The Foreign Service Journal, May 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2022 23 Retired FS Specialist Peter Kennett says the list that he and his wife developed included things like quality medical care, good weather, culture, cuisine and a low local cost of living—all of which eventually led them to NewMexico. Peter has become an expert astrophotographer, with his own backyard observatory, and he and his wife harvest honey and raise chickens on their ranch. Jim Jessee, a Foreign Service specialist, and his spouse, Mary, plan to retire next year. They wanted “a strong Asian community and an active lifestyle” when they chose Chandler, Arizona. They have friends and family in the area and say “it’s close to California without the taxes.”Their house is currently rented through a national home management company, but the couple looks forward to settling there in 2023. Former FSO Ali Jalili was looking for a smaller city with access to cultural amenities, a walkable downtown, shops and restau- rants. A friend suggested Burlington, Vermont, and it checked all the boxes. It had everything on his list, plus “a convenient small airport, a great teaching hospital, a progressive vibe, a spectacular natural setting on Lake Champlain, and easy access to all sorts of nature.” Get Professional Help Realtor Carolyn Connell, whose husband Ladd is a retired Foreign Service officer, has sold houses to and for FS retirees. She says the process of helping retirees choose a home is similar to helping first-time buyers. She recommends that both spouses make separate lists of everything that is important in a new town. They then combine their lists and work on prioritizing the items they’ve each listed. The list will change, she says, and that’s okay. “Something they don’t think is important will rise to the top. And when they fall in love with a place, they may realize something that was nonnegotiable isn’t there, and that’s okay with them.” Connell’s clients often want warmweather, no yard maintenance, a vibrant downtown, access to a major airport or a town with “like- minded people.” Ambassador John Ordway hiking in California. COURTESYOFJOHNORDWAY Moving intoMom’s Place Mt. Hood, Oregon She spent every home leave at her parents’ place in Mt. Hood and loved it, says FSO (ret.) ElizabethMarker , even dreaming “in a vague way” of one day living there. After her dad died, her mom grew tired of taking care of the property on her own, so Elizabeth and her husband, an avid gardener, bought the house and attached orchard—about 14 acres total. The orchard is leased out, and Elizabeth enjoys being “part of the food chain, feeding the world cherries and pears.” Retirement is more expensive than Elizabeth anticipated, but her husband works at a nearby hardware store, which helps. And anyway, she says, “all the evaluations of taxes, benefits and nearby services didn’t really figure into the decision; being able to work this place and be close enough to my mom to have lunch is what mattered to me.” Elizabeth advises other retirees to take their time settling in. “The burnout we all feel is real,” she says. She retired eight months ago and is still too busy unpacking and digging in her garden to even think about re-employed annuitant work.