Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 63 (9161 total)
1 online now:
Newest Member: popoi
Post Volume: Total: 915,585 Year: 2,842/9,624 Month: 687/1,588 Week: 93/229 Day: 4/61 Hour: 0/0


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   Where we live
jar
Member (Idle past 384 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 1 of 22 (205133)
05-05-2005 12:59 AM


I thought it might be interesting to tell others about where we live, what we like or dislike about our area.
I'll start off. Jump in, water's fine.
I live in a small town called Mission, Texas, part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley is made of four counties that stretch along the Rio Grande River on our border with Mexico. It's made up of many small cities, no one center, and each has a personality of its own. The counties cover an area about the same as Massachusetts or New Jersey.
The weather ranges from really nice in the winter to down right hot in July and August. Summer can be weeks of 100o days (often nights as well LOL) but winter is usually very mild.
The culture is a mixture of American and Mexican with a liberal dose of Canadians (during the winter for some reason) and other nationalities. One of my favorite places is a little Greek store that sells the best olives, but I gotta admit that the staple fare is most often wrapped in a tortilla.
I live in a tiny 55 and Older community. It's quiet and every evening the wind picks up. We have a great breeze and I can think of little better than sitting with the dogs on the patio enjoying a nice beer and cigar. Wonderful end to any day.

So where do you live and what's it like?
This message has been edited by jar, 05-05-2005 12:09 AM
{Rescaled photos to "100%". They were just a bit overwide as my system displayed them. - Adminnemooseus}
This message has been edited by Adminnemooseus, 05-05-2005 02:14 PM

Replies to this message:
 Message 3 by Ben!, posted 05-05-2005 6:26 AM jar has not replied
 Message 4 by Morgolf, posted 05-05-2005 12:58 PM jar has replied
 Message 5 by roxrkool, posted 05-05-2005 1:18 PM jar has not replied
 Message 12 by MangyTiger, posted 05-05-2005 9:28 PM jar has replied

  
Adminnemooseus
Administrator
Posts: 3974
Joined: 09-26-2002


Message 2 of 22 (205141)
05-05-2005 2:09 AM


Thread moved here from the Proposed New Topics forum.

  
Ben!
Member (Idle past 1389 days)
Posts: 1161
From: Hayward, CA
Joined: 10-14-2004


Message 3 of 22 (205180)
05-05-2005 6:26 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by jar
05-05-2005 12:59 AM


Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
I live in Shinjuku, one of the 23 wards in Tokyo, Japan. I think home of the world's largest train station (Shinjuku Station).
If you like big crowded cities, Tokyo's the place for you. The subway and train system really rocks. Lots of things to do, lots of GREAT food. Lots of attractive, well-dressed women. LOTS OF PEOPLE.
(Generally) missing are: green stuff, people who like the outdoors, people who enjoy slow things, people who show concern when another person is in trouble.
I live in a TINY apartment with my girlfriend. We've got plenty of roaches, a catwoman who feeds the strays outside of OUR apartment and under our bikes, instead of anywhere near hers. We have a landlord who charges us for any problem here, which is the standard here.
We have a fresh tofu shop 20 seconds away, an old woman running a candy store 45 seconds away, a fresh vegetable shop and fish shops 15 seconds away. And we live in a very quiet section of town. They're all run by very kind elderly people.
It's Golden Week. That means everybody is off from work. It's a mess out there. We travelled to Yokohama (a nearby city) to visit the "Ramen Museum", where you can try famous ramen from across Japan. After fighting (literally) through crowds to get on / off the train, to exit the station, and to walk on the sidewalk to the museum, we were told it would take 1 hour to enter the museum, and 1-1.5 hours to wait to get a bowl of ramen from any of the shops. That's 4 hours of waiting just to compare two bowls of ramen. So we returned to Shinjuku and had Tokyo-style ramen. So is the life here.
It's a big city. If you like the big city life, you're gonna love Tokyo. I'm more of a country boy. I miss rock climbing. But I enjoy learning, and this is certainly a learning experience for me.
AbE: Changed author to "regular" mode. What a rookie.
This message has been edited by Ben, 05/05/2005 06:31 AM

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by jar, posted 05-05-2005 12:59 AM jar has not replied

  
Morgolf
Inactive Member


Message 4 of 22 (205286)
05-05-2005 12:58 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by jar
05-05-2005 12:59 AM


re: Where we live
Hello,
First post, so figured I would not screw this up too much. I currently live in Morgantown, PA for just a little while longer (moving at the end of June to Southern Chester County PA). Waited until end of June because my second son is due on June 10th (I do not want to divert from driving to settlement to driving to the Birth Center).
Morgantown is basically a small town full of Amish (buggies, horses, etc.) right off of the PA Turnpike. The surrounding areas can be very beautiful, especially in the spring, summer and fall when the trees are in full bloom. There are plenty of state parks nearby that are very well maintained and great places to go hiking.
Of course, being right off the Turnpike, traffic is bad, and with major construction on-going in the town, it is getting worse. With (soon to be) two small children, my wife and I do not want them to increase their chance for respiratory diseases by being in an area with heavy traffic congestion (especially from particulates from diesel engine exhausts)so my family and I are on the move.
Must get back to work. Thanks for reading.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by jar, posted 05-05-2005 12:59 AM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 7 by jar, posted 05-05-2005 3:43 PM Morgolf has replied

  
roxrkool
Member (Idle past 979 days)
Posts: 1497
From: Nevada
Joined: 03-23-2003


Message 5 of 22 (205291)
05-05-2005 1:18 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by jar
05-05-2005 12:59 AM


I live in Littleton, Colorado, a suburb approximately 15 miles south of Denver.
See some pics here: No webpage found at provided URL: http://www.littletongov.org/postcards/greetings.asp?category=21
Littleton lies adjacent to the South Platte River and along a railroad line. Littleton started out as a farming community and stayed small until Glenn L. Martin (THE early airplane manufacturer) came to town in 1955 to build a major defense plant - it's known today as Lockheed-Martin. After the arrival of Lockheed-Martin, the population of Littleton skyrocketed and a building boom ensued.
Today, Littleton is a small quiet community full of city and open-space parks, walking/riding trails, lakes/ponds/reservoirs, and very nice older neighborhoods (mainly from the 1950s and 1960s) surrounded by newer home construction (from the latest 1990s/2000s building boom). The weather here is wonderful (even in the Winter) and so is the quality of life.
I live in the older part of Littleton in a 1950s ranch on 0.25 acres (a HUGE lot compared to newer home construction!) surrounded mainly by Lockheed-Martin retirees. We are one of two families on my street to have a children - the rest are retirees. Needless to say, I live on a very quiet and well-maintained street.
I'll post a pic of my home when I get home later tonight.
What don't I like? I'd would have preferred to be closer to the mountains or IN the mountains, the traffic on workdays is pretty heavy, summer can be a bit more humid than I like, and I wouldn't mind a neighborhood grocery store/market, or coffee shop, or ice cream shop around the corner. Everything is a little too far. I really like small towns... as long as they are close to large towns.
This message has been edited by roxrkool, 05-05-2005 01:26 PM

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by jar, posted 05-05-2005 12:59 AM jar has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 6 by Tal, posted 05-05-2005 2:08 PM roxrkool has not replied

  
Tal
Member (Idle past 5667 days)
Posts: 1140
From: Fort Bragg, NC
Joined: 12-29-2004


Message 6 of 22 (205307)
05-05-2005 2:08 PM
Reply to: Message 5 by roxrkool
05-05-2005 1:18 PM


I currently live in Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Some History/Pics here
The Gold Vault, which is about 200m from my house.
The Patton Museum
It's great here in Kentucky. Winter isn't too cold, summer isn't too hot. We are 45 mins away from Louisville, KY, where you can do pretty much everything.
Hardin County is the oldest county in Kentucky.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8
No webpage found at provided URL: www.1st-vets.us

This message is a reply to:
 Message 5 by roxrkool, posted 05-05-2005 1:18 PM roxrkool has not replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 384 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 7 of 22 (205338)
05-05-2005 3:43 PM
Reply to: Message 4 by Morgolf
05-05-2005 12:58 PM


Welcome to EvC
You're moving to a beautiful area. I was lucky enough to live nearby back in the 50'2 & 60's and wander all over that area. I love the rolling hills of PA and MD and miss it greatly. But only for a little while and I realize what I remember is now long gone.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 4 by Morgolf, posted 05-05-2005 12:58 PM Morgolf has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 8 by Morgolf, posted 05-05-2005 4:05 PM jar has replied

  
Morgolf
Inactive Member


Message 8 of 22 (205341)
05-05-2005 4:05 PM
Reply to: Message 7 by jar
05-05-2005 3:43 PM


Re: Welcome to EvC
Jar,
Thank you for the welcome. Southern Chester County is a very beautiful area. I grew up around there in the 70's and 80's and remember cycling through Delaware and Maryland.
Of course when the snow and ice comes in the winter, those rolling hills are usually full of people rolling back and forth in the valleys, never actually making it over the hills.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 7 by jar, posted 05-05-2005 3:43 PM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 9 by jar, posted 05-05-2005 4:29 PM Morgolf has replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 384 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 9 of 22 (205345)
05-05-2005 4:29 PM
Reply to: Message 8 by Morgolf
05-05-2005 4:05 PM


Re: Welcome to EvC
When I was a little tyke I lived at a boarding school north of Baltimore. The cafeteria had large aluminum trays used to carry your meal. The school sat on a large hill and it was a mile (almost exactly) downhill to the back gate. When we got a layer of snow it was the perfect place to grab a tray and head downhill.
The whole north/north west boarder area between MD and PA is among the most beautiful country I know of, and certainly among the best for eating native Trout.
But I don't miss holding a match under the car key to get it into the frozen door lock.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 8 by Morgolf, posted 05-05-2005 4:05 PM Morgolf has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 16 by Morgolf, posted 05-06-2005 1:21 PM jar has replied

  
Dead Parrot
Member (Idle past 3336 days)
Posts: 151
From: Wellington, NZ
Joined: 04-13-2005


Message 10 of 22 (205404)
05-05-2005 8:07 PM


New Zealand consists mostly of two large islands in the South Pacific, about a thousand miles from Australia. On the bottom edge of the ring of fire, we're got a few volcanoes and a week without an earthquake would make the headlines. But, lots of little ones are better than one big one...
The relative isolation kept the islands almost mammal free until around a thousand years ago (guess which species mucked that up!), so introduced mammals like the possum are a real pain - The NZ government is probably the only one that can develop a bio-genetic plaque to wipe out small furry animals and get away with it.
Usual fact stuff from the CIA and the BBC
Wellington is the capital, although with a population of less than 200,000 it resembles an average town with extra politics (We even, briefly, had a "Minister for Lord of the Rings". I shit you not). Built on the hills around a natural harbour, it's a bit like a small, cold San Francisco, without the bridge. Like most capitals, it seems to consist entirly of service industries and coffee houses, but it's a lot cleaner that most.
A couple of stock photos for you:
Wellington City
The veiw that always gets in the guidebooks
Cam Veiw
Webcam from the other direction. It's a nice day so far...
On a personal note, We emmigrated here last year from the UK, looking for a nicer place to bring up our daughter. I think we found it...
{Rescaled both photos to "100%", to restore page width to normal. - Adminnemooseus}
This message has been edited by Adminnemooseus, 05-05-2005 08:21 PM

  
Coragyps
Member (Idle past 725 days)
Posts: 5553
From: Snyder, Texas, USA
Joined: 11-12-2002


Message 11 of 22 (205423)
05-05-2005 9:23 PM


Well......
Snyder, Texas is where the desert begins in earnest - about the 20 inch/50 cm rainfall per year line that is at about 100 degrees longitude in the US. We're located about halfway between Fluvanna and Wastella. Maybe "halfway between Roby and Gail" is more useful? I feared as much....
We're at the center of the triangle formed by Abilene, Midland, and Lubbock, and we must drive 80 miles/130 km to one of them to go to a decent bookstore or find an imported beer. (We did, however, vote in the possibility of buying a legal beer here this spring.) Population is maybe 65% Anglo, 30% Hispanic, and 5% everyone else. Industries are oil production, cotton and cattle growing, and prisons. Politics are spooky - 82% for Bush in this county last election. It snows most winters, the wind blows most of the spring, and it's hot - 100F/40C - in the summer. We do have nice dark skies for astronomy, and lots of open spaces, though.

Replies to this message:
 Message 13 by jar, posted 05-05-2005 9:28 PM Coragyps has replied

  
MangyTiger
Member (Idle past 6344 days)
Posts: 989
From: Leicester, UK
Joined: 07-30-2004


Message 12 of 22 (205424)
05-05-2005 9:28 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by jar
05-05-2005 12:59 AM


I'm sure I've heard of Mission before. Is it where Tom Landry is from or something like that ?

09/04/05 - Sharks attacked
30/04/05 - Wasps swatted
14/05/05 - More of the same ?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by jar, posted 05-05-2005 12:59 AM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 15 by jar, posted 05-05-2005 9:49 PM MangyTiger has not replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 384 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 13 of 22 (205425)
05-05-2005 9:28 PM
Reply to: Message 11 by Coragyps
05-05-2005 9:23 PM


Since we're both from Texas, neighbors so to speak
I thought it might interest folk to know that you only live a little more than 571 Miles away from me.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 11 by Coragyps, posted 05-05-2005 9:23 PM Coragyps has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 14 by Coragyps, posted 05-05-2005 9:46 PM jar has not replied

  
Coragyps
Member (Idle past 725 days)
Posts: 5553
From: Snyder, Texas, USA
Joined: 11-12-2002


Message 14 of 22 (205428)
05-05-2005 9:46 PM
Reply to: Message 13 by jar
05-05-2005 9:28 PM


Re: Since we're both from Texas, neighbors so to speak
And it's still another 250+ miles to Dalhart!!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 13 by jar, posted 05-05-2005 9:28 PM jar has not replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 384 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 15 of 22 (205429)
05-05-2005 9:49 PM
Reply to: Message 12 by MangyTiger
05-05-2005 9:28 PM


Yes, that's the place. But don't let that taint your view. TTBOMK there are no buildings over three stories in Mission, although McAllen, right next door as a few that get up above 10 stories.
It's an area still dominated by Citrus Groves and we've just moved from the smell of Orange Blossom into the smell of Gardenias. The Cactus blossoms are fading, they are some of the most beautiful sights around, and I always enjoy them.
They're the equivalent down here of Crocus and Jonquils, one of the first bloomers of the year.
Mission has a population of about 50K, McAllen about 100K+ and Edinburg, the third of the bigger cities right adjacent is about the size of Mission. Other major cities in the Valley are Harlingen, 57K; Alamo, 15K; Weslaco, 30K and Brownsville, 140K.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 12 by MangyTiger, posted 05-05-2005 9:28 PM MangyTiger has not replied

  
Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024