The Puffin Has Landed!

It's true, kind of sureal. Julie and I have settled in Tucson, Arizona. In all the times we've toured around the country we assessed the area for more than the adventure in front of us. Would this be a good place to land? What are the neat things there to do? Are homes affordable? Access to medical, church, arts and entertainment/theater? How is the shopping, restaurants, distance to airports? Sure, a lot of stuff.

We'd been places that were incredibly beautiful, if only natures landscapes were the only factor. Sioux Falls, Spearfish, Seattle, Bend, Ashland, Chicago and others had serious draws. But there were a lot of reasons not to settle in any of these places.

Not that this is a cottage business for us and we would counsel others, charge them huge sums of money to help people select the best place to live. It was hard enough for us, often times filled with doubt and apprehension. So we'd kick the can down the road and wait for a different place - we didn't have to decide. Any pressure was of our making.

We arrived at the Voyager RV resort in early December, 2025. This resort was established in 1984 as a 55+ gated community. It has grown into a top rated winter destination for RV'ers, but also has communities associated with the resort. Inside the park are park model homes and where we are, "The Cove", there are attached condominiums and others that are free standing. For the four months we've been here, we've enjoyed the people, the resort (pools, golf course, woodshops, craft rooms, tennis, pickleball, on site restaurant), as well as Tucson, which is pretty vibrant.

So what drove the decision?

First, we really like the area. The desert is pretty spectacular and the backdrop of mountains checks the boxes for natures beauty. My cousin lives here and her husband is a very talented musician, who is sought after to play with a lot of different bands. We'd gone to several shows and Julie has danced more within the last few months than she has in years - it's made her really happy and she's even gotten me up off my fat ass to push my tootsies around the dance floor. The restaurants here are good and there's choices galore, many of which we like.

We have other family members here and on the west coast - it's like which coast will it be? My sister, daughter and Julie's brothers on the east coast and my daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter, neice and Julies other brother and neices in the west. When we lived in New Hampshire, we'd plan trips out west, leaving the cold looking for warmer climates. We basically are flipping the script - trading New Hamphires snowy winters for Arizonas hot summers for when our travel happens.

Is the Bathroom Occupied?

Time to access the loo, especially one, is a tiresome chore. Gone were the days of luxuriating, primping and long hot showers. Our bathroom was more than sufficient, but a far cry from what we once knew. While the small confines of living in a fifth wheel was manageable, it could get crowded quickly if guests were involved - all privacy was out the door. We began longing for more space and at least a bath and a half.

Gypsy Life

The RV life for us wasn't always wandering from place to place, coming and going whenever we wanted to or wherever the wind blows... not even close. We always had to keep a schedule, usually family as the basis. It always put time constraints for staying in a location - that wore on us, as it cut into the lifestyle we thought we'd get to enjoy - that's not that we haven't, we have. But the need to get closer to the day and dates for the appointments didn't allow us the freedom to just wander. There's a reality to living in an RV versus getting on a plane - time. After a while setting up, tearing down and not enough time to explore wore on us. Fun was disappearing.

We're filthy rich!

Sure we are. Money is no object. Our multiple homes, private jets, yachts and exotic automobiles are boring us to death. Yeah, it's true. I guess it explains a lot. Seriously, we had hoped that New Hampshire is where we'd wind up. As we confronted our reasons, it was obvious that comfort and familiarity were the primary drivers. But then we started comparing the expense of New Hampshire and Arizona. It was a pretty eye opening exercise. We established a budget and began evaluating real estate, taxes, healthcare, insurances and lifestyles. Buying a house in NH using our budget meant acquiring an older home in need of a lot of work. It also came at a higher price point. Real estate taxes overwhelmingly favored Arizona. Utilities are less in Arizona, as is car and house insurance. Offsetting all of Arizonas plusses is a sale tax. As a whole, Arizona beat out New Hampshire.

The home we purchased has been totally renovated and is integrated with the Voyager Resort and is a 3 bedroom 2 bath, with 2 car garage. There is a small veranda in back. We're determining the keep or kick phase, as a lot of stuff has to go. Right now, we're swimming in a sea of boxes, but are getting there.

Yesterday, Julie and I got our new Arizona drivers licenses. We registered as residents of Arizona, which opens up our ability to vote in local, state and national elections. And we will vote!

Final Thoughts...

Home is where ever we are. Now it's Tucson. But that doesn't mean we're landlocked, or won't be traveling. From time to time, we'll be back in NH to visit family and friends. At some point, we'd like it if you came out to visit. Just make sure it's not August - we won't be home.

Many of you were our biggest advocates, cheering on our adventures and reminding us how fortunate and blessed we are to do this. We hope you enjoyed it, had a few laughs and realize how important you were to us on our journey. More than likely this will be the last blog entry. Shoveling sunshine is calling... I need a cocktail!