What would you do?

[Aino]

Originally Posted by AllynD

I would raise llamas, and invite people over a lot, and write. Maybe I would start a group home for lonely llama-raising writers.

Sounds perfect. I'd like to share your dream.

[cstaff]

Originally Posted by katrinak

Please do, we'd love to show you the sights of Northern California

Maybe the next DD crop could be to Sonoma County... fall a good time for everyone... what do you think Katrina? Maybe with a photo seminar too? Now that sounds like paradise to me

[katrinak]

Originally Posted by cstaff

Maybe the next DD crop could be to Sonoma County... fall a good time for everyone... what do you think Katrina? Maybe with a photo seminar too? Now that sounds like paradise to me

That would be heavenly!! A photo seminar followed by a how to shoot a nice glass of wine right before you drink it

[hguenthe]

Originally Posted by katrinak

That would be heavenly!! A photo seminar followed by a how to shoot a nice glass of wine right before you drink it

We have to wait until after we shoot it to drink it?! Here I thought it was more interesting to take a drink (or two) and shoot the rivulets that form along the inside of the glass

[cstaff]

Sign me up... I just revised my "wants/needs" list! We could all just shoot what works... before/after... and see how the gallery develops. Oh my... need to check the mileage accounts to see if anything is left. Are you following this thread Katie/Randy I think we're really on to something!

[Carol Elliott]

Originally Posted by katrinak

That would be heavenly!! A photo seminar followed by a how to shoot a nice glass of wine right before you drink it

Plan it ... I'll come!

[anke]

Oh that sounds heavenly!!!! Where do I sign up?

[echogirl]

Golly, I've thought about this all day. I'm also in the camp of buying a farmhouse (near water!), have chickens, horses and maybe a pig or two. Concentrate on raising the little ones but still have time to do photography (mental note to self sign up for Katrina's class!), scrapbooking, and quilting. I would have a huge garden. I'd travel especially to Croatia, Italy and France. I'd like to live 6 months out of the year in Europe with the same kind of setup.
I can't see my husband going for it though. Man I'm always compromising for that guy!

[katie pertiet]

Originally Posted by cstaff

Sign me up... I just revised my "wants/needs" list! We could all just shoot what works... before/after... and see how the gallery develops. Oh my... need to check the mileage accounts to see if anything is left. Are you following this thread Katie/Randy I think we're really on to something!

thanks to your mention I saw this! No crops this fall unfortunately. Randy and I are actually taking a vacation by ourselves when Kelly finishes field hockey season [don't want to miss a game!] but we are thinking about next spring!

[cstaff]

I was thinking next fall... knew this fall would be too soon to organize. This would be so much fun but I'm not a CA gal so don't know about weather etc. and when the best time for travel there would be. Just a thought but I think you would get a serious group wanting to learn and have fun too. Maybe Katrina might be serious about this too!!

[kathie02]

I am with Kelly....I would love to travel to small obscure out of the way places...and take a million photos!!

[katrinak]

Two things I never joke about

...photography and wine Springtime in Sonoma? GORGEOUS (unless you catch a rare rainy day, but then we'll just have to sit by the fire and practice low light techniques!)

[echogirl]

Originally Posted by katrinak

Two things I never joke about

...photography and wine Springtime in Sonoma? GORGEOUS (unless you catch a rare rainy day, but then we'll just have to sit by the fire and practice low light techniques!)

..drinking wine of course!! I'd be in!!

[kikimama]

Great thread!

I love my life right now, especially that I can stay home with my daughter while she's young. I guess if money was no object I would travel. I'd love to come visit some of you guys.

Also I'd make sure my family were set up too, and I'd love for DD to get a flat when she gets to Uni (a long time away), so it would be nice to know that was achievable.

I would move, because much as I love our little cottage just now, we are growing out of it. I'd love a large sandstone villa on the South side of Glasgow.

And Dh wants to write, so I'd love him to have no reason to avoid it by being too busy working.

[mungerre]

Well, I currently live in a farmhouse on 10 acres, but I think the real key is to live in a house that is energy efficient and not drafty but still looks like a farmhouse. The warm fuzzy feeling on the inside from the personality of your house is still not enough to make a person feel good about the amount of propane spent to keep you warm and fuzzy on the outside.
So, money not being an issue I'd fix up the house, barn, get geothermal heat, a windmill and solar panels and then make being self-sufficient into a hobby. I want a greenhouse large enough to grow fresh veggies all year round. I would have to find a way to still work doing what I love, but perhaps in a slightly less stressful situation.

[maureenreynolds]

(I vote for fall in Sonoma!)

I forgot that if money were not an issue, I'd want a flat in London and a small house on the ocean near Portland ME. My tastes are quite simple aren't they?!?!?

(Lynn, I thought of both law school and seminary about 5 years ago but decided I didn't want to take that time away from a fairly new marriage. I'm glad I made that choice but it was hard for a year or two...or 3.)

[Carol Elliott]

Originally Posted by katrinak

Two things I never joke about

...photography and wine Springtime in Sonoma? GORGEOUS (unless you catch a rare rainy day, but then we'll just have to sit by the fire and practice low light techniques!)

Perfect!

[Crissy]

Travel and take pictures with the nicest camera all day long!!

[mugsbigsis]

Originally Posted by dorah

If I money were no object and I could do whatever I wanted, the first thing I would do is find a doctor who could finally figure out why my ds has seizures and get them stopped or controlled so he could have his dream of being able to get his license and drive. Then I would buy him the car of his dreams and we would go on a long trip across the United States where HE could actually do the driving and I could sit back and just snap away taking photos to my heart's content of whatever caught my fancy. And then I would create the most amazing book to capture the experience complete with beautiful photos and wonderful text.
And then I would be happy to just live a quiet life somewhere. Near the ocean would be nice I think.

Oh, Dorah. . . I wish this for you, too. :O)

[mugsbigsis]

Originally Posted by mungerre

Well, I currently live in a farmhouse on 10 acres, but I think the real key is to live in a house that is energy efficient and not drafty but still looks like a farmhouse. The warm fuzzy feeling on the inside from the personality of your house is still not enough to make a person feel good about the amount of propane spent to keep you warm and fuzzy on the outside.
So, money not being an issue I'd fix up the house, barn, get geothermal heat, a windmill and solar panels and then make being self-sufficient into a hobby. I want a greenhouse large enough to grow fresh veggies all year round. I would have to find a way to still work doing what I love, but perhaps in a slightly less stressful situation.

This would be a perfect home. :O)

[Chris]

Originally Posted by maureenreynolds

(I vote for fall in Sonoma!)

I forgot that if money were not an issue, I'd want a flat in London and a small house on the ocean near Portland ME. My tastes are quite simple aren't they?!?!?

Oh Maureen, now you've tempted me to spend some of my money!! Mine will be one of the modern flats overlooking the Thames. If I get there first, I'll let you visit!

We actually have thought of this a number of times but the cost of housing is way too high in London. The home I grew up in is over a million and a quarter today - I've kept an eye on it all these years!

[LisaD]

We have thought about this a lot. If money was no object we'd have a condo in Chicago (probably Lakeview). Then we would buy a huge farm (although still trying to figure out where) Like Beckie we'd want geothermal with solar power. I'd also want a greenhouse large enough to grow fresh veggies all year round. And we would travel extensively (Hawaii {actually are planning this for next fall}, Canada whole husband side extended family fish trip, Wine tour of Europe with mine). DH has delusions of setting up his own town with only our friends and family.

[maureenreynolds]

Chris, you have your flat at Canary Wharfe, high enough to see down river to Greenwich and I'll have mine off Sloane street. We can meet and have tea near the British Museum.
(xh and I were going to buy a flat when the $$ was stronger and nerly the only things coming out of our income were food and income tax. Choices not made, eh?)

[AllynD]

Dog-gone it, Maureen! Now I want a house in London, too! You can live right off Sloane Square, and I want mine on Ranelagh Grove, right around the corner from that church on Pimlico Road. We can meet at Starbucks on Pimlico Road! Google it, and you can see the streetview!

I will give up the llamas to live in London....

[lisa.hinrichs]

This is such a wonderful thread! As I read through it I found my thoughts evolved from wishing and dreaming to a complete appreciation of where my family is at this point. We have been extremely fortunate to have the dream house, a nice plot of land in the perfect location to family and activities. Our goal was to retire at 45 and let everyone come see us.

But if you really want the wishful side, we would purchase a little more land, build the resturant/farmer's market/crafting store on the property and spend more time on the basic's of life, gardening, canning, sewing, baking, even cleaning. All of this would be more fun without the guilt of "should be doing something else" to haunt you.

Thanks again for the thread!

[AllynD]

This was a great thread and I think it needs to be revisited!

[Serenoa]

First, I would hire the guy who trains Tiger Woods and have him figure out why I can't hit a golf ball more than 120 yards.

I would also love to be able to build and fully fund a teaching art center of some type with all the equipment and instructors. It would be a place to learn pottery, glass, woodworking (and digital graphics?).

I also love Janice's idea about being able to hire Candice Olsen to decorate her house. Candice has such great design ideas - I wonder if she is into scrapbooking?

I don't have much of a desire to travel anymore since I have done so much of it in the past, but maybe if I could afford my own jet and not have to deal with the hassles of flying these days. I still want to go to Iceland and also have never been to Italy.

For my other house, I would like to own an estate winery in California, with a large tuscan style main house and beautiful vineyards as far as the eye can see.

I would also donate heavily to local animal shelters.

Oh - and I would also hire genealogy research people to dig through all the various locally stored town records and archives in all the places I don't have the time or money to visit, in search of clues to my ancestors.

It's fun to dream, isn't it?

[DonnaNJ]

What a fun thread..

Assuming I had tons of money :-)

1) I'd help out my family and friends, especially those that are struggling in this economy
2) Buy one of those traveling houses (I think they're called an RV) and travel across the US at my leisure
3) While I was traveling I'd have my house knocked down and rebuilt into a Victorian farmhouse
4) Buy a house in South Carolina or Florida (to spend the winters)
5) Plan some really awesome trips to Europe, Australia, the Far East, etc
6) Buy a top of the line MacBook to take with me to scrap :-)
7) Buy new camera equipment

OK well if I then had any time left I'd volunteer probably teaching people to read

[Steph]

OH!!!! I love this thread! Thanks for revisiting it.

[suzanne]

Buy a house someplace warmer and hire a decorator to decorate it. Then we would travel to all the places I've always wanted to see...Ireland, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Carribean, etc.