Where I Love to Live

What do you love about where you live? AND, do you think you could love somewhere else just as much?

 

  Just Run posed this question before she left for some exotic locale.  Rather than taking over her comments section with my thoughts, I figured I would answer the questions here.  What wonderful questions they are. 

 

What do I love about where I live?  Beyond the Humid days and ridiculous numbers of mosquitoes, what is there not to love?  (Okay, I also don't have enough space in my little house, but... it is what it is)

 

I have seasons, 4 of them to be exact.  For many, this might seem like a silly statement but having lived in a part of the country that doesn't really enjoy all 4 seasons, having them now is a big deal. 

 

Spring here lasts for months on end.  Before the last chills have left the morning air, the trees begin to flower and bloom.  Sometimes they "pop" before the bulbs and sometimes not.  The colors each provides are like the opening sounds of a classical piece of music - beautiful in their own right and promising much more to follow. 

 

From those first moments of color, Virginia comes to life.  From the pastels and vibrant colors of spring and summer into the rich reds, oranges, and yellows of fall, and the greens... lush and rich greens...  Virginia is full of life.  Winter brings whites, in varying shades that range from stark to nearly blue.  Everything rests in preparation for the spring that follows. 

 

And animals... there are animals of all sorts.  Despite living in the DC metro area, we have observed the lifecycle time and time again.  The arrival of the geese, the laying of eggs, the hatching, goslings becoming geese, and their departure for the winter.  But it isn't just geese.  We have deer, beaver, ducks, fox, raccoon, frogs, and birds of all sorts.  Life is everywhere!

 

Did I mention the airports?  From my part of Virginia, I can fly direct to distant, and not so distant locations.  I love that.  It is as if the world is right there - just that much closer than it might be from, say, Omaha!  But I don't have to fly anywhere to find adventure.  A quick trip to the District and, well, one never knows what one will encounter beyond the donkeys and the elephants!  DC offers Virginians a plethora of venues in which we can experience dance, history, theatrical events, artistic offerings, cultural festivals, culinary delights, and diversity in many of its forms.    

 

Beyond the nature,the mountains, the coastlines, the caves, the farms, and the vineyards there is the history, the culture, the museums, the opportunities that can't be found anywhere else (or are found in few other places).         

 

There is something for everyone in Virginia - the obvious wonders and the hidden gems.  The trick is finding the time to explore and enjoy it all!

 

Could I love somewhere else  just as much?

 

Each place I have lived has had its own character - its own aspects to love.  I could love somewhere else just as much though differently. 

 

That said, I am not sure that I could love everywhere!

 

Having traveled a bit and lived in various cities, I have learned that there are some things that I just can't love - extreme heat/humidity and extreme cold being two such characteristics.  I love being outside and on the move so much that these conditions are a tad prohibitive.  

 

I love the small town life where I grew up - the slow pace and the everyone knows everyone way of being.  I enjoy the faster pace of New York though know I would burn out very quickly.  My heart felt at home in the Bay area with the ocean, the bay, the culture, and the diversity.  Dublin's streets and culture charmed my American soul while Prague grew on me and offered challenges I couldn't resist.  Tucson's mountains embrace me leaving me feeling at Pease within its vastly different and passionate color schema.  There are places to which I have traveled where I would love to live - just to explore and discover and see how life would be.   

 

There are oh so many places I could love and where I would love to live. Now, should the opportunity present itself... !

 

Now it's your turn, What do you love about where you live? AND, do you think you could love somewhere else just as much?