I am going to try to excuse phdphay's unbelievable attitude on exhaustion and stress. Some people, like Dawgfish, probably only get maybe a week off all year and it cannot be changed. And a lot of people work hard for an education and at a job and still aren't fortunate enough to afford a home at the beach and all the expenses that go with it. They look forward all year to their one opportunity to enjoy 1 week at the beach. I have sympathy for them as well as for the owners.
Cancelling Plans
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You could believe them if you'd read my other posts mentioning what's happened in our lives during the past year, most notably, my husband's open-heart surgery. That's why I'm exhausted and stressed. Now do you understand "the rest of the story"?Suncat said:
I own a couple of homes in the area and quite enjoy sharing our properties with our guests. Hearing the stories of weddings, anniversaries, and reading the guest book is great. We even had a well-known recording artist stay and write a song that mentioned the house!! So, I can certainly sympathize with someone who planned a vacation to have a storm blow it out (pun intended). Yes, the storms are a pain in the ass and quite worrisome; however, it was our choice to buy here knowing storms come. My opinion is it's still the best beach in the country (assuming Dennis leaves some sand).
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physes said:
As have I. We will have a different outlook when we return, and we WILL be back, next summer.
kathydwells
Darlene is my middle name, not my nickname
phdphay said:
Don't these "tourists" that you have no sympathy for help pay your mortgage on the beach house that you are so lucky to have? I understand completely you have been under alot of stress this year, with your husband, and now this hurricane. However, I was very hurt by your comments, since I am a tourist who saves an entire year to be able to "visit" 30-A once a year, since I am not lucky enough to "own" a house there. The renters that were lounging at the pool, were doing what they had saved all year to do. RELAX, on their vacation. I can certainly understand your frustration with having to board up your house. If I had been there I would have helped you. Just remember that we "tourists" do help support the South Walton way of life. We spend our hard earned money there, we rent your houses (so that you can own one on the beach). So, with all that said (I feel better now, because I was going to leave this one alone), I do have sympathy for each and every one of you that own homes in the panhandle. I pray for the safety of your homes, and truly hope that you escape this with very little damage. I do have smpathy for each and every "tourist" that has had to cancel their vacation plans. I hope that you will all be able to go to your piece of paradise soon. Done.
I was just trying to put missing a week's vacation into perspective as compared to a longer-term loss. Not to mention being exhausted after boarding up and driving 7-hours (for a normal 4-1/4 hour drive). Sorry, kathydwells and anyone else whose feelings I inadvertently hurt.
kathydwells
Darlene is my middle name, not my nickname
phdphay said:
No hard feelings here. I understand. I wish for all of you the best. I am sending good vibes your way.
Having just spent nearly all of yesterday in the 90+ degree heat putting up boards (and discovering that "Easy-Clip" fasters neither are easy nor clip) and leaving the house 1/2 unboarded, followed by a nearly sleepless night, followed by a 6 hour drive west on I10 with two screaming cats who puked and pooped all the way home, I can share some of phdphay's frustration. In our neighborhood, we had a group of renters who were partying, bringing in cases of beer, and still hadn't left before we did at 5 this am. That's even though there was a mandatory evacuation yesterday. That's even though their rental house was being boarded up. That's even though as the hurricane approaches evacuation routes need to be as clear as possible. Mountains of trash had been piling up all week and I have little doubt they will just leave it--to be projectiles in the wind.
This is not a jibe at renters, generally. Nor is it disrespect of people whose plans to visit have most likely been scratched. But, I really felt that some renters really did not respect what owners were going through in the last day or so. Nor did some seem to appreciate the ramifications of a hurricane, for example that the beach chair thrown on the beach can be launched straight into my bedroom. It's a bit disconcerting, when owners are having every emotion thrown at them, fearing the worst, working themselves to exhaustion, and worrying about damn near everything, to have a drinking festival going on a few doors down.
Again, I have no anti-tourist horse in this race.
There is no gas really anywhere along I10 west at least until Alabama.
This is not a jibe at renters, generally. Nor is it disrespect of people whose plans to visit have most likely been scratched. But, I really felt that some renters really did not respect what owners were going through in the last day or so. Nor did some seem to appreciate the ramifications of a hurricane, for example that the beach chair thrown on the beach can be launched straight into my bedroom. It's a bit disconcerting, when owners are having every emotion thrown at them, fearing the worst, working themselves to exhaustion, and worrying about damn near everything, to have a drinking festival going on a few doors down.
Again, I have no anti-tourist horse in this race.
There is no gas really anywhere along I10 west at least until Alabama.
Re: Thanks to Those Who Care About Us
We own a house that is in the rental program at Grayton and we live in an area of CA, the wine country, that is also enjoyed by large numbers of visitors. Sometimes when we are inconvenienced or overly stressed, it's easy to forget all we have that is largely possible because of tourism. Hopefully, communities balance tourism with quality of life, but the two are not mutually exclusive. I have been checking in with this message board daily since pre-Ivan and am so impressed with the devotion that our visitors have to the area and its beaches. I have seen vacationing visitors cleaning trash off the beaches after storms and am aware of numerous donations to local causes from people who live far away. I feel that we are so lucky to have visitors who love our beaches, even though they have no vested (real estate) interest there. And I grew up in the area and remember when it was much less populated/visited.
We want our renters to feel that "The Conch Out" is their own house at Grayton Beach, so that those families will come back year after year and develop their own traditions here. With rare exception, this has been the case. People have largely respectful of our home and we have holiday cards and nice notes passed along from our management company, both of which delight us. Can it get much better than this?
After so many stressful hurricane incidents, there may be a 1031 exchange in our future. However, I doubt that we will find an investment property in any area of the country that is as beloved by its visitors as the South Walton County beaches are, nor nearly as successful financially. Thank you to every single one of you who has taken the time to log onto this board with your concerns, hopes and prayers. We will get through this and welcome you again at Grayton, hopefully with little more from Dennis than a healthy deposit of snow white sand on our beautiful natural beaches.
We own a house that is in the rental program at Grayton and we live in an area of CA, the wine country, that is also enjoyed by large numbers of visitors. Sometimes when we are inconvenienced or overly stressed, it's easy to forget all we have that is largely possible because of tourism. Hopefully, communities balance tourism with quality of life, but the two are not mutually exclusive. I have been checking in with this message board daily since pre-Ivan and am so impressed with the devotion that our visitors have to the area and its beaches. I have seen vacationing visitors cleaning trash off the beaches after storms and am aware of numerous donations to local causes from people who live far away. I feel that we are so lucky to have visitors who love our beaches, even though they have no vested (real estate) interest there. And I grew up in the area and remember when it was much less populated/visited.
We want our renters to feel that "The Conch Out" is their own house at Grayton Beach, so that those families will come back year after year and develop their own traditions here. With rare exception, this has been the case. People have largely respectful of our home and we have holiday cards and nice notes passed along from our management company, both of which delight us. Can it get much better than this?
After so many stressful hurricane incidents, there may be a 1031 exchange in our future. However, I doubt that we will find an investment property in any area of the country that is as beloved by its visitors as the South Walton County beaches are, nor nearly as successful financially. Thank you to every single one of you who has taken the time to log onto this board with your concerns, hopes and prayers. We will get through this and welcome you again at Grayton, hopefully with little more from Dennis than a healthy deposit of snow white sand on our beautiful natural beaches.
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