No, no, not us, we're never leaving the islands-- but my parents-in-law might be!
Last week at our Fidelity dinner another guest asked my FIL what he missed the most after moving to Hawaii. He said it was being able to get in the car and drive 400 miles in any direction. I'd had a frosty beverage or two by then and I laughed uproariously at his joke, saying "It's taken you over five years here to miss something like that?!?"
Well, his joke must've been inspired by the subject of discussion at their house. Today he called to announce that they were considering moving back to the Mainland. They're still open to suggestions but their first idea is their old stomping grounds around Annapolis/Bowie (look out, Andre!).
Their biggest complaint is Rock Fever, the chief symptom involving a five-hour flight to the Mainland before starting their annual vacation. I think they'd rather be able to take off at a whim to Richmond or Gettysburg or even farther north/south for an Elderhostel or a Civil War event. When they were living on the Mainland they'd go anywhere without worrying about where they'd be staying or when they'd get there. But now their travel requires extensive Internet research for cheap plane fares, hotels, and coordination with their Mainland friends.
They're not the type to hide their thoughts so I don't think there are other issues. Maybe they've seen their only grandkid grow up enough and they want to do other things with their time. Maybe they miss seeing their Mainland friends (they haven't really made any new friends here) or maybe they miss the Annapolis/DC/Baltimore scene (they haven't acculturated to Hawaii at all). Maybe they miss politics, although they haven't done anything with Hawaii's politics. Maybe they just want a quieter place (away from a noisy neighbor) or more social excuses for separate activities. Last year their kitchen was completely rehabbed and they've been buying new furniture, so this change of heart is unexpected. In the last year each of them had small pre-cancerous lesions removed from their faces & ears, and they've taken to covering themselves in sunscreen & floppy hats. I wonder. We'll be talking a lot over the next couple months and maybe more details will come out.
They're extremely familiar with MD and the mid-Atlantic states. They've spent most of the last 20 years driving I-95, staying in different neighborhoods for a few weeks at different times of the year, and looking at hundreds of homes. They're very comfortable with the idea of spending a few weeks looking around the MD area and then buying a home. They gave themselves so much trauma about moving their possessions to Hawaii that I thought they'd never move again, but apparently they feel a stronger tug than that or else they've completely forgotten how crazed they were. We'll see how the reality of searching & moving matches their memories.
Money is not an issue. Their Annapolis home doubled in value from 1983-2001 so they sold at a huge profit which has been invested in CDs & Treasuries. They've rented for the last five years but I guess they'll buy a smaller home (less maintenance) or move to a less-crowded part of Maryland. I think they'll probably settle close to their son but they're also open to whatever they find.
FIL mentioned that they'll be looking at homes this spring. If they find something they like then they'll stay there for the closing, fax us a power of attorney, and we'll pack out their rental. Maybe they figure that way they'll avoid half the trauma of moving.
I pointed out that they no longer have any cold-weather tolerance so those first two winters will be real killers until their bodies adapt. He said that they'll probably snowbird, including a month or two out here (as they used to do before 2001). No problem. They also enjoy Myrtle Beach, Georgia, North & South Carolina, Tennessee, and other places that are warmer & less snowy than MD.
Spouse is heaving a huge sigh of relief. Her parents are in their low 70s, both extremely healthy, no medications, and mobile, but we could see that we'd be standing by to render support for the next quarter-century. Their world view tends to see the glass as less than half full and they rarely seem to enjoy a "life is good" moment. Spouse feels a big obligation to spend more time with them than perhaps she'd prefer, and even though she's 45 years old she still feels the sting of being treated like a little kid. It'll be interesting to see if my MIL feels the same about this whole idea as my FIL. Heck, it'll be interesting to see her brother's reaction at having boomerang parents.
I won't miss some things, but I'll miss having them around at a phone call and a 10-minute drive. I can only imagine the craziness we'll go through in the next six months, and I have to admit that our lives will get simpler if they're back on the Mainland. May we live in interesting times, but I never saw this coming!
Last week at our Fidelity dinner another guest asked my FIL what he missed the most after moving to Hawaii. He said it was being able to get in the car and drive 400 miles in any direction. I'd had a frosty beverage or two by then and I laughed uproariously at his joke, saying "It's taken you over five years here to miss something like that?!?"
Well, his joke must've been inspired by the subject of discussion at their house. Today he called to announce that they were considering moving back to the Mainland. They're still open to suggestions but their first idea is their old stomping grounds around Annapolis/Bowie (look out, Andre!).
Their biggest complaint is Rock Fever, the chief symptom involving a five-hour flight to the Mainland before starting their annual vacation. I think they'd rather be able to take off at a whim to Richmond or Gettysburg or even farther north/south for an Elderhostel or a Civil War event. When they were living on the Mainland they'd go anywhere without worrying about where they'd be staying or when they'd get there. But now their travel requires extensive Internet research for cheap plane fares, hotels, and coordination with their Mainland friends.
They're not the type to hide their thoughts so I don't think there are other issues. Maybe they've seen their only grandkid grow up enough and they want to do other things with their time. Maybe they miss seeing their Mainland friends (they haven't really made any new friends here) or maybe they miss the Annapolis/DC/Baltimore scene (they haven't acculturated to Hawaii at all). Maybe they miss politics, although they haven't done anything with Hawaii's politics. Maybe they just want a quieter place (away from a noisy neighbor) or more social excuses for separate activities. Last year their kitchen was completely rehabbed and they've been buying new furniture, so this change of heart is unexpected. In the last year each of them had small pre-cancerous lesions removed from their faces & ears, and they've taken to covering themselves in sunscreen & floppy hats. I wonder. We'll be talking a lot over the next couple months and maybe more details will come out.
They're extremely familiar with MD and the mid-Atlantic states. They've spent most of the last 20 years driving I-95, staying in different neighborhoods for a few weeks at different times of the year, and looking at hundreds of homes. They're very comfortable with the idea of spending a few weeks looking around the MD area and then buying a home. They gave themselves so much trauma about moving their possessions to Hawaii that I thought they'd never move again, but apparently they feel a stronger tug than that or else they've completely forgotten how crazed they were. We'll see how the reality of searching & moving matches their memories.
Money is not an issue. Their Annapolis home doubled in value from 1983-2001 so they sold at a huge profit which has been invested in CDs & Treasuries. They've rented for the last five years but I guess they'll buy a smaller home (less maintenance) or move to a less-crowded part of Maryland. I think they'll probably settle close to their son but they're also open to whatever they find.
FIL mentioned that they'll be looking at homes this spring. If they find something they like then they'll stay there for the closing, fax us a power of attorney, and we'll pack out their rental. Maybe they figure that way they'll avoid half the trauma of moving.
I pointed out that they no longer have any cold-weather tolerance so those first two winters will be real killers until their bodies adapt. He said that they'll probably snowbird, including a month or two out here (as they used to do before 2001). No problem. They also enjoy Myrtle Beach, Georgia, North & South Carolina, Tennessee, and other places that are warmer & less snowy than MD.
Spouse is heaving a huge sigh of relief. Her parents are in their low 70s, both extremely healthy, no medications, and mobile, but we could see that we'd be standing by to render support for the next quarter-century. Their world view tends to see the glass as less than half full and they rarely seem to enjoy a "life is good" moment. Spouse feels a big obligation to spend more time with them than perhaps she'd prefer, and even though she's 45 years old she still feels the sting of being treated like a little kid. It'll be interesting to see if my MIL feels the same about this whole idea as my FIL. Heck, it'll be interesting to see her brother's reaction at having boomerang parents.
I won't miss some things, but I'll miss having them around at a phone call and a 10-minute drive. I can only imagine the craziness we'll go through in the next six months, and I have to admit that our lives will get simpler if they're back on the Mainland. May we live in interesting times, but I never saw this coming!
