Several decades ago, Jolene and I visited her parents in Arizona. They were newly retired and were thoroughly enjoying their time in the warm-weather climate. I had never been to Arizona, or any sort of retirement community, so this was an eye-opener for me. No plant life. No animal life. No children. Too hot to go outside. And, I was convinced someone was going to die at the restaurant we dined at. Don’t get me started on the demolition derby of shopping carts going every which direction at the grocery store either. As a young man in my 20s, I couldn’t get out of Arizona fast enough.
Three decades have passed, and I am starting to understand the draw. Don’t get me wrong. I am not ready to pack up and move to any land of sand quite yet. I enjoy Iowa’s winters and each change of season too much, but I don’t fault others who seek the warmth. My dad worked outside every day of his life, and the changes in weather made his body ache. He said he never felt better than when he was living in Arizona. It’s difficult to argue with that.
Maybe you are thinking about the snowbird life, but you are not sure where to go, what to do, where to start. With that in mind, we interviewed several Lake Panorama residents who are making the transition back and forth and are truly enjoying the best of both worlds.
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Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Lake Panorama Times
641-332-2707
shane@gctimesnews.com