Friday, February 8, 2013

Is There a Move in Your Second Half?


It’s official; we’re moving to Carmel.

We might be crazy to add the stress of a cross-country move on top of all the other changes of the past several months, but as I sit here watching it snow (again) in Minnesota, I know we’re doing the right thing.

OG and I have been vacationing in Carmel (on the central California coast two hours south of San Francisco) for the past five years. About a year and a half ago, we splurged and bought a vacation condo in a wonderful location with a view of the mountains and only a few blocks from the beach, thinking it would be the perfect getaway for the five years before I retired. If you follow this blog, you know fate threw a monkey wrench into my retirement plans last summer, turning years into months, and we began to evaluate every aspect of our Second Half. What exactly do we want to do with our time, and where do we want to do it?

For years, the Monterey Peninsula has drawn me like a magnet. For a lifelong Midwesterner (and flatlander), the combination of sea, rocky shoreline, sandy beaches, and mountains is magical. I marvel at the softness of the air and the unfamiliar vegetation. I even love the fog. We rarely have fog in the plains, and when we do it’s thick, solid ground fog—nothing like the mysterious floating fingers of coastal fog that glide above the highway and through the pine-covered hills.

OG has always been a winter-hater at heart, and in Minnesota he’s housebound for several months a year except to shovel snow and run essential errands. The first few weeks of retirement gave me a taste of what that’s like, and I hated it, too. I want so much more for our Second Half. I want to go for walks and work in the garden. I want OG to be able to play golf and take sailing lessons if he chooses.

It’s scary to think of leaving the familiarity of the place we’ve lived for twenty-three years, the place we raised our daughter. OG worries about finding a new barber who will cut his hair perfectly every time. We know we’ll never be able to replace our wonderful dentist, and at our age that’s a serious concern! But there’s more to life than barbers and dentists. With the demise of my job, we no longer have any real ties to Minnesota. Our daughter only comes home a couple of times a year, and we have no family here. It’s time to suit ourselves and move on.

We began house hunting in Carmel last November and settled on a house during our trip last week. We chose a modest ranch house in Carmel Valley a few miles inland from the coast with a glorious view of the mountains. The house is in dismal condition, so fixing it up will be a several-month project. I’ll post updates as we move along. Who ever said the Second Half would be dull?

27 comments:

  1. This sounds so exciting! Good luck and enjoy.

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    1. Thanks, Liz. It's exciting AND stressful. At this moment OG is painting the basement walls with Dri-Lock, and we have lots more to do. Hope you're enjoying Florida!

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  2. I'm excited for the two of you. As much as you'll be missed, I completely understand why you're moving away from five months of yuck in MN. Looking forward to hearing about the further adventures of the Henderson's.

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    1. I definitely plan to stay in touch with all my MFW friends, Jody!

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  3. Moving can be stressful, but the end reward is so worth it. We moved from the DC area to southern VA where Calvin grew up. Winters are milder here with only dustings of snow. The milder temps mean we can spend more time outdoors and spring is here by mid-March when our magnolia trees bloom. Good luck to you. Thanks for sharing your journey.

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    1. I want to come with you, Vonnie...

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    2. You live in a lovely area, Vonnie. I hope my transition is as happy as yours.

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  4. Congratulations on finding a great place where you want to spend the wonders of retirement. Personally, I love and miss the Winters very much and would love for it to be cool and misty year round. But I'm in the minority there. My husband feels the same as I do. We are in Southern California just south of L.A. I often dream of returning to the East Coast where I grew up, but a little further North or to my roots in the lovely land of Ireland. I'm a dreamer and I hope to make my dreams come true. Congratulations again and Good Luck!!!

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    1. Lisa, my sister lives in L.A. and she loves to come up to Carmel for a respite several times a year. I hope your dreams come true, too!

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  5. Being a California girl born and bred, I may be a bit biased, but you can't beat the West Coast for beautiful scenery and weather. I'm so excited for you. I'm also hoping we can actually meet face to face one of these days. Tahoe is about 5 1/2 hours from Carmel. Right now we have that snow you're trying to escape, but in the summer, it's spectacular up here in the mountains.

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    1. I would love to get together once we're settled, Jannine. I've never been to Tahoe and it's on my list. Of course, you'll be welcome to visit me on the coast, too!

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  6. So glad you found a place you love. The remodeling will fill a lot of time. Have fun with it. Good luck!

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    1. I haven't dared ask the contractor for a time estimate yet. I don't think I want to know. LOL

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  7. I wish you the very best in your new home! I want to move to the mountains in NC myself!

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    1. Mary, the mountains of NC look gorgeous, too! I've never been there, but I'd love to visit.

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  8. It's wonderful that you've found a place to retire that fulfills your dreams. I'm envious, especially now since I'm in the path of winter storm Nemo, lol! Enjoy your new home and the new direction in your life!

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    1. Stay safe, Nona! I'm watching the storm on TV and feeling thankful that we're not in its path.

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  9. Wow. How very exciting and incredibly brave of you. I pray you have a wonderful second half!

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  10. Congrats on finding a new home where you most want to be. I'm with you when it comes to winter. The older I get, the more I hate the snow. I don't mind the cold as much but risking life and limb to get to work on a daily basis for months on end grows old quickly.

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    1. When we came home on Monday it was 12 degrees here. I won't miss that.

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  11. Your photos are beautiful. I've peeked at your blog photos before. Right now we're knee deep in snow so I'm contemplating a visit. Get the guest room ready... lol. :):)

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    1. The guest room is always ready! We're hoping for lots of visitors once we get settled. Hardly anyone was brave enough to visit us here.

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  12. We moved in 2011 -- I know what you mean about finding all the people you need to make life simple. I FINALLY found someone to cut my hair (only took a year or two), and we have discovered our new Breakfast Spot. Of course, the first place we found was Our Grocery Store and Our Liquor Store (conveniently located in the same place!)

    Enjoy the adventure as it unfolds. It can be a lot of fun!

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    1. I know you had a very stressful move because of the sale of your MN house. I really hope we manage to escape that kind of problem. Glad you're happily settled now.

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  13. Congratulations! Coming from windy cold Scotland/ and/ or even colder Minnesota, I can truly understand moving to Carmel. I have in-laws who did almost the same thing - they moved from Minnesota to Freemont California. The first holiday opportunity I was taken to was to Carmel as the place everyone really wants to live. That was about 15 years ago. I've not moved there, but I'm sure you'll have a fnatastic time!

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    1. What a small world, Nancy! If you ever find yourself back in Carmel, you'll have to look me up.

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