Story Weekend: If You Could Live Anyplace. . .

. . . where would you live?

If  you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who’ve been contributing. As always, there are a few “rules”:

▪   The story must be true

▪   Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That’s about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it’s too long. I know how tough it is to “write tight” but I hope you’ll accept this as a challenge.

 p.s.  I’ll be announcing the grand total of our donation for the Red Cross on Monday. Thanks to those of you who helped us reach our goal!

 

27 Comments

  1. Nicole Spivey on December 1, 2012 at 10:24 am

    I live on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. I love that all of my family and friends are here, but there is very little to do here. Sometimes I wish I lived in a place that had malls, or movie theaters that were open every day, but I am thankful that I don’t have to deal with a lot of traffic on a daily basis. I would also like to live somewhere that had warm weather all year around.

  2. Liz on December 1, 2012 at 10:31 am

    If I had been asked this question a year ago I would have said I wanted to live in Marloth Park in South Africa. However, we moved here two months ago, so if I could live anywhere it would be exactly where I am. I grew up in a small(ish) town and moved to a big city when I was grown up (all of 18). After my children grew up and our house got too big for us we moved onto a farm just outside the big city, still accessible to malls and movies. Now we are retired and live in the African bushveld. Our property is situated on a game conservancy and wild animals roam through our gardens. We are at the southern border of the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The Crocodile River forms the southern border of the Kruger Park and our game conservancy is on the other side of the river. Although it may sound dangerous, the animals are pretty tame and we don’t have the dangerous ones such as elephants or lions, however, regular visitors are giraffe, kudu antelope, warthogs and zebra – and of course the odd snake just to keep us on our toes. It is a privilege to walk along the riverside and watch elephants drinking on the other side, and we even once saw a leopard having a drink. Would I live anywhere else? I don’t think so!

    • Diane Chamberlain on December 1, 2012 at 11:18 am

      wow!!

    • Cindy Mathes on December 1, 2012 at 11:08 pm

      Awesome…I can’t even imagine this..Wow is right

  3. Laurie on December 1, 2012 at 10:39 am

    If I could live anywhere…
    I would live in a cottage on the beach of NorthTopsail Island.
    I love the peace and quietness of the beach. I love the natural surroundings, the beautiful sunrise’s and sunset’s and the tranquility..

  4. Corey Ann on December 1, 2012 at 10:45 am

    a) somewhere on the Outer banks, anywhere would do!
    b) Kennebunkport, Maine
    c) Prince Edward Island

    Basically… anywhere with a lighthouse and ocean shall do!

  5. Diane Bishop on December 1, 2012 at 10:45 am

    I have lived in many places along the eastern seaboard but if i could live somewhere for the rest of my life I would …..
    Live in Magnolia , Mass on the beautiful shores with Honesdale ,Pas Lil town feel with Columbus, Ohio people and Orlando fl family and Murphy NC friends. These are just a few of the places i have lived and loved something about them all. It would be hard to choose just one place. To visit Hawaii would be great. lol I have been on an incredible journey filled with wonderful ups and horrible downs. But wherever i loved I was always welcome and loved by someone from minister friend to partners mom. I guess you could say wherever I live im home since ive never lived more than 3 yrs in one spot in my entire life. And enjoyed every moment of it learned a lot too. Like trust and giving too much to loving thru things and understanding when there’s not enough to go by. So where ever you live enjoy it, its home.

  6. Lois Manowitz on December 1, 2012 at 10:48 am

    I do live in that place…Tucson, AZ. My husband and I launched an extensive search for our perfect retirement place . It was supposed to have water (for me) and mountains (for him) and year-round good weather (no snow). We looked in New England (too cold), Pacific Northwest (too rainy), Hawaii (too far). Then, oddly, we looked at Tucson (has the mountains, but obviously no water), and it was love at first sight for us both. The desert is a miraculous place (the Sonoran desert being the wettest, greenest desert on earth), and the bird life here is world-class. This has replaced my need for water, as I revel in my surroundings every day. Oh, the mountains surround us, so he’s a happy camper, too.

    • Diane Chamberlain on December 1, 2012 at 11:19 am

      I can tell every time I read your FB posts that you’ve found your Nirvana, Lois. So happy for you!

  7. Deborah Dunn on December 1, 2012 at 10:52 am

    I would live in the desert of northern New Mexico. Solitude and stillness is what I crave, mountains and painted sky; not the continual buzz of city traffic and electrical wires crisscrossing busy streets.. I stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon with tears in my eyes as if II were a long-lost child finally come home. Sometimes in my dreams I can still smell the faint scent of pinion wood smoke drifiting across the cold night air and touch pulsing white stars. If a place can change you forever; that place changed me.

  8. Amy on December 1, 2012 at 11:51 am

    Boston is historical, filled with culture and intellects, but what about those horrid winters? The San Diego climate is perfect, and little else that interests me (apologies to my wonderful cousin). Seattle has the fictional Seattle Grace-Mercy West from my favorite show Grey’s Anatomy. I’m a girly-girl. I love the color pink, sparkles and pretty things. Last June I found my dream place–the doll house-like homes of Cape May, New Jersey. Calling all Powerball winners who’d like to dispose of some capital…

  9. Elspeth Mitchell on December 1, 2012 at 12:38 pm

    I’d live miles from civilisation in Daphne du Maurier country. I’d wake up to the sound of crashing waves and open my back door to breathe in the fresh and salty air. I’d shop from local grocers and bakers and buy English wine to sip in my private garden. I’d take my rescue dog for long beach walks and drop in the local hostelry where there know my name and my favourite tipple. I’d make jam from my own plums, cake with my own eggs and welcome my family down from the smoke when they are work weary and need some Mum/Nana time. In short, I would find my dream and remote location far from the madding crowd in the timeless rugged beauty that is Cornwall!

    • Diane Chamberlain on December 1, 2012 at 1:28 pm

      oh, you just filled me with such longing!

  10. Donna Tolar on December 1, 2012 at 1:32 pm

    If I could live anyplace, I would live exactly where I do…. in the state of North Carolina. I live three hours to the coast and four hours to the mountains, thirty minutes to Raleigh for museums, restaurants, and shopping, forty-five to fifty minutes to Durham for the DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center), and an hour to Chapel Hill (daughter’s college and Franklin Street restaurants). I really could not ask for more! My heart belongs to North Carolina!

    • Diane Chamberlain on December 1, 2012 at 2:05 pm

      Donna, you must live next door to me! The driving times fit perfectly. We’re so lucky!

    • Margaret on December 2, 2012 at 9:44 am

      No,, Diane, she lives almost next door to me!

  11. debb haley on December 1, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    I think by now you know my only place to live would be Topsail Island. Some day its going to happen, I have visited there since I was 12 and have always dreamed of a home there.

  12. Carole on December 1, 2012 at 4:29 pm

    I’d live in a little thatched cottage in the English countryside. I’d like a town where you have to walk to the train station down a little road that isn’t paved, and there are cows on one side and sheep on the other. I’d stop and have a chat with them as I walked to the station.

    In the town itself, there would be all little family owned shops. And I’d live the way my grandparents lived many years ago. Every day I’d go to the green grocer for my fruit and vegetables, then to the butcher for my meat, and on to the baker for my bread and rolls. Finally, there would be a stop at the news agents to pick up a newspaper and a bit of sweets for the day.

    When I needed a new dress or other clothing, I’d stop in at the local ladies shop where they not only had lovely clothing, they also did alterations for nothing.

    Every so often, when the weather was nice, I’d hop into my MINI Cooper and go for a drive to one of the great cathedrals or museums around the area. And I’d plan my vacations so that I could go see other areas of England and bask in all the history that surrounded me.

    And then I’d write a book 🙂

  13. carolyn on December 1, 2012 at 4:30 pm

    For many years, my fantasy has been to live in a cottage on the beach somewhere on the New England coast. But I’d want my friends and my sister to be there also. I love the ocean or other ‘big water’. LOL!

  14. Angelique on December 1, 2012 at 8:17 pm

    I live in south Louisiana where it’s always hot and humid and we are, of course, hurricane prone. I’m not far from New Orleans, but we were fortunately spared through both Katrina and Isaac. But, I would like to get away from the three “H’s”. I’ve been to the north Georgia mountains and love it there or in the area of the Great Smoky Mountains would be nice too.

  15. kelly English on December 1, 2012 at 10:52 pm

    I guess when it comes down to it I would live in Steveston, B.C just like I do now. The village is in the middle of the city but has a small village feel to it. It is very multicultural and food is too as you can imagine. The fishing boats come to the docks , sell from the boats and the items are quite often things I wouldn’t think of eating but others love that they can get their traditional foods here. I know many merchants and can always count on meeting friends as I walk the street. Parks, recreation, a great library(always important), coffee shops and great food. Ocean going ships, kites in the park beside my apartment. Lots of dogs being walked by friendly people. bookstores – used and new and garden shops. And all within spitting distance of city life. I love it here.

  16. Cindy Mathes on December 1, 2012 at 11:26 pm

    This is one time I have no idea how to answer. Every time I go on vacation to somewhere new, I dream of living there. When we were in New Mexico this summer, I could imagine living there. When we were in Yellowstone Park and into Montana where we drove across Bear Creek Pass, I dreamed of living there. When I am at our lake cabin at Lake Eufaula, I dream of never leaving. I have never been to the ocean, so I can only dream when I read about it in books. I want to travel the coast from Maine to Florida and across the southern border. Take a quick trip to the west coast and travel the coast from California to the Canadian border and then all the way to Alaska. I want to take a trip across the norther border of the United States and visit the wild and beautiful Canadian countryside and mountains. Living in Washington State has to be a beautiful place as well. I am sure I will find so many places that I want to live. Right now I live in Oklahoma. Here you can travel across the state to the small mountains of south eastern Oklahoma and across the plains. We have a small painted desert and a Great Salt Plain where you can dig crystals from the ground. We also have caves (Alabaster Caverns), You can only find 1 other place in the world with the same kind of cave. And of course the best reason of all to live in Oklahoma…All my family live here. I am blessed that all my children live in the same city and I can see my grand kids all the time 😉

  17. Katie on December 2, 2012 at 7:37 pm

    Anyplace in the world, would be a combination of a couple places! My grandparents old house, restored back to its original state, ugly linolium and green wood paneling bedroom walls included. However, it would have a wrap around porch and be located on the coast in Nfld or BC. I have so many great memories in that house, and I would live to live somewhere with the ocean (or at least some type of body of water) literally in my back yard.

  18. Margo on December 3, 2012 at 7:43 am

    Nantucket Island!!!!!!!!!!! (-:)

  19. Steph Walford on December 3, 2012 at 1:37 pm

    With a locally bought, but unclaimed lottery prize of £64 million about to go down the pan my husband and I have been playing the ‘if we were rich’ game this past week whilst on holiday in Derbyshire. I’ve travelled a lot, visited many wonderful parts of the world, but for all its failings I just love England. In particular the Peak District…….romantic stately homes, rolling fields, stunning sunsets, bustling markets, villages that are still thriving communities, local delicacies, roaring fires in cosy pubs after crisp wintry walks that leave you with red cheeks and a cold nose, and the best quilt shop in the country. My cup runneth over.

  20. Cindy Mathes on December 3, 2012 at 9:06 pm

    I just have to reflect here…that while some of us dream of other places far from home. Places we’ve never been or have visited and loved…most of us come back to that old saying..”There is no place like home”…But I sure would like to visit more and more places ..just to find out if it is true. 🙂

  21. Heather Cathrall on December 20, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    For years I would have said a tropical island, a beautiful castle, a flat in Paris, or something equally dreamy and romantic. And I’d love to see all those places, and I wouldn’t mind living in any of them, but my truthful answer right now… is right where I currently live. A modest 2 story home. I’m in the first house I’ve ever owned and the one my husband and I painted together and decorated together. I’m in a house that feels like “home”. Where we have memories and laughter and which so nicely reflects the life we’re building together.

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