The ideal retreat home

[Kevin Peacocke]

not large at all... 300 square feet.. single room.. the back half has a bed, some bedroom furniture, etc.. the front half has a small cooking/kitchen area, a small table and chairs to sit at, etc.. and thats about it.. theres a small toilet area in the back corner that is walled off.. its certainly nothing elaborate..

but.. to be honest.. we spend maybe 1 hour a day indoors outside of the time we are sleeping.. nights are usually spent by a large stone fire pit I built.. we probably cook 75% of our meals over the fire (at the fire pit).. days are spent hiking, hunting, fishing, or just wandering around on the property looking for game sign or collecting firewood, or whatever else we want to do...

the other thing we really enjoy about the property is its location.. we often go to the cabin for a week or so and just use it as a base of operations and then head out on day trips.. Mt. Blanca (a 14K peak) is only about a 30 minute drive away... the Great Sand Dunes national park is about a 30 minute drive.. Pagosa Springs (natural hot spring baths, etc) is about an hour and a half away.. Taos, New Mexico (big ski resort town) is a little more than an hour away.. etc... So we will wake up in the AM.. get in the truck and head out to adventure around in the area, maybe get a nice meal at a restaurant in one of the towns near wherever it is we are heading.. and then not come back to the cabin until after nightfall... then light a fire, crack open a couple of cold beers, and just sit in front of the ranger television until its time to go to bed..

Sounds idyllic, comfortable, happy.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Purposefully cryptic about details and location but my second house is about as different from where I live now as can be found- period.

50 yds from beach, seafood out the wazoo, mountains, cold freshwater rivers and no touri !

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Wow!

 

[Rare Breed]

I call BS !!!

He can if out of Atlanta on Delta

 

[Rare Breed]

"The Atlanta airport is 81 miles away" from Montana? What ARE you smoking Safari Dave? LOL

Lol!!! I just got it!!!

 

[Rare Breed]

I shared this on another thread on here somewhere before.... but will share again. It's one of my happy places.

In 2014 I was drawn by the State of Alaska in a land lottery. I was able to stake out property on a remote lake. There are no roads to the property - it's a 40 minute or so drive to the lake shore and another dozen miles in a boat to get there. Over the course of the intervening years I have built a cabin on my property. It has been slow; I have no training in construction. It's all been trial and error/YouTube, and on my own. The exterior is mostly done. This summer I hope to work on the interior, and to put in an outhouse (I chose not to the past two years due to lumber costs). Again, it's one of my happy places: I look forward to a lot more time at my cabin in the coming years, with less emphasis on building and more on just enjoying. For what it's worth, the cost of the land (almost 6 acres) was about 10K and I've got another 18K in my cabin thus far.

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Wonderful!!!

 

[WAB]

Georgia is a horrible place to live, as well.

Gnats, chiggers, ticks, unbearable heat and humidity. Rednecks with Confederate flags flying everywhere. Law-abiding people carrying guns (concealed and open) without any type of restrictions. Even AR-15's, AK-47's, FN-FAL's, riot shotguns, it's crazy and stupid dangerous.

Even my local church doesn't care if you prop your rifle against the back wall, if you needed to hunt for a while before you come to Bible study.

My next-door neighbor emptied a drum magazine in his yard an hour ago and the authorities have not even responded.

AVOID
AVOID
AVOID

Bunch of Neanderthals...

Hmmm, sounds a lot like our corner of Bama!

 

[Safari Dave]

Hmmm, sounds a lot like our corner of Bama!

I don't think we are very far from each other....

 

[steve white]

For privacy reasons, I have no pictures but I seem to spend quite a bit of time in my home-away-from-home and it’s quite similar to this one…only not as comfy.

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Wifey heavily involved in scheduling?

 

[Randy F]

Wifey heavily involved in scheduling?

Mostly. Sometimes I just run there to avoid the scourging I earned.

 

[fourfive8]

Thanks @Kevin Peacocke for the topic. Hadn’t really thought about my situation much lately. I didn’t plan for having a second retreat place, just stumbled into it and it turned out that way. And no it’s not in Mexico nor even in the Western Hemisphere . In reality, utopias don’t exist and mine is no different. Not unlike returning to a past life or area after an absence. Impossible to recapture and the delusion can be very disappointing. So, I’ve discovered, going forward and looking forward is best for me. After stumbling, unplanned, into my retreat, I have few thoughts of yearning for more or better or second guessing.

But, back to reality. Right now back on the tractor to deal with a bunch more snow from last night- uhgh

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Thanks @Kevin Peacocke for the topic. Hadn’t really thought about my situation much lately. I didn’t plan for having a second retreat place, just stumbled into it and it turned out that way. And no it’s not in Mexico nor even in the Western Hemisphere . In reality, utopias don’t exist and mine is no different. Not unlike returning to a past life or area after an absence. Impossible to recapture and the delusion can be very disappointing. So, I’ve discovered, going forward and looking forward is best for me. After stumbling, unplanned, into my retreat, I have few thoughts of yearning for more or better or second guessing.
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But, back to reality. Right now back on the tractor to deal with a bunch more snow from last night- uhgh

Isn't that so true, we are always searching and never quite getting there. The ideal place I portrayed at the beginning of this thread is as much an attempt at a great place to be in as it is about how that would be workable and practical. I have concluded that to really enjoy a remote place like this would require a 'manager' back in the city to attend to all the admin, do the shopping and send re-supplies regularly. I would hate having to go back and forth unless I really wanted to. Another solution would be for invited guests to bring a box of supplies from the home base including some good wines and Scotch to share with them!

 

[steve white]

Over the years we have looked seriously at places all over the States from Hawaii to Florida. Maine to Mexico, even Belize.
Just cant get over the fact that if we buy a place somewhere then I am gong to locked into go there, all the time. We want to travel and see new places, meet new people, around the world.
So I think our ideal retreat home is going to look something like this.....At least for awhile

Fiberglass Travel Trailers

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Camper trailers need a base. That is usually a home. But friends decided to go 500K level live in trailer route with a base being a trailer hook up at the south end of a lake. The wind blows over the entire length of lake Whitney, and their awning/deck/hookup is so close to the shore that the water cooled air never exceeds 88 degrees in Tx summer! Pretty ideal, cheap rent, tho they are gone traveling most times.

 

[ActionBob]

I retired to a farm and live in my retreat home. Why drive to your dream retreat when you can just live in it.

Exactly!

 

[BourbonTrail]

Growing up as a military brat, I can’t honestly say that I could settle in one place. However, I don’t like the idea of a travel trailer either.

My wife on the other hand grew up in one place and she desperately wants the permanent retreat/retirement place.

As such, we’ll probably stay put in the land of bourbon. I would like more acreage, but it is outrageously priced unless you live in the extremely remote areas. That doesn’t really work with raising kids who make it their mission to meet my insurance deductible every year, so we live a short way off the beaten path.

My solution to my conundrum is the expensive option of saving up and buying a place in Africa and a place in Europe (my vote is Spain, hers is Ireland, and Italy is the cheapest).

One can dream.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Purposefully cryptic about details and location but my second house is about as different from where I live now as can be found- period.

50 yds from beach, seafood out the wazoo, mountains, cold freshwater rivers and no touri !

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i share your sentiments in this regard! lol photo taken from a restaurant in another state.

 

[SETH RINGER]

GREAT THREAD. LOVE ALL YOUR PLACES. WE SOLD OUT IN FL. LAST YEAR AND BOUGHT A PLACE IN COSTA RICA. WE ARE AT 4,850 FT ELEVATION SO OUR TEMPS ARE +/- A COUPLE DEGREES 61 AT NIGHT AND 75 DURING THE DAY IT SEEMS EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR SO FAR. WE LOOK DOWN ON THE TOWN OF SAN RAMON FROM THE BACK PORCH AND POOL, HAVE A SMALL "WINDOW" VIEW OF THE PACIFIC FROM THE FRONT PORCH AND DECK. 1.5HR TO JACO BEACH, 1.5HR TO THE AIRPORT AND A 3HR FLIGHT BACK TO FL. TO SEE THE FAMILY.

 

[Tucketed]

My get away. Home on the ICW in Florida and on small island in the Abaco in Bahamas. My wife and I love the Rockies and love water. We decided that water was it and travel to the mountains throughout the year.

 

[P-J]

My little weekend and hunting cabin I've been working on this winter. It's about 1.5 hrs from home but far enough away form people to be relaxing. Nothing fancy by any means but it works for me!

 

[C.W. Richter]

View attachment 524720View attachment 524721My get away. Home on the ICW in Florida and on small island in the Abaco in Bahamas. My wife and I love the Rockies and love water. We decided that water was it and travel to the mountains throughout the year.

Looks like friends' places along the S. Indian River (top.) Bottom is better! GF & fam just back from Paradise Island, but I like more private & secluded.

 

[C.W. Richter]

My little weekend and hunting cabin I've been working on this winter. It's about 1.5 hrs from home but far enough away form people to be relaxing. Nothing fancy by any means but it works for me!

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Very nice. Does it get a tad muddy driving in at times?? 'Looks like farm lanes at home (where I've pulled various 4wd vehicles out with tractors at times-mud and snow!)