Thanks for sharing such great photos, especially of you and your son. Beautiful.
My husband and I lived in the Phoenix, Arizona, area for decades! It began to feel like LA. Sprawling and growing so fast. The traffic was madness with road rage on the daily. My nervous system was on high alert, and my health was suffering until, finally, we decided to leave. It was challenging to make that choice, but we don't regret it even though we miss our people. We moved to a small rural town in Southern Oregon, and while being closer to the coast would have been great, the winters are too gloomy. So now, we're 2 hours away from the ocean and with old-growth forests nearby.
Did I know you were in Oregon? That is my next bucket list road trip, I'm dying to see the Oregon coast! I get what you mean about gloomy winters though. I lived in Vancouver for two years to go to college and it was soooo difficult getting through winter. Here in Calgary we have the most sunshine of any Canadian city. Even when it's -30 it's still sunny much of the time...but...no water. Booooo.
Oh, Kristi, if you get down here, please let me know. I'd love to meet in person, and you're welcome to stay. No water, but the Rogue River isn't too far.
My wife and I looked at 88 houses before landing here in our Sleeping Giant in the woods--on an interior lake hugged by cedars and pines. No boats are allowed on the lake so it is a silent dream. I'm glad we stuck to our non-negotiables of western exposure (sunsets are such a necessity) and living lakeside. We haven't been able to get out of our driveway for the last four days due to the snow that's slammed northern Ontario but nothing makes me happier than just snowshoe tracks up and down our laneway.
That literally sounds like paradise!! Especially the snowed in part. There's just something about snow days that's so cozy and a complete excuse to be lame and stay in.
Well, it's still hard to stay in with such gorgeous snow to tramp through! It's -5 today so almost beach weather. But, those Danes are bang-on with their hygge thing! You should cozy up and read this one, Kristi: My Year of Living Danishly (Helen Russell). I can see your spin-off now: My Year of Living Jamaicanly.
Nah I haven't had a reason to check on it yet. I'm in Canada now and no plans to relocate soon. But I have spotted it in the sky one dark and starry night! It looks pretty neat, glad to hear it works well.
Didn't something Musk-related just blow up over the Caribbean? 😂
Definitely an awkward, unwanted downside to support an arrogant insane billionaire. But it would keep you connected in the Venice of Africa, which looks amazing. Tradeoffs
I LOVE this pic of you and C, thanks for sharing❤️
I am one of the lucky ones who have landed in a beautiful place to live. I would never want to live on our lake because it's way too crowded, way too often. So, if I was going to live near water it would be high enough about a river to be safe from flooding.
Thanks Donna, I've always loved that pic too! Such a beautiful memory.
And yes...you DO live in a gorgeous place. I miss it out there already and definitely have plans to return after winter driving takes a back seat. But I may wait until the same time of year because it was amazing having that lake all to ourselves...tourist season seemed to be wayyy over when I was there.
I'd love to move nearer the sea, sadly it's expensive too in the UK and our water companies have ruined our coasts by pumping raw sewage into it and our rivers too. We used to have some of the cleanest in the world, sadly it's now unsafe to swim at certain times. I built a large pond with a fountain, does for now.
Thanks for the shout-out, Sister From Another Mother! I re-read that piece and still haven't escaped the ghetto. In addition to the other charms I listed we're now hearing "something" scratching around in the walls. We're about to sign a lease renewal, however, and our proximity to Central Park and one of the more reliable subway lines in the city are enough to keep us planted where we are. Oh, and relatively cheap rent. Loved reading this and am stoked to have found you here! <3
HI!!! I was hoping you’d get my bat-signal! 😁 This was kind of a repost of the one I wrote on Medium years ago and I never forget all the amazing city pictures you’ve shared. I still can’t imagine living there but you always shed such an interesting light on it.
I'd need WAY under 500K on a single income! I hadn't thought of a houseboat because it's too cold (and frozen) for at least 7 months of the year in Canada lol. I don't think that would work 😁
🫣 mwahahah! Frozen didn’t occur to me. Oops. For the first time in a year, this little lake is partially frozen. I wish there was snow.
The little lake I live on is a reservoir from rain run off from the city. It doesn’t have waves or river like movement. I turn those sounds on my Better Sleep app at night. The view of the birds and ducks is wonderful tho.
I'd never make a move to Africa. There'd be way too many unknowns for me lol. Also, I'd have to go somewhere dog-friendly, of course. But the reality is that I can't afford to make any moves these days 😂 Cost of living is too high in Canada and I don't know where else I'd want to go (where dogs can enter).
I own a firearm. I never in a million years thought I’d buy one. One must have proper training. I go to ladies day target practice every month. It’s kept in a safe.
I have pics. I’ll email you if you’re curious. BTW, many gals own firearms because they have a restraining order against a former partner, they’ve had some other awful experience or just want to protect themselves and their family. I love the gals I see every month at the range.
I watch allllll the American true crime docs...I totally understand restraining orders against nutso exes.
I have a pic of a police firearm laying in the front seat of my car in Jamaica too 😁 It's the cop I mentioned in chapter one of my book. Lord knows why the hell he left it on my front seat while he helped his friend change a tire.
I recently started watching the series, Landman, with Billy Bob. It makes Texas look like a hot, dusty shooting range. If I were to choose anywhere in America it might be Oregon.
What? No synagogue in Ganvié? Impossible! JK. I love the idea of living near water, kind of. Yes, lying in bed listening to the ocean waves is wonderful, but flooding isn't. Climate change is making us make different choices. I'm not outdoorsy at all, so living in my little house is heaven for me. No desire to live somewhere else physically, but if Canada decided to take in New York State, I could "move" that way! I would love to live in Southern Canada! xo
That's interesting because climate change and flooding was NEVER on my mind in Jamaica. However, nowadays I think of just how easy it would be for a little island to be swallowed up in a global disaster. At least here in Canada, we're pretty safe on all sides EXCEPT from your dastardly president 😂 Oh...and Vancouver. I feel like they're a tsunami away from disappearing.
Come to Thunder Bay, Ont! We’re right on the tip of Lake Superior. Plus I live minutes from a small man-made lake. Don’t come today though it’s -31 lol
Holly, I’d LOVE to come to ON and live cottage life but…is it affordable? Any cottage homes I’ve seen on the internet aren’t year round either. Is that a thing?
I just live in a residential area, but water is so close by! In our region, we call cottages “camps”. Here it’s about “camp life”. For fun, google “sleeping giant provincial park”.
I am so lucky to live next to water. It soothes my soul to just sit and listen to it. We kayak it daily in the warm months and marvel at all of the wildlife we get to share it with. Great article.
Your desire for water rings true to me. As a kid growing up in Delphos Ohio we had a smelly old canal that ran through town. We loved it! Spent hours getting in trouble along those muddy banks in every season. In summer we’d fish in the Auglaize River a few miles outside of town. A slow meandering stream with deep cool holes where the big carp and catfish hung out on hot August days, and grassy tree-lined banks that sheltered the blue gills and sunfish.
David, for some reason your smelly canal brought back memories of farm life. I was always a city girl growing up but I kept my horse on our friend’s dairy farm. We used to swim in dirty dugouts for fun lol. It’s a wonder none of us died from mad cow disease or something 😂😂
Having lived on the coast (albeit without an ocean or river view) all my life, I feel uneasy when in cities that are not on the coast and where I can see or smell the ocean. Having said that, I’m also a bit paranoid about tsunamis at tropical holiday resorts. But Harderwijk sounds like my kinda place.
Funny what we get used to, hey? I shouldn’t complain because I’m a stone’s throw from the Canadian Rockies and I ADORE being able to see them out my office window. They are so majestic and it never gets old. But still…no water.
I too get my knickers in a twist over the injustice of having to be stupid-rich just to live near a natural water feature. We have the Boise River an easy (and pretty) walk from our house, but to live within sight of it from a front porch or back yard is out of sight for us little people. I'm thinking the Netherlands sounds pretty good, especially these days in the U.S.
So interesting that you mentioned Netherlands because I have a good friend who lives there. As a single mother of 3, she can walk out her front door and be at the waterfront in a minute. She did it while we were on a video chat one day and I was like WOW.
In rural coastal Norway, it is quite possible to get housing with a view to the sea. Unfortunately, it will also come with higher unemployment percentage and next to no public transportation, but if you are a self-employed creator who can live anywhere in the world, that would not be an issue I suppose. The package also comes with lots of wind, rain, and darkness in the winter. But to a Canadian, the climate would feel downright balmy.
Thanks for sharing such great photos, especially of you and your son. Beautiful.
My husband and I lived in the Phoenix, Arizona, area for decades! It began to feel like LA. Sprawling and growing so fast. The traffic was madness with road rage on the daily. My nervous system was on high alert, and my health was suffering until, finally, we decided to leave. It was challenging to make that choice, but we don't regret it even though we miss our people. We moved to a small rural town in Southern Oregon, and while being closer to the coast would have been great, the winters are too gloomy. So now, we're 2 hours away from the ocean and with old-growth forests nearby.
Did I know you were in Oregon? That is my next bucket list road trip, I'm dying to see the Oregon coast! I get what you mean about gloomy winters though. I lived in Vancouver for two years to go to college and it was soooo difficult getting through winter. Here in Calgary we have the most sunshine of any Canadian city. Even when it's -30 it's still sunny much of the time...but...no water. Booooo.
Oh, Kristi, if you get down here, please let me know. I'd love to meet in person, and you're welcome to stay. No water, but the Rogue River isn't too far.
Grants Pass? We’re in Newport 😄
Talent. Between Medford and Ashland. We love Newport.
That’s about as far south as you can go 😄 I live that area too!
Yes! We’re about an hour north of California.
That’s awesome! I’m keeping a list of Substack people I’d love to meet in Oregon, now you’re on it!
I’ve also got @JULIA HUBBEL and @Adam Rockwell on my list 😊
We could have a meet-up.
Yes!!! That's what I'd love to do. Must love dogs though, because she goes where I go 😁
My wife and I looked at 88 houses before landing here in our Sleeping Giant in the woods--on an interior lake hugged by cedars and pines. No boats are allowed on the lake so it is a silent dream. I'm glad we stuck to our non-negotiables of western exposure (sunsets are such a necessity) and living lakeside. We haven't been able to get out of our driveway for the last four days due to the snow that's slammed northern Ontario but nothing makes me happier than just snowshoe tracks up and down our laneway.
That literally sounds like paradise!! Especially the snowed in part. There's just something about snow days that's so cozy and a complete excuse to be lame and stay in.
Well, it's still hard to stay in with such gorgeous snow to tramp through! It's -5 today so almost beach weather. But, those Danes are bang-on with their hygge thing! You should cozy up and read this one, Kristi: My Year of Living Danishly (Helen Russell). I can see your spin-off now: My Year of Living Jamaicanly.
Bahahaa living Jamaicanly. That would have been such a good book title 😂 Talk about eating regret pie!
Or, regret patty, probably.
You don't miss a beat!
Enter Starlink? Have you checked on that Wild Thing?? We have great success in the Caribbean....
Nah I haven't had a reason to check on it yet. I'm in Canada now and no plans to relocate soon. But I have spotted it in the sky one dark and starry night! It looks pretty neat, glad to hear it works well.
Didn't something Musk-related just blow up over the Caribbean? 😂
Sorry I had the impression you were headed to one of these places...I live on a boat and the water has become a necessary part of my soul.
Definitely an awkward, unwanted downside to support an arrogant insane billionaire. But it would keep you connected in the Venice of Africa, which looks amazing. Tradeoffs
I LOVE this pic of you and C, thanks for sharing❤️
I am one of the lucky ones who have landed in a beautiful place to live. I would never want to live on our lake because it's way too crowded, way too often. So, if I was going to live near water it would be high enough about a river to be safe from flooding.
Thanks Donna, I've always loved that pic too! Such a beautiful memory.
And yes...you DO live in a gorgeous place. I miss it out there already and definitely have plans to return after winter driving takes a back seat. But I may wait until the same time of year because it was amazing having that lake all to ourselves...tourist season seemed to be wayyy over when I was there.
Yes you came at a good time!
I'd love to move nearer the sea, sadly it's expensive too in the UK and our water companies have ruined our coasts by pumping raw sewage into it and our rivers too. We used to have some of the cleanest in the world, sadly it's now unsafe to swim at certain times. I built a large pond with a fountain, does for now.
Oh wow, I'm so sorry to hear that! When I see parts of the UK in movies and TV it looks so green and idyllic. Kind of sad to know the realities. 🫤
It was, then Brexit happened and we lost the regulations keeping it up, lots of campaigns going on to fix it again.
I seriously hope they do because I want to retire to a big green pasture over there...I love the accents and the beautiful cliffs!
Keep an eye on surfers against sewage in the UK. Have a map keeping track and updates on the situation. There are some good parts still.
Thanks for the shout-out, Sister From Another Mother! I re-read that piece and still haven't escaped the ghetto. In addition to the other charms I listed we're now hearing "something" scratching around in the walls. We're about to sign a lease renewal, however, and our proximity to Central Park and one of the more reliable subway lines in the city are enough to keep us planted where we are. Oh, and relatively cheap rent. Loved reading this and am stoked to have found you here! <3
HI!!! I was hoping you’d get my bat-signal! 😁 This was kind of a repost of the one I wrote on Medium years ago and I never forget all the amazing city pictures you’ve shared. I still can’t imagine living there but you always shed such an interesting light on it.
I found a couple places under 500k.
Also, have you considered a houseboat?
I'd need WAY under 500K on a single income! I hadn't thought of a houseboat because it's too cold (and frozen) for at least 7 months of the year in Canada lol. I don't think that would work 😁
🫣 mwahahah! Frozen didn’t occur to me. Oops. For the first time in a year, this little lake is partially frozen. I wish there was snow.
The little lake I live on is a reservoir from rain run off from the city. It doesn’t have waves or river like movement. I turn those sounds on my Better Sleep app at night. The view of the birds and ducks is wonderful tho.
OMG! Thank you for introducing Benin! It looks marvelous.
At 61 I have two issues of where to plotz. Good medical care nearby and Jew friendly. These are my priorities as we search areas on the east coast.
I would love to live vicariously thru you. Would you ever make the move???
I'd never make a move to Africa. There'd be way too many unknowns for me lol. Also, I'd have to go somewhere dog-friendly, of course. But the reality is that I can't afford to make any moves these days 😂 Cost of living is too high in Canada and I don't know where else I'd want to go (where dogs can enter).
It’s a pricey world we live in. Unless you want to move to Texas. Hehe.
I own a firearm. I never in a million years thought I’d buy one. One must have proper training. I go to ladies day target practice every month. It’s kept in a safe.
Picturing you at a gun range is kind of badass 😁 But also wow, you own a gun. I guess it just doesn't compute as a Canadian.
I have pics. I’ll email you if you’re curious. BTW, many gals own firearms because they have a restraining order against a former partner, they’ve had some other awful experience or just want to protect themselves and their family. I love the gals I see every month at the range.
I watch allllll the American true crime docs...I totally understand restraining orders against nutso exes.
I have a pic of a police firearm laying in the front seat of my car in Jamaica too 😁 It's the cop I mentioned in chapter one of my book. Lord knows why the hell he left it on my front seat while he helped his friend change a tire.
And get shot…..nope 😂😂
I recently started watching the series, Landman, with Billy Bob. It makes Texas look like a hot, dusty shooting range. If I were to choose anywhere in America it might be Oregon.
Love Landman! The cartel is more worrisome than a firearm. I guess they go together.
True but a cartel wouldn't be looking at the average citizen. But a gun doesnt discriminate. Y'all scare me in America!
I felt this so much. Thank you for sharing 🌊
What? No synagogue in Ganvié? Impossible! JK. I love the idea of living near water, kind of. Yes, lying in bed listening to the ocean waves is wonderful, but flooding isn't. Climate change is making us make different choices. I'm not outdoorsy at all, so living in my little house is heaven for me. No desire to live somewhere else physically, but if Canada decided to take in New York State, I could "move" that way! I would love to live in Southern Canada! xo
That's interesting because climate change and flooding was NEVER on my mind in Jamaica. However, nowadays I think of just how easy it would be for a little island to be swallowed up in a global disaster. At least here in Canada, we're pretty safe on all sides EXCEPT from your dastardly president 😂 Oh...and Vancouver. I feel like they're a tsunami away from disappearing.
Not my president. Ever. xo
Come to Thunder Bay, Ont! We’re right on the tip of Lake Superior. Plus I live minutes from a small man-made lake. Don’t come today though it’s -31 lol
Holly, I’d LOVE to come to ON and live cottage life but…is it affordable? Any cottage homes I’ve seen on the internet aren’t year round either. Is that a thing?
I can handle winters…I’m from Calgary 😁
I just live in a residential area, but water is so close by! In our region, we call cottages “camps”. Here it’s about “camp life”. For fun, google “sleeping giant provincial park”.
OMG I just did!!! Where can I pitch a tent there? It’s gorgeous!
Although I know people come here for the mountains and say the same thing lol. Grass is always greener, hey?
I am so lucky to live next to water. It soothes my soul to just sit and listen to it. We kayak it daily in the warm months and marvel at all of the wildlife we get to share it with. Great article.
Sounds like a beautiful life!!
Your desire for water rings true to me. As a kid growing up in Delphos Ohio we had a smelly old canal that ran through town. We loved it! Spent hours getting in trouble along those muddy banks in every season. In summer we’d fish in the Auglaize River a few miles outside of town. A slow meandering stream with deep cool holes where the big carp and catfish hung out on hot August days, and grassy tree-lined banks that sheltered the blue gills and sunfish.
David, for some reason your smelly canal brought back memories of farm life. I was always a city girl growing up but I kept my horse on our friend’s dairy farm. We used to swim in dirty dugouts for fun lol. It’s a wonder none of us died from mad cow disease or something 😂😂
Hooray for Dairy Farms and cow pies and horses and ponies in the summer time~!
Having lived on the coast (albeit without an ocean or river view) all my life, I feel uneasy when in cities that are not on the coast and where I can see or smell the ocean. Having said that, I’m also a bit paranoid about tsunamis at tropical holiday resorts. But Harderwijk sounds like my kinda place.
Funny what we get used to, hey? I shouldn’t complain because I’m a stone’s throw from the Canadian Rockies and I ADORE being able to see them out my office window. They are so majestic and it never gets old. But still…no water.
I too get my knickers in a twist over the injustice of having to be stupid-rich just to live near a natural water feature. We have the Boise River an easy (and pretty) walk from our house, but to live within sight of it from a front porch or back yard is out of sight for us little people. I'm thinking the Netherlands sounds pretty good, especially these days in the U.S.
So interesting that you mentioned Netherlands because I have a good friend who lives there. As a single mother of 3, she can walk out her front door and be at the waterfront in a minute. She did it while we were on a video chat one day and I was like WOW.
I mean, WHY can't we have that?? Waaaah.
In rural coastal Norway, it is quite possible to get housing with a view to the sea. Unfortunately, it will also come with higher unemployment percentage and next to no public transportation, but if you are a self-employed creator who can live anywhere in the world, that would not be an issue I suppose. The package also comes with lots of wind, rain, and darkness in the winter. But to a Canadian, the climate would feel downright balmy.
Hahaha I'm not sure about balmy but yah, winter conditions wouldn't stop me.
I've often wondered what it's like on your side of the globe. I've heard people are happier and well taken care of over there.