Golden years on the Golden Isles of Georgia

My retirement merry-go-round, i.e. "living the world" retirement type ended - I resolved - two weeks ago, when I moved to the Golden Isles of Georgia, to live my golden years in a more stationary fashion, thus the retirement-merry-go-round blog comes now to an end.

June and July were filled with travelling all around the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, (I promise to record those travels in this blog soon, under appropriate dates) before I settled on the Golden Isles, with their sandy beaches, fantastic nature preserves and the famous marshes of Glynn.

I shall continue my encore (= retirement, part time ) career of non-profit consulting offering hands on organizational and fund development to non-profits both locally and - for short term assignments - internationally, to aid them during the recession, and after it - especially rural and remotely located organizations, since these usually receive far fewer grants than other nonprofits, often due to lack of professional resources and far fewer public support due to their remoteness.

As for the rest, I plan to enjoy the beaches, forests and marshes, and the neighboring historical city of Savannah and the nearest large city of Jacksonville, Florida - both at a distance of 70 miles. I plan to visit my daughter in Atlanta often, visiting friends there and taking it the cultural offerings I so enjoyed there: opera, ballet, theaters, museums, my book clubs... enjoy what's left of my life!

I have enjoyed this blogging adventure for the last two years and all virtual - and personal - friendships I developed through it.

Till we meet again! :-)

Ah, Savannah!.... or temptations

I have always loved Savannah - who would not? Its historic southern charms, its loveliness, its architectural and cultural wonders, its legendary gardens and its location on the crossroads of Georgia and South Carolina's golden coasts: Hilton Head to the north, The Golden Isles of Georgia to the south. Who could ask for anything more?

Yet, although I have often visited the area and looked for an interesting opportunity there all during this decade, I never found one.



Until now... when, immersed in the tropics and in ongoing and planned projects in both Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, I was not looking for anything or anywhere else, a very tempting (=challenging in the most interesting way) opportunity to work on the Golden Coast out of Savannah found me.

Uff, what to do, what to do?

Daughter has been looking for a while for a second home in either Hilton Head or St.Mary's, since those places are both colorful, beachy and only a few hours drive - and less than one hour flight - distance from Atlanta, and she would gladly rather share my new digs in Savannah with me - had I decided to accept the tempting offer and relocate there, rather than buying a second home for herself... which, in turn would allow me to buy a second home in the tropics - most likely in the Dominican Republic, since it is far less crowded and far less pricy than Puerto Rico, yet far more cosmopolitan = far more fun.

I still have my (almost) entire library in a storage in Atlanta ( I only brought about 75 pounds of books so far to Puerto Rico), most of my beloved Arctic birch Finnish and Swedish furniture, all my crystals and china (including a humongous Finnish art glass dinner service consisting of about 150 pieces), all my silver, practically all of my paintings, etc. etc. .... in sum: practically all of the trappings of my non-minimalistic lifestyle!

In Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic I have some obligations, that could be taken care of if I just spent a few months a year there, say, during the coldest winter months, and otherwise devoted, on average, no more than 10 -15 hours a week (providing I was disciplined enough not to let myself being suckered into doing more) to them.

I have a (second) car in Puerto Rico and a few possessions: a brand new TV, a very comfy leather recliner, some other furniture, household goods and clothes.

Of course, I would take my cats with me, no matter the logistic difficulties of transporting them in high summer - hot! - month, but, otherwise, I could either dispose of my possessions by selling the car and giving the rest away, or store them in a cabin belonging to a friend, who visits PR only for a few months a year (lol, I have done it a few times before: in Spain, Sweden, Germany... and never returned to retrieve any of them when my plans changed, incuring a loss of no more than a couple of grands outlays each time... a small price for having an adventure).... a lot easier than shipping all of my non-minimalistic lifestyle to the tropics... and yet I think I should stay in the tropic for another year, or at least half a year, and try to postpone the Golden Coast opportunity.... but I am not sure...

I guess I'll explore both options a little more in detail for another week and have a "family" meeting with the "kids" the last weekend in June, when all "family" members will be present in Atlanta.
Any inputs from any of you?