What will I miss about DE?

Some of you know that I am moving from DE to NC - soon. I had planned to already be there by June, but a lot of issues prevented that. My goal is now mid-September at the latest, as I want to get settled before the weather starts to change too much. Actually there's not a whole lot that I will miss, and I'm really looking forward to the change. Since so many folks have asked me what I'll miss the most, I decided to make a list - so this is it so far in order of most important first, down to that of lesser importance.

1. My son and grandkids. It will be strange not being able to see them most every day, or in just a matter of a couple of hours, depending where they happen to be.

2. The beautiful ocean beaches. Right now I just hop in my car and can be to the beach in about an hour if I decide that I want to spend the day there - either on the beach, or checking out all the shops on the boardwalk. In NC I'll be 6 hours away from the coast - not exactly a distance for a spur of the moment day away from the house.

3. Knowing my way around the area. I've lived in DE for 45 years, so pretty much can go anywhere without any issues of getting lost. Now I'll have to learn a whole new area - how to get from point A to point B and back again without getting lost. :rolleyes: Guess maybe I'll ask for a GPS for Christmas this year. ;) I don't want to depend on my niece to have to take me everywhere since there are times I'll just want to get in my car and go by myself.

4. The flat DE terrain which makes for "relatively" easy driving in the winter when there is snow/ice on the roads. I'll be living in western NC in the foothills region - very beautiful but I know I'll not want to be on those roads if they aren't clear. This will probably be my biggest challenge. :eek:

5. No DE sales tax. I just can't get used to paying tax on everything whenever I go out of state, since DE has no sales tax, and that item I buy for $15.95 costs me $15.95 - and nothing more.

6. Finding new doctors that I can trust and feel comfortable with, a new vet for Myndi for when she might need one - and a hair stylist!!!! I am so picky about how my hair gets cut and only my son's first wife has been allowed to do it for the last 25+ years. Guess maybe I'll never get it cut except on the occasions I come back up here - or just let it grow! :)

Other than all of that - I really can't say I will miss anything to the point of not wanting to leave. I'll miss leaving Sherbie and O.C. behind since they are buried in the yard, along with a few other furkids from many, many years ago before I started with the practice of having most cremated, and of course all cremains will make the move with me. Afterall - we're all going to ride the ocean currents together when my time is up and I am cremated. :):love:

Interesting list, Ellie!

Having moved a few times as an adult, I can relate to the "finding doctors and dentist and vets" concern! My first try is not always who I remain with!

And finding your way. One of my moved, I got lost first day, getting groceries in the new fridge! That was NOT a good way to start. Ha haaa. We have to put on our Pioneer hats when we relocate.

I'm sure all will go well for you and Myndi!

Gee, you didn't have 'Insufferable heat and humidity" on your list of what you'll miss? Or DC area traffic? Fresh crabs and oysters from the shore?

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Originally Posted by Karen

Gee, you didn't have 'Insufferable heat and humidity" on your list of what you'll miss? Or DC area traffic? Fresh crabs and oysters from the shore?

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LOL. Even tho I'll be in Western NC, believe it or not, the weather there is just about the same as we have here - right down to the miserable humidity. A few years ago when I was down visiting, it was so unbearably hot and humid, that we had to hibernate in the house most of the time. And this year their weather has been right in line with ours here too - including the torrential rains. About the only difference there is that they don't get slammed with Nor'easters like we do.

DC traffic?? - nope - being in central DE we are far from that mess - thankfully!

And the fresh crabs and oysters??? - I haven't been able to eat any of them for the past several years since I developed an allergy to shellfish. Don't care for oysters anyway, tho I could eat my weight in steamed clams dipped in drawn butter. :love: Now my mouth is watering at the thought.....

Hmmmmm.....why are you moving?

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Originally Posted by Cataholic

Hmmmmm.....why are you moving?

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I'm way overdue for a change of scene. I'm stagnating here...:p

I hope your move goes smoothly Ellie! I hope you enjoy living in NC! :)

Just getting to your list Pom---having a hard time checking in here , we've had company for the last 2 weeks and this week our oldest is visiting with his family, enjoying every minute with the kids though.
That's a pretty good list---think if I moved my list would be a lot like yours. I'm anxious for the big move so you can tell us all about the new place , hope you get that GPS--I know I could never navigate a new city without one.
Wonder if you developped the allergy to shellfish after having a cat scan----that's when I developped mine. After they use the isotope dyes a lot of people develop the same allergy. They've stopped using it around here unless absolutely necessary-- just too many horrid side effects besides the allergy to shellfish.
You and Myndi will enjoy the move and the new surroundings, Myndi doesn't care where she goes as long as it's with you.:D

I also wonder why you are moving? If I lived as close to the ocean as you do right now, there is no way I would move. And to North Carolina!!

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Originally Posted by Grace

I also wonder why you are moving? If I lived as close to the ocean as you do right now, there is no way I would move. And to North Carolina!!

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I've lived in NC all my life and it's a great state with wonderful friendly people. We have the ocean to the east, rolling hills in the middle of the state called the Piedmont, and the mountains to the west. Years ago NC was hailed as "Variety Vacationland". I suppose most people think their state is the best... guess it's what you get used to.

Ellie, Once you get to the western part of NC, contact me if you want to meet. My friend and I are quite willing to drive to meet and visit you. ... Kay in central NC

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Originally Posted by kaycountrygal

I've lived in NC all my life and it's a great state with wonderful friendly people. We have the ocean to the east, rolling hills in the middle of the state called the Piedmont, and the mountains to the west. Years ago NC was hailed as "Variety Vacationland". I suppose most people think their state is the best... guess it's what you get used to.

Ellie, Once you get to the western part of NC, contact me if you want to meet. My friend and I are quite willing to drive to meet and visit you. ... Kay in central NC

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I've always loved NC and I really am looking forward to making that my home. I will miss the close proximity of the ocean that I have now, but it's not too far to travel for a long weekend stay at the Outer Banks. My niece has the motor home up for sale - no way either of us could handle that monster :eek: ,and she is looking into a smaller RV - as she calls them - a mini van on steroids! She hopes to be able to retire in a year or two, and is wanting to do some traveling. We have relatives in FL, IL, MN, VT, and of course here in DE, so that alone would keep us busy whenever we wanted to hit the road. Time will tell what happens tho.

Yeah - I suppose that most people think that their state is the best - but I have no great love for DE - other than the beaches. It's actually quite a dull and boring place, and I wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for my ex's job taking him here years ago. It's a nice (mostly) quiet place to live - mostly farmland - and of course we are just a matter of a couple of hours from Philly, DC, Baltimore, and a couple more on top of that to NY. Somehow people get used to the quiet and laid-back lifestyle here, and don't venture far from home tho!!! :p

And Kay - since you are only about 2 hours from Hickory - then we will definitely get together once I get settled. :)

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Originally Posted by Grace

I also wonder why you are moving? If I lived as close to the ocean as you do right now, there is no way I would move. And to North Carolina!!

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But you did move, Gretchen! (The Great Lakes are not the Atlantic.:))

Pat, who also moved from New England to Michigan and still misses N.E.

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Originally Posted by phesina

But you did move, Gretchen! (The Great Lakes are not the Atlantic.:))

Pat, who also moved from New England to Michigan and still misses N.E.

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That I did - when I was young and stupid :)

Have you ever seen Lake Superior? You stand and look out and can't see land - sort of like looking out at the Atlantic. The water is colder and not salty, but it is a huge expanse of blue.

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Originally Posted by Grace

Have you ever seen Lake Superior? You stand and look out and can't see land - sort of like looking out at the Atlantic. The water is colder and not salty, but it is a huge expanse of blue.

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I made it to Lake Michigan many moons ago when I was just a kid. Holy mackerel - talk about cold..........:eek:

Every time I think about any of the Great Lakes - the song "Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald" pops into my head. Am I weird - or what????? :p

Oh no - now that will be stuck in my head all day. Thanks Gretchen and Pat! :rolleyes:

Ahhh, "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"... thank you, Ellie, and thank you, Gordon Lightfoot! Now this has been stuck in my head all day too!

I've been to Lake Superior once.. When I was about 15 or 16, my family took a vacation trip to the Upper Peninsula. This was not long after the Mackinac Bridge linking Michigan's Lower and Upper Peninsulas had been built and opened to the public, and it was a big deal then to take the 5-mile stretch of it. (Still is for many, and I'm sure myself if I ever get up that way again.) We were quite thrilled driving across.

(Historical note: I was born in Detroit, grew up in Dearborn [Detroit suburb], in the southeastern corner of the state. I moved to Boston in 1969 and lived in the Boston area and then Providence until 2002. In many ways, that area became home to me in ways that Michigan never had been and still isn't really. But after some serious medical and other problems I moved back here, to Ann Arbor where my sister and her partner live, to be near my remaining family.)

The first night, we stayed in a motel in St. Ignace, just over the bridge on the U.P. We were treated to a display of Northern Lights that night! Not the colored kind, but beautiful shimmering layers of white light hanging in the sky.. still, not something you ever see around Detroit. ;)

The next day we traveled along the northern coast of the U.P., which was my one visit to Lake Superior. I do not recall if we actually stopped and took a dip in the lake. It is the largest of the Great Lakes and the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, with a volume of roughly 3-quadrillion gallons (see http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/superior/facts). I've heard that the Lake Superior water is MUCH colder than that of Lake Michigan!

We also visited Sault Ste. Marie* and watched the Soo Locks in operation, raising or lowering the water level of the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, so that a ship can pass through from one lake to the other. The locks bypass the rapids of the river, where the water falls 21 feet (7 m) !!!:eek::eek:

It was a delightful trip all around!


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*Interesting factlet I just learned about Sault Ste. Marie: While there are two of them, across the St. Marys River from each other, one in Michigan and one in Ontario, they were originally ONE PLACE!!!...

"Sault Ste. Marie is a cross-border region in Canada and the United States. Formerly a single settlement from 1668 to 1817, it was subsequently divided by the establishment of the Canada–US border in the area." -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sault_Ste_Marie

Thanks for that tour, Pat - that was really interesting. I never got to tour any of that area as an adult, but have always been fascinated by the area and some of the history surrounding it.
I only visited in IL once - Chicago vicinity - and that was when I got to go to Lake Michigan. I was only about 9 or 10 years old, so that's the only real memory I have of it. The family had taken a trip out there to visit my brother. He and his first wife were living in the Des Plaines/Crystal Lake (?) area - or somewhere in that vicinity. I did go out to Michigan as an adult, but it was more as a babysitter - to keep my friend's small kids occupied, as they had to make arrangements and attend the funeral of a family member.

And I've been going around the house all day, humming Gordon Lightfoot songs. I sure did like him and other folk singers of that era - and definitely miss those oldies.

Woo-Hoo - I just dug out my CD of GL's Greatest hits. I'll have to put it on tomorrow while I sit on the floor - trying to brush and trim up Myndi. Then she's headed for a bath. She will not be a happy camper..........:eek: