house goals

These are our house goals:

·         Create a sense of coherence & integration, inside and out 

·         Arlington green home choice certification—Increase energy efficiency and comfort

·         Improve functionality & openness (to 2nd floor & handicapped access)

·         Have a healthy indoor environment 

·         Reduce resource consumption, especially water usage—work towards zero energy home 

·         A place of sanctuary & hospitality  

·         Live lightly and consider the impact on the next 7 generations

A friend, Mike, called it the Dr. Seuss house because of the unusual layout.  As you can see from the photo, the back of the house (added in the 70's) looks nothing like the Spanish-style stucco entrance to the 1928 bungalow.

Retirement place goal sheet

For several years, we discussed the attributes we wanted in our retirement location and home. I collected these in a Retirement place goal sheet (see chart). My friend, Diana, shared the items she had used to select their house in Oregon, which primed the pump for the list we compiled.

As we got nearer to leaving the military, we continued refining the qualities in house and location that were desirable to us. In deciding where we would spend our post-active duty time, I wanted to be sure that we evaluated properties based on the qualities important to us and not be mesmerized by the "new house" smell. Having lived in a variety of states and overseas, helped us refine the things that mattered. For instance, when we lived in Tampa, we were able to bike to work.  In Heidelberg, Germany, our house bordered the woods and bike paths.  Easy access to transportation alternatives would allow us to visit our son and his family wherever the Coast Guard sent them.

As you view the Retirement places chart, there are a lot of phrases on this list, but there are two sets of words that capture the essence. One set is Walkable, sustainable, accessible and the other group of words is community, sanctuary, mystery. On upcoming postings, I’ll elaborate on what those mean to us.