Beautiful day to look at houses--

 As far as I'm concerned, this is the best time of year!  It's sunny and mid-60s again, so I continue to cruise around Ann Arbor and environs in the convertible.  Which brings up a question that begs to be asked:  why retire somewhere with winter weather?

Here's my answer:  It is very beautiful in the winter, and if you learn to embrace the cold (and layer up), it is a perfect time for walks.  Two of my favorite places are the parks along the river, and Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor.  And call me crazy, but I much prefer to wear boots and a down jacket than sweat through a walk in the heat and humidity.

On the other hand, if you can't embrace cold weather, my advice is to plan your retirement finances so you can head to warmer turf for the amount of time that makes you happy, and love Ann Arbor 3 seasons of the year.

While we're discussing the great outdoors, however, it is also interesting to note that our risk of earthquake, tsumani, hurricane, flood, tornado, volcano or wildfire rates from low to none.  I'll be sharing some "Best Places to Retire" resources with you in the future, and it's always interesting to see how Ann Arbor stacks up.

Today I met a friend for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants:  Cafe Zola.  A couple of weeks ago, the New York Times had the good taste to mention them in the 36 hours travel column-- but I hate it when my favorite places get stellar reviews, don't you?  It should just be our secret--  But it was very well deserved....