Grumpy
I’ve got a pseudo-cold developing and it’s made me cranky. So I’m going to piss and moan today (despite the fact that, overall, life is rather good at the moment).
First, I blogged a few weeks ago about how Randy and I plan on going to Mexico (Puerto Vallarta) in February. He’s already booked the tickets and we’re staying with some friends. But then I re-discovered this week that the jury duty I postponed from last summer was rescheduled for the middle of that week…while I’m supposed to be lounging pool-side. I’d requested the rescheduled date to be the Friday before President’s day (figuring that a judge would be less likely to retain anybody on a holiday weekend) but they re-assigned me to random day.
I’m going to try and see if I can bump it again (despite the fact that the papework clearly states: “under the law you may not change it again”). Since I didn’t get the day I requested, I’m hoping that adds some flexibility. Besides, I get stuck with jury duty like clockwork every three years (and was even picked or a two-week murder trial before) yet my Mom got her FIRST jury duty when she was 70 and I know other people who’ve never had it. Life is unfair.
And now comes by snob moment. Has anybody else read about that trailer park in Florida that doesn’t want to be bought? Apparently, it’s one of a few mobile home parks located between the beach and intra-coastal waterway. Trailers sold in recent years at $150,000. Now a developer is offering over $1,000,000 per trailer to sell.
I repeat…OVER A MILLION DOLLARS for a trailer!!!
And people are saying no!?!?!?
I’m sorry – perhaps I’m a greedy American, but it’s a freaking trailer. Take the offer! For $1M you could get an actual stable (hurricane proof) condo. And don’t go all “but it’s their home” on me because, according to the article, most people had already sold there nostalgic “family” homes and moved there near retirement. Hell, one guy quoted in the article had moved there from New York only two years ago. I can’t imagine he’s developed that much of an affection for his vinyl sided death trap in such short time (especially after the horrible hurriance season in 2005).
The best part was a quote from the local historical society saying that they need to preserve “Floridiana”. This is exactly why I detest Florida. In most other parts of the country, people would be thrilled to have a trailer park removed. In Florida, it’s considered history.
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Have you seen the trailer park(cuz I havent seen this particular one)…what we consider a trailer park in MA is NOT what trailer parks are like in Florida. My aunt/uncle live in a ‘trailer park’ that would put most neighborhood/condo developments to SHAME…its perfectly landscaped and maintained, has all sorts of retail space, churches, activity centers etc.
However, if this particular one IS like the ones on Route 1 in Peabody…..sell the damn place!
Yes, I had a retired aunt/uncle who owned such a place near Fort Lauderdale: lovely landscaping, swimming pool, club house.
But in the end it was a bunch of trailers. With $1,000,000, those trailer owners could definitely have themselves a) quite the investment for themselves, and b) quite the home to share with family.
The photos (one shot of the New Yorker and his trailer and one aerial) made it look like your run-of-the-mill trailer park. Nothing spectacular except it’s location by the beach.
OH! And I got my jury duty moved so I can go to Mexico! WOO HOO
Yay!
I’ve driven through that trailer park much of my life – it’s called “Briny Breezes” and is a CLASSIC 1950s-style trailerpark – very “I Love Lucy” or such – it’s aluminum 1950s/60s boxes with jalousie windows, pink flamingoes, aluminum-tube folding webbed lawnchairs, etc., mostly, with its own concrete block stripmall post office, etc.. – NOT a fancy lush-landscaped one at all. It was only a few thousand yards north on A1A from where my stepmother’s dad and stepmother used to live in an incredibly grand Bermuda-style condo in DelRay Beach/Gulfstream. this is about fifteen minutes south of Palm Beach. Fancy condos, slick WASPy golf clubs (think pink and green by the mile…), and incredibly huge $10mil+ houses on not much land being the norm around there (ordinary suburban-size, merely niceish, houses on the back streets with no waterfront or view in this area go for $2mil and up…). It was actually kinda funny/fun/refreshing to drive through this one odd little blip of trashy mid-20th-century Floridiana.
But anyone who’s holding out for significantly MORE than $1mil. a trailer is just a craven asshole – the land is incredibly valuable, but only when the numbers make sense for the developer. There’s nothing of any real historic or architectural merit anywhere in Briny Breezes….amusement value aside… Then again, thinking about it – none of these folks could probably afford to be that close to the ocean again even for the $1mil….given how crazy Florida is…
But their neighbors must wanna KILL them…
Hope the cold gets better fast – and congrats on the jury duty move!! I have the same crap luck on jury duty – like clockwork every three years…
Wear a bowtie to the empanellment – I’ve heard that’s classic for getting attorneys to bounce you!
wow.. a million$!!! That’s just insane not to sell.
I hate Florida also. But then again I’ve never been much of a beach person.
🙂