The Jensen's New Home in the Mountains

Erika Telling Secrets at My Retirement Party on May 14, 2006 at in the Great Hall at Trinity University

In 2017 my Website was migrated to the clouds and reduced in size.
Hence some links below are broken.
One thing to try if a “www” link is broken is to substitute “faculty” for “www”
For example a broken link **http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Pictures.htm**
**can be changed to corrected link** **http://faculty.trinity.edu/rjensen/Pictures.htm**
However in some cases files had to be removed to reduce the size of my Website
Contact me at rjensen@trinity.edu if you really need to file that is missing

**We Moved to the Mountains on June 15, 2003**
On the road again Goin' places that I've never been Seein' things that I may never see again, And I can't wait to get on the road again. Willie Nelson CBS Records	I like the road of any kind, for they intrigue me still. I wonder what's around the bend, or just beyond the hill. Rachel Harnett (Age 95), Tucumcary Literary Review, Los Angeles

Hi Dan,

When we retired, both Erika and I wanted to escape heat, humidity, city congestion, high crime worries (we had burglar bars on our big house), and traffic jams. This meant moving from San Antonio and its 1.4 million residents after 24 years.

We wanted four-seasonal living and country living (but not total isolation).

We considered moving to the mountains of California (the where we have two sons and 12 grandchildren), the nearby mountains of northern Nevada, northern Wisconsin (where we have a daughter and two grandchildren), Iowa (my home state where I inherited a home in town and the family farm), Maine (where we have a son and daughter and two grandchildren), and nearby northern New Hampshire and Vermont. We loved our lecture visit in New Zealand and gave NZ some thought for retirement, but we quickly decided that this was too far from family and friends.

Eliminating California, Wisconsin, and Vermont were no-brainers based on taxation analysis. Maine is also a high taxation state, but there was some lure of ocean front property where I once owned a shoreline cottage and 12 acres. However, between 1978 and 2002 the price rise in shore front land eliminated Maine entirely from consideration. This left Nevada versus New Hampshire. The prices of homes we liked in the Nevada mountains and near Lake Tahoe eliminated Nevada from consideration.

Actually, we stumbled upon our retirement home in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I had done a gig in Niagara (courtesy of Linda Kidwell). We then rented a car at the Buffalo Airport with the intent of driving across upstate NY, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine to visit our two children near the University of Maine.

Along the way we spent two nights in the Franconia Inn in Franconia, NH. On our way to breakfast at Polly's Pancake Parlor (via a mountain back road), we passed a For Sale sign by a cottage on a mountain golf course that really caught our eye because of the view. Less than a month later we owned it even though we did not know a single person in northern New Hampshire. The only person in New Hampshire I knew was a former college roommate who retired down south in Manchester, NH.

As an accountant I did know there were some key tax advantages in NH such as no income tax or sales tax. I was a bit casual in my analysis. I did not discover the 15% real estate transfer tax until after I'd made an offer on our retirement cottage and four acres of very expensive scenic land. I was not aware of the view tax that now costs me about $4,000 on top of my property tax. And I was not aware of the pesky 5% tax on cash interest and dividends after a $5,000 exemption. Fortunately, this tax does not apply to any of my TIAA retirement income or capital gains on investments.

Here's the first Webpage I put out about our NH Cottage ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/NHcottage.htm

This has worked out well in terms of making friends and about the right amount of distance for visits to family in Maine. The distances to family in Wisconsin and California are bit too far, but the Manchester Airport is served by the wonderful Southwest Airlines that takes us within 40 miles of each family household. I do miss living near a college campus and culture, but with email I'm probably closer to college friends than if they lived next door.

Wednesday, January 22, 2003

We Moved to the Mountains on June 15, 2003
(although I did not retire from Trinity University until 2006)
On the road again Goin' places that I've never been Seein' things that I may never see again, And I can't wait to get on the road again. Willie Nelson CBS Records	I like the road of any kind, for they intrigue me still. I wonder what's around the bend, or just beyond the hill. Rachel Harnett (Age 95), Tucumcary Literary Review, Los Angeles

The history of our cottage is rather interesting. It was the structure called the Pavilion when it was a golf clubhouse and later on Brayton Cottage on the grounds of a huge resort. In 1973, all the structures in the resort were demolished except for three summer homes on the golf course and a small power house. The power house is now our barn, and one of the summer homes that was saved was originally named Brayton Cottage. George Foss purchased the land and Brayton Cottage. He poured a fine basement where the hotel's dining room once stood atop a hill. Brayton Cottage was then moved over this basement. The views are spectacular. The front side overlooks the Kinsman Range (about 10 miles away), the Twin Range (about 20 miles away), and the Presidential Range (about 30 miles away) of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The backside overlooks the Green Mountains of Vermont. On a clear night we're supposedly able to look down on the lights of 27 villages, although I've never spotted all of those villages. Pictures of the history of our cottage are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/tidbits/2008/tidbits080824.htm

It amazes me that I'm already several years intoretirement. Where the heck did the first year go? Andy Rooney was right about life being like a roll of toilet paper. It spins ever so slow when you're a kid and ever so fast after you retire. Now September with its autumn colors is about to spin forth. The days are already much shorter, and I'm hauling up my sweat shirts from the basement. I'm writing this on the morning of August 10, 2007 and the temperature dropped below the 50 degree mark. Our furnace even kicked on. The days are growing shorter in this spin of things.

This is a view of Mt. Lafayette about ten miles away in the Kinsman Range. Lincoln Mountain can be seen between Lafayette and Cannon. Only Cannon Mountain has ski trails and an aerial tramway. Between Lincoln and Cannon is a mountain pass called the Franconia Notch State Park. After he retired my father took on another job managing the Kossuth County State Liquor Store in Algona, Iowa. The ear of corn next to my monitor was one of his collected Jim Beam bottles of bourbon. Just to the right outside the picture is another bottle in the shape of an Iowa hog. The picture below was taken in the summer. To the right of Cannon Mountain are the Three Graces (also known as the Cannon Balls) and North and South Kinsman mountains.



I see from my house by the side of the road
By the side of the highway of life,
The men who press with the ardor of hope,
The men who are faint with the strife,
But I turn not away from their smiles and tears,
Both parts of an infinite plan-
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man. Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911)

For earlier editions of Tidbits go to http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/tidbitsdirectory.htm

For earlier editions of New Bookmarks go to http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookurl.htm

Now there is a Website that should probably programmed by Apple into Siri software.

In your dreams of retirement, which of these scenes appeals to you the most?
My choice in Picture Number 1

If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.
Lewis Carroll

I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.
Gilda Radner

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it."
Mother Teresa

A 2005 holiday letter from my cousin Mark Jensen who ended his career helping starving people in Africa

My Theme Song
Train of Life (Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline) --- Click Here

Poem Written When I Was Teaching in Texas and Only Visiting for the Holidays
In six days, twelve hours, and two minutes I'll be home After driving into those hard winds and snow In six days, twelve hours, and three minutes I'll stand in the doorway After wading up to those powdered stairs In six days, twelve hours, and four minutes I'll see those loving smiles That brought me all those miles In six days, twelve hours, and five minutes I'll wrap you in my arms That held you all those wonderful years	In seven days, seven hours, and ten minutes I'll awaken with icy breaths Upon those warm shoulders In seven days, eight hours, and nine minutes I'll feel warmed and welcomed at the windows By those dying and flickering candles In seven days, eight hours, and twenty minutes I'll break bread and give thanks While gazing in awe at those soaring peaks In sixteen days, twelve hours, and four minutes I'll taste the salt upon my tongue While casting a parting glance at those tears

Are we nuts? Soon we will be viewing Mt Washington from our new home---
	Conditions at 5:00 a.m. on January 22, 2003

	Weather: Blowing snow and freezing fog
	Temperature: -34°	Visibility: 100 feet
	Wind Chill Index: -79°F	Relative Humidity: 100%
	Wind: Northwest at 117 gusting to 142 MPH	Station Pressure: 22.80" and falling
	Average snowfall: 40 inches per month
Where are the palm trees?