Moving Up North
It’s nine o’clock and within an hour we’ll have to turn on the air conditioning. A trip to the mailbox is very similar to entering a sauna: hot, muggy, and leaves you covered in sweat. Personally, I don’t care for sweating, unless it involves purposeful calorie burning or sex. Sometimes, if you’re really lucky, and the kids are off at school, you get to do both.
Somehow I managed to live most of my adult life in the south and I’m about ready to move on.
Growing up in southern Russia, we didn’t always get deep freezes like Moscow, but a couple feet of snow on the ground wasn’t uncommon. I remember a couple of times it snowed so heavily that by the time we had to get out of school, boys had to crawl out of the girl bathroom (it was on the first floor) and dig the door open, because it iced over under the snowdrifts. Just about the best thing in winter was coming home, grabbing a bologna sandwich, and sticking my frozen feet into the warming part of the coal oven.
I always liked winter. I was born on New Year. My parents, by the way, decided it was a great reason to torture me. Check this out —–>
Oy.
Please note the extremely pained look on my face. This part of winter I didn’t like. Not so much. But being the only girl born in my generation of extended family, I was not given a choice in regard to formal occasions.
Thankfully I was permitted to get out of the dress as soon as the picture was taken, but that just meant I got to help with cooking dinner and washing dishes. Christmas and New Year (in Russia they were kind of blended at that time, because Christmas is a religious holiday and USSR wasn’t too kin on it) themselves weren’t much fun, but what came later was. The next morning was winter school break, which lasted for about ten days or so, and that meant I could go outside.
I’d grab my sled, bundle up, and take off. Rostov-on-Don, the city where I grew up, is situated over several hills and as kids, we sled everywhere. Off giant staircases on the River Street into the traffic. Off a wooded hill by a huge bridge into the traffic. Off the ramps of the River Port tower into the traffic. Looking back on it I’m amazed I survived.
I had fun though. See?
(I have a thing for squirrels, so sue me. You’d crack walnuts together and they came off the trees in the parks to get a treat.)
So, as soon as I can afford it and sell the house, I’m dragging my terribly southern family up north. And I do mean north. Nova Scotia. New Brunswick. North. Where there are trees and snow. I haven’t sled in years. I don’t remember what skis look like.
In fact, I don’t recall what the snow looks like so well. It been about eighteen years since I had to make sure to walk away from the roof tops so icicles don’t fall on my head. I miss frozen water on the windows. That’s just sad.
Your turn. Where is your favorite place?
[...] http://www.theoddshots.com/2009/09/moving-up-north/ [...]
Good choices. They are both on the Atlantic and have stunning scenery. The trees are beyond belief in the fall and the temp is much more moderate than Alberta, with a shorter winter of only five months. They have vinyards in New Brunswick, so you can see it isn’t extreme.
Snow, you will get. I believe there are some good skiing runs in the East, too. Houses are cheap in both those Provinces as there is a lack of industry. All to the good for you guys.
I always loved the Pacific Northwest. Beautiful old trees, fog, the Pacific Ocean. Love it.
What the hell happened to Washington :::sighs::: Okay… Canada now. So long as the love of squirrel connects us.
::::grins::::
My favourite place? Venice. New Orleans. San Francisco. Um….
Cute picture with the squirrel. You looked so thrilled!
I loved San Francisco, especially North Beach. The weather was cool in the mornings and burned off to toasty warmth in the afternoons.
But, my absolute favorite place…Ireland. For me it’s magical.
Oh, I love San Francisco — the weather is my idea of perfection. It’s so pricey, though, that every time I imagine it, I remember the housing prices and run far, far away.
Oy! The cost of SF blows my mind! Yes, great place to visit, but I couldn’t afford it.
Come on up to Minnesota! We get lots of snow. Although I have a feeling you wouln’t like the snow as much as you think you would. We talk funny, have lots of lakes, and call carbonated beverages, pop, not soda or coke. We can walk out of our house without locking the door, and we don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for said houses. Other than that it’s pretty boring. There’s my pitch. LOL.
Nice picture BTW.
My favorite place is my backyard fire pit on a cool summer night with my family, smores, and an alcoholic beverage.
I’m a city girl born & bred but one of my favorite places is my grandparents farm up north. Quiet, isolated, beautiful.
Hearing the coyotes howl, the cows talk, and the birds chatter along your walk is comforting & fun at the same time.
Despite growing up south of Cleveland since I was 5, Pennsylvania will always be home. We still say ‘going down home’ when anyone in my family refers to going to our grandparents houses. But that was where most of the best times were… everyone gathering together, playing with my umpteenth cousin, eating… always lots of eating. We had 3 Thanksgivings in my house. 1 in Cleveland and 2 in PA for the two sides fo the family. Growing up sucks just b/c now we have to split our holidays between the two sides but at least his side is almost as crazy as mine.
Another place I loved was MI. My cousins lived on the lake in north-western MI so the two great lakes were on either side of town. It was awesome. And the U.P. is gorgeous.
But I have to say, I loved St. Petersbug. I could live there. I’ll never take a Russian ‘taxi’ again if I can help it but to walk the streets, visit the museums, barter on the street corners with vendors, stand in awe in the cathedrals… 6 of the most amazing weeks of my life. And craziest. Oh I was a stupid wild child. I would love to take Sam some day.
Love VISITING the north, but I’m a deep southern girl (New Mexico/Texas). I can enjoy the cold and snow for a while but then I need to get back to heat and sun. I do miss the green though. I do get some relief from the fields surrounding our house. The open skies, the mountains-that’s home to me.
I have spent half my life in northern Indiana and the other half in SC & FL.
I remember one winter back in the 70′s. It had snowed so much we built tunnels through the snow get from house to house.
We had a 2 story house with approx 14 steps leading from street to porch.
The snow reached he porch.
I and my siblings rigged up a captapult on the roof. You would slide on the sled to the edge of roof; then sled would be jerked out from underneath you(attached to rope) and you’d go flying through the air and land in a huge deep snowbank.
Its a wonder we’re still alive & functioning.
I have to say I prefer the south though.
LOL I’ve always been a southern girl. We moved up north around 8 yrs ago and I was thrilled that they actually got snow. That lasted about 30 minutes. Now I rue the day my parents dragged me up here, and am ready to move back where I can wear shorts and a tank in late October. Love that feeling of breathing in muggy air and the scent of magnolias all in the same go. Can’t wait!
Thanks for sharing cute pictures. My favourite places (I have several) are my house (sitting in the garden is bliss), Bangkok, any beaches in Thailand, Bath (where bf and I went on our first holiday), York (we always rent a cottage there for family christmas. White christmas if we are lucky), New York and Hong Kong (we always have family holiday there when I was a child).
Welcome to the frozen north! *waves* Hopefully the weather will be what you expect — I live in landlocked Alberta so I’m not sure how being so close to all that wet will affect how much snow your poor unclimatized children will have to adapt to.
I’m not sure if it’s my ‘favorite’ place (I don’t travel much) but there is a large lake (Lesser Slave) here — it can be quite peaceful and it has a campground in the provincial park. (Great if you aren’t afraid of bears).
You were adorable. And I know the dress is a pain when all the other kids get to wear pants and run around but look how pretty you were in it. Dress are for adults to show off what pretty daughters they have. Parent’s pride.
Thank you for sharing. Seasons in general are great.
Spring flowers, Summer fun, Fall leaves and colors and Winter white wonderland.
I like where I am just fine. I live in a small town near the mountains of North Georgia. Well actually I am in a valley of sorts but its beautiful. We don’t get as hot as South GA and in the Winter we get some snow. The Fall is the best here. The trees covered with brillant shades of reds, oranges and browns. A cool breeze.
Where in North Georgia? I went to school at RGNS near Clayton.
A town called Dahlonega. For the History buffs it is the site of one of the first “Gold Rush”
My grandpa lives in Rabun Gap and I pass by RGNS every time I go see him. Small world!!
I live in Western NC. I’m originally from Massachusetts and I do miss the winters there. We do get snow here, but it hasn’t been all that much. Most of the time it snows and then melts within a day. You just don’t get to enjoy it as much. But I do have to admit that I love the mountains here and that you don’t have to go very far to see some great views and hike some pretty awesome trails.
I second the invitation to come to Minnesota. Minneapolis is a great city for the arts and you’ll definitely get the snow you’ve been missing. Although I’d check with the neighbors before you leave your front door unlocked. That works in the rural areas but I wouldn’t try it in the Twin Cities metro area. You’re just asking for trouble on that one!
Yeah, the Twin Cities isn’t exactly somewhere that you can do that. I live in a small town with 500 people, so it’s a little different here.
Plus, we have “Minnesota nice” – and the skyways (for when you want to look at the snow but don’t want to walk around in it). Come on, who could resist?
TK
PS – I recently gave up WoW; instance runs where it takes 45 minutes + just to get into the instance? No thank you. Any recommendations of a new distraction to take up my time now that I’ve left Azeroth behind?
I am waiting for the Star Wars MMO.
TOR! Can’t wait.
I predict that both TOR and Diablo 3 will come out shortly after Feb 2010, since that is when my maternity leave ends. *grumble*
LotRO is fun, but pretty easy if you are used to a heavy raiding game. Much of the content can be solo’d. Perfect, though, for the working mom/casual gamer who can only play a few hours a night (or week).
Why was it taking you 45 minutes just to get into the instance? High pop server or something?
Blizzard “fixed” the problem which was causing instability when playing WoW which was caused by a high number of instance launches by limiting the number of instance launches allowed. So if you are on a high pop server on a weekend, and you don’t have a guildie whose dedicated duty it is to hold your instance, you face a long wait for instance runs. We dealt with it for a few months but finally got tired of it when after 30 minutes we still couldn’t get Zul Farak to launch and found out Northrend instance launches are given preference. So…your lowbies have all of these quests to do in instances like Strat and Scholo and you can’t even get them launched. Not worth the trouble.
My boyfriend is looking forward to Star Wars MMO as well. Sadly, if I don’t face the possibility of my character being eaten by a dragon I find my attention waining. So I might be out of luck on that one.
No worries, Star Wars has Krayt Dragons. *grin*
I got eaten by many… MANY of those when I played Star Wars Galaxies.
Snow? Whuzzat?
-Jill in Texas
A type of precipitation. It is known to be white in color and a pain to shovel it out of your doorway.
-Serena who lives in CA (right next to Sierra Nevadas)
Dolomiti, I absolute adore those mountains, both in winter and in summer. They have been made “world natural heritage” by UNESCO. (Get a look on http://www.altabadia.org, my favourite area)
I not live there but live in a place that have a summer-summer and snow in winter… perfect, isn’t it??? I’m waiting the beginning of december to take my skis out of the closet…
I love Alaska. Wouldn’t want to live there year around, but if fate smiles on me and I strike it rich, maybe a summer home…
Oh my, that picture with the squirrel is so cute! I always wanted to have a squirrel as pet when I was little.
I live in Bavaria in Southern Germany (deeeeep down, a quarter hour from the Austrian border) and our village really lies at the foot of the Alps, we’re surrounded by mountains here (it’s fascinating, drive around half the lake to the next village and you only see the mountains from afar) and I absolutely love it! We’ve got tons of snow in winter and every year’s at leat one day off because of the heavy snowfall. However, you do see the climate warming because there used to be even more snow for an even longer time when I was a child. It’s still frickin’ cold but lately oftentimes the real snowing starts only after Christmas (which sucks, IMO, because I think Christmas go together like … don’t know, Meljean and her Caveman-chronicles?
).
I’m not very good with really warm areas and sunshine because I’m a typical redhead and run around like a lobster most of the time when there’re many sunny days…
I’d love to visit Ireland and Scotland one day, but this will always be home to me!
New Brunswick is lovely! I have family there and go nearly every summer (no snow then
).
I’m determined to live in Estes Park, CO and the highlands of Scotland at some point in my life. Both places felt like home when I visited.
It’s a great time to migrate to Michigan. Cheap real estate. The perfect place for writers to survive the recession. I’m even looking forward to winter!
I agree with Brooke N. The Pacific Northwest is great. We are soon leaving this great steam bath called Hawaii and headed home!
I’d hate to say my favorite place is Venice. Never been but it is my dream destination. Well one of many.
have**…….sigh sometimes i cant type worth a crud LOL
Venice is lovely! I live in Milan so it’s not that far and I’ve been there various times… My grandpa actually use to live there as a child.
I’m really fond of California, but I find that I can’t stay in the same place for too long. Every new place seems to be my new favorite place.
I lived in Alaska for a while, and it was amazingly beautiful — but the cold is not really for me. (Actually, it’s not the cold as much as the dark.)
I really love Oregon. It’s only one hour to the beach, and one hour the other way to the mountains. We get all of the seasons, and it’s green when it’s supposed to be green (eastern Oregon, though, you get those yellow summers where everything dries out, and cold-as-hell winters.)
If we ever move, we’ll probably stay in the Pacific Northwest. Maybe N. California. My dream location is a house on the Oregon beach — a little rocky, a little windy, and great for walking.
That sounds awesome. If you get that house, you should invite your BFF Jill to come visit.
And what about all your faithful, crazed for Meljean Books fans?
This seriously does sound like an awesome house near the water!
Oregon is HEAVEN!
If I can ever talk my family out of California, I’m moving to Oregon!
I love the beaches there because you have redwoods and beaches (my two favorite landscapes) all in the same place…as well as real seasons (and RAIN!)
I live on the central California coast, so we have lovely 73 degree weather, (i.e. not hot!) but no real seasons.
I’m with Kathleen, every new place is my favorite… and I travel a lot.
Well, okay, I take that back. Cairo was NOT my favorite place and I’m glad I’ve seen it but wouldn’t pay money to go back.
Current faves: Bozeman, MT; Rhodes, Greece; St John’s, Newfoundland (I liked Nova Scotia, too); Skagway, AK (Shiloh, maybe one day we can be summer neighbors! lol) and, of course, home which is Nashville, TN. It’s the perfect blend of big city and small town. I live in a suburb surrounded by rolling green hills, hiking trails, horse, cattle and farmland, but 30 minutes away is downtown. Bright lights, pro sports, a world class symphony house and plenty to see and do. Plus we get all 4 seasons. Ya’ll should come visit.
Tracy
My parents visted Russia in the summer, I was very jealous I didn’t get to go.
My favourite place? Hmm, The English side of my family come from the West Country, (the countryside) Devon and Somerset specifically. I want to move to one of those counties when I’m old; they’re really beautiful with the wildlife and the woodlands. I get the train down there when I can. I love London as well.
The Caspian Sea is also very pretty. I like Germany and Majorca as well. I’d love to visit Rome, Athens and Scandinavia one day.
San Francisco or any where north of it is my kind of place. Otherwise, Australia. Where I can go scuba diving and sleep on the beach in peace.
I third the invite up to MN! Although your family might object, we get plenty of good snow and cold here.
I live in St. Paul now, but my parents live out in the lakes area. And they never lock their back door either. It’s a good place for family and lakes are really pretty! Also, I’m a big fan of 4 seasons a year (even if our winter is a little… Long)
I thought we only had two seasons, Andrea: winter and road construction.
I grew up in Vermont and there is certainly plenty of snow there. I love going home to visit! I only live a few hours south in Massachusetts now, but Vermont has so much more winter and snow than we do here. As a plus, you get great foliage in the fall (my favorite season) and the summer is beautiful!
Hmm, a hammock between a couple of palms on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean sounds pretty good…
I’ve lived my entire life within 15 minutes of where I was born. Even went to college here. Here is southern Ohio, on the banks of the Ohio River and the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. This is home, but I wouldn’t mind spending a little time in that hammock.
Well, I’m the fourth Minnesotan to chime in. I grew up in MN, was living in San Diego and returned home because I missed the change of seasons. However, we Minnesotans do like to boast about our hardiness seeing as the temperature can vary from the 90s with wicked humidity in the summer to -20 with wicked wind chills in the winter. It’s a beautiful place to live as long as you know there are occasional weather extremes!
Not only is the Twin Cities area gorgeous with its lakes and culture (lots of writers call Minnesota home), but you can drive 3 to 5 hours north and have the gorgeous rocks, water, and pine trees of northern Minnesota. My favorite place is Ely, MN, near the Boundary Waters.
Another really important aspect of life in Minnesota are the great schools. Our high school students have the highest ACT scores in the nation.
What a commercial- our governor would be proud- I’ll stop now! LOL
I recently discovered that Neil Gaiman lives in Minnesota. Of course, there are many other writers who live and work in our lovely state but for some reason that one surprised me.
My space is Oregan. I love the blend of teh beach meeting up with the forests. With all the rain, I would be in heaven.
I hope to live there. Eventually.
I was born and grew up in Minnesota and now live in gross (read HUMID) sub-tropical Florida. I know EXACTLY what you mean Ilona.
Hopefully you can go back north soon
P.S. I say Minnesota too. It’s full of fun and lovely people.
I share your pain . . . I was born 3 days after Christmas and 3 days before New Years… my parents insisted none of my relatives scimp and do the combo deal on presents so I am luckier than some Chrismas-time babies.
I was raised in Chicago and now live in PA, I really miss the 4-8 foot snow drifts. We had some coll storms that allowed us to build igloos in our back yard and one winter we were able to jump off our one story house roof into a the snow drifts (much to our moms screaming horror) Very good memories of sledding too. PA just gets ice and cold but none of those lake effect winter storms.
A friend of mine with a December birthday had parents who threw a full-size half-birthday party every year in June, and just had a small dinner for the immediate family in Dec. So, she got the proper number of presents, spread out a bit.
And I was born in WI, and have since lived in the Pacific NW (it only sort-of got winter while we were there), and near the Baltimore-DC corridor in Maryland. I miss winter. Bunches.
And midwest drivers, whose stupidity I could at least predict reasonably well, unlike the morons out here who don’t know how to merge.