Pete,

What about Sun City in Georgetown?

Kerri

Kerri, Mom can be, shall we say, "compulsive" at times. She visited Sun City a couple of years ago, and she was so impressed that she bought a house on the spot. As soon as she drove away, she realized she had made a mistake, so she wormed her way out of the contract. The main drawback was that her ex son-in-law lived there, and she knew my sister would be upset for a number of reasons.

The problem with Sun City now is more the distance from my nephew. We want her to curtail her driving as much as possible, and that drive into Austin would be too much for her. Shoot, even I hate that drive. I-35 can be a nightmare, and this coming from a guy who lived in Houston until a year ago.

Thanks for the thought.

I asked because I thought you must have a reason for not wanting it, as it was the obvious answer. LOL

Is your mom seeking a senior environment, or just an environment conducive to that lifestyle? If the latter, then what about those condos at 45th and Lamar (used to be called the Triangle)? Nice shops, parks, etc. within walking distance or short drive and the convenience of downtown and its amenities. Probably pricey though.

Pete, are you in Bastrop itself or the county? Bastrop has the subdivision Tahitian Village and I understand TV was originally designed to be a 1970's Sun City equivalent. ;) The drive into Austin is a bit long, but not hard (yet).

Kerri

What Mom is looking for is what most places call "Independent Living", meaning the residents can live without the need of any assistance (medical or physical), but a facility that offers assistance should it be needed in the future. She would also prefer that all, or at least one meal a day would be furnished, or made available cafeteria style. The one will Mom has lost is that of cooking.

I have come across a couple of places that seem to fit the bill. Primrose at Shadow Creek and Heritage Point are both an the area near my nephew, south of 290 and east of I-35. She will call both places tomorrow.

I do not live in the city limits of Bastrop. I am 6.5 miles south of the Home Depot at 304 and 71. I have 8 acres right on Cedar Creek. I looked at a number of houses in Tahitian, and my favorite golf course, Pine Forest, is there along the Colorado. Mom liked the area, but it was too far away for her druthers. I prefer the privacy of my place as opposed to Tahitian.

The old First National Bank building in downtown Bastrop is now the VisitorÂs Center. There are two ladies who work there who know all there is to know about Bastrop, especially the gossip and the "less well-known" history of the area.

They told me a while back that the area of Tahitian Village was originally owned by bankers and other well-to-do types who bought the area, built a number of discretely secluded houses and furnished them with mistresses. I donÂt know if that is true or not, but I have no reason to doubt those ladies.

As to being another Sun City, nothing could be farther from the truth. Fact is, in spite of the great number of retirees in the Bastrop area, there are no residences that cater to Independent Living Seniors. There are a few retirement homes, but only for those needing physical or monetary assistance.

One of these days, someone is gonna wise up and build a retirement village or highrise in Bastrop. At least I hope so, because one of these days I will probably be looking for one!

Pete:

Below are a couple of websites to consider when you are looking. I'll ask around the office regarding independent living facilities in the area. The only one I know of like you are describing is closer downtown on the west side (it's at Mesa and Spicewood Springs). I've known of a couple of people whose mothers were there and both were satisfied with the care received (they required some kind of minimal assistance -- medication, etc., but were otherwise independent). The first one was there over 10 years ago and the second one passed away a few years ago, so my info is a bit dated, but I still work with the daughter of the second one and I'll ask her if she considered any places closer to the northeast side.

That's hilarious information about Tahitian. I don't doubt it for a minute. I bet that there will soon be more services for the elderly. There's now the Lakeside Hospital which is right next to Tahitian, so at least you don't have to go so far for minor emergencies. I understand they're building some sort of cancer facility next door, or something like that. Anyway, the more doctors living and working in the area will hopefully improve things.

I know TV isn't any kind of Sun City (just that it was proposed as a retirement country club enclave at one point), as I currently live in TV (where all my neighbors in my cul de sac are retired except myself and one other). The further you get into the subdivison, the quieter it is. I used to live in Cedar Creek (near McKinney Roughs) on 9 acres and my place in TV is way quieter. Also, I now have an ironclad excuse to not come into the office on bad weather days, as there's no way I can get out of my cul de sac, let alone Tahitian Drive when there's ice on the road. Back when I lived in Cedar Creek I would still go in as the roads were all flat and not difficult to maneuver (I lived in Maine before Texas and so while I don't enjoy that kind of driving, it's a foreign concept to me to not go into work anyway).

http://memberofthefamily.net/tx.htm

http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/Include/DataSection/Questions/SearchCriteria.asp?version=default&browser=IE%7C6%7CWinXP&language=English&defaultstatus=0amp;pagelist=Home&CookiesEnabledStatus=True

Kerri

Mom signed a lease on an apartment yesterday. She will be moving to Heritage Pointe near 183 and MLK. It is a very nice place, and very reasonalby priced. Not only is she close to my nephew like she wanted, she is just two blocks from her G-Grandson's school.

Here is a link that might be useful: Heritage Pointe