Snowbird Questions: Why Would You Ever Do That?

Our friends in Arizona are very precious. We
could not wait to begin this part of our life.

Writing about our retirement and what is has and will mean to us has raised a lot of questions with my followers. I suppose being a snowbird is puzzling to many people. How do you manage two houses? Where do you go? How long do you stay?  And so it goes.

There are so many choices these day for people that want to leave the cold in the winter. I want to talk about RV resort living today.

A question I received yesterday went like this:

Would love to be an AZ snowbird, but we can't wrap our brain [around] paying for lot rental for the six months we wouldn't be living there. We would be interested in any thoughts/advice about this. (We don't have an RV so would love to buy an older park model in a senior park.)

Normally when people come to a RV resort like the one we live in, they will rent a park model or come in an RV.  Usually they end up buying a park model.

Many of the units available now are old and can be snatched up in March or April at bargain basement prices. The reason for this is that the rent for the next year will be coming due and paying the rent is costly. If people are going to sell and haven't found a buyer during the snowbird season, this is when they need to sell fast. It is a money matter.

Once the plunge to buy something is taken, the new owner pays the year's rent immediately. It will probably be over $4500. That works out to a little less than $390 a month.The justification for paying rental for 12 months when we only stay 6 or 7 is one that stops people in their tracks. It does seem to those people like a waste of money. The purchase for the park model may be minimal but the rent is not.

The life here in Tucson offers so many beautiful experiences.

It is all relative I think. We come south because it is very good for our physical and mental health. It is not a choice in our particular case. When we weigh the cost of buying a condo or renting compared with the cost for owning a park model, it seems to be a win-win situation. If there is any extra cost in that choice, we still feel it is worth it. A RV resort offers a lot of amenities that condo units don't. It also offers a community of people that become very good friends.

But above all, for people that are waiting, waiting, waiting, I can only say that as you age time is not on your side. Your health my suffer because you cannot be as active when the weather is bad. So...Tic Toc! Do what you can afford and enjoy life. Don't wait until the grandchildren are grown or the cat/dog dies. Don't wait for prices to fall because the likelihood of that happening are nil now. After all, if you wait too long, you will miss your chance.

Pickle Ball is a hot game in our park.
The courts are used every day. We actually
need more than we have.

So that is what I think. Please add to the conversation if you would like. And of course, I always welcome your questions.

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The articles you see below are ones I have written. I think you will find more information if you check them out. You can also click on the labels below.

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Travel to Puerto Penasco, Mexico: Where the USA and Mexico Rub Shoulders

Pto. Penasco is on the NE shore of the Gulf of California

Travel is one of the great joys of my life.  I love learning about people and watching the world from a different perspective. My husband and I have been lucky enough to see cultures unlike our own and to learn that our values are not necessarily all that there is. It has become so much of a part of our being we had forgotten the shock of seeing the lifestyle in third world countries. But while seeing the world through the eyes of our friends, I felt a certain degree of surprise again that people surviving in such hard circumstances.

Las Palomas Beach and Golf Resort

Golfing in the Sun

Sandy Beach at Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mx

This last week our group visited a border town in Mexico very close to Tucson. After a drive through the Tohono Oodam native American reservation and south into Mexico, we arrived at the 5 star Las Palomas Beach Golf Resort on the Gulf of California. The journey was marked by a delay because of a car wreck involving a crime scene that forced a trip on the back roads through the reservation. The drive that would have normally take 5 hours was lengthen by almost 2 hours. We went through the Border Patrol checkpoints along the way and we were allow to enter Mexico after our car was looked over by Mexican authorities. Our passport was not checked when we left the country...just when we reentered the USA. Even at the outset, the short vacation lost all resemblance to our quiet life here in Tucson.

Las Palomas condos all have a view
of the Gulf of California beach.

Puerto Penasco is located only 60 miles south of the border but is it a world away from what we see in a normal day here in the USA. There are lot of expats in the community, huge resorts, golf courses, and in town there was a lively small market district. Because the Mexican way of life involves bargaining hawkers are after you all the time. But most of all there is evidence of poverty. Like almost every community in the USA, there is drug trade and crime.

Their resort business has suffered because citizens of the United States are frightened by news of drug lords and  I think US citizens expect to see gunfights in the streets. We were grateful our friends were willing to come with us.

At the Las Palomas Resort we were treated to a upscale condo experience. Inside the resort the pools were constantly clean and a quick call to the desk would get you all the maid service you could desire. It is a gated resort with security. The food was wonderful and the water filtered/purified. Outside the resort was a different world.

I need you to understand that we didn't see the situation as bad. But dirt streets and shacks that served as home to people let us know that the division between the haves and the have nots was wide indeed.

The Mexican government is building a dock for cruise ships north of the town so I think things will be getting better and better for the citizens. Jobs for those that are willing to work will be more readily available.

The thing that is most difficult for Americans to understand is that a third world culture is very unique. Things we see as awful really are not. It is not bad...it is just different. But it did take some adjustment in attitude because we were so close to the USA.

Roof top view from a small restaurant in Old Town Puerto Penasco
near the Malecon. Resorts in the background.

We golfed, ate wonderful food, walked on the sandy beach and bought fresh shrimp to bring home. All in all a visit to this small fishing community was worth the time...interesting, enlightening and most of all wonderful. In the end we were glad to be home...but then we always are!

Have a wonderful day.

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We celebrated my husband 76th birthday at Blue Mar Restaurant (rated best in recent years)

Ultra light planes are available for rent!

The setting was stunning!

Vacation: Week #2 in Mexico with my Orange Nike Tennis Shoes!

I won't even bore you with the details. We don't zoom around trying to see it all. In fact, I really don't even want that type of vacation. Taking the time to absorb what is around us is the important thing.

We have walked everywhere on the resort because we need the exercise and we get to see things that people on the shuttles miss. Honestly, I suppose we could take a jungle tour but I wonder if we would see more than we do here when we pay attention.

We were having coffee on the lanai this morning when what looked like a very big guinea pig wandered across the road. We have found a crocodile that lives in the lake nearby. It is fairly lazy unless it is startled and then it will be gone in a flash.  I haven't named it yet but I am on a first name basis with the giant iguana that lives in the tree and on the wall near us. He know who I am certainly. I like that a lot.

An iguana is by nature a little lazy I think but I don't mess with it.  It's tail is a weapon and it can move at the speed of light! I have a telephoto lens that allows me to get up close an personal without any danger to me. Besides I have these cool orange tennis shoes that help me blend in with the environment!

Have a wonderful day!

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Retire in Tucson or How We Live in Style Affordably!

Agua Caliente Park, Tucson AZ

Living the Snow Bird Life

The area around Tucson AZ attracts a great many snow birds.  They come flocking in during the fall to fill RV resort, apartments, and condo rentals. Golf course fill up and the driving habits of all those seniors cause younger people to pull their hair. Grocery stores are full of shoppers and the nurseries order extra plants so these visitors can fill a pot of small garden with winter flowers.  The snow birds in Tucson and Green Valley just south of Tucson increase the population considerable. We find the cost of living to be very affordable in this area so we have chosen to make it our winter home.  We live in Oregon in the summer.

Snow Birds Yearnings
The robins are back here in Oregon. Their flight path south and north takes them through town for a short period of time. In the spring they come to visit and chirp their happy song every time the sun appears.  If it is a partly cloudy day they wake up again and again every time the sun emerges. In the fall they do much the same but because it rains a lot here we have not heard them before today. We like Robins!

If we are not beginning to think about traveling south for the winter by the time they come in the fall something is very wrong.  I opened my eyes this morning as the sun appeared through the golden trees and the song of the Robin greeted me in the morning air.  It must be time!

We are three weeks away from leaving Oregon and I have begun the count down to the day we close the house for the winter.  I am a woman so all travels begin with my clothes and the things that make a shelter a home no matter where we travel in the world. I carry quite a few kitchen tools with me to Arizona and take some plants back and forth.  When we travel I carry some pictures.  I know it seems foolish but those are the things that give me comfort.

My husband is in charge of computer packing, tools, and the other mundane items needed to maintain both places.  Our park model is waiting for us in Tucson.  We have chosen to live in the small space because it is affordable and we have a built in group of friends when we return each year.  We like that.  It is a bit like moving back into the college dorm after summer vacation.

Creative Lifestyle for Snowbirds

A game of cards on the deck.  Tucson AZ

Many of my friends are quilters.  In the RV resort we live in, people have spaces for quilting, beadwork, silver and lapidary and wood working.  We play pickle ball, bocci ball, cards, pool and bingo.  Most seniors have that creative need and love to indulge in their whims while they are away from their family.  Those new to the lifestyle do miss their families and some even feel the need to fly home mid year. These hobbies help them adapt.  Soon they begin to realize that the winter break is good for their family as well as for themselves.

Almost everyone that comes to our park and buys a park model will immediately begin making the small space their own.  The aesthetics of their surroundings continue to be very important to us all.

Animals in the RV Resort
We will be taking our cat south this year.  He had been boarding at my daughter's family for several years but he is getting a bit old and not a reliable as he once was.  He is ours so we will take responsibility for his care, feeding and general spoiling.  He is a very good old cat.  In our RV resort you can have a cat if you keep it in the house.  If you have a dog you need to live on a street called doggy row.  I guess barking dogs are not appreciated everywhere!

Have a wonderful day and come on down and visit us!

Note:  I have added the list of blogs on the left so you can see a few of the blogs I follow.  I added The Casablanca Transformation today.  The author has some beautiful creative and inexpensive ways to make her home beautiful.  Check it out!

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Technorati Tags: Tucson, Travel, Retirement, LifeStyle

How to Afford a Winter Season "Home"

What do you think?  Leave a comment! (see more Park Model Information)


Do I want a vacation home in the warm sun? Yes but how can I afford that???

We are always in such a rush to get on with our retirement life that we will make decisions about it long before we have even giving the choices a try. Really, there are a lot of choices. I want to talk today about the choices you will make concerning those cold winter month you endure in the north part of the USA. Should you travel, buy a second home, a prefab park model/trailer or just stay in the north and tough it out? That is what I know about.

Living at the end of the rainbow!

I have known people that saved for that beautiful RV or fifth wheel, bought it as soon as they retired, traveled south to stay in an RV Resort and wonder if they have made the right choice.  An RV or fifth wheel can be very, very expensive.  When they arrive here in our RV resort and see the charming little prefab park models, they realize that they could have a park model home for much less that they paid for their last car...a lot less. When they compare the cost to what they paid for their RV they are shocked.  They would not need to drive a park model through snow drifts to get here every winter.  They would not need to store it in the summer. They would not need to buy gas (yikes!) or maintain a pickup if they are towing a fifth wheel.

Others come for one month to stay in a vacation rental. Maybe they will rent a condo for a lot $$$ or an apartment in a run down complex for less $. Then one day they will be out exploring and discover the RV resorts. After an inquiry they realize that they can live in a very nice place and not be afraid or spend a fortune on a condo rental!

Our Park Model on the End of the Street

I bet that not one new person that has come to our RV Resort has avoided running this through their minds. Our resort is so appealing that almost everyone that stays here is drawn to it's small resort charm and big resort amenities.  Those of us living here would keep it a secret if we could.  We have a great life.

I personally look at our park model like a clunker car.  Old, or new the manufactured home as really very nice. We will ride ours hard and put it away wet for as long as we live.  Then like that old clunker car, we will give it away for almost nothing. I do not see it as an investment anymore that I see a vacation as an investment.  It is just pleasure money down the drain. That is why we saved when we were younger. I don't worry about the rent on the space...it really is cheaper than renting a park model. We are so comfortable and surrounded by our own stuff.

If we were to invest in a new prefab park model we would leave it to our children. Then they could use it hard for many years. Many of the people living here are second generation.

It is a luxury we can afford and that is the best kind!

I live in Rincon Country East RV Resort but there are so many here in Tucson you really should check around.  Voyager Resort used to be a 10-10-10 in Camper Life and even has a small golf course restaurant and motel.  They also have a lot of Park Models.

If you have any questions fell free to leave a comment and I will reply.

Be well.

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Snowbirds Behaving Badly...again!

Near my home in TucsonCOMMENTS 

I received a comment the other day on an old blog called How to be a Snowbird.  The comment said:

The number one thing that snowbirds need to do is to polish up their good manners. As a former resident of Yuma, AZ -- and yes, one of the 5 top reasons we left was because of winter visitors -- we were appalled by the "Ugly American" mentality and behavior of way too many snowbirds. Remember -- when you pull into some town, you are pulling into somebodies hometown -- their home. Be courteous. 

I could only imagine what these people had experienced.  It seems to me that any group of old people or snow birds or even young people will have a few bad apples.  As I have said before if a human is rude, unethical or even criminal when they are young, they will be just the same when they are old.  Truly, there is no such thing as a cute little old man/woman when they behave themselves in a way that makes those around them uncomfortable. The same standard that applies to those of us that are young must apply to those of us that are old.


For example, I give you a very bad old person that lived in this RV resort.  Some thought he was "cute".  He  received porno in the mail daily.  He was prosecuted just before he died for molesting a young girl.  He was a very wicked young person and did not get over it when he was old.  Cute does not now nor every has applies to a person like this.  But he was only one bad apple.  A little over a year ago I wrote a post called Old People Behaving Badly.  This is what I said to snow birds:

 ...you cannot behave badly or break laws or put other people in danger or "swear in the streets" or do any of the other things that you might think you can get away with because you are old. First of all, yesterday's old is today's middle age.  You may not be old at all.   Secondly, there are getting to be a huge number of old people so we need to remain civilized as long as possible. Thirdly, the laws applies to old people too. You really should not drive if you need oxygen to stay alive or cross three lanes of traffic at one gulp. But most importantly, acting as though we have license to behave badly [because we are old] just makes you and everyone else miserable.

So I would say to you, encourage that seniors are held to the same standard of the law and behavior as everyone.  If a senior or a young person is rude to you, remember what goes around comes around.  Generally, karma will come back and bite the person that is rude so you don't need to.

But here is a lesson in life.  No group of people should be painted with the brush of guilt just because some behave themselves very badly.  That is what we call bigotry.  To the commenter from Yuma I will give an apology in so far as I can.  But I do want you to all know that my friends volunteer in our community when they come south.  They cook meals for the homeless, attend church and spend their money freely.  They are law abiding and well meaning. 

Tucson welcomed the snow birds and their money this year.  The city begans to thrive as it should even though traffic becomes heavier and restaurants are full when people come to eat.  Snow birds are sustaining this community in the only way they know how.  They are living here.


Every snowbird should realize that if you are guest in a community, behave yourself appropriately.  As the commenter said "This is someones hometown."  If you become a resident for part of the year,  do your part...no one owes you anything. 

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