“If Once You Have Slept On An Island” by James Wyeth.
Last week a coworker moved to Cleveland, which would be a heck of a commute if it were Cleveland, Tennessee, but, no, she moved to Cleveland, Ohio, which I’ve visited and thought was a pretty cool town. I visited the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and I got to walk around the Botanical Garden while it was still under construction because I wandered in while the building crew was all out on a lunch break. It didn’t look like much at the time–there was a lot of plastic sheeting and plants in pots, but I’m sure it’s much nicer that they’ve finished it. Anyway I wished my coworker well and said “Don’t get lost backstage!” but that’s another story. And while I enjoyed my time in Cleveland I was there in the summer, and, nice as it was, I’m not sure it’s a place I’d want to live. I’ve checked the winter weather in Cleveland and I’m not sure I’d want to even visit in January or February.
The same day that we had a video farewell for the coworker headed to The Forest City a friend sent me an article about an island for sale. Most islands are out of my price range–I’ve checked–but this one seems like a bargain at just $339,000, which is actually doable based on the offers my wife and I have gotten for our house. It has a really nice four bedroom home already built on it and, being on an island, of course it has a spectacular view of the water. The downsides include the fact that Ducks Ledges Island island is only 1.5 acres, there’s no heat or running water, and, well, it’s an island on the ocean which means in a few years it’s likely going to be underwater. Literally. The home is built to withstand flooding but I’m not sure I’d want to stick around and find out how much flooding it can take.
It’s also in Maine. I’d mostly put this in the positive category. There are nice people in Maine, there’s a lot of fun stuff to do there, a lot of interesting wildlife–quite a bit of which shows up on the island–but it’s an area where the weather can get more than a little rough. The owner requires anyone interested to spend a night on the island, which sounds more like a setup for a Scooby Doo mystery than a real estate transaction, but it makes sense. The owner is saying caveat emptor up front and giving potential buyers a chance to suss out the caveats. I’d recommend staying overnight in the winter for anyone planning a permanent residence, but it sounds like even the current owner doesn’t stay there all year.
Also I suspect that if there’s no running water or heat the wifi is probably spotty at best which would make telecommuting difficult, so I’ll just stick closer to where there’s ice cream.
Ducks Ledges Island. Source: Insider
Might be difficult to get my RV out there. Also, if you think Rivergirl is nice, I got some chat logs to show you. 🙂 JK, River!
It would definitely be difficult to get your RV out there which is another downside of being on that island–and I think it would be good to have an RV out there as a backup against the weather. And I’m sure River has her dark side too. Hey, don’t we all?
Grrrrr, don’t know what happened but the previous comment was from me.
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I gotcha, even though WordPress has been doing some weird things lately, possibly the result of an “upgrade”.
My sister lived in Cleveland for two or three years, and she loved it. I also loved it. Cincinnati is still my favorite city in Ohio, but Cleveland is a close second – even in winter.
Maine – well, that’s on my “retire there” list. I have a few friends there, and every time I go, I don’t want to leave. Of course – I’ve only been in summer/fall. But I do love it.
And I’m always here for a Spinal Tap reference!
It’s weird to me that when I was getting ready to go to Cleveland some coworkers asked, “Why would you want to go to Cleveland?” And I looked at all the things to do there–most of which I couldn’t fit into my schedule–and said, “Why wouldn’t I want to go to Cleveland?” I still want to go back and see the botanical gardens for real, and also there’s an amazing looking science museum right next to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. And I had perch and pierogis for dinner one night, and we passed a place that promised the best paprikash in the area.
I love Cincinnati too. There’s another city where I feel like I’ve never had enough time to fully take it all in.
I think you should move to Massachusetts, Chris. We have great ice cream, heat, and lots of running water.
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There’s so much I love about Massachusetts! In fact Boston alone could keep me more than occupied for years with its art museums, science museum, the aquarium, and just strolling along the water. Plus it would be wonderful to see you again and to meet Michael and the cats. I like to think Joan and I could bond over both being from Tennessee.
Puh-leeze! You call that an island? It doesn’t even have any trees on it! I guess that technically, it is; but I want several mature trees on it if I’m going to spend that much for something that’s probably going to end up under water before I die. Never mind. Nope. I don’t need no stinkin’ island! Mona
Having an island with trees does seem like a better option since they’d provide shade and, if the weather got really cold, firewood. You wouldn’t want to cut down too many of the trees, though, since you’d quickly run out of shade.