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by
Drake Hawkins, Professor
of Political
Science,
emeritus
OK,
you're old. What now?
The decision on when to retire was easy. We knew that finances
required we wait until I was at least sixty. We also knew that
waiting a couple of more years would have increased our retirement pay
significantly.
But the deciding factor on when to retire was my belief that if I
did not leave while we were still able to create a new life elsewhere, I
might be stuck there forever, wandering the halls of the San Rafael,
muttering about how lousy the students have become.
The where to retire was much harder. California had been my home
since third grade. JoAnn and I had lived in the same area of Pasadena
for 31 years. Both of us love Pasadena, but the rest of the Los Angeles
area had become less desirable for all the obvious reasons. Now, if we
could have retired to Santa Barbara, the choice would have been easy.
But, each year, it became more obvious that we could not afford to live
any place that we would consider. When Ventura became a bedroom
community for Santa Barbara, we knew the search there was over.
For the last several years, we vacationed in areas we thought
might fit how we wanted to live. The northwest was too wet, the
southwest too hot. Never gave a thought to the midwest. The northeast
has much too serious winters.
After exploring several areas in the South, we settled on
lakefront property in South Carolina. It has been a great choice for us
thus far. The area is beautiful. The climate is mild (not Santa Barbara,
mind you). We had snow on the ground for a couple of days this winter
and that was a treat. I'd always wanted to live on the water.
There are some disadvantages to life in the slow lane. No Greek
Theater, Rose Bowl, Hollywood Bowl, Santa Anita, Getty, etc. The nearest
"real" city, with a performing arts center, museums, large
shopping malls, and good ethnic restaurants, is about an hour
away. Atlanta and Charlotte are almost two hours away. The area is not a
haven for liberals. (But folks are surprisingly tolerant.) I do miss the
folks at the college. Our daughter can only join us a couple of times a
year.
The advantages are considerable. The cost of living is much
lower. Housing costs are about 40 percent of those in the area we left.
The home we bought is on a lake, with our own dock, and great mountain
views. It is much larger than the one we left, but cost much less. The
roads we travel are almost always empty. There is very little crime. The
people are great. There are fifty waterfalls within an hour's drive. We
live near a university that allows us to audit classes for free. There
is much more to do than we have time for.
I am not much of a fan of change. But this one seems to be
working. &
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“There
are some disadvantages to
life in the slow lane. No Greek Theater, Rose Bowl, Hollywood Bowl,
Santa Anita, Getty, etc.”
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