Blogging from The Villages, FL

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My wife and I are on vacation this week, and we are currently visiting my wife’s grandmother for the first time in her new home at The Villages, Florida.

What a beautiful, wholesome town this is.

The villages is a planned community, much like my own hometown of Reston, VA. But unlike Reston, the Villages is primarily a retirement community of low-cost homes and golf courses, more golf courses and still more golf courses. In fact, most residents of this huge town drive everywhere in their golf carts, with golf clubs in tow, and in case they cant get a tee time, they go shopping.

You cant move here unless you are 55. And I’m so jealous of the current residents, cause I really want to come here. Beautiful architecture, plenty of churches and shops, and everything is so clean and - wholesome. Ive said that twice now. Its because every night is dance night in the town square. Grandchildren love to come visit Paps and Granny because everyone has such a good time in this town. Grandfathers dance with their granddaughters under the starlight to Lady in Red on a typical Thursday.

It strikes me that with the baby boomer generation becoming the largest retirement group ever, the Villages in FL should be a model of a retirement community. For far too long, Americans have envisioned a retirement community as a place where you go to watch old folks waste away and die. Boy has that changed for me. A retirement community is where you should celebrate your twilight years under the stars with a different band every night, surrounded by your neighbors and golf friends, and attended by your children and grand children.

This country is hopefully building more and more communities like the Villages, where the skies are big, the air is clean, and the neighbors are friendly.