1,000 miles separate us
As some of you may know, I just recently got back from an extended weekend in Los Angeles. Given that it pretty much rained non-stop and even hailed at one point back at home while I was gone, most people have asked me why on earth I would even consider returning. The answer should be clear: obviously, I missed being cold and wet 24/7. (Not.)
Speaking of which, here’s what it looks like at home right now:
Would you have returned?
Besides giving me time with my favorite Americans and the first non-working vacation in quite awhile, this little trip has given me newfound motivation to be successful (or, if that fails, becoming the most successful golddigger): I want a winter home.
Bearing in mind travel expenses and practicality (as if talking about owning a winter home when I don’t even own a regular home isn’t practical enough), I’d chose to have one in California instead of somewhere like say, the Bahamas, simply because 1) I love America, as we have well established before, and 2) a 2.5 hour plane ride or 18 hour drive beats 5-6 hours in a plane and no ability to get there by car. See how practical I am?
I’m thinking I’d probably like to have it a bit more south and out of the central smogginess that appears to hang around the LA area—somewhere like say San Diego, which is currently experiencing weather in the 20s C / 65s F. IN LATE NOVEMBER.
Do you know what they call that? UNFAIR.
(Although, to be fair it’ll be us that will be laughing at your robbed experience when you’re decorating your palm trees for Christmas, wearing shorts and t-shirts and going surfing instead of decorating grand fir trees wearing boots, scarves and huddling by the fireplace like normal people.)
If you could have a winter (or summer) home anywhere, where would you have it?
ETA – You can see more photos of my California trip here.
I’ve thought long and hard about living in New Zealand during our winter, then living in Finland during their winter. That way, I’ll never have to deal with the worst season ever again! :)
Only problem with that is Christmas is during summer down here and I don’t think my family would be very happy if I wasn’t at home for Christmas. :P
November 27th, 2009 at 1:30 pmYeah, try and act like we should be jealous of your winter all you want. We won’t be.
November 27th, 2009 at 1:54 pmI love the contrast between Cali and Vancouver. Sad to say that I love the rain though. Sometimes I feel weird when I wake up in the fall/winter and it’s sunny out. Just doesn’t feel like home. =P I don’t like actually being IN the rain though.
As for my summer/winter home, I have no idea where’d I’d want it but probably somewhere in Asia.
November 27th, 2009 at 2:50 pmHmm. For a winter home, I’d probably want a place down in Georgia about two hours away from the beach. That way it’d always be warm and sunny, within reasonable travel to the beach, and the chances of the house being demolished by a hurricane would be smaller.
And honestly, I’d have probably tried to stay in California too. =D
November 27th, 2009 at 3:01 pmSeveral places spring to mind, all of them quite far flung – I don’t mind being 17 hours + flight away if it’s for 6 months: Seychelles (Mahe probably), Madagascar (note to self – take ear plugs), New Zealand (Fjordland, South Island), Fiji, St Lucia, Hainan, Sri Lanka…
November 27th, 2009 at 5:34 pmIt looks like you had a fantastic trip! :)
I wouldn’t want to have a separate home for another season. However, I’m currently planning to move overseas to New Zealand and the winters are a lot milder there (at least where I’m moving anyway – in the north island) than where I am now in New York. Goodbye snow!
November 29th, 2009 at 12:22 amI’m at a summer place for the winter – Martha’s Vineyard. AND I WANT OUT!
November 29th, 2009 at 1:43 amGah, I’ve always wanted to move to California. My husband is from there and I also have friends there.. as well as my husband grandparents live there. If it wasn’t for my family here, I’d move to California tomorrow! It’s so beautiful there. It’s freezing here.. but then again, I do love the winters. :)
I think having a winter home in some place like.. Finland, Switzerland, Ireland.. places over there would just be lovely.
My summer home would definitely be in California though.
December 1st, 2009 at 7:52 am