While the purpose of Back Roads, Charming Towns remains to chronicle great out-of-the-way getaways in small town America, I was totally enchanted by Emily Prager's account in today's New York Times of the microcosm she discovered in the center of bustling Shanghai. The parallels between anyone leaving the B.C. to explore a simpler way of life, regardless of on which side of the planet you do so, are striking.
Continue Reading...For a blogger extraordinaire, the last few months 
would have provided ample opportunity for content, content, content.
However, from my perspective, it seemed rather self-absorbed to write about every nuance of our move in numbing detail. Instead, I thought it would be more useful to encapsulate a few lessons learned from our recent familial excursion into a single narrative.
Continue Reading...
Boxes, boxes everywhere. That is much of my life these days. As D Day approaches in our move south, I find that more of our possessions than not are wrapped, bubbled and labelled.
I remember when Stirling and Alex were wee ones and Ken worked for a furniture retailer. In those days, we also often found ourselves surrounded by boxes, but for different reasons.
As everybody knows, for small children the box is as intriguing as the gift at birthday or holiday time. On many occasions, Ken would cart home refrigerator or television boxes and they became places to build magical fantasies and family memories. In fact, for Alex's seventh birthday we even constructed an eight-foot tall ship hull to grace the front yard and introduce the party's pirate theme.
These days, it is Smokey who has made empty boxes into his playground. Yesterday, when I assembled and stacked 50-plus empty boxes to expedite the moving process, Smokey was in kitty heaven, leaping and tumbling from one box to the next. It provided a much needed light-hearted moment at an otherwise hectic time.
Until the next time I can report back from the moving circus . . .
Georgia is gaining ground on Florida as a preferred relocation and retirement destination for snow birds and sun worshipers alike. At least, that is the conclusion to be drawn from the recently released United Van Lines' annual migration study.
Specifically in 2006, United statistics showed that for the first time ever more people moved out of Florida rather than into the Sunshine State. United, the nation's largest mover, finds that its results often mirror state and federal demographic statistics. The company has been evaluating this information for the past thirty years.
Why do so many folks have Georgia on their mind?
Continue Reading...
For those living in the Northeast but with dreams of moving to warmer climes, there is an upcoming travel show you won't want to miss.
From January 19-21 at the Hilton in Parsippany, New Jersey, Living Southern Style magazine will be hosting the Live South Real Estate Show, the largest resort and retirement real estate show in the country. Meet experts, attend seminars on topics from building your dream home to selecting the right location, and visit exhibitors from Delaware to Florida, South Carolina to Virginia and every state in between.
Just the Facts
The Live South Real Estate Show is from 5 - 8 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Sunday. Attendance is $15 per person at the door, but is complimentary if you pre-register by calling 1.888.248.2989 or online at www.livesouthshows.com.
.jpg)
NJ: A place where animals lounged and basked in the sun in days past is a place where human beings love to hang out and live in the present. Basking Ridge, New Jersey is today’s featured “charming town.”
Located 36 miles west of New York City in central New Jersey, Basking Ridge is a combination of rural simplicity and small-town amenities with big-city proximity.
Continue Reading...ND: "Do you have what it takes to be a 21st century pioneer?" Some towns in North Dakota are asking this question as they seek new residents and explore innovative ways to sustain an easy-going lifestyle while bolstering dwindling populations. In fact, you may even be eligible for free land and tax incentives if you are willing to pick up and move to the northwestern regions of the state.
www.prairieopportunity.com is the brainchild of The Northwest North Dakota Marketing Alliance, a coalition of leaders from local municipalities, looking for people interested in making a move to this very rural setting. But for modern-day homesteaders up to the challenge, the benefits can be many: magnificent wildlife, majestic scenery, entrepreneur-friendly environments and small town living.
Continue Reading...Enter keywords:
