My wife has a girlfriend that, her and her husband, are stuck in Michigan. Wife has known the girlfriend since high school days and was her Maid of Honor at our wedding in 2001. They are "Snowbirds" with a house a few blocks from the beach in central Florida. By this time of year, they are back in Florida, but due to the husband's health problem, they've had to stay in Michigan and endure cold and snowy weather. He is feeling better now, but they continue to stay because his doctor/doctors in Michigan know his problem and are treating it. Since he's somewhat afraid his problem will return, him and his wife are holding back from returning to Florida. He tells me that he hasn't been in snow or cold weather since he retired 10 years ago. He is really, REALLY hating how the weather has been the last couple of weeks...….cold/freezing and snow. But, at the same time, he absolutely loves being in Michigan during the summer months. Actually I remember asking him where he'd pick to live if they could no longer be "Snowbirds". He didn't want to answer. I remember doing a Thread about "Snowbirds", which included "where would you live if you could no longer be a "Snowbird". He told me he has no idea why we'd want to move back to "Old Man Winter". I keep telling him that some of the interests we have in Colorado, he doesn't have and would never have. He absolutely loves being in Florida during the Michigan winters, whereas, we don't like Florida anymore at all. He is not a "mountain" type person, whereas we definitely are.
Well, there are those on this forum that know just how much I have complained about living here in Jacksonville, Florida and can't wait until we move back to Colorado, even though it gets much colder, with snow, there than here, BUT, our friend is still complaining about still being in Michigan. However, he is somewhat happy now, that him and his wife will be with their two son's families for Thanksgiving. He will be around his grandkids. He told me that it's been literally years since they have been with their son's families for Thanksgiving. IOW, after he retired from Ford Motor Company there, he never wanted to return to Michigan during the winter months. But, when more snow falls, he will go back to complaining, that is, until they are back in Florida.
Actually, in a way yes. I do now realize how much my complaining can get old. Then again, visit the relocation website City-Data.com and see all of the complaining that people do on there of where they live. It's makes our complaining look very low.
If I had the money, I wouldn't mind buying a small place south of here, like maybe in South Carolina, where it wouldn't be a huge drive each year, but I could get out of the snow. I think I'd look for a small house rather than something in a retirement community. Of course, if we did that, it might make sense to get rid of our house in Millinocket and stay at our camp during the summer. Houses don't tend to last long when they are uninhabited during the winter here. It's not likely to happen, though.
@Ken Anderson , I can help you find an affordable house here in North Carolina. We might even be neighbors and I could cook you some delicious southern fried chicken. And corn bread. And collards. And baked sweet potatoes.
Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to do that just yet. I spent about a year and a half in North Carolina, by the way, in Parkton, and then Fayetteville.
Well, we lived for a year in North Carolina, the Huntersville area above Charlotte, but it ended up that my wife didn't like living there and that was fine with me. Lake Norman was our biggest draw, when we moved there, but didn't like the nuclear power plant on the one end and the lake water was very warm. Then, after my wife was laid-off of her job, spent a week in Jacksonville, FL, looking for an apartment and found one. Biggest thing we didn't do was do enough research on Jacksonville and what "brackish" and pure saltwater can do to an older boat. Then, two years ago, we FINALLY figured out the things we really, really liked about Colorado and Wyoming, definitely weren't in Jacksonville, Florida itself or the South. We don't necessarily like "Old Man Winter" there, but "he" comes with the area.
@Cody Fousnaugh , it seems you might be in the minority regarding Lake Norman..it's got great reveiws on trip advisor.. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowU..._North_Carolina-Charlotte_North_Carolina.html
My son, the Fisherman, has fished tournaments at Lake Norman. He describes it as a great fishing lake. He never saw a lake monster, though.
We might be in the minority about Lake Norman, but the Nuclear Power Plant there sure didn't sit good with my wife. Actually, we were there for a bass championship and there were a lot of boats and bass fishermen there. And then, we had problems with our upstairs neighbors noise who didn't care how we felt. We were on the bottom floor of a 3-story building. We didn't like the area, like we thought we would, nor did we like Charlotte. Like here, we made a big mistake in moving there, even though it was for a year and two months.