The home we built to retire in – Brambleton, Va. – just behind the Dulles Airport!

It has been over twelve years for Sherry ( she retired early ) and ten years for me!

We had thought that we would retire in this community in Loudoun County –

But a few things happened.

Our youngest daughter and her family who lived a mile from us – MOVED – not far –

some 16 miles away – but you have to understand – we picked up the granddaughters

every day after school – and there were days we had Bode when he did not have pre-school.

We would walk to their home and they would ride bikes with their parents to our house.

Overnight stays were common – trips to the community pools –

We were involved daily and that changed.

You might say – Well we could drive there – but when you are a senior – TRAFFIC bothers you!

And NVA has traffic – and they are just crazy!

We did not like having to drive that distance after being able to walk to their home.

I know – that is selfish of us – and we loved their new home and they loved being in a single-family home with neighbor kids and country living!

Once there – it was so nice – and to be truthful – our neighborhood was what I call a –

“GARAGE DOOR NEIGHBORHOOD”

It goes up when they leave for work – closes and opens again

when they return and closes again.
that’s it!

Outside of a couple neighbors – we had no close friends – it was always in transition.

A beautiful place – a growing community – four High Schools and only one when we moved there.

Our home was beautiful – we walked the fifteen miles of trails daily.

I would sit daily in retirement on the front porch and see dozens of people walking or biking by –

But I knew none of them!

I spent my time grooming the yard – we planted flowers that came back each year –

I hand-dug and planted three Crepe Myrtles and three green-type trees that went straight up

by the fence – I had a wild strawberry patch that the twins would sit down and eat one by one.

Cassidy would tell me how soft the grass was on her bare feet and how cool it felt in the shade.

Living here in retirement was our goal when we built it – we watched as the neighborhood

grew and grew – expanding – schools being built –

a complete town was built with a bank – markets – stores – theater – library and multiple restaurants.

A fifteen-acre park with basketball courts – tennis courts – playgrounds at different sites –

a large pond and huge boulders with waterfalls.

Three community pools were opened.

A sports complex – ball fields soccer fields and cricket fields were submitted and the over 200-acre park with all this was completed after we left!

Brambleton was and is now a destination point for people who work in D.C.

And the Metro came after we moved!

The Washington Commander’s headquarters was five miles away.

We could have driven three miles – hopped on the Metro and went into D.C. or got off at the Dulles International Airport to fly out!

After a short one-half-hour drive we were in the famous “HORSE COUNTRY” of Middleburg –

Where Jackie Kennedy rode horses and Christopher Reeves fell and became Paralyzed.

Then the second reason happened in our retirement – the bottom fell out of the stock market –

The 401K dropped like a lead balloon – it burst!

We lost and we lost big time – 33% disappeared overnight!

We still had our pensions – small as they are – our lifeline Social Security –

which after 79 1/2 years between us we paid into instead of wages and benefits – AND EARNED!

And we had Sherry’s home-based business going on 19 years –

with a monthly income – The Juice Plus Company has been very good for us!

We could survive but it was very expensive – where we lived –

the highest per income in the country!

BUT – the housing market took off and we gained what we lost in the 401K back in the house.

TIME TO SELL AND MOVE!

We would leave our families – but only be a seven-hour drive away –

and go to warmer weather!

The area we had always liked was the area of Wilmington, N.C.

and South of that!

I started to google and found a condo in Ocean Keyes , North Myrtle Beach – S.C.

That would give us time to research and find a place to live!

This was the two reasons we decided to sell and move South – leaving family and friends.

Our journey into retirement had its dreams and pitfalls – but we found our end of the rainbow-

I hope this gives inspiration to those who go into retirement and have to make changes.

Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD – my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog

THE YEARS OF RETIREMENT HAVE GONE BY REALLY FAST!

PAPA’S WORLD – RETIREMENT – GOING REALLY FAST!

CAMERON WOODS COMMUNITY – OCEAN ISLE BEACH – NORTH CAROLINA!