ottotheboar

We have friends at the river end of Lake Gaston and the water is much cooler there which on a day like today may not be a bad thing. We were told by friends who live on Kerr Lake the best side is West facing as you get the afternoon sun which in the fall / winter makes it nice to sit on the deck / sunroom.

wildinvirginia

Bloody hot today? Ah how I miss the British art of understatement lol Don't know what it was like out by the lakes but where I was in Alta Vista today we clocked a heat index of 117 degrees. English, red hair ad freckles ....imagine how much I'm loving that! I have been in the US nearly three years now and still don't get the whole heat index thing - wind chill makes sense but don't get the 'is' to 'feels like' thing. Today it's completely academic - it's just too hot and that's it. Or as I'm learning to say, period!

Have to say, haven't really encountered too much of a mozzie problem here (not like in Indiana anyways) and SML is such an expanse of water it's not mozzie clad like smaller, less clean areas and the dams probably have a part to play in that too. Now stinkbugs, those little blighters are a total plague and I hate them! There are a lot of products available claiming to resolve these pests - I am about to put some to the test at my new home ... here's hoping.

I had no idea there was a little enclave of us in this area lol I shop at Kroger in Rocky Mount frequently, altho as I move onto a farm nearer to the dreaded Danville (but rural enough not to know it) this week, Martinsville may be a bit closer. Next visit I shall ennunciate more loudly and see if there is a response - sort of an English Marco Polo game. Love the idea of an Anglo-American 4th. I always celebrated the 4th and Thanksgiving in England as my best friend in the UK is (here's the irony) from Iowa. She's there and I'm here - typical! I am desperately seeking some company for November the 5th tho! Anyone wanting to join me in the hay-fields, please message me - the first year I was in Indy and made a Guy as is a family tradition, my neighbours thought it was a pilgrim and I had some hasty explaining to do.

I think without knowing the kind of atmosphere you like, it would be hard to recommend exact areas - for me the larger cities (altho tiny in comparison to a lot) are a kind of hell only sufferable for a bit of shopping and the museums! This from a girl born and bred in London! I also would check out terms and conditions on some of the 'communities' as the costs associated can be extraordinary - so can the restraints on your property use I have found. Think Stepford Wives and you'll guess where I'm headed, but there are some really lovely ones too. I read of one recently where club membership was essential and the dues were mortgage payment proportions, and there can be some strict rules regarding resale and financing of properties too which would be quite challenging if you hated where you landed and needed to move quite quickly - just read the fine print I guess.

There's a really funny post here somewhere entitled "Things I Have Learned Living In Virginia" - well worth a read! Let me know if you can't find it - very funny.

Gory

Wild in Virgina - put me down for the 5th November - I've a bunch of pine to burn!

megabyte

Gory, we are definitely getting a boat. That is one of the reasons for moving to a lake. My husband and I may be old, but we still love speed, so getting another speed boat is on our 'to do' list. I know we can go someplace else to swim, but it is also the view: brown water does not appeal to me, so yes, I might have to settle for bugs over view.

Otto, I love sunsets, so the western side of the lake it is. Mind you, will all of the coves, you never know which way you might end up!

WIV, 117 !!!!!!!!!! ugh. Well, as my sister-in-law in SC said, you either pay for a lot of heat or you pay for a/c - it all balances out.

Stink bugs? I had to look that one up, never heard of them. When I read this:
"they have glands in their thorax between the first and second pair of legs which produce a foul smelling liquid" and then it said that they bite!. It seems that there is an epidemic over there, so please let us know how you got on!

The 'communities' are the one thing we really want to pick over with a fine tooth comb. The estate agent's website that I use (www.smithmountainlake.org) shows POA dues. I thought they seemed extremely reasonable, never going over $500 p/annum, but of course that is just a small percentage of what we should expect. The Stepford Wives is a great way of describing the control they have. Huge laughs over that one!!!!

megabyte

Here it is WIV
I'am sure you guys can add to this!!!

Things I have learned living in Virginia

Thought this was funny and needed to share

1. A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road .

2. There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in Virginia

3. There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in
Virginia, plus a couple no one’s seen before.

4. If it grows, it’ll stick ya. If it crawls, it’ll bite cha.

5.”Onced” and “Twiced” are words.

6. It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy.

7. “Jaw-P?” means “Did y’all go to the bathroom?” (I have personal
experience with this one. The kids returned from the rest-stop and this
is what my wife asked them) .

8. People actually grow and eat okra.

9. “Fixinto” is one word.

10. There is no such thing as “lunch”. There is only dinner and then
there is supper.

11. Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it
when you’re two. We do like a little tea with our sugar!

12. Backwards and forwards means “I know everything about you.”

13. The word “Jeet” is actually a phrase meaning “Did you eat?”

14. You don’t have to wear a watch because it doesn’t matter what time
it is. You work until you’re done or it’s too dark to see.

15. You don’t PUSH buttons, you MASH them.

16. “No. Jew?” is a common response to the question “Did you bring any
beer?”.

megabyte

Man, this was painful to watch...this guy is slow! Basically, what he is saying is you can spend $25 and they will send you dvd and stink bug catcher OR you can watch this and make your own for practically nothing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwUuHhWYvDA

megabyte

I just found a thread looking for expats in VA: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=650793

You can search your area within the thread.

Hope you find someone near you!

megabyte

It looks like a lot of little lanes sometimes for roads. Is there a problem in the winter when it snows? Are they cleared quickly?

Actually, what is the winter like there?

If we could afford (HA) a place right on the main body of the lake does it get very windy?

ottotheboar

The minor roads may be cleared a day or so after the main roads. If you are looking at a new sub-division the private roads which are not state maintained can be a a pain in the neck as people squabble over clearing snow and buying new gravel. Watch out for power supply if you are long way down a line that only services a couple of homes you may be out for a couple of days longer than the main lines as they get priority, ice storms are not common but when they happen can result in widespread power outages.

megabyte

Thank you so much for all of the advice. I had not thought about the power. We have been looking at unpopulated new sub-divisions so that is something to keep in mind. Actually, underground power looks attractive now.

Ooooh, squabbling with neighbours :-( I hope we are going to be lucky and get along with everyone. It is awful when people living in close quarters do not get along.

ottotheboar

Please do not me put you off the new subdivisions as I am sure there are some bargains out there as like many places SML was hit with overbuilding. Just use common sense, we looked at some "lakefront" lots on Kerr Lake and the access roads were 4 wheel drive only. Regarding electricity you can get a whole house generator hooked to a propane tank just factor it in to the building costs.

megabyte

No, you have not put me off, it will just help us to know what to be aware of and what to ask of the agents.

This has nothing to do with what any of us have been talking about, but I thought you might like to know that we just worked out what petrol is here: £8.96 per US gallon! Virginia is looking more and more attractive!!!

Bob

I wouldn't bother converting petrol costs, because it really doesn't compare, when you're earning pounds your in holiday mode, when you're earning dollars that's what you've got to play with.

Plus you end up driving so many more miles, getting and doing very little in the US in comparison that and with all the other costs factored in, a per mile cost if very similar in many states.

Ja5on

I live in Roanoke about 40min from the lake. It's a nice area.....Also about stink bugs I don't think they smell at all. They are a bit of a pain but really dumb and easy to kill. I'd be more worried about ticks around the lake.

megabyte

Sorry, I meant petrol here is $8.96 per US gallon....not £.

True about the amount that one drives in the US! I would imagine that living on the lake will be a bit challenging too having to go around it to get to the other side...

Oh no, I was going to ask about ticks. There seem to be a lot of deer and where there are deer, there is Lyme's disease. It's ok though, don't forget I will be wearing my full-body mosquito net