Reverse Snowbird

 

Change of Venue

 

Testing in La-La Land

Yes that is a photograph of someone being tested for the corona virus in a golf cart. Here in The Villages, Florida we have drive-thru testing in all forms of recreational vehicles. Being that this is the largest retirement community in the country with more golf holes (648) than any property on the planet, it makes sense that nearly everything is accessible by golf cart.

Now to the dreaded virus. University of Florida Health has taken the opportunity of this unusual population density to offer not only clinical testing but also a general testing protocol to collect ongoing data on the virus within this high risk population. The average age here is over 70.

The testing slots are limited and they usually run out of tests before the week is over but UF Health practitioners are out there every day while supplies last. The website for appointments often fills up early each day of testing but there are random slots open at times.

There were appointments open three days ago, so my sister-in-law and I decided to do our part. We set up appointments for the following morning and headed for the very efficient set-up at The Villages Polo Fields. Check-in, ID verification, recheck and a quick medical history were all done while we sat, masks in place, in our golf cart. Test was quick and only mildly irritating.

Yes, I know I buried the lede - We got our results today and we both tested negative.

A Day in a Birdcage

Local culture comes in all forms - social, dietary, linguistic, artistic . . . You name it, there are variations from continent to country to region, state, district and even neighborhoods. In Florida, and I assume in other tropical areas, there exists an architectural and cultural anomaly called "the birdcage." An open air, screened area, typically on the back of a house and often facing the golf course, lake or manicured yard.

Here in The Villages, the majority of the homes are built with an attached lanai or Florida room. The design begs for and the other thousands of homes almost demand that new owners add their own birdcage. And since there are half a dozen or more contractors specializing in the task.

My brother and sister-in-law made the caging move since I was here last year. Now there is an additional 400 square feet of indoor/outdoor living space. Most days are now under 80 degrees (a mere 70 when we shot these photos).I often spend part of each day writing under the birdcage.

The azaleas and hibiscus are in bloom. An occasional bird lands in the palm tree, driving the cats into near apoplexy. Rain does fall here quite often but it's only a few steps from the screened cage to the sheltered lanai area, which does get humid but not moist.

There's a book or at least a poem here somewhere.

A Caged Life

A Day in the Cage

Why Does the Caged Bird Write?

Here's hoping all is well in your corner of the world.

The Sunshine State

Part three of my 2015 wandering finds me in Florida. The Villages to be exact. Over the next several months, I'll be adding more reviews of this Boomer retirement mecca. Last year's commentaries can be found here, here (the book), here and a family update with pictures here.

This year I promise more pictures, more stories and more on my potential to become a complete nomad and go 100% undomiciled.

More soon.

The Villages at a Month (with pictures)

Corey, Robin and grey kitten

Had a Happy Gobble with niece Robin and her betrothed Corey. They drove up on Friday from Sarasota to share a bird and a porcine hip with Dan, Sue, me and the two kittens. This week will see my farewell to The Villages and a move to the Beau Rivage in Biloxi for some poker with my buddies.

an ornament in a pear palm tree

Yesterday was holiday decoration day, accompanied by Mimosas and generalized frivolity. Dan and I took to the exterior aggrandizement, which included my adding accents to the indigenous flora.

Dan, Sue and aforementioned kitten

My final words on The Villages of Florida for this trip are: 'I will be back.' I enjoyed the quality time with Dan and Sue, plus this is a very interesting place. Hopefully, next trip my health will allowed a more participatory engagement with all The Villages have to offer.

The Villages -- An Update

Three weeks into my adventures in Leisureville. I have some semi-insider observations:

If you plan to move here or to any other 'exclusive community' you should try a vacation rental first. They all have rental units available for a week or a month. Most of the current residents did exactly that and therefore understood what the community they were getting into was all about. Almost to a person they love living here.

The few, who are unhappy and will or have moved away, they didn't give The Villages a good trial run. If I haven't been clear before, this is a very different lifestyle. Several of the locals I've met had just come back from a Caribbean cruise. They all said something like: "It was like living in The Villages but on the ocean." This really is permanent resort living.

Yes, you can get around nearly the entire community on a golf cart. There are over 100 miles of paved golf cart paths. Population now hovers at around 108,000+ over a 50% increase since the 2010 census. About 20 people move into The Villages every day of the year. There are new subdivisions and more golf courses being built. For the golf nuts, there are currently 540 holes with build-out projections at 621 holes, the largest concentration of greens in the world.

As for the singles scene, it does exist but in truth the majority of the residents are couples. Sure they might spend their days at different activities, pools, clubs and golf courses but in the evening they tend to show up to happy hour together.

Is The Villages for everyone? Absolutely not. For like minded individuals this really can be paradise, but you had best be sure this is your cup of tea or glass of wine because this is definitely not for everyone. Might I repeat -- definitely not (but then again).

Leisureville: A Book (and a lifestyle) Review

"Behind all the gated age-restricted leisure, ersatz architectural nostalgia, and nightly hanky-panky, what I saw in The Villages is a concerted effort by a segment of older Americans to find community--something that in today's turbulent world can be hard to chance upon, particularly for the elderly. Many Villagers simply don't care if they live in an autocratic fantasyland founded on a policy of segregation; they just want a place to call home, a geritopia where they can be comfortable among their peers.

Most of the Villagers I met were blissful--thankful that such a place existed and that they had been lucky enough to find it. Retirement can be a stressful stage of life. There's no script to follow for the decades between giving up work and reaching advanced old age. Private developers such as Webb and Morse are filling that void for some people, peddling a glamorized vision of serene, financially predicable leisure living in segregated resort-like communities. It's a powerful vision that has proved to be very appealing to a sizable segment of aging Americans."

So opens the penultimate chapter of Andrew Blechman's book based mostly on the place where I am staying this month -- The Villages in Central Florida. I strongly recommend the book to anyone who ventures near this blog. If you are a progressive, you really need to inform yourself about what is happening far from your door. If you're conservative, there are a huge flock of like-minded individuals congregating in a land not so far away. And for my very few readers who actually are moderates, this place is fascinating or creepy or both at the same time.

After yesterday's election, one might consider just how far apart the red and blue sides of this country are. The stark contrast is geographically played out here at The Villages. The residents and snow-birds dominate local elections. Republican candidates flock to campaign here, paying homage to the mass of aging, white, conservative voters.

There are so many aspects to this place: political, social, anthropological, even constitutional. Read the book, I promise you will open your eyes a bit wider at what the Boomer generation hath wrought.