At the convention I attended, there were comments about who had retired over the last year. The follow-up question to "when" was always "where". Many had moved south, to warmer climes. A few had moved to be closer to children. A few had not gone anywhere. Given the brutal winter slowly passing, many expressed the idea "I think I'd go south to get away from the snow."
Not me.
I have always wanted to own some property in the hills over looking the Mississippi River. Ideally, it would be in Northeast Iowa, where I grew up, but I'd take Northwest Illinois as the bluffs there are similar.
- Yes, there's snow; sometimes a lot of it.
- Yes, there's cold; it was -30 when I stopped Wednesday morning for gas. That's cold.
- Yes, there are summer bugs; that's what screens are for.
The draw for me is the scenery. Autumn cannot be beaten anywhere in the US. I like to say God did every other place and then he came to Northeast Iowa and got it right.
The river is a living, vibrant entity with a personality. It's no wonder Native Americans revered it. I've fishing on it as long as I can remember. I've driven next to and over it. I've watched it leave its banks. I've watched it shrink and leave sand bars where none were before. It figures into my family history.
I imagine a house on a hill, surrounded by trees, with a garden and a view. There would be 4 indelible seasons, each one with its own character. There would be hawks and eagle. I saw 3 bald eagles on this trip and at least 8 hawks. There's barge traffic through the channel and train traffic on the edges.
If I could live anywhere, this is where I'd choose.
Beverage: Huckleberry tea
Deb
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