Jump to content
Chapala.com Webboard

What were you feeling


Recommended Posts

Perma-grin...skipping in lieu of walking :)

It isn't for everyone, but if you have an open mind, open heart, patience... you will see beauty everywhere. Sure there are harsh realities at the same time, but that exists everywhere. I find that I can be more compassionate and generous to those dealing with adversity, because I slow down and become more aware.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was feeling freed from the constant need to get in the car for everything. And the enjoyment of walking in such a salubrious climate. I was feeling the sense of community and the aliveness on the streets.

NOB, they all seem to huddle in their houses in front of their TVs or computers. It is strange to see anyone out walking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For us, we knew within 2 days of visiting here 2 years ago. It was intended to be the first of several exploratory trips to various places in Mexico and other countries to the south seeking a place to retire in 5 years or so. Within 2 days, we both realized it felt like home immediately and we never visited the other areas. And we shortened the 5 years to 2 to make it happen sooner. It's like others have said. You just know. Specifically, for me personally, the stress of everyday life in the US just melted away in the slow paced comfortable life here. And the weather was perfect. The bonus was that the Mexican people were so kind and welcoming to us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MC and JerryS.... you guys must have been living in the wrong area NOB. In my hometown (Colorado) there are tons of folks outside; downtown is as alive as a bee hive with lots of 'mom and pop' speciaty stores and free wifi. People riding bikes, walking, jogging, playing musical instruments, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Children's Museum and Discovery Center. World class breweries making Fat Tire, 90 Shillings et al. (Budwiser Plant also but nobody drinks that stuff!). Home of Colorado State University keeps the community young and alert if not sometimes 'whacky'. The clear running Cache la Poudre river runs out of the mountains through town with talk of making it a mini-Riverfront scene ala San Antonio Riverwalk.... maybe.

Low unemployment, rising home prices; large employers like CSU, HP, Intel and Woodward Governor keep the per capita income way north. Just to the south is Denver with its vibrant scene and all the sports like the NFL Denver Brocos football, NHL Colorado Avalance hocky, NBA Nuggets basketball and MBL Rockies baseball. And, of course, just to the west into the mountains is wonderful summer camping and the world's best skiing with our infamous 'powder' conditions.

And yes, we do have Walmarts and their parking lots are mostly full..... all the time.

P.S. All of the above is a lie so don't you folks think about moving here....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its more likely that the "good life" is a journey, not a destination. Another Colorado couple lived many years in Mexico, the Harts, and then moved back to small town Colorado. They missed the small town life and especially the friendships. They too talk specifically about this journey aspect. She was the town librarian and he is/was heavily involved with sustainable building techniques.

http://www.mexico-with-heart.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And Rick, is that the case when the wind is howling and the snow is flying?

I lived in NM for 14 years and spent a lot of time in CO. It is one cold place a lot of the time. It is also a very expensive place to live, taxwise, energy wise and housing cost wise.

The days one can't get out and walk around here in complete freedom without freezing or burning up can be counted on the fingers of one hand. You cannot say that of any place in the U.S. save a few places in Southern CA where you're really talking super expensive cost to live.

You must not be referring to Boulder:

Boulder, Colo., home of the University of Colorado, is the nation's fifth-most-expensive major college town, with an average three-bedroom, two-bathroom house list price of $731,617, according to Coldwell Banker's 2011 College Home Listing Report.

Fort Collins: 47 inches of snow per year. Front range blizzards--the stuff of legends.

On average, there are 237 sunny days per year in Fort Collins, CO. The July high is around 85 degrees. The January low is 14. Our comfort index, which is based on humidity during the hot months, is a 62 out of 100, where higher is more comfortable. The US average on the comfort index is 44.

An artificial environment of trendy chic and pricey shops in a little college town is not quite the same as a real community with down to earth people, stuff to buy and prices. But if it floats your boat, Rick, go for it but let's not suggest that others who have retired don't look at this stuff or understand it.

BTW, how easy and inexpensive is it to afford and have household help in the U.S., assuming one is willing to plow through all the government stuff to have a part time maid or gardener?

How far is it to the beach?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree totally With Rick.. MC you claim to be from the DFW area, I don't know where you go when you come back to Texas? Tens of thousands of tourist visit the Arlington area Dallas Cowboys ,Texas Rangers, Six Flags, Water Parks, in Dallas more and more people are moving either Down Town or Up Down Town Designers District. Could go on and on. Cities in the US are not like the small villages in Mexico. Some people like that type of life. Why do you people always compare what happens to you in Mexico with something in the United States?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I last lived in Albuquerque, NM. We have relatives in Arlington, TX, we go there twice yearly. I like the town a lot but the weather is a horror as is most TX weather.

Shall we get back on topic now? I believe the OP wants to hear from people who live here about why we know this is the right place to be for us. Not from people who live in Fort Collins or Arlington about why those are the right places for them.

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I last lived in Albuquerque, NM. We have relatives in Arlington, TX, we go there twice yearly. I like the town a lot but the weather is a horror as is most TX weather.

But, MC, that is your (and some others ) opinion of the weather there. There are actually many who live there that actually like it just as it is, and would live no other place on this earth. Don't they have a right to be happy with their selection, too? Why run down their choice? They are not trying to force anyone to come live there. If it is not your choice, then move on, no? Let people make up their own minds and live in their own "paradise". Lakeside is not "paradise" for lots of people. and hopefully no one thinks it is because someone else says it is. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But, MC, that is your (and some others ) opinion of the weather there. There are actually many who live there that actually like it just as it is, and would live no other place on this earth. Don't they have a right to be happy with their selection, too? Why run down their choice? They are not trying to force anyone to come live there. If it is not your choice, then move on, no? Let people make up their own minds and live in their own "paradise". Lakeside is not "paradise" for lots of people. and hopefully no one thinks it is because someone else says it is. :D

I've heard that Waco is lovely this time of the year.:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MC, didn't mean to get your hackles up. You and JerryS just made some blanket statements about NOB which I feel did not fit everywhere here, so I gave my impressions of at least MY NOB, home for the last 40 years.

Nope, not Boulder. Wrong University town. Fort Collins, much more laid back. I must have missed those 'artificial environment of trendy chic and pricey shops', but I did see a couple of cowboys riding their horses just outside of town yesterday. And you sure did do a lot of research to tear it down. Why?

Not too sure that I suggested that it was cheap (although your Boulder homes at $700k don't compare to the Fort Collins average... or anywhere else for that matter... of $275k, which compares favorably with Lakeside). I have a part-time maid and my yard is kept up by the association and I didn't have to go through a bit of that 'government stuff' you mentioned. And my real estate taxes are low.... $750/yr on a $275k home. Now that doesn't compare to your taxes, but mine cannot be considered high and I get a lot of services for that buck.

Having said all that, I love Lakeside.... that's why I've been going there since the 1990s. I'm usually there several times a year. I love the small village feel and the great climate, especially when it's cold here in the winter, which it is despite the fact that the sun is out almost all the time. And no, we aren't close to a beach here if that floats your boat, but we are awaiting the 'big California earthquake' which may give us that beach one day. :unsure:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest bennie2

lived all my life w/out a car in 2 worldclass cities. i was also close to a beach. this is the 1st place i have lived where a car is needed. thats only my opinion. they dont have delievery service @ the supermarket here & they dont take phone orders. its kind of a place for people who like to do lots of work, especially physical. (or can hire someone to shop for them).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But, MC, that is your (and some others ) opinion of the weather there. There are actually many who live there that actually like it just as it is, and would live no other place on this earth. Don't they have a right to be happy with their selection, too? Why run down their choice? They are not trying to force anyone to come live there. If it is not your choice, then move on, no? Let people make up their own minds and live in their own "paradise". Lakeside is not "paradise" for lots of people. and hopefully no one thinks it is because someone else says it is. :D

Jim, I'm not running down their choice but anyone who thinks the weather in either of those places is comparable to what we have here just isn't paying attention IMO. They are the ones who decided to go OT and start comparing those places to here, suggesting that we didn't know about those places.

As I said, i like Arlington a lot and if we have to go back NOB because of health, that's where we'll go. But there simply is no comparison weather-wise and I think you know that. I have absolutely no desire to live in a place that gets 47 inches of snow per year and I'll bet that's the majority opinion in this burg. I'm just too old to enjoy Front Range blizzards.

NOW shall we get back on topic? Let's respect that the OP would like to hear why we are HERE, not why we should be somewhere else.

:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sometimes I'm really rather shocked by how mean some of these posts get so quickly. If you go back to the perfectly reasonable question in the OP, nothing is said about anything except asking us how we knew this was the place for us. "We" come from all over the US and Canada, and much of the rest of the world. No one asked how you liked where you came from. How did I know I loved it here? My phone didn't ring incessantly. I didn't have to wear rain gear in May. I didn't need artificial heat in the winter. I could walk a little while and get to just about anything I needed. Fresh local food was always available at a reasonable price. My neighbors were friendly. I could afford a housekeeper and a gardener. And first and foremost - I could afford to live here and not work 50 hours per week and commute another 10. I could actually LIVE! I love to visit my prior hometowns in the US, but am always thrilled to come home to Mexico. Maybe if we all stopped once in awhile and asked ourselves what we like, as opposed to dwelling on what we don't like, we'd be a little more at peace.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sometimes I'm really rather shocked by how mean some of these posts get so quickly. If you go back to the perfectly reasonable question in the OP, nothing is said about anything except asking us how we knew this was the place for us. "We" come from all over the US and Canada, and much of the rest of the world. No one asked how you liked where you came from.

Thank you.

Let me amplify on why the special weather we have here is a very big consideration for us. We enjoy a year-round indoor-outdoor style of living as a result of that special weather. Almost every day of the year, nothing more than light and comfortable dress is required to go out. Occasionally, jeans and a light jacket might be needed in the "winter."

It is great to be able to eat in open, airy restaurants with lovely patio gardens year round. Almost everywhere you go, the outdoor greenery is part of the setting.

Because of that weather, our garden is beautiful year round. Things never stop growing, flower bloom all year long. We use our pool needing only a cover and some solar panel for at least 10 months per year, though the down season was a little longer this year.

It is great to be so close to the Pacific Ocean beaches and be able to rent nice places right on that Ocean for a third of what it costs NOB. Now we are able to take an oceanfront beach vacation every year easily, quickly and cheaply.

I ride a motorcycle for recreation. There is practically no time of year that I can't ride comfortably. The towns are still pretty compact here leaving a lot of open country and great scenery for riding.

Once you figure out who does good work at reasonable prices, it is easy and inexpensive to maintain a home here. There's no frost damage or damage from high heat. There are no big utility bills for heating and cooling and one can opt for solar power generation and spend very little for power despite the high price per kWh. One can also sharply reduce propane consumption with solar hot water heaters. Again, the mild climate with over 300 days per year of sunshine makes this possible.

When it comes to shopping, I think we have the best of both worlds. We have all the "mom and pop" shops like they used to NOB and we have some of the big boxes like Costco too. Best of all, we can pop out our front door and pick up most everything walking within a few blocks of where we live. And, of course, the weather really makes that pleasant year round too.

At our age, it is great to have such nice folks to help us keep the house clean and the gardens kept up. That is a real luxury NOB but it is almost routine here.

I submit that the lifestyle we have here, which is very much wrapped up in the world class weather, makes this place really unique and special.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am a Colorado native who lived there over 60 years. Must admit I only went to Ft Collins twice in all those years.

I love the fact that I will never again shovel mid-thigh snow (and once snow taller than me) even though I miss snowshoeing. I love the fact that I will never again drive on I-70 in a snowstorm dodging all those damn flat-lander tourists but remembering keeps me from whining when I drive though Ajijic in high-season. I love the slower pace and kind people and shopping in little stores and buying from vendors who made or grew the products I am buying. I love all the flowers growing year round. I love the fact that with limited Spanish I have been able to negotiate assorted bureaucracies - imagine an older Spanish speaker with limited English in Ft Collins or better yet Colo. Springs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Harsh comment Lobos, OP is simply searching.

I'm brand new to the Lakeside area...five weeks and counting Ellkeeper...came here after three years in Ecuador, and so far, every single day has been simply delightful! Fresh organic produce, reasonably priced, easy to meet new friends, weather is fabulous, rents affordable (ESPECIALLY when compared to NOB!), locals welcoming and accepting of my fractured Spanish (even though they chuckle...often...).

Just come! ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sometimes I'm really rather shocked by how mean some of these posts get so quickly. If you go back to the perfectly reasonable question in the OP, nothing is said about anything except asking us how we knew this was the place for us. "We" come from all over the US and Canada, and much of the rest of the world. No one asked how you liked where you came from. How did I know I loved it here? My phone didn't ring incessantly. I didn't have to wear rain gear in May. I didn't need artificial heat in the winter. I could walk a little while and get to just about anything I needed. Fresh local food was always available at a reasonable price. My neighbors were friendly. I could afford a housekeeper and a gardener. And first and foremost - I could afford to live here and not work 50 hours per week and commute another 10. I could actually LIVE! I love to visit my prior hometowns in the US, but am always thrilled to come home to Mexico. Maybe if we all stopped once in awhile and asked ourselves what we like, as opposed to dwelling on what we don't like, we'd be a little more at peace.

A men

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...