Bill- Sorry, Buddy, can't put the cat back in the bag! Take a number and que up to buy a house with all the other California escapees! But don't wait too long, the prices go up each year. If one had the cash, it would be smart to buy a house now, lease it for a few years, then move up there and avoid the inflation in real estate values. Even here it Redding, we went up 16.7% last year alone.
When we raced in the 1995 Lido Nationals at the Sequim Yacht Club, the place was already over populated with "rich retirees' from California, many from San Diego, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. The locals had a love-hate relationship with them, resenting the prices they were paying for housing and driving the prices up, but at the same time building houses "on spec (ulation)" as fast as they could sell them. Everybody from down here loves the very moderate 17 inch rainfall experienced around there due the leeward shadow of the Olympic Range.
Everywhere we visited when looking for a place to retire had the same mixed feelings toward new retiring "immigrants". Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, even here in the California foothills. Particularly humorous are the Oregonians, who, being largely California escapees as one time or another in the past, put up tongue and cheek signs proclaiming "Welcome to Oregon, Now Go Home". We settled here in Redding because I grew up here and my care needing Mom still lives here as well.
I know you know all of this already, but this is the Pub, and friendly banter is the order of the day. At least you'll have your C-Dory friends as a welcoming contingent in your new retirement home!!! Get a great shot of the are up there, maybe with DNDN in it, and post it on your computer as a background/screensaver for inspiration at work! Joe.