I love my serene, stress-free life here…for the mild weather, gracious culture, amazingly fresh food, clean air and water, walkability, affordable living, and healthcare…but especially for the things I don’t have to do.
I grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, where seniors flock to retire because they can lounge in the warm weather, drink pina coladas under the shade of palm trees, and not have to pay state income taxes. So why would I leave my seaside home by one of the best beaches in the U.S.? Well, Florida’s not so cheap anymore…and it’s hot.
Taking my life overseas wasn’t something I had planned on doing, but once I discovered the freedom of remote working, it became inevitable.
There are two Cuencas in the world, one in Spain and one in Ecuador. Cuenca, Ecuador, shares a lot with its Spanish cultural twin, including art, food, architecture, and religion. Even the fresh trout from the rivers that run through the city, and the affinity for fiestas remind me of Cuenca’s Spanish ties right down to the Picasso-influenced murals that line the streets.
I get on a crowded city bus in Cuenca, Ecuador and immediately two teenagers rise and offer me their seats.
On the first day of Spring, at the same time as the northeastern U.S. was bracing itself for yet another pounding snowstorm, it was an unusually cold morning in Quito, Ecuador. So cold that I had to go and put on socks.
Several years ago, my partner, Gary, and I gave up our business and took an early retirement. Basing ourselves in the beach town of Salinas, we started traveling throughout Ecuador and documenting our journey along the way.
Franny Hogg and her husband Robert Lochow found their dream home just a few months after coming to Cuenca, Ecuador in 2012…the only problem was…it belonged to someone else.
After spending only four days in charming Cotacachi, prior to visiting Cuenca, we were smitten. We bought a lot and signed a contract to build a house. In retrospect, our approach was too hasty, but thankfully, it has worked out well.
It all started with a bagel. Deborah Rodeheaver had prepared it for her niece, Dawn Wolfe, who couldn’t find the old-fashioned, home-cooked bagels she was craving while living in Cuenca Ecuador. But what started out as a simple act of generosity has quickly become a thriving business called Double D’s Delights.