The first 25 years we were married, we moved 32 times to three continents
and many states. When my husband decided to leave the corporate world and
start his own business, we could have lived anywhere and we chose South
Carolina. No regrets so far! People are people and you find the ones you
have something in common with no matter where you live. Climate and land
value played an enormous part in our decision. We can live here for much
less than we could in most places in the USA. We don't shovel much snow.
Air-conditioning makes the summers bearable. We are three hours from the
coast and three hours from the mountains. We have 63 fertile acres with
old growth timber and a pond. Cable TV, internet, and mobile phones are
almost accessible. The airport in Charlotte is 30 minutes away. I think
we'll stay.
Tina
On Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 5:09 PM, Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > People may joke about Belgium, but of the 6 countries where I have lived
> as an adult (Denmark, USA, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain) I
> consider Belgium to have the best overall quality of life. Yes, the federal
> government is most dysfunctional, but the same can be said about other
> countries, including the US and the place where I live now. But Belgium has
> an unbeatable combination of good food, the best ber in the world, friendly
> people, an interesting culture, and proximity to other places of interest
> like Amsterdam, Paris or London.
>
> During the '90s, I spent significant time in Europe. I would agree
> that Belgium is one of the nicest, and probably most "neutral" spots
> I've been. The "culture" is almost a "non-culture" in that it seems to
> not be overbearing in any particular area. I couldn't leave Rome fast
> enough, London is great, but is London. London and NYC are their own
> worlds. Paris? I love Paris. Period. I could take or leave everywhere
> I was in Germany, but Ireland was "home". Amsterdam? No, not really. A
> bit wierd, really.
>
> Nathan's post got me to thinking about the USA. I grew up in Michigan
> (resort community with industrial base), moved to downstate Illinois,
> then to Iowa. I've part-time lived in Colorado twice now. My business
> travel has taken me to all but four states (AK, HI, ID, ND) and a lot
> of Canada. I've been in nearly every major city and a massive number
> of small or non-existant ones. The variability is HUGE! Chris is in
> Indiana, which has a culture very different than anything else
> surrounding it. Even of the cities, where I'm living in the Denver
> area (Littleton) is different than other parts of the region.
>
> Many places I've been to, I couldn't get out quick enough and really
> disliked being there. The Detroit area, for example, is pretty bad. I
> used to like Chicago. Not so much, anymore. Houston? Nope. Dallas?
> I've turned down jobs there for years. Los Angeles? No thank you. San
> Francisco? In a heart beat!!! Maine? Not bad, but... Minneapolis? Too
> cold, but the people are great. Denver? Oh, yes! Colorado Springs? Not
> anymore--I used to love it there, but it got wierd--it's too much like
> Indiana now. (Imagine Fort Wayne with a mountain). Phoenix and Las
> Vegas? Sure. Alburqueque/SanteFe? Oh, yes.
>
> It's more than just terrain. It's a local attitude. My family is torn
> a bit because we like it here in Denver so much, but it's not home for
> us right now. We're supposed to be where we are at in Iowa, but we
> freely admit that the temptation is high.
>
> There is one thing that Belgium has over Denver. Fries. We do have
> decent McDonalds fries, but it's just not exactly the same. Must be
> the altitude.
>
> AG
> --
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>
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Tina Manley
http:// <http://tina-manley.artistwebsites.com/>www.tinamanley.com
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