[keithwand]

Ocean Reef in Key Largo would be nice.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by carlanddiane

we sold our home in The Villages and bought a house in The Groves just north of Tampa. So far we are loving it!

The Groves Golf & Country Club. A residential community in Land O Lakes, Florida

The TRAVEL CLUB looks like fun.....many local trips, plus the cruise.

'The Groves Travel Club is a group of friends and neighbors who enjoy group travel and the good travel deals that a club can offer. We offer everything from day trips to trips around the world. We try to offer something for everyone.'

You are invited to join.

Membership dues are $5.00 yearly, May 1 to April 30.
You can join anytime during the year.
Click here for a membership form you can print,
Fill it out and return it to the addressee on the form.

Welcome Aboard !

OCTOBER 18 – NOVEMBER 2 , 2014 CLUB FALL RIVER CRUISE ON BOARD M/S ARIA: AUSTRIA, GERMANY AND HOLLAND on the DANUBE MAINE & RHINE RIVERS

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by Vicki.baker@aol.com

Living here has been quite an experience, however, for this small town gal, it is getting too large, too crowded and I am considering a move within 1/2 hr or so from the Gulf into a nice, planned community. Perhaps gated, well maintained with recreation area, pool and some activities. My question to you out there, has anyone checked out any retirement communities in other areas that could have suited your needs, but you settled on TV instead. I am looking on line, but they always sound so great and then for whatever reason.....are not. I am sure there are folks out there that may have "considered" other locations before they decided to move here. I would appreciate any info you may want to pass along, either here or at my email address. Vicki.baker@aol.com. Thanks so much.

''A stable community of homeowners was established in Indialantic during the Florida real estate boom that reached its peak in 1925. The 1.05-square mile area was incorporated in 1952 with a population of 1,500.

It is today a quiet, primarily residential Town with a population of 2,844.***

Strict zoning codes and enforcement of these codes keep Indialantic a unique and prestigious community.

Even though a large portion of the population is retired, there is still a diversity of residents consisting of young couples with children, professionals, business people, artists and students.'' (Quoted from town of Indialantic by the Sea information) See hyperlink.........

http://www.indialantic.com/history/


Obviously, you cannot get lost in a one mile by one mile town. Nor is there congestion.

It was supremely quiet except for the A.F. jets flying at night; but that no longer is an issue.

The Melbourne Airport is only an eight minute drive across the causeway. Not as huge as the Orlando Airport (but more what we are accustomed to in size and ease of travel). Their flight pattern is NOT over the barrier islands; I've checked that out.

West Palm Beach Airport is also a nice small pretty airport (if one is checking out Vero Beach)

Accustomed to a smaller population and trying to get away from crowds and traffic, you might like to just "check out" the Brevard County Barrier Islands.......nothing like a sea breeze, if truth be told. Nothing like walking at the shoreline for your morning and evening exercise.

We never felt overly hot living there, even in the summer months...........only when my husband would go out at 3 p.m. and the car would heat up while parked in the sun.......he didn't care for that at all during the summer months.

Also, we only had one hurricane "scare" which never came, nor amounted to much of a storm at all. We watched the water level rising in the back canal........had it risen higher, we would have evacuated.....but thankfully, did not need to. We had a five year old and a two year old at the time. Our daughter actually began kindergarten on Patrick Air Force Base and they were started on reading in kindergarten, whereas Vermont waited till first grade to introduce it. Both of my children knew how to read at an even earlier age of 2/3.....just picked it up naturally; her kindergarten teacher, Miss Dworkin, continued to correspond with this little five year old girl when we moved to Northfield, Vermont..........where Norwich University is located. She's probably long retired by now. Also, a young enlisted air force guy drove a truck with all of our furniture and possessions on it.....back up to Northfield; stayed over at our new home for a few days, ate his meals with us, before we drove him to the airport to fly home to Florida........all of our neighbors were great; of all ages, retired and also young families.

Obviously, our daughter loved to get her mail; she'd sit down and write a reply to her old kindergarten teacher in Satellite Beach/Patrick Air Force Base.

For a beach area, it was like small town living............and we were not Air Force.

Never was there traffic congestion.......the roads were practically empty; the traffic was at a leisurely pace. Just a relaxing place.........as friends of ours now tell us (it remains the same).

A1A the coastal road and South Patrick Drive, etc. on the other side of town, were the two roads .....in between were all the neighborhoods.....where you went even slower.

***I'm beginning to believe that when people live with large traffic congestion, too close together, and huge population centers, they get ticked off about every little inconsequential thing......and start nitpicking things to death, whereas a less populated community is more conducive to a peaceful and patient lifestyle.

But, different strokes for different folks. We've always enjoyed a calm and peaceful life......and do believe "to each his own"....there is a place under the sun for everyone and their divergent tastes and needs. Had we been able to afford Sanibel Island, Florida, that's where we would be, picking seashells on the beach.......on the Gulf of Mexico. We did buy the next best thing, a beachfront condo in Venice.......it was a lovely planned laid out "Florida Main Street Community" in its heyday.......unfortunately, it had a problem in its sewers, etc. Wish we had kept that condo though as it's doubled in price. When we purchased, it was a newly refurbished beach........we totally remodeled the condo as it was a buyer's market at the time.

Alas, we soon discovered that continued living with the "red tide bacteria" and other stuff on the gulf coast was not going to be.........but had we kept the condo as a rental, we would have made a nice profit. There were other matters that complicated things, such as having to return my widowed elderly mom who suffered from Alzheimers....back to her support system and ours. It was the right decision........even though moving back and forth is super expensive.

Had we realized the extent of her confusion, which seemed very minor upon our initial move to Florida, we would never have gone and never have sold our Vermont home..........so before you buy anything at all, be doubly certain it is the right place for you. This is why I always say that nothing is "cast in stone". The more one finds out about their potential "new home area" the better off they will be in making a final decision..........nothing in this world is perfect.

Best of luck with your ultimate decision.......just don't rush into anything. Enjoy the journey...

p.s. Just for the record, we vacationed in Florida every single year since 1965, coast to coast, up and down each coast and Disney World in the middle. We do know Florida.

We moved to Florida twice , once in our twenties, and once in our late 40's........eventually returning to Vermont. Both times we stayed put in Vermont for another twenty plus years the first time to raise our family and see them through their school years and their university years at the University of Vermont......marriage, etc.


We then moved the second time at age 49 when our adult kids had married, relocated out of state for their careers, etc. but this time had my new "baby" in tow......my mom. Returned back to Vermont for the past twenty years...........now, perhaps the time is right......for us. Plus, no way we are going to put up with another winter like the one just past.........the winter from hell.
Unbelievable.