Funny thing about "going home." My wife and I grew up together near Chicago, went our separate ways after high school, whelped our respective families, and after reconnecting and settling in the San Freakcisco area about 15 years back, I want the hell out of this fruit-loop infested place and she wants to stay put. For different reasons.

Folks tell me I'm nuts to want to give up a beautiful climate and go back to the "horrible weather" in Chicago - whereas I see the issue being more about outrageous taxes, hopelessly broken government, and flaming left-wing politics than I do climate. Maybe it is just that I grew up immersed in Chicago politics and I don't understand "normal people??" Darlene is still a native Chicagoan at heart but has fallen in love with the moderate climate here.

Between us we have 7 kids and 11, soon to be 13 grandkids and they are scattered all over the country from Bahstun to burning to the ground Southern California and soggy Oregon with a stopover in Denver. As Roy notes, being near our grandkids would be a pleasure  - except with them scattered all over, we don't have a concentration anywhere and any re-clustering of the clans doesn't appear to be in the offing either.

But, crazy or not, I'm ready to go home.

Interesting anecdote about post US&N retirement -- one of the NAVSECGRU officers I worked with while in the Pentagon had been stationed all over the world during his 30 year career. When he finally came up to his retirement date, someone asked him where he and his family were going to settle. Steve's answer was a classic -- "I'm going to put a pair of oars over my shoulder and start walking inland until someone asks me 'what are those things on your shoulder?' That is where we'll settle." He wound up as a county sheriff in Idaho and loves every second of it!