Time to get Outta Dodge. Considering San Juans. (rentals, low crime)

[Voina]

I could sure use some guidance, suggestions, help, direction -- you name it.

I'm a Baby Boomer, going through a divorce (first marriage, 18 years, no kids) who needs to live where the air is clean and cool. I love the country. Just me and my dog, Pluto. We currently live in Lake Arrowhead, CA (gorgeous here -- except I don't want to watch my soon-to-be ex-husband burn his life to the ground or see him running around with our former client-turned-employee mistress. SO... I was watching some TV show that had the San Juan Islands on it. Hmmm, I thought. That looks beautiful! I looked up some rentals, and I can afford them. (When the divorce is all settled, I might be able to turn a rental or lease into a purchase.) I like the apparently small-town feel, the political climate, and the live and let live philosophy I read about.

I love rain, but then again, I am not in it all that much. Lake Arrowhead gets snow in the winter, has 80-90 degree summers, and real Autumn leaves and Springtime blossoms. So that's the weather I'm used to.

Questions are: I am a licensed Therapist. Do you think the islands would sustain a part-time private practice? (I have income from our other business, and would not want to do paid therapy full time -- though I am interested in running some free or low-cost therapy/support groups based on community need).

Is AA strong on the island? It saved my life and taught me more than my parents ever could -- so it's important to me to be connected to the recovery community.

I could also work in a prison, state hospital, any mental health facility. But then again, I really don't care what I do as long as I enjoy it. It's not about the money anymore -- know what I mean?

Based on what I've read, I would probably want to avoid leaving the island for work, shopping, etc. whenever I could. It's the same thing here, in Lake Arrowhead. I order things online, shop when I have to for groceries, and avoid going down the mountain unless absolutely necessary.

I have a sweet dog named Pluto who is a three-year-old Belgian Malamois Shepherd (rescue), who keeps me safe and keeps me company. But I'd love to make friends with people who play cards, go for walks, enjoy life, and who live and let live.

I am SO open for suggestions.

Thanks in advance,

Verna

[kanhawk]

I can't answer with any authority about your ability to make a living as a therapist on the San Juans, but I do believe culturally and socially you will find a lot of kindred spirits there. It is a very peaceful place with a very low crime rate. Many people there are somewhat self sufficient, that is, grow a lot of their own food, etc.

Originally Posted by Voina

I love rain, but then again, I am not in it all that much. Lake Arrowhead gets snow in the winter, has 80-90 degree summers, and real Autumn leaves and Springtime blossoms. So that's the weather I'm used to.

One misconception you may have about the San Juans is that it is rainy there. Many people don't know that the San Juans are in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and don't receive all that much rain. It is cool there and often cloudy so there is very little evaporation and that keeps it green but the rain often doesn't reach the San Juans when it raining elsewhere in western Washington. From the National Park Service:

"Cool summers and mild winters with summer highs occasionally peaking in the high 80's and winter lows briefly in the low 20's. Annual rainfall ranges from 18 to 36 inches, with higher counts in the islands' northern extremities. From September through early February, the Georgia Strait is affected by land fogs that form on cool nights with clear skies. During long cold periods, these may persist for several days"