Richard Jernigan -> RE: Arrivederci UK (May 26 2020 2:22:42)
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Congratulations, Simon. The house looks really beautiful. I hope it's trouble free, and you have many pleasant and productive years there. My brother lived for several years in one of the few houses in Galveston that survived the 1900 hurricane. It was big, lovely, and had a historical marker on the front porch. A few years after they bought it, he happened to mention what he paid for it. I told him it sounded like a real bargain. Then he told me what the average annual upkeep cost was. Several years later they sold it and moved to a different house in Galveston, built in the 1930s or 1940s. I knew his wife loved the other house, which she had furnished with antiques. My brother explained that the older generation of carpenters, cabinet makers, plumbers, electricians, etc. were retiring or dying off. The newer ones were not as skilled or reliable, and many were reluctant to take on a job at a historically designated place, with its many restrictions and permit requirements. What a wonderful view! I have what passes for a view in Austin, but it doesn't remotely compare to yours--nor to the one I had for more than 18 years in the Marshall Islands: palm trees, white sand beach, the blue Pacific. Last time we were in Italy we fled with some of Larisa's friends to the Dolomites from hot weather in Venice and Friulia. The scenery was stunning, the hospitality heart warming. I agree with your wife in preferring Italy to Andalucia, though I have an attachment to Spain from my youth. Until Larisa introduced me to Italy I felt like I had two Old World homelands, England and Spain. More than once I have said about Andalucians, "No better friend, no worse enemy." Reminds me of south Texas. About the Italians I have met from the Amalfi coast and Capri to the Dolomites, I will say, "No better friend, no more gracious host." We have had such lovely experiences there as tourists, and spending time with Larisa's friends. I'm old and set in my ways. Austin is culturally attractive. The symphony and the guitar society are wonderful. We get a handful of world class flamenco shows per year. My house is appreciating rapidly (or was until the plague). Having come here for university, and having spent a total of 38 years here at various times, if an Air Force brat can ever have a home, Austin is mine. But if I were younger and in a less attractive setting, I would be strongly tempted to follow your example. RNJ
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