Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucky1
I understand isolation but not space and privacy. I mean do you want to see someone pulling out of their driveway and asking how Tracy's pneumonia is? Would they ask if there is anything they can cook while you are off in Waltham? Do you want to know others in your neighborhood? I mean I am the type that makes friends with a couple who rent for a week next door to me each year and ask them over for lunch. I like to see others swimming or boating not all that far away but not on top of me. I would not want to be alone on any great amount of space for sure. Now you are a couple, but one of you or the other of you may be off at work in Weirs or the Science Center or Waltham etc. I also personally like to see a few lights in windows and know that there are a few hearty souls that are there in winter when I go up to the simple little home that I love so much.
Here's the thing. Past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior. Do you participate in neighborhood activities? Do you go to area fairs etc. I would think that you would be a joiner. So you are not going to be isolated in your work hours or volunteer hours. It is in your home that you may be way off from others? In New Hampshire? In the winter? Are you sure? No smoke coming out of the chimney up the hill? No one to ask about the trailor. For someone considering not being at all near to people, look at all the people you ask for opinions? Does this change when you are settled? I guess you can just continue to come here for any questions. The Forum is a great source of information. It is not quite the same as talking to a real person in real life that you just passed while walking with the dogs? That is more like, You say, "Did you hear that loud noise last night?" Then the other person says, "Yes I did! What do you think it was?" See what I mean?
How many acres do you need? I mean the more acres you get the farther away from others you are. So you have to only decide what is privacy and what is isolation I guess. Mileage is not going to change. Is driving down a long road away from other people and other things what you want? You might get used to it. But it is not going to become shorter mileage.
This can go on and on a bit in life. What about long distances to things that you rely on is going to get shorter? You may be super organized. Looking at how you plan for a move, I would bet that you are. However in life, things change. You are at an age where the world is at the tip of your fingers. The thing is that as you age, sometimes your fingers get a bit gnarled. And then the road seems a lot longer and a lot harder. There is something to be said for being able to get what you need, especially when you get older and maybe your eyes see less well etc. I know you are still young. But planning ahead in a house purchase where there can be difficult winters and one of you alone at times, will bring dividends in twenty years.
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Thank you Lucky1 for this thoughtful post . As usual you bring some good ideas to the conversation. I want to respond to few things. First is that we're not looking to be completely away from people. When I think of privacy, I am thinking my neighbors can't see in our windows. The house is set back from the street a bit. As for space, 2-4 acres is very nice. We want room for the doggies to run around.
Where I grew up we had about 4 acres and you couldn't see the house from the road, but I could yell through the woods to my next door neighbor friend and our walkie talkies were in range of one another. (pre-cell phone days) Behind our house there was a path through the woods that led to a pond. You could see filtered views of other houses on the path, but you felt like you were in nature.
I like the idea of neighborhood, but with trees or a buffer between the houses. I could see us up on Belknap Mountain Rd. in Gilford and driving down to the village to meet and greet...or going to some community thing in town. Same with some places in Meredith.
As for consolidating runs to the store and errands, I think that is a much better way to live. Less gas, less pollution. We are not trying to simulate what we have now as far as convenience or shopping. In fact we want to do a whole lot LESS shopping and more DOING. I think it's nice to take a scenic drive to the store. Nothing like a mountain view to give you perspective.
And yes, we are looking towards the future when we are not so spry, but we may want to downsize again and go for the no maintenance condo.