Whew

It looks like Ivan is heading toward the Panhandle and will not be a problem for us. We are worried about our friends' Pensacola mobile home and hope they will come on down to our place for a few days.

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We're waffling again. Our Australian residency expires shortly so we are contemplating getting ourselves established down there. Again. Before it's too late this time. Before we get ensconced in a life here in Punta Gorda.

Blame it on Charley and Frances. I think if our formerly pretty little town had been spared we wouldn't have dredged this up again. We were happily planning to take sailing, golf and swimming lessons but the storms have ruined practically all chances for the girls to participate in any kind of extracurricular activities. There's really no other reason for us to stay in this neighborhood. Building an addition on the island is impractical. We need a land base. The thought of moving back to the sprawl and degrading conditions of the Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Palm Beach area is unacceptable.

We also have no health insurance, and socialized medicine looks pretty good to us at this point.

Three years ago, after we sold our Hollywood home, we were all set to go until we stumbled across the island (a.k.a. "The Monkeywrench") and decided that investing short term in such a property would only increase our equity. Besides, if we could achieve our goals without traveling halfway around the world, then all the better for us. Equity did indeed increase, but we have not accomplished the goals we've set for our family.

G and I sat down Sunday and compared our lists to be sure we were still in agreement on the direction our lives should take.