06.09.26 Are we moving from New Jersey, well, down to New Jersey?...

     For decades, well probably close to a century, we've seen population shifts just about everywhere you look. In the 1950's and 60's, and maybe earlier, we saw a movement from the big cities to the suburbs. While some may have called it "White Flight", others migrated away from tightly packed and industrial urban areas when the jobs in factories and retail dried up. I look at Newark as an example. Following the Newark riots of 1967 the city emptied out, if you will, and the towns in and around Essex County saw a boom in their populations. And for the people who didn't stay close they moved west and south below the Driscoll Bridge. 

     For many it was an opportunity to get away from the city, buy in a more rural area, and pick up a vacation home down the Jersey Shore. Those were the days when you could pick up a tiny, and affordable second home, that would be a place to escape to and create fond family memories. Those places would usually get passed down from generation to generation. Towns like Keansburg, Long Branch, Lavalette, LBI, Ocean City, and Cape May were places northerners, whose primary residence was from Middlesex County and north, could call their second home. For those that chose not to do the beach town thing, they moved or picked up places in western New Jersey or across the border into the Poconos. In the late 1990's we bought a place in Big Bass Lake in Gouldsboro, Pa. We lived and worked in Essex County and took the two-hour ride to escape and enjoy the outdoors. 

     Superstorm Sandy had a lot to do with the changing landscape of the Jersey Shore. Homes were lost or sold and the what was put in their place were bigger homes built on sticks. We went from one story, two story at best, houses to three or four story homes and condos. Gone are the days of nice views and the sound of the ocean which permeated the neighborhoods for blocks off the beaches and bays. And outdoor showers these days, forget it, unless you put a roof over it so some creeper can't look down on you while you bathe.

     After 9/11 New Jersey saw a huge influx of people from New York looking to escape. Monmouth County became "Staten Island South" and a ton of those family homes along the shore got sold. People saw a chance to cash out as those escape rooms down the shore weren't getting used like they were first intended to. Family dynamics changed over the years and going to shore isn't waiting for Dad to come home every Friday and getting into the family station wagon and heading south. Now, both parents worked, kids had their own planners filled with activities that didn't include weekends down the shore, and the costs vs usage ratio's didn't match up. It was time to cash in and out.

     And with the influx of migrators came big money, and people who wanted more than what was routine and expected. They wanted bigger and better and more, from houses to restaurants to access, it changed the way people used to live. So people cashed out and people moved in, and a lot of them. And the towns that exploded mostly did a poor job with planning and development, and we still see that today. We went from Maine Street to the malls and now from the malls back to Main Street. But Main Streets these days are a hot mess, and expensive, and that's just to park, if you can even find a space. And the overdevelopment that occurred and is occurring now is unsustainable. The infrastructure and services can't keep up with the development. It all has changed, and not for the better.

     Around me in Mercer County it's happening as well. New Hope, Pa, and Lambertville aren't the cute towns they used to be. They've been bought up by big groups and developers who have purchased, knocked down, and changed these "cute" little towns into mini cities. The vibe changed, the landscape changed, and the people changed. The same complaints I see out here I see in Asbury Park, LBI, and Cape May. "No more development". "Stay away". "We're closed". "Go back home". "It's not like it used to be".

     Asbury Park is a prime example of going bad, to better, to worse. When I was in high school in the 1980's AP was part of the loop we would do on the weekends. We'd head over the Rumson Bridge to Ocean Avenue and head south, usually with the windows down blaring Springsteen tunes. God even he has changed. But it was in Asbury where we could go and gawk at the drug dealers, prostitutes, and the mentally ill who were recently deinstitutionalized from Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital.  Those were the good old Jersey Shore days. And the old clubs, I wasn't a club-goer but what a big part they were in the Jersey Shore scene in the 1908's. 

     And then just at it's rock bottom the gay population came in and was a driving force in the towns revitalization. They saw potential and put their money and hard work into changing the downward spiral that had landed AP where it was. And then big money saw what was happening and it was over. Asbury is now a hot mess if you ask me. I saw recently a quote, "Please, no more gray boxes!", referring to the new developments that are popping up everywhere you turn. And in order for them to pop-up, something has to be torn down. 

     Gone are the days of small single family homes on small lots. It's now condos and townhouses where the homes are built more vertically then horizontally on every square inch of a property. In my opinion, these gray boxes are no different then the public housing projects of 

decades past. They look all new and white and stainless steel on the inside, for now, but after 20 years of wear and tear, and weather, and a lack of maintenance they will be eyesores. Throw in a fire or two and they too will be torn down for the next type of boom building that hits the area. 

     And then there's the people. Too many causing too much traffic. That's at the WaWa counter, in vehicles on the road, in the parking lots, on the beaches, and at the local restaurants. It's high volume and high stress wherever you go, and it's hard to escape it. I see that in Cape May these days. If you want be alone you have to wake up real early or forgo the weekends at your favorite watering hole. Cape May County has been bought up and changed, and none of it for the better. Again, the towns, the infrastructure, the services, and the locals, can't handle, or stand it. 

    And that brings me to the next chapter in our lives. On the top is a recent article that was in The New York Times. It talked about Jasper County, where we've moving to, and the population explosion that is happening there now. It's labeled as "America's Fastest Growing County", and boy the locals aren't happy. 

     There have been northerners who have always moved or bought places down in the south. They either moved full-time or do the Sunbird thing, winter down south and summer back home. But after Covid, and with the societal changes we've seen people are migrating away from the northeast for "better" living in the south. But what's really happening is all those folks, like us, from NY, NJ, and Pa, are moving and changing what the south was offering. They are changing the fabric, culture, and vibe of what places in South Carolina were. When people move, they do it for change, but they don't change, they don't blend (Think of Ocean County these days). They want the same things they came from, and for the people in the tri-state area it's "What I want, how I want it, and now". They call it the "Slowcountry" down there for a reason, well that's about to change. 

    They're doing the same thing in South Carolina as we did in New Jersey. Clear cutting swaths of Lowcountry land to cram in as many people as you can. The towns, and the infrastructure, can't handle the volume and demands of us "domestic migrants", a term I found on the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce website. South Carolina always had Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Hilton Head as major population hubs, well throw in Greenville as well. But with that all just about developed the push is now west. Everything is being bought up, and quick. We even see that in the bubble that is Sun City. We were interested in three houses, ones we lost to other buyers, before we found and put a contract on one we liked. Fingers crossed on that.

     And that brings me to the below little slice of who-I-am heaven in a town called Ridgeland. Once a town of farmers and shrimpers it's now, "About to explode". This corner lot sits on a street two blocks from Town Hall and four blocks from Main Street. It's a mix of lots and old shacks and tiny old houses. There's even a set up steps and a chimney standing that's connected to nothing, a sign that on one night the neighborhood was aglow from fire. But this plot hasn't harmed anyone and served its previous owners well. A place for storage. A place to tinker. A place to hang. 

     If I were to make a move on it I would use it as it has been, and as it's listed as far as zoning laws are concerned. But after talking to the Zoning Officer in Ridgeland this property isn't sitting unnoticed. While there was a time when "Nobody cared" about what you did with or how you used a property that has all changed. Like everywhere else in New Jersey, the town planners are behind the eight ball. They allowed things to continue, or progress forward, without the bigger picture or future in mind. So, things like the 274 feet of 6 foot fence, well that's in violation. Never was an issue, but it is now. 

    Why? Well this little hidden side street is seeing it's own boom of development, following in the footsteps of South Carolina, Jasper County, and the Town of Ridgeland. Basically the neighborhoods been all bought up and it's changing for the better. If you look above you can see what's coming across the street and has already been built on the corner. Just check out what my view would look like if I were to purchase this old shrimper's shack. 

     Talk about an investment? This is one of those "strike while the iron is hot" moments. These are what's going up in the neighborhood. Now a mixed use neighborhood is just that. Similar to new construction in Brooklyn with an existing auto body shop between a new three story building and a refurbished brownstone. The lot I'm looking at is Zoned "Rural/Commercial", while across the street is just "Residential". I'd buy it now, use it as intended, sell it when the Town flips the neighborhood to all residential zoning, sell it for a profit. Seems like a no brainer, and a corner lot at that, please. 

     So the idea of moving south and starting anew and blending into a new way of life, well, it doesn't sound like that's happening. Too hot, too humid, too many bugs, too many gators, food sucks, can't get a reservation, too much traffic, too many tourists (I wonder what they call Bennies down there), to many folks from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, beaches are loaded up, to much religion, politics that lean red but may go blue with the influx of "Liberal northerners", people not blending in (kinda like Lakewood), and living in a place where people's date of birth is closer to my parents then mine.

Sounds great, right? They say we either run away from or to something in life. The question with this big move is, are we just running away from New Jersey down into New Jersey? Maybe I should pick up a copy of Kate Dyer's book and read it before we move. 

06.08.26 Things were going so smoothly...

 

     After I broke my hump getting the old wheel hub off it was time to open the box from. A1 Auto and get to installing a new one. I couldn't wait to wrap this whole thing up in less than two hours. When I looked at it it looked different. What? So then I went back to the computer and saw what I did. I've always had four wheel drive trucks. But moving to the Lowcountry I thought I could get away with 2WD. well, the hub is different. I was disappointed in myself and now have to wait for the correct part to come. I vent had to pay for expedited shipping. Hopefully it comes before Wednesday so I can be ready for the Vineyard trip on Thursday. I leaving TPH early and heading right up to catch a 845 PM ferry.

     Ive done this before on the Silverado so it should be easy peasy, but there's always something that go sideways. I'll do the one side now and maybe the other when I get back. This trucks a keeper so I'll keep up on the maintenance and replacement of things before they really go bad. My ABS light has been on and off so hopefully a new sensor on the hub will be the fix. 

     If I don't get the Shrimpers Shack I don't know how my neighbors in Sun City will like it when I'm banging the wheel to get it to pop off. And then oil changes? Don't guys do them in 55 and over places? 

06.07.26 "Houston, we have a contract...."

     And there you have it. The sellers excepted our offer and we have a signed contract. Now we enter the next phase of relocating to South Carolina. I'm nervous to the point where I can easily throw up in my own mouth at any time. Shit's getting real, and real quick. Every moment now needs to be accounted for with hard deadlines needed to be met. We're just pawns in the game of buying and selling and we're not controlling the game. 

     From the outside Sun City appears to be a non-brainer for us, and we believe this home will serve us well. While we have waxed and waned on various home locations around Sun City and this one seems to check all the boxes. Buying a home in Sun City is a daunting task. One, there's four distinct sections, each with its own positives and negatives, and each with its own price range. Newer and bigger obviously costs more money. While most are of the 2 BR/ 2 Bath floor plan, things like a dedicated den, Carolina room, and a lanai always make you think that more is better. But really do we need it out of the gate? They always say you're buying a lifestyle, not necessarily a new home, like we did when we first started out before kids were born. And more room and a bigger garage, well that just becomes more places to have acquire and display "stuff". 

     One thing that's a hoot when home shopping is the whole staging thing. In 55 and overs people make sure they clean out before the pictures are taken so it's just the bare minimum that is seen. There's nothing on the kitchen counters, the closets are emptied except for a few things on some hangers, there's no papers or computers, and things like collectables and family pictures are hardly ever found. They show like model homes rather then day to day domiciles. One of the thoughts we had was to buy small and keep it like it's a vacation home, with it maybe even be able to be rented out for the three-month minimum as per the Sun City rules.

      One of the things we liked about our next home, okay vomit in my mouth, is the setting and location. Woods behind us, although who knows what will become of that swath of land, and the open feeling we get with no homes across the street. And with no one across the street it's a great place to walk Luke without having to worry that he's always emptying his bladder or bowels on somebody's property. That'll be great as long as that body of water isn't alligator infested. I liken walking a dog on a leash near waters down there like crabbing with a drop-line off a bulkhead in New Jersey.

     And while we're the smallest house on the block, which sits on a cul-de-sac ended street, the footprint out back will allow us to install our own Florida/lanai type of room. What's good is the

roof line can easily be followed so any type of room will look like it belongs there. In some houses we've seen they look like they don't belong there, or are out of proportion to the main home. A room like that is a must, especially one that's climate controlled, so you can enjoy staying out of the weather and away from the bugs. But one thing I've noticed in most of these two-person occupied homes is the amount of chairs, recliners, and couches people stuff into them. A small table in the kitchen, or not, stools at the counter, a dining room table, places to sit or lay in the living room, the same for the Carolina room, and then in the lanai and patio. How many people are coming over or visiting? Like for real? And most people have the second bedroom made up like it's an Air BnB. To me it's a nice gesture, but how much use are you getting out of it and what's the usage to square footage ratio? 

     And having been down in Cape May the last two weekends we know this is a must keep moving forward. I took the above pic as we walked the beach early yesterday morning. It'll keep us with some footprints here in New Jersey and a place to escape the dead of summer conditions the Lowcountry brings.

     So we've decided to sell our cool Cape May place and possibly upgrade. A bigger place, a full Florida room, no more awning covered sunroom, less of a yard to have to maintain, and more sleeping spots for the visitors that really never come. 

     We found a place that could serve as "Archer North" as we split our time each year above and below the Mason-Dixon Line. One thing that's attractive is the amount of shade at this site compared to the 100% sunup to sundown sun that hit's our current place. It's on a quiet street and there's no houses across the street, which seems to be a thing we seem to like. 

     Of course both places need a little tweaking. Down south there's some carpet and painting to do, but that's not bad since the home was built in 2015. I think our last homes have been closer to being built in 1915 so it's a real upgrade for us. Up north the place needs to be aired out and lived in and a bedroom of carpet will need to be upgraded to the newer LVP floors they've

had installed throughout. And the kitchen could use an upgrade in appearance, so maybe painting the cabinets and a new countertop could make it a tad more with the times. This place would serve us better as a home away from home with more breathing room in the main space and in the Florida room. There's even an enclosed space for an office when we want or need to spend some time on the computer. 

     Of course, in my twisted head, everything outlined so far is just perfect. A perfect plan, well thought out and researched, and easy, while stressful. But this brain of mine has created more dumb ideas then most people I know have. I've been on the move, in my brain and in my person, since I started this adult journey at 18, in 1986. I see something or something pops into my head, I kill it with research and justification, and then make it happen, only for yet another chapter of said thing to end, or be sold. That goes from vehicles, to boats, to houses, and respectfully, relationships. But this time I've been doubling down on the Danny-Downer section of my brain called the pre-frontal cortex. I've even sat down with Theresa and said, "Is this another dumb plan or decision on my part?". So far we've been in agreement, which either means we're on point with each other, or both nuts. 

     And while the goal is to simplify, and start to live, there's a part of me that can't mentally get rid of being me. I believe the wiring in my head is off, which could probably be undiagnosed ADHD, or just signs of mental decline. They say we're made up by a combination of nature, genetics, and nature, experiences and traumas, that make us who we are. Well, reflecting back on my life there' been a lot of both, and one thing I look for to satiate my ever moving brain is chaos. And boy do I bring chaos, just ask Theresa. In recent years chaos has brought me to teaching and back into the hospital. And there's been plenty of chaos in recent stints on the floors and emergency department at Capital Health. But I've found my current time at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital to be most enlightening. I feel at home, on the sprawling grounds, with the staff, and with the committed patients, many who are criminally insane. Many of the charts reveal patients who are on Krol status, or NGBROI, or Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity. Boy, what does that say about me? 

     So the thought of waking each day with things in order without a ton of things to do is anxiety producing. I thrive on going fishing, mowing the lawn, replacing a wheel hub (today's mission), preparing for lecture, going to TPH, then to Cape May, selling and buying a house, listing stuff on Facebook, and writing this blog, all within a weeks time. And while that all doesn't happen each week, it kinda does, the number of things remains the same, it's just the activities that change. Oh yeah, let's take out the heat gun and burn and re-paint, or start another project that'll remain unfinished. 

     So that brings me to the above slice of heaven I found down south, and so far Theresa, God bless her, is onboard. It would satiate by brain and my being. A place to go and be me, while checking off some big Colin-type boxes. A place to store the boat, "We'll be saving money". To a place to store stuff and keep it away from the home in Sun City, so no need for a storage unit, "We'll be saving money". To a place where I can set up a fly tying room and display all those types of things you don't see in people's homes on Zillow. So, by buying small, and buying this, "Will keep the house will be neat, and we'll be saving money", as a den/ office and bigger garage would have cost us more, with those spaces looking out of place and congested. How would Theresa have liked to see clumps of Bucktail and flash on the floor under the fly tying table in the 10 x 10 foot "office" or third bedroom? Not all that good. And then it could be a good investment, "We'll make money as well", or she will after I croak.

     I also think it would keep me sane, and prevent me from being a "snook" like Ray Lotta said in the last scene of the movie Goodfella's. A place I can escape to, a place I can dress down and wallow in the dirt and grease. I could interact with "normal", well hopefully abnormal, people outside of the cookie-cutter bubble dwellers of a 55 and over community. And truth be told, I'm 58, the average age of people in those joints has gotta be somewhere in the 70's. Just to prove my point, check out the below episode of Sun City News. It's the weekly newscast for Sun City, brought to you by residents who man and woman the cameras and the mics. 

     Now I have no problem with people older then me, but I know I'll be like, "I gotta get the F outta here", and that place above looks like heaven on South Carolina earth. Now don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to tooling around with Theresa and Luke on the golf cart and waving to my neighbors. Most likely we'll be heading to the pool where I'll have no problem stripping down to my Speedo and joining the ladies in the pool, "Helllooooo bitches". My time maybe even spent in the gym, where I really need to get back to, or in the steam room with the fellas where we can talk about sagging skin and enlarged prostates. Or maybe I'll break out my old Air Jordan knock-offs and get involved in the pick-up basketball league there. You know, I used to have a game, so the idea of bringing 210 pounds of twisted steel down into the paint and boxing some old men out could be my next reality. But truth be told, I've seen those active old-bitties around Sun City, and they could run circles around me and my out of shape and shitty diet eating ass. 

     And that brings me back to the old "Shrimpers Shack" I have my head and heart on. Look at it. No doubt the guy who owned when the pic was taken was living his best life. Under the garage is a skiff, and around the property are just good toys and lot's of beautiful rusted, unused, and should-be-in-a-dumpster stuff. Since that pic was taken there's been a fence installed all around the property. I like that because things will be secure beyond the gate and Luke can run wild and free outside of his leashed-up life inside Sun City. But the property has been under contract twice, so there must some trouble down in Dodge. I'll be on the horn with the town on Monday to see what's up.

    Now, while beautiful to me, it may be less than gorgeous for others. Our realtor took a ride and visited it yesterday. The sellers dropped the price and I wanted to get the ball rolling. So, of course, she and Theresa were back and forth, and left me out of the discussion. And that interaction came with some pictures. 

     Oh my gosh just look at the inside of that Shrimpers Shack. A fly tying table, some shelves around holding all my prized knick-knacks, a computer to do my blog stuff, and a place to store my fly rods and gear, so it won't be in the garage at Sun City. Now yes, it needs work, but don't we all as we age?

     What do I see? Potential, and lots of it, and lots of fun. T1-11 siding that is easy to replace. It's a blessing that I haven't got rid of all of my tools from up here, which will be put to good use down there. I still have my Estwing hammer, my carpenters belt, and my new-to-me if you remember, Thorogood work boots, so I'm ready to work after a mornings walk and before jumping in the pool with the bitties. I'll feel alive, in the chaos, rolling around in the pig-pen that this place could be. 

     That'll of course will not be a pig-pen after some Bob Vila type work, a good cleaning, and a new air conditioner in the Man Cave that I'll retreat to when I can't breathe in that hot air and humidity of the Lowcountry. But it's safe to say my realtor, a woman, a lovely woman, stuck a knife in my back as she reported her findings in a group text that I didn't see in real time. So you can imagine how this went over, like a fart in a stalled elevator, .....

     So is this a good idea or me just continuing more of the same, which is bad idea after bad idea? But my question is, after having recently felt at home at the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, wouldn't this be a great place to bury the bodies? I'm kidding of course, I just need a place to be me, and a place to bring the fellas to escape to or before I own the paint on the basketball court or share the hot tub with the ladies of Sun City. Lots of stuff going on, and big decisions to make. Right now it's 550 Am, time to start the wheel bearing replacement, the trip to the Vineyard is five short days away. Great timing. 

06.05.26 Who's going to break $200?

 

     In an era when waders run just under $1,000 and fly rods about three quarters of their way to $2,000 it was only matter of time until fly lines hit $200. $200 for a fly line? Wow? That thing must surely add 25 feet to your cast or give you a shot at pinpoint accuracy. But who's buying them?

     I went on the Orvis website to see what they had just in case I needed to add a new fly to my arsenal for next week's trip to the Vineyard. I found an SA "Magnitude" line that retailed for $179. It's touted as the "most durable and slickest floating fly line ever produced". But doesn't every new product claim to be the newest and best ever until the next cycle of products hits the market. 

     I swung over to Rio and found that most of their lines come in at $99.95, or let's just say $100. They did go over for their new "Coastal Crabber" line designed as a fast sinking line designed specifically for throwing crag flies to striped bass. I have to be honest, when I'm sight fishing and trying be stealthy a sinking line isn't what I go to. I use sinking lines when I'm dreading, and floating or intermediate lines when sight fishing. But to each his own. 

     Yes crabs scurry along the bottom but plenty of fly designs call for a floating or swimming version. If you've ever been on a boat you'll find crabs swimming by, so they do leave the sand to traverse or escape predation. I prefer to weight the crab flies rather then the fly line. 

     Of course it all doesn't matter if the weather doesn't cooperate. If the sun isn't up you can't see the fish until it's too late. If it's windy it's hard to tell the difference between wave and fish shadows on the sandy bottom. You could blind cast, and catch fish, but that's not my jam. 

    I took a peak at the 10-day forecast for the Vineyard. Last year we went this week and looking above I'm glad I'm not up there now. Hopefully the next week will look better, high bright sun with no wind. June 14th is the New Moon and I always like to fish around the bigger and lower tides. 

     On the home front no news is, well, no news. Offers are in. Now it's just a waiting game. 

06.04.26 How's this for a "Man-Cave" plan...

     "Ya'll gonna make me lose my mind, up (in) here and down there"..... That's of course an edited line from the 1999 song from DMX titled, Party Up. Funny, I've had a lot of musical referrals lately, don't know what that's about. Anyway in today's  “I'm losing my mind post” here's one that most guys, sorry girls, might agree with me on. 

     So imagine this. A middle-aged man at 58, middle-aged runs from 40-65, is in the midst of blowing up his life, for the better, and has, or is about to, "lose" everything he had and knew about himself. Now, truth be told, losing most of what I had or have is a good and healthy thing. People ask, "Don't you feel better?", and yes I do. The weighted-blanket of all the shit I have lugged around for years, most of it used, damaged, or even unused, could be criteria for some mental health disorder. I liken our "stuff" to having a towel wrapped around you when you get out of the shower with people in the bathroom. 

     Heading down to a 55 and over sounds like a dream, and it is, but it's scary as hell as well. My parents just did this at 78 and it was a HUGE adjustment for them. Going from the big house down to a more respectable house in a 55 and over. Now 78 and 58 is different, 78 is a senior citizen. At that age you're lucky to be rolling into a 55 and over and not an assisted living facility. But the point is they had to downsize in a big way, although they still have three storage units filled with things they need to edit through. I can say it's hard to "get rid of it all", but we have done a yeoman's job in doing that, but there's still just stuff. 

     Sun City Hilton Head is a huge complex. It covers 5,800 acres, has about 20,000 residents living in 10,000 homes. It's really a small town that is split by Beaufort and Jasper Counties. It started in 1996 and has grown exponentially in the last eight years as the flight of New Yorkers, Jerseyan's, and Pennslytuckians, flee the northeast. As we've looked for a home down there we have become half-ass experts, or at least more in the know. There's four sections, and each has its goods and bads. Older you get stucco and pop-corn ceilings but beautiful mature landscaping and newer you get new with none of the old stuff but they sit on clear cut lands and are stuffed in like sardines. 

     The only way I can describe new or newer construction is to refer you back to the final scene in "Goodfellas". It's there that Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta, is shown adjusting to his new life in the witness-protection program. 

     And that's the part that's scary to me. Now the Tobacco Road yard that I've kept, which reminds me Sanford & Son, isn't mentally normal, but it is still a part of me and I don't know how I can let that go. So basically it comes down to a white-trash guy trying to fit into a non white-trash way of living. 

    In our search we've went from small, to medium, to bigger, and now back down to small. Basically everything in a 55 and over is two bedrooms and two bathrooms. If you need or got it like that more money gets you an office, a Carolina room, and a lanai. Of course upgrades drive up the price. One of those upgrades is an "extended garage", which is a whopping four more feet. But hey, they say size doesn't matter, but every inch counts, especially when you're downsizing.  

     And what I have seen is people who have made the jump design, stack, and cram, everything they couldn't get rid or, or need, into these cookie-cutter homes. Sometimes it's in the closets, in the pull-down access attics, or some wildly designed garages with things that slide, stack, and even hang off the ceiling. And in those garages are a slice of a guys past. A small toolbox, a table for tinkering, maybe even an electric lawnmower or edge trimmer, if landscaping in that part of the complex isn't covered by the HOA fees, and of course golf clubs or a fishing pole. There's nothing on the outside of the homes, no tools, no kayaks, no broken rotor-tillers, no garbage cans, nothing. It's sterile. It's tight. And it is questionable for privacy. And then there's the booming business of storage units. I don't want one, and don't want to pay monthly for one. 

     And what about privacy out here in Titusville. Honestly, these days, I piss outside more then I do inside. It's my way from in preventing anything from happening in the house, a house we don't even feel like is our's anymore. Needless to say I'm not stepping out of my 55-and over home and releaving myself in the bushes without someone seeing me. But maybe that does happen more often than not down there as dementia sets in, but not from a 58 year-old. 

     And what will I do with the boat? And all my fly tying and fishing stuff? The garage is supposed to be a place to park the golf cart and maybe a beach umbrella and some chairs. Tools- I don't want to see them anymore. So I, well we, came up with a solution. Buy a smaller place that really lives like a vacation home. Minimal stuff with all of the space livable. Buying small would mean less expensive, and that could leave some money to buy a place outside of the the bubble that is Sun City.

     I found the above absolute perfect solution to my problem. A place to store the boat, all of my shit, a place to go and tinker and escape the sterility that is a 55 and over community. Luke can run the fenced in yard while I sit and feel like a man again. 

     Can you imagine the Jones parked under there? And the building could be just a great hang. I'll even bring my new buds up there when they need to escape for a bit. It seems like it's perfect. And the beauty is it's 20 minutes from two boat launches into the Broad River. Need I say more?

     And on top of everything else it could be a good investment. While it's in a mixed use occupancy neighborhood now, that hood is changing. Just look at what's literally across the street now.

     And when I look at Google Earth there are several foundations laid for similar type houses going up all along that street. I say go all in. Use it for a few years. Get my Tobacco Roadness out of my system before actually settling into true 55 and over living and then sell it to the developers, hopefully for a profit. But the truth is may be under contract or sold already, but it seems like it's a real solid plan that checks off a lot of boxes. 

    There's so many moving parts with this move, and for that to all work out. Unfortunately we have to wait for the closing here before we can make some of these moves.  I've made a ton of dumb decisions in my life and this could be another, or actually one that makes sense all the way around. Stay tuned and follow the bouncing ball. But if you come and visit, we'll sight for reds and then head back to "Archer's Corner" to wash the boat, have a beer, and sit inside the air conditioned sugar shack. With electric, city water and sewer, already on the property we can go to the bathroom inside, like normal people.  

06.03.26 A bunch of stuff...

     While I had no part of the spring run of 2026 I have heard from a bunch of people that is was the best, maybe not ever, but in a long , long time. Usually it's the boat guys touting "epic" days which leaves surfcasters and fly rodders envious, and at times angry. But this spring it was great for the anglers who like boots in the sand. 

     The internet wasn't full of bad fish pics as much as I've seen in the past, Yes the above looks bad, but it's just a little nosebleed from a big eel hook that found the wrong vein. The bigger the hook the bigger the barb. If guys just pushed down those barbs I swear that would happen less. 

     The above poor chap had his face rearranged but after it "healed" it needed to continue to eat, and survive. While it may have "swam away strong" the damage that was done is obvious. I'm not trying to take a tree-hugger PETA stance but seeing pics like this always kinda bum me out. These fish are really beautiful, and resilient, obviously. 

     And was 2026 the year of the glide bait. Glide baits, and I'm no expert on them, were really designed as a freshwater lure. But over the past few years guys have brought them to the saltwater game with great results. They are articulated and have great action in the water, especially when there's herring or bunker around to mimic. The only problem with them is that second set of trebles, which can find their way deep down the gullet when a striped bass inhales 

them. The second set of trebles down the hatch can easily find their way into the gill rakers, and once nicked, can cause an arterial bleed which can be fatal to the fish. They say replacing the trailing hooks with a flag impedes the action of the lure, so it is what it is. 

     I did miss out on the Delaware River this year, but that's okay. Last year was a great year for me and the best as far as numbers in the eight years since we moved here. Those memories 

are etched into my brain and got me through not going this year. I can honestly say I never drove past the river this spring and felt I was missing out. The river was low and warm and just not appealing. But I do miss the fish, and the tank, and spending time just watching them rehab before their release. 

      And this year was good to the fly anglers along the Jersey Shore as well. Yes, the boat folks did well, but the sand walkers and jetty hoppers had a hoot of a time, especially at The Hook. While I heard there was always a ton of participation out there, between spin, bait, and fly, the fish, and good ones, were where the should always be and they were there for the taking. Fish to the mid-40 inch range weren't uncommon, and that's a great fish especially when the current is ripping at The Bug Light or The False Hook. 

     I've been having some dreams about the Vineyard this year. During my 13 years of going there I've never had it like they used to. When I would come back to the ranch and tell them I saw 20 fish and caught fish to 30 inches Bob would always kinda say, "That's cute", as he would remind me there were years when pods of 20-pounders would cruise the flats. I just have a feeling, with all the big fish we've been seeing as of late, that this could be my year to get a taste of what it used to be like. Of course the sun and the wind have to cooperate but I'm ready. It's also this year where I might be convinced that Dogfish Bar is a great place to fish as I've never seen much for fish and don't even know if I've caught one there. It's a little over a week before I head north, and I can't wait. 

     And in the "Another One Bites the Dust" category, we've lost another house down in South Carolina. Soon after we put in our offer on the above house another offer came in and somehow we were out. That's okay, things happen for good reason. We actually still own this house in New Jersey, and it's always, "It's not over till it's over", so maybe that's good that it fell though. While we're under a solid contract there's still a well and septic inspection the town requires, and the sellers are sending over their asbestos mediation contractor this Thursday, but that's on them. But, things can still go sideways. So we're going to pause on the search and driving our southern real estate agent nuts by having her run around previewing houses for us. In the end it's probably better to close up here and go down and buy down there. It's cleaner and easier. But then what do we do with our stuff? We'll see.

     We do like our plan of selling our place in Cape May and upgrading within the same resort. I went ahead and teased it out on Facebook on the Cape Island Resort Friends page and got a few inquiries. 

     This is really a time of upsetting the apple cart in terms of our lives. We've blown up every thing was our day to day for years. Our closets, our possessions, our vehicles, our houses, all sifted through and scaled down for a new beginning. And while we think "We've gotten rid of everything", there's a ton more to edit down and get rid of. It's the stupid little stuff that gets thrown into bins and boxes which are just a weighted-vest that we refuse to take off. 

     And while my new to me 2004 Suburban has been a joy to own for the last month it comes with a few things that need to be addressed. I noticed some soft grinding from the front wheel when I turn right and the other day I jacked her up and had that up and down and side to side movement in the wheel. That's a wheel bearing and hub that needs to be replaced. 

     I replaced them before on the old Silverado so I think it should be a quick fix. Luckily there's zero rust on the Suburban so my fingers are crossed. I thought about going with Timpken or Moog, but settled for TRQ. I know AC Delco OEM should always be the first choice, but I wasn't going for that $$$$. I'm rolling the dice with A1 Auto, who have great tutorial videos to go along with their products. And lucky for me I dug through the ratchets and sockets I didn't sell and have that 36 mm socket for the wheel bearing locknut, which hopefully just spins off without a problem. That may be Friday's project, on top of mowing the grass once again, trimming the hedges, and going through the seasonal decorations in the attic. 

I can't wait for this to all end and for life to get simpler.