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Sunday, December 5, 2010

What I miss about L.A.







The day I made my husband buy this piece of land with lake and ocean views, I was besides myself, drunk with excitement, ready to dive into deep waters with my clothes on.

As the real estate agent pulled up to  the house, I spied the water, and asked her if the house had access to the water. When she said yes, I ran down to the edge of the lake, my whole body convulsing  with happy thoughts. How perfect this was, water and pine trees all around.  In the distance, a lighthouse, a very good sign in my book.

 I ran back up the driveway,  and into a tiny dark cottage where Hubby and Real Estate Lady were discussing structural beams and water pressure. The tiny, dark place was not on my radar. I was buying here to buy that VIEW!

 "Hon, this is it!" I blurted out.

Now, we had agreed that if one of us just loved a place, so much so that we couldn't wait to declare our spilling enthusiasm, the other would consider this effluence as The Sign!  Hubby got the message.  He made an offer.

We returned to L.A. with pictures like this.  Everyone we knew drooled over these pictures. Really?  You are moving from L.A.?  After you built yourself such a beautiful home in those hills?  How can you do that?  Doesn't it rain in Oregon all the time? What is the house like?

Yes! Yes! Yes! The house is small; but it doesn't matter!

Hubby was most surprised by my rash decision. Our children were all in L.A. Our jobs were in L.A. We had most of our adult lives in L.A.  We had just finished building a house after a major earthquake. Didn't we go to major trauma together?  Could we afford giving up our jobs and retiring before everybody else? Was I sure about this big move?

He worked out the details, including the sale of our brand-new, custom home, our early retirement, our disassembling of household.  Our children chose the furniture and furnishings they liked, and in a very civil way, they all got what they wanted, including books and art pieces.  We left for Oregon with our clothes, a couple of boxes of books, our computers six months after that first visit to Port Orford.

So,do I miss  L.A.?  Do I miss the shops, the museums, the theaters, the many attractions? Do I miss my furniture, my great kitchen, my friends and neighbors?
None of these. 
Do I miss the children? Yes.
Do I miss them terribly? No.  They are all grown and settled,  busy with their lives.  It was a lucky day when we could all get together for a meal now and then.

Do I miss the beaches, the beautiful people? No. No.

I don't miss the crowds, the traffic, the delays, the sheer elbowing that occurrs in a city that never ends.
 
Do I miss the sunshine?  Yes.
Do I miss it terribly? No. After each storm, there are glorious sunny, temperate and  comfortable days  to take long walks on the beaches, to remind myself of how lucky I am.

You see, I was always the one dreaming of living at a cottage by the sea. Hubby wanted a cottage in the mountains, by a lake.  We got them both, actually, one side of the house faces the water, the other, the mountains. We only regret not having moved sooner. Our children would have loved living here.

Happy Holidays, wherever you are.
Dream your dream and seek it far and wide.

40 comments:

Rosaria Williams said...

Most of all, I don't miss Christmas in L.A.

Linda Myers said...

"Dream your dream and seek it far away." Lovely.

Lancaster, California to Roseburg, Oregon in 1980.

Lucky us!

Rosaria Williams said...

Linda, I worked in the Antelope Valley for 13 years, as a principal at Almondale Middle School in Littlerock. I do know the flight from desert to rain.

Sally Wessely said...

You made the perfect choice and you were fortunate to be able to do so. I love the Oregon Coast! I have cousins out there. I would love to move to Oregon. I envy our location. You are truly living your dream, and you do it so well!

Anonymous said...

It's so nice to hear that you have no regrets. That's wonderful. The view was indeed an omen.

Marion said...

You are so fortunate to live your dream near the woods and water. I think you've had the very best of BOTH worlds. I'd have gone nuts for that view, too! Blessings!

Karen Jones Gowen said...

My daughter has been trying to get out of L.A. for years. She's hoping next year will be it. So glad your dream came true!!

Rob-bear said...

I didn't know until now that Bears could be envious. (I guess we learn something every day.)

I've always though your place was utterly beautiful. I still think that. Especially in comparison to LA.

Well done, both of you!

Anonymous said...

It is SO wonderful when a dream comes true. Lucky you and your husband!! Just keep enjoying and enjoying.

Unknown said...

I'm so glad the move worked for you. I was afraid by the way the post started that was not the case. Enjoy!

Grandmother Mary said...

Those powerful tugs guide us to where we're meant to be. Your message is a good one- to follow our dreams far and wide- for they lead us to our bliss. Good for you!

Arkansas Patti said...

We can shape a house to fit, we can find new friends while keeping the old, and family can visit any time, but a breathtaking view can't be manufactured and dreams shouldn't be altered. Kudos.

rjerdee said...

Yay!!! Yay, for you, Rosaria, for having made the right choice...the best real estate decisions are made with the heart...if you can say, "This is IT!" with excitement in your heart, that's when you know it's right.

ellen abbott said...

I loved this post especially having completed a move from city to country leaving our kids and grandkids. But at least we are only an hour away.

Donna said...

So glad you like it there...it seems amazing! Waking up each day to a seaside...could there be anything better??

Woman in a Window said...

Wonderful advice!

Ha! I laugh, I am living the dream. Today we tore through bush up a rockface behind our house. Last time I went this route with the children was the spring, right before Robert arrived. Today we walked with him, climbed the hill that looks out over this small town, nearby countryside, a Provincial park, a river and waterfall. The wind tore through us, so so cold and revitalizing. The children crawled under a pine, pulling in sticks and bramble to ward off the cutting wind. No one wanted to leave, even an hour later when we were numb. Yes, indeedy, living the dream.

I'm glad the word regret means very little for you. Onward upward!

xo
erin

Anonymous said...

I'm glad your dream came true :-)

I live in the Long Beach area of Southern California. I was born here and I will probably die here.

I feel about where I live like you do about where you retired to in Oregon. I love where I live and have never had the desire to move. So, I guess I've been living my dream for over 64 years :-)

Cloudia said...

you are most welcome to some of mine!


Aloha from Waikiki

Comfort Spiral

><}}(°>

Vagabonde said...

I was away so am trying to catch up. I read all your posts. Congratulation on 400 posts - that is quite an achievement. I have been blogging since March 2009 and I am only at post 95 I think – but mine are way too long, so I only post weekly. I laughed at you being dragged to Disneyland. So far I have avoided Disneyworld. Luckily my daughters’ schools took them there years ago. I enjoyed this post about LA. I thought we might move when we were going to retire, but did not know where – still don’t. In the meantime we enjoy traveling around the city, the state, the other states and other countries. When we stop we’ll think about it. It is great that you knew where you wanted to be and got there.

Hope said...

wonderful post! I am happy for you!

thank you

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Rosario .. I came over from Ann's blog .. good to be here .. and see the pictures - no wonder you fell in love with your views.

Enjoy your time now .. away from the bustling crowds .. while able to enjoy the changing views ..

Thank you - Hilary

A Cuban In London said...

I loved that final sentence:

"Dream your dream and seek it far and wide."

I never dreamed of living in London and yet I love this city. I love it with its imperfections and (many) virtues. I consider myself a Cuban Londoner. :-)

What a great, inspiring post!

Greetings from London.

the walking man said...

I don't miss anything about L.A. either and I was only there for 3 days 35 years ago.

fiftyodd said...

I picked up on you saying that you miss you children, but not 'terribly'. . How honest and true! I am surrounded by mine (and grandchildren) and love them all, but am (secretly) looking forward to being a bit further away from them when we retire. As you rightly say, they have their own lives. Interesting what Vagabonde says about the length of posts - mine tend to be instinctively about 500 words ( but then in the beginning - 4 years ago - I used to post sometimes 3 x a day!) Not so prolific now.

Unknown said...

So wonderful that you not only found the place of your dreams, but that you actually were able to buy it and are now living it out each day.

I'm about to fulfil my dream by returning to my hometown of Savannah GA next year... as soon as this house sells, I'm outta here and back to my roots and that beautiful city.

mermaid gallery said...

Well said...we carry our bliss inside us...we just need the space to let it fly. Cities take all of my energy to just navigate through it all. The country simplifies things....

Dimple said...

I understand completely, although I never lived in L.A. Santa Barbara was the closest I got, for a little over a year while I attended the university, and that was close enough!
I've been in Idaho over 30 years. It is my home, my in-laws are my family, and California I don't miss at all.

Anonymous said...

Whoa. Now I feel worse...I've lived in a small cottage at the edge of a small town, for 61 years. Last year, I made a feeble attempt to "jump the fence" and go for a different type of living situation. Bright sun, no need to wear boots...If I could have read this post then, I wouldn't be back in the tiny, dark cottage at the edge of a small town...wearing boots.

Monkey Man said...

LA to S. Oregon Coast. Talk about culture shock. Brave move.

Velva said...

Oh wow!!!! To find your dream retirement home is amazing. Your cottage is amazing and that view is amazing.

I hope that you will be sharing for more updates about your new home with us.

What About The Girl? said...

You are such an inspiration!

Ah we have the same dream....except that you've already made yours come true...

I'm still working on mine :-)

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

A lovely post, lakeviewer.

yaya said...

When something is right, you just know it and I'm so glad you found a little bit of "Eden" for you and your husband. I live near most of my kiddos, but truly, only see them a few times a month, sometimes less. They all have busy lives. They would have no problem moving from here, and I think if the desire would hit, we wouldn't either. Home is where the heart is..and a great view doesn't hurt either!

Amanda Summer said...

what a beautiful post, rosaria --- i love reading about how you decided to follow your dream♡

Rosaria Williams said...

Thanks for the visit, everyone. After six years, we have remodeled the place enough to fit in it comfortably. And yes, we love the place even more, with a new kitchen, a sunroom, new floorings, new bathrooms, new roof. Our money that was supposed to take us places, instead, worked on this place, making it comfy, lighter, perfectly livable.

Our children visit; we visit them. Our grandchild is enchanted by the liberties she has in this small town: she can walk everywhere; after a day here, everyone knows her; can keep discovering new activities in and out of the neighborhood; can be intimately in touch with the elements; can study the stars at night and the tides in the daylight.

About this time of the year, I'm reminded of why living so close to nature keeps nurturing us. Storms pass through here on their way to the East, with brutal force and excessive moisture. We are lucky to be safe and warm in our cottage, marvelling at human engineering and tenacity.

To shop properly we have to travel sixty plus miles. Why, that's nothing for either of us. We drove sixty plus miles daily to get to work. And the commute wasn't this pleasant.

Marguerite said...

After living on a barrier island on the East coast for 20 years, I understand why you love the seaside. But, I couldn't bear to be away from my family, anymore, and found it to be too high of a price to pay, for the views. So, I moved back to Louisiana and found that this is the only place that I can truly be happy. And I don't miss the cold winter winds.

RNSANE said...

What a joy to be living your dream, Roasaria. Mine was to come to San Francisco and I have been in the Bay area for 33 years. I've never really wanted to leave and I still love it here. I do hate not having my job and I don't like trying to live on this very reduced income the job loss has created but I still like the San Francisco area, its proximity to all the things I love to do, more than anyplace on earth. There is, of course, a great deal that has changed since I first moved here but I still feel it's the right place for me.

The Boat House said...

Hi Rosaria:

You two sound just like Ron and I, I too couldn't wait for a sea and mountain view, Ron couldn't wait for a lake and fishing. I lived all of my teen years in L.A., A valley girl before they were named that, the valley when you could leave your door unlocked. Ron raised in Oregon. Then we both then spent twenty years in New Mexico working in Los Alamos, living in Santa Fe. Do we miss these places, yes, people particularly, but we absolutely love where we are. Ron can't fish any longer but you know fishermen, they always talk about it. Love your post, glad you found your little corner of heaven.

Nancy of the Boat House

Esther Litchfield-Fink said...

I just moved from LA to NY and I miss LA terribly. Especially the warm weather. I have two little ones and I miss taking them out to the sunshine daily. My family is here, but I am thinking of going back! Its really hard.

caroline cui said...

I love your photo, it's true.