There’s No Place Like Home

The Boston Globe has another feature about people leaving Massachusetts (from Nov. 25).  The people interviewed are all from Boston, so it’s a bit one-sided. Also, most college students haven’t actually moved elsewhere permanently. And if they miss taking the T or commuter rail, they must really be homesick.

I have no plans to move anywhere at present but I enjoy hearing about others’ moves. I am addicted to the BBC TV series “Escape to the Country” which is readily available on YouTube. This program (there are many episodes) features people who are sick of city life in the UK trying to find some charming little rural village to move to. I already live in the country, more or less, and I’ve found our little patch of Rehoboth picturesque. At least it was until nearby woods were destroyed to install a large solar farm. But I’ve already complained about that in this space, so enough of that.

Also of interest to me is the New York Times feature every Monday showing three homes for sale in California. I have no intention of moving there either. While houses around here are expensive enough, it’s startling how relatively little you get for a million or more in both LA or the bay area. I loved visiting both England and California, but that’s as far as it goes.

What would I miss most about southeastern New England (I’m including Rhode Island here)? Although I am not a native, after over 45 years here, New England is home and I feel like I belong here. I’ve mostly enjoyed our winter vacations in Florida but have never had any desire to move there either. I can’t tolerate heat, especially humid heat, and would rather face a Massachusetts winter, with the exception of the one in 2015, than a Florida summer, especially with all the worries about hurricanes. South Florida traffic is terrible too.

Living in our area provides relatively easy access to Boston and other cities. I like Rhode Island but the never-ending Washington Bridge saga puts a damper on the west bay area for me. I’m gearing up to make our annual holiday visit to Garden City in Cranston. The new Henderson Bridge and rotary is working out pretty well for getting to the East Side of Providence, knock on wood. It’s been a year now since the Washington Bridge troubles began and I still have the greatest sympathy for those who need to go over it daily.

Like many people, what I like best about New England’s geography is the ocean, including Narragansett Bay. Even if you aren’t on or in the water, it’s nice to know it’s there. Even land-locked Vermont has beautiful Lake Champlain, which we enjoyed visiting this fall. Since I’ve never been into winter sports, I prefer to visit northern New England in the summer only, but I wish lots of snow for the ski resorts up there (and only a little snow for us down here.)

Christmas in Newport is always fun with all the mansions beautifully decorated for the season. You can find out more at www.discovernewport.org. Vogue magazine just named Newport as one of the best holiday towns in the USA. Festive events there are already well under way.

Blithewold in Bristol is another mansion and grounds a bit closer, all sparkly for the holidays. You can also have a special holiday tea at the mansion. There are many places to see Christmas lights in this area, including La Salette in Attleboro, Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Taunton’s Lights On Festival, and the Magic of Lights drive-through holiday display at Patriot Place in Foxboro, among others. I always enjoy seeing the Big Blue Bug all decked out in holiday lights, looking down from its perch over I-95.

As the year winds down, one wonders how it’s possible that this “new” century is already one-quarter over, with the millennium so far in the rearview mirror. Wasn’t all that Y2K fuss just a few years ago?  For many years in the past, we traveled to see extended family in Ohio at the holidays. But with the stress and strain of holiday air travel (getting stuck in airports, worries about snow and ice), we finally decided that a summer visit was a better choice. For a long while now New England has been home to me and indeed there’s no place like home for the holidays.