May 01, 2005
Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear
The Hidden World of Fungi Kalopa State Park Hawaii
Posted at the Drury Inn The Woodlands Texas. May 1 2005
You remember that Far Side cartoon of the lady looking into her side mirror and seeing the eye of a huge monster looking back at her and the caption that familiar warning..."Object in mirror is closer than they appear" That is how I feel about how we are deciding about where to settle. I have been praying my heart out for the past 6 months and now the money is on the table so to speak and we are making the decisions. But I am afraid that I do not see the truth but rather the obvious.
When we moved to Hawaii we looked at data, we talked to people and we visited more than a dozen times, but not the Big Island. Mistake number 1 which we are trying to correct by at least looking at places and not sugar coating anything. We are talking to all sorts of people gathering info from those that have no stake in our survival here. There are facts like Arkansas low cost of living and low low taxes, these are facts. But low wages and employment for most of the state make this a reality. No getting around that, 33rd in the nation for per capita income, but since 14 percent are retired the numbers may be skewed... we shall see. any place with obvious problems like crime, run down areas and a poor racial mix where we would not be accepted are immediatly thrown out...
With that in mind, we sadly ruled out Galveston today when we drove down and saw a seedy, broken down town not unlike Hilo with some definate challenges. There are plenty of homes for sale and I would have the rolling Gulf of Mexico at my door, but that is it. Frankly the whole island was ugly in comparison to any seaside town I have ever known so its not a Hawaii comparison (that would not be fair). We were not impressed with the south side of town here and have ruled that out too. Yes it was a short visit, but that is all the time and money we have to invest in this venture. For now.
When in doubt...dont...
When we visited Arkansas last week we saw a beautiful state with very freindly helpful people of all races. We saw cities rising up at at record pace, with 1500 families a month moving into the Northwest Corridor a month... (according to county stats we got last week). I saw retirement villages, and resorts, and little towns with neat farms that looked very much like Ohio. I didnt see trash... either people, trailerparks, or even dumps. I heard a mix of music on resturant radios and often met people that didnt sound "southern".
Yes there is the "Big Three" employers Tyson, JB Hunt and of course Walmart... but there are business parks with other companies in them, more jobs than those towns need to suvive...
In short we didnt see what we expected... Did we miss something?
Help me people. In my last post I wasnt asking for comments now I am. I want to hear from anyone that has lived in Arkansas. I want to know how you liked it or not and why. where did you live and if you left why... I dont want hearsay... or "someone said's" I dont want "redneck jokes" That sort of predjudice is not for me, and I cant make life decisions based on that. I dont want "Bill Clinton is from there either..." pooh! I just want data that is first hand, and honest.
Im afraid that the "object in the mirror" is either my own fears distorting my vision, the prejudices of others, and a bad reputation. Our agent in Hawaii lived in the area we are looking in for 15 years and only a job offer in Hawaii moved them away. I also fear that my need to just get this over with is distorting my perceptions as well. Any imput you can give me will be appreciated...
