Sick of Snow! Hi from the Cascade Mountains!

[DisneyDreamer]

Greetings from snowy rural Oregon! I'm DisneyDreamer, a 51 year old, newly single, public school teacher originally from New England. How did I end up here in the OR mountains? I'm a former military spouse. (A 20/20/20 spouse, meaning retained my military benefits and healthcare. Yeah me!)

I am hoping to retire early at 55 as soon as school gets out for the summer in 2023. I will have a small PERS pension. I also have a 1.2 million (mostly Vanguard) portfolio, a paid for OR vacation home (400K), and am living in a 150K 104 year old cute-as-a-button Craftsman with 109K remaining on the mortgage. No alimony and that's fine by me. I'm on my own and proud of it.

My dream is to move (back to) to Central Florida (Celebration, ideally!) near Disney. I've lived in FL twice during my military spouse days and I loved it. Work part time at Disney or substitute teach for more flexibility.

During a snow storm this past Presidents Day weekend, I crunched the numbers and think I can make this dream a reality. Sell my two houses. Pay cash for a Florida house. Healthcare is taken care of. Get my Disney annual pass. Live the dream.

I'm here to get inspired. Greetings to all! (Now excuse me, I have to go shovel snow. Again!!!)

 

[Nick12]

Celebration FL is nice. Be aware that it's right next to Disney World and a haven for tourists taking pictures. Some homeowners have even posted signs of no trespassing. Also right on the main highway 192 is Kissimmee FL. It's night and day and be careful of the kids drag racing their Hondas and the homeless and the dark side of what is next to Disney World. Welcome and good luck pursuing your dream!

 

[MichaelB]

Welcome aboard, DisneyDreamer

 

[DisneyDreamer]

Celebration FL is nice. Be aware that it's right next to Disney World and a haven for tourists taking pictures. Some homeowners have even posted signs of no trespassing. Also right on the main highway 192 is Kissimmee FL. It's night and day and be careful of the kids drag racing their Hondas and the homeless and the dark side of what is next to Disney World. Welcome and good luck pursuing your dream!

I am guilty of being one of those camera-clicking tourists on many an occasion! I am picturing a newer condo / townhouse on a top floor with a view. You are so right about 192. The movie The Florida Project broke my heart and opened my eyes. I love volunteering and as a (soon to be) retired teacher, perhaps I can be part of the solution there.

Thanks for the well wishes! I am excited!

 

[mountainsoft]

Welcome! I'm nearby in Washington state. We got 14" of snow on that same weekend and still have 5-8" of it on the ground. Like you I'm tired of it and am ready for spring.

Personally, I love the Pacific Northwest and have no desire to move. I love the trees, wildlife, mountains, and generally mild weather. We built our home here and have settled in for good. Barring an illness or incapacity that forces us to go to an assisted living or something, I plan to live here till I die.

Of course, we enjoy traveling so someday I hope to make a trip to Florida myself. Just to visit, of course. We really haven't traveled the east coast so I'm looking forward to seeing that part of the country.

 

[Red Badger]

Welcome DD.

I hope you find your dream place as desired.

I was stationed at Ft Lewis about a hundred years ago and miss the Cascades. Part of my heart remains at Mt Rainier and Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. However, the Blue Ridge-Smokey Mountains are my new mistress.

Life landed us (happily) in NC. We love it here, but western states are our next round of travel stops.

We also invest our time, energy, and resources in trying to sustain our home base as a treasure trove of natural wonders. Small efforts matter. We were just a couple of pebbles in an avalanche of activism that stopped a pipeline from crossing the AT (we're not against fossil fuel - just against bad ideas).If a place is worth living in; it's worth investing in.

Best!

 

[DisneyDreamer]

Welcome! I'm nearby in Washington state. We got 14" of snow on that same weekend and still have 5-8" of it on the ground. Like you I'm tired of it and am ready for spring.

Personally, I love the Pacific Northwest and have no desire to move. I love the trees, wildlife, mountains, and generally mild weather. We built our home here and have settled in for good. Barring an illness or incapacity that forces us to go to an assisted living or something, I plan to live here till I die.

Of course, we enjoy traveling so someday I hope to make a trip to Florida myself. Just to visit, of course. We really haven't traveled the east coast so I'm looking forward to seeing that part of the country.

Thank you! I do love the PNW. Been here 16 years and have explored (camped/hiked/skied) all over. The mountains and coast are amazing and Portland is my favorite city on the planet. (At least it was before it was discovered and drove up prices!) But, Disney is where I feel "home". I go to either Disneyland or Walt Disney World (or both) twice a year. My current location at 4000+ feet in a rural area hours from the nearest interstate or airport has its drawbacks. Family from the East Coast rarely visit (won't be an issue in FL) and I'm very far from the nearest Costco! Or Target! Ha!

 

[ziggy29]

We just moved to the Oregon coast last summer, and we are already sick of the snow which we were told was very rare here on the coast.

We're wondering if we'll ever see 50 degrees again. This February has been brutal. I guess we are paying for a nicer than average January.

 

[DisneyDreamer]

We also invest our time, energy, and resources in trying to sustain our home base as a treasure trove of natural wonders. Small efforts matter. We were just a couple of pebbles in an avalanche of activism that stopped a pipeline from crossing the AT (we're not against fossil fuel - just against bad ideas).If a place is worth living in; it's worth investing in.



Best!

Good for you on protecting the AT! I've been on it in New England years ago! (NH) Yes! Small efforts matter. I do hope to use some of my retirement to volunteer for my (new) community. I do that now and am still working full-time! Thanks for the welcome!

 

[DisneyDreamer]

We just moved to the Oregon coast last summer, and we are already sick of the snow which we were told was very rare here on the coast.

We're wondering if we'll ever see 50 degrees again. This February has been brutal. I guess we are paying for a nicer than average January.

I just got in from scrapping drifting snow off my sidewalk in preparation for tonight's NEW snow. I'm happy for the farmers and fish with the ever increasing snowpack but I feel sorry for my back!

I LOVE the Oregon Coast!!! I'm heading to Outdoor School near Lincoln somewhere with my class in the spring....IF spring ever gets here! Ha!

 

[ziggy29]

I LOVE the Oregon Coast!!! I'm heading to Outdoor School near Lincoln somewhere with my class in the spring....IF spring ever gets here! Ha!

We are loving it too, except for the weather this month. My wife is originally from Pennsylvania and she says she left PA to get away from weather like this.

Still, we're lucky. We found a surprisingly affordable home in the hills above most of the city, a mile from the ocean and high enough to be above the tsunami danger, and our deck out back provides a nice if slightly obstructed view of the beach and the ocean. At night we can hear the roar of the ocean in the bedroom and it gives us a free, natural form of white noise.

But the flip side is going down the hill with black ice on the road. That's not supposed to happen much at all right on the coast. Maybe our arrival jinxed it!

And yet it still beats a Texas summer.

 

[DisneyDreamer]

Ah! Texas! The day I moved to Lubbock it was 114 degrees! I saw it on a bank sign. I thought it was the time, 1:14! Nope! I love the people there. Good memories!

 

[Nick12]

I am guilty of being one of those camera-clicking tourists on many an occasion! I am picturing a newer condo / townhouse on a top floor with a view. You are so right about 192. The movie The Florida Project broke my heart and opened my eyes. I love volunteering and as a (soon to be) retired teacher, perhaps I can be part of the solution there.

Thanks for the well wishes! I am excited!

That's great to hear. Making a difference in the lives of others. I knew some people who were part of the filming of the movie that was filmed on location by the shady motels and strip malls down the road from Celebration FL. The actor Willem Defoe was great in the movie. The main kid actor lived with his family in the motel and was picked to star in the movie. It is a side of Central Florida that the tourists don't know or care to see just a few miles from Walt Disney World. Keep safe and well and welcome back to Florida!

 

[Dtail]

Great to have a future/former Floridian with a great attitude.

 

[Walt34]

I'm here to get inspired. Greetings to all! (Now excuse me, I have to go shovel snow. Again!!!)

Welcome to ER.org!

Are your really, positively, absolutely certain that you want to give up all this for the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes the size of hummingbirds in Florida?

 

[DrRoy]

I vote for Oregon over Florida. I'd rather have snow than a hurricane.

 

[Nick12]

I vote Florida over anywhere snow or freezing cold. Had my home damaged 2x in my life in Florida. Worst was 2004 Cat 3 that destroyed my place but rode it out in my walk in closet but lived to tell about it.

 

[DisneyDreamer]

Yeah, I used to live at Tyndall AFB years ago and it was destroyed in the latest hurricane. So sad to see. I also survived a Cat 3 (126mph sustained winds) typhoon in Okinawa, Japan. So did my concrete block, flat roof apartment. We were stuck in the eye for a few hours and the sun came out. What an odd experience!

Every place has its weather and environmental hazards. Hurricanes, blizzards, earthquakes, sinkholes, tornadoes...

I've been fortunate enough to live on three continents and in every lower 48 time zone in the US. Mountains, tropical, city, rural, north, south, east, west....you name it. It is Florida for me. Central Florida. Celebration. Concrete construction.

 

[Helen]

Worst was 2004 Cat 3 that destroyed my place but rode it out in my walk in closet but lived to tell about it.

Wow, do you mind telling us what that was like? How long did it keep you trapped in there and what kind of damage to the house was there? What did it sound like?

 

[Nick12]

Wow, do you mind telling us what that was like? How long did it keep you trapped in there and what kind of damage to the house was there? What did it sound like?

The panic before the storm is putting plywood on your windows. Buying canned food and bottled water. Taking out $$ from ATM. Wal Mart Home Depot and gasoline stations will run out of product. Residents I have seen argue and fight each other for supplies. The day of the hurricane is typical beautiful day then the heavenly sky turn into hell. There is no way to describe the noise it's like a bomb continually going off. The safest place to be in is the walk in closet which has no windows. there for about several hours and left The room after storm passed. The concrete block of my home stayed intact. Some windows were blown out and most of the roof flew off and the rains soaked the interior of my home. After the hurricane our homes grass area and driveways were littered with lots of debris. No water and power for a few weeks. Police curfews that are enforced by local sheriffs. The biggest fleecing of the residents is that when the insurance guy comes by a few weeks later to give you price that insurance will cover for damages, the contractors will do the work at 2x the estimate since they know people like me are suffering and need to get the items fixed. At least FEMA gave us blue tarps to cover what used to be our roofs. Many people in my area stayed because we needed to defend and protect our homes from the looters and bad guys. Roads are impassable and I remember downed power lines lighting up the roads when the lines and mixed with puddles of water. A few residents died when they got fried by the power lines when they walked in the roads. Year 2004 , 3 major hurricanes in the summer. Just a really bad dream that was crazy real.

 

[Helen]

Wow, thank you for sharing that. What an incredible experience. I'm glad you are still amongst us!

 

[DisneyDreamer]

Yikes! That is quite the story. Still, I'm moving to FL!

 

[Dtail]

Yikes! That is quite the story. Still, I'm moving to FL!

That's the spirit.
One week after moving to FLA, Irma hit here. "Only 60 mph" by me and stayed in a school shelter for 2 nights with 30 new friends in the classroom.
Nevertheless, I am here to stay.

 

[Bir48die]

I have lived in Oregon for 50+ years. If you remember not more than two months ago we had unusually dry and warm weather. Experts said we’re all going to die because of global warming and low snow pack. Something like this happens every year then we make it all up either now or we never have summer until July. So, now we have lots of snowpack for the water lovers. February is the month everyone gets fed up with the dreary days and they scheme to move away forever. Then we have a great spring and summer and all is forgotten. Wash, rinse and repeat. I get wanting to move. We have family and roots here so we just head south in November for a couple weeks then late Jan for several weeks. Only been home for a week and we want to leave again.

 

[DisneyDreamer]

Oregon is a big state. Two months ago, I had snow. I live at over 4000 ft., hours from the Interstate 5 Corridor. It is not dreary; it's dangerous. I am originally from the East Coast and am moving back. Back to Florida.