrow. The Madison area has lots of free music in the summer, and we've been getting out for that while the weather is good.
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| Sidi Wacho at Sessions |
Allie has been working very hard, as things are tense in the advertising industry with many layoffs. She did find time for a trip to Mallorca, Spain for vacation and then remote work in Aspen for a week. She paid for travel, but her accommodations were free with an invite from friends whose families had luxurious lodgings in those nice places. There are pros and cons to the fast-paced corporate world in San Francisco.
My mother has been moving forward with life after my Dad's passing. She is selling a second condo they owned after first offering it to us. My mother has a network of friends there, but I don't otherwise see the appeal of living in the middle of Iowa. My mom has a valid passport, and we've offered to go with her to Scotland, a place that she is interested in. Nothing planned yet, however.
Callie says she is bored, and is ready for travel.
What Callie wants, she usually gets. We're Scamping next week along the Mississippi River.
We've called Wisconsin home for over fifty years. With the house inspections in our rear view mirror, it's full steam ahead for ou...
