Just thinking about stuff

my neighborhood

 Coffee and a nice cool breeze blowing in my bedroom window, this Thursday morning. Still no rain, but it's grey.  I like it.  The last few days, has been hard on me, getting used to it again.  Like I've said before, 97 in August will be welcomed, when average temps are 105+  The summers here are so darn HOT.

Sometimes I think I'd like to move somewhere the temperatures are more moderate. Come to think about it - I did.  That's where I moved from. You can't beat the weather on the peninsula. Snuggled between San Francisco and San Jose, is where I lived for 40+ years.  San Mateo County.  I do miss it but it's all changed so much, that when I go back I feel like I no longer belong there.  Just too expensive for my blood.  In fact, most of us, who have lived there and raised our families, have had to move away for economic reasons. Not to mention, it was getting too congested - too many people.  When I was younger, I accepted it.  But the last few years there was getting to me.  Sitting and wasting time in traffic, standing in long lines everywhere you go. Can't afford a fixer-upper and the rents were outrageous.  Foodie was renting a studio apartment in Menlo Park for $1200 a month and that wasn't that long ago.  Of course it's all about LOCATION and Menlo is a hop skip and a jump to Stanford.

At that time, we were downsizing and living in our RV at a park in Redwood City - for $980 a month.  Just for a piece of cement for our 34 foot motor home! I hear now they are up to well over a $1000 a month. Add in our RV payment each month and that's just a bit too high. HELLO, we were supposed to be downsizing.

Moving up here seemed like a good idea although I was not looking forward to the summers.  I was used to moderate, year round good weather.  Not too HOT and not too Cold.  Ocean breezes, morning fog, the smell of redwood trees after the fog lifts...but if it hadn't been for those 4 years (actually 6, because we lived in a 1 bedroom apartment for 2 years) we would not have been able to leave the area for a new start.

Cuenca River in Ecuador

Last night I heard on the news that many people are retiring to Ecuador.  I don't know about that.  Number one,  I don't like I FEAR big snakes and when I think of those places, I think of giant snakes, that hang in trees and are in the rivers and lakes just waiting for me a human to devour. Totally freaks me out. I much prefer rattlesnakes. Never thought my retirement planning would be based on snakes!

A BIG snake

Just as I never ever thought that one day, I would even consider leaving California.  The Husband and I think of it a lot.  Of course, we still have about 10 more years - 

Liberty and Patriot last year

Amazing creatures, these eagles are.  It's no wonder I got attached to them. I totally fell in love with them; watching them and their eaglets every year.

This touching video was taken last year - July 3, 2012 -  of Patriot & Liberty on Bluff Branch. Their 2 eaglets had fledged and they couldn't have seemed happier up there together. 



Little did we all know, this would be their last time together as proud parents.

The end of an era. RIP Patriot. ;-(  

There is going to be a memorial service for Patriot this weekend, which I am attending. It will be just a few of us - many in the community think, us Eagle lovers are crazy.  Crazy about Eagles and especially Miss Liberty and Handsome Patriot.