Karen and I moved to Austin Texas one year ago this June, a few months after our middle daughter and her husband moved there. We both rented until our new homes were completed in February 0f '08 near the hamlet of Elgin. Previously, our youngest daughter moved to Austin in August of 06'. And, we have just now learned that our oldest daughter and her husband will be on their way to San Antonio in August (Yeah!). Our son-in-law will be attending nursing school over the next two years there (roughly 2 hours SW).
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So with all the first year activities, I felt it was time for an honest appraisal of our year here, to include the good, the bad, the ugly, and the most excellent. Here goes...
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Central Texas--
We are more than pleased with the Central Texas region. The air is cleaner, as we had hoped, and the cloud formations inspire childhood-like fascination. Water venues and trees abound, much to our surprise. But it has been a season of extremes. Our first few months here saw a record breaking cool and wet summer. Presently we are experiencing a record breaking hot and dry early summer (most 100's in 30 days). So far both extremes have been quite bearable as long as you don't plan much on really humid days, unless your plan is to hang out at Michael and Sharon's state-of-the art saltwater pool!
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Note: August of 06' saw a record number of 100 degree days, while August of '07 did not have a single 100 degree day. So if you like extremes, come to Texas!--
More Weather--
The weather here does command top billing at times. We passed through our first tornado warnings and watches that are virtually non-existent in CA. It was both fascinating to sit on our enclosed porch and watch, up close and personal, a mighty downpour with the weather radar showing all red and purple across our entire county. The severity of the lightning is awe-inspiring but a little nerve racking as well. We're glad we put in a partial storm room that we can all hop into for especially bad alerts. For the first time in my life, I own a National Weather Service radio! So the weather is more severe than No. Cal, but more interesting. Leaving serious fires and quakes behind puts us at a plus when considering the weather overall.
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Note: Electricity is cheap here. We ran our air conditioner day and night for a month at a cost of less than $100 for electricity for the entire house. Water and propane remain to be analyzed.--Our Subdivision, The Arbors at Dogwood Creek--
We found the subdivision to be as pretty, peaceful and quiet as everyone had said, with one BIG exception. We were blindsided by the fact that the nearby sleepy National Guard base picked up a new mission of being the final stop for training before troops are sent overseas. The training noise at times was alarming, depending on the wind. However, the training mission expires completely by 2010. And, recent efforts to mitigate the noise by the National Guard have been positive. For a time it was disturbing but has become manageable. The best remedy would be for the war to end.
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One thing we never considered was the relative ages of our neighborhood residents. It was not a specific criteria of ours when looking for land. And early on, we met people of all ages, to include children. As it turns out, it is predominately a retirement community. Some of the regular gatherings feel more like church socials than community meetings. The age grouping here has little impact on Karen and me but has made it harder for Michael and Sharon to make new friends.
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But the lots remain beautiful, affordable and efficient for building. Building costs remain relatively flat with some increase in property taxes. We find the subdivision meets all of our initial criteria. We now look forward to the next chapter as our living close was meant to help those of us with special needs in the days ahead.
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Building--
We both took different directions on building. Michael & Sharon picked a build-on-your lot program with a large regional builder. They modified existing floor plans with some narrow amenity selections. This fit their needs well and they got a cost effective, yet elegant home. Some downsides with this approach are that extras come with a very high price tag. Also, to upgrade from the standard amenities to nicer lines was unreasonably priced.
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Karen and I sought a custom builder and used the house plans we developed. Although the outcome meets our needs very well, our relationship with the contractor was poor. The impact was made worse by the fact that renting became very difficult for all of us in the final weeks. If it were feasible and I had it to do over again, I would try to stay put and not move twice. This may not be possible, but two moves were not only costly, but very very arduous. It is possible to build long distance and use a local inspector to look out for your interests. Building combined with two moves was a definite negative, but not truly a Texas caused problem.
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People
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In general, the people here are more friendly. When walking down the street, they are more likely to stop and have a conversation rather than do that special move called "I see you but I don't recognize you." I know many life stories from many more neighbors than I ever have. It helps the memory, because the life stories are retold often with the same vigor, humor and anecdotes as the first time. But at least they're interested and conversant.
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Driving is a different matter here. When an urbanite especially straps on a car, he gets out both his drivers license and his license to kill at the same time. Most states have registered sex offenders. Here, car registrations are used mainly to find repeat motor vehicle offenders. One supposition is that the bad drivers are all California transplants. The other prevalent thought is that the drivers are trying to intimidate the California transplants and "herd" them back across the border. Why do you think there are so many gun racks (not really)?
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Bad drivers coupled with non-existent stop light timing, heavy urban traffic, one-way frontage roads, a dirth of readable street signs, new toll roads and few overpasses make for increased tensions as you draw closer to Austin proper (GPS investment may be an adaptive compromise). In fairness however, some of the street design is pretty creative (u-turns without stop lights and left turn yields on green lights, etc.) Outside the city proper the recreational venues are almost vacant. And if you run, walk/hike, ride a bike or have a dog, Austin was designed with you in mind, especially if you also love nightlife and live music of any kind.
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Our Family
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The over arching goal in coming here was mainly two-fold. By living in close proximity, we could all help each other, given our various infirmities. We could communally share the load of child rearing, pet sitting, medical runs, etc. The second goal was for our children to have better financial opportunities here for such things as owning a home, or a low cost of living enabling being able to be a stay-at-home mom. It is too soon to grade these goals. If they happen, the arduousness and expense of the relocation would all have been worth it. But if our children do not prosper here, then I don't know what would have gone wrong. We were patient about the decision, bathed it in prayer, did a great deal of research and made on-the-ground inspections, etc. I'll just have to report on that in the next few years.
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It doesn't hurt our plan that Paul finally got into a nursing program here when all doors have been slammed shut elsewhere. This came at a time when Jess' job is being phased out, which was the main string tethering them to life there. So we'll just wait and see.
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Lions, Tigers and Bears
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Actually, we don't have any Lions or Tigers but we do have spiders, snakes and scorpions. Two copperheads are now in heaven along with several small scorpions and scores of probably very useful spiders. It's actually all quite manageable with regular perimeter spraying and a little care when slipping on shoes left outdoors or tromping through underbrush. But the trade-off is a place rife with amazing flora and fauna. Amazing perhaps because it is new to us and almost tropical. But I still don't like spiders and snakes. I didn't omit bears intentionally. Although no wild bears have been seem, wild boars have been heard unless you count the "bear" under Michael & Sharon's roof.
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Therefore, the report card for our freshman year has an overall passing grade, with a double check for effort and sacrifice by everyone, both monetarily and emotionally. The future prospects here remain very positive but we still need to be patient and watch it develop further. We hope that the days ahead reveal a growth in friends and relationships, perhaps a new church connection, meaningful employment for our kids and a time frame for completing the last two homes.
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With the prospect that we might be biased, we welcome visitors to helps us seek balance. A visit from you would help us get a better perspective and also help in the DMP (Department of Missing (Important) Persons. Until then, year one is in the bag.
Doug is also very devoted to Mom. Thanks to his iron-enriched memory for details, he is keeping her legacy very much alive. I know he misses her more than words can tell, but he doesn't hesitate to put it in words with child-like fondness and real devotion. I have told Doug many times that I think he writes very well and have encouraged him to journal or blog if time ever permitted. We could all benefit from his perspective on many things and his recollections on life with Mom.
