What I Am Missing

For some reason, I have been missing three things recently.

These three things are California, and being on an African safari. I also miss living in a city with a downtown area. I will explain.

I left California more than 11 years ago when I retired. I could have stayed in my little house in the area south of San Francisco, but I needed to take my daughter away from the toxic 'friends' that led her into trouble. And I didn't want to be tied to a mortgage for a couple of decades after retirement.

I really liked New Mexico, so we moved here a month after I retired. I bought a beautiful house roughly twice the size of my California house, with amazing mountain views and 1/2 acre of land. And it cost a whole lot less than my little house in California.

I still love my current house, but at the same time, I also miss California. I miss the temperate Mediterranean climate and the wonderful farmers' markets held weekly throughout the year. I miss the easy access to Trader Joe's. But I don't miss the high cost of living, the traffic, the houses crammed together, the high taxes and the high price of everything.

I also really miss going on safari in Africa, something I have done nine times in the past few years. I have been to Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa. My most recent trip was in April of this year. Some trips were all about photography, while others were 'just' safaris. But as I told a couple of friends with whom I have traveled to Africa, I make every trip a photo safari simply by taking my cameras and lenses with me each time we leave on a game drive.

I can no longer afford to buy a house in California, so moving back there is not an option. The house I sold in 2010 is now more than twice as expensive. Even tiny 800-square-foot homes sell for just under $1 million. But with sub-freezing temperatures now upon us, I do greatly miss the moderate climate of California. But it's really nice not having a monthly mortgage payment.

i still longingly look at houses in the San Francisco area online, but not surprisingly, they are all out of reach unless I am willing to settle for an 800 square foot condominium that costs twice as much as my 2,300 square foot house. That is not how I want to spend my life, and I'm sure my dogs wouldn't like it, either. 

Finally, I miss living in a city with a downtown area. The city where I lived in California didn't have much of a downtown, but one city over did have a downtown that was just a block long. It was filled with restaurants and quirky shops, and it hosted the farmers' market each Saturday. And it was nicely decorated for the Christmas season, and just a block away from a mall.

I have a photography trip planned to California this winter, and a photography trip to Nzmibia next year, as well as a photography trip to Tanzania planned for 2023. In the meantime, I keep busy with travel to other interesting places, always accompanied by one or more cameras..

I know I can't have everything I want all the time, and I am truly fortunate to live the life I have in retirement. I just wish I could bring California's weather back with me when I finish my next visit to the Golden State!