Just a Golf Cart Drive Away

There’s a famous line about you know you’re a Californian when you describe distance as driving time.  I heard a new definition of distance last weekend during an open house in Sun City Palm Desert.  The showing agent, Mary Jane Murray of Murray Realtors, Inc., was telling us all about the three beautiful clubhouses located throughout the village.  I asked her if the club houses were within walking distance.  (I want to live in a community where I can walk to the myriad of activities.)  She told me they were a bit far for walking, but they were a “golf cart drive.”  She proceeded to explain about all the amenities that were a golf cart drive from the house.  There was a back gate put in by the builder so that the nearby doctor’s offices and grocery store were all accessible from a golf cart.

Driveway for 2-car and golf cart garage doors.

Um… not a driveway for 2-car and golf cart garages

In retirement, we are planning on having one car and one golf cart, so that sounds like a way to go.  That brings us to the garages.  The larger homes, usually over 1,800 square feet, have a two-car garage plus golf cart space either as a basic plan or as an option.  Once again, we saw one house with this layout with a beautiful driveway right next to another house, similar layout with plants covering the front where the driveway should have been.  Really?  I guess some people really do fall for that – but I think it’s insulting – just saying.

In my blog about our visit to Del Webb’s Sun City Apple Valley, I mentioned golf cart lanes.  When we moved on to Del Webb’s Sun City Shadow Hills later in the afternoon, we saw golf cart parking spots. And on a Saturday evening at 4:00 pm, there were lots of golf carts zipping along – some with golf clubs, some with residents ready to enjoy the potluck at the club house.

Golf Cart spots – right out front.

Golf carts seem to be a staple of retirement community life.  At SunRiver in St. George, the HOA holds golf cart drive-in movie nights .  At the current price of gasoline, an electric golf cart sounds like a great idea.  I guess I’ll have to spend some time and blog space reviewing golf carts, too.

Itty Bitty Laundry Room Door Option

We visited Del Webb’s Shadow Hills community near Palm Springs over the weekend.  The models were some of the most tastefully decorated I’ve seen; however.  I do have issues with the builder when they add to many options to the basic model.  I have a knack for reading floorplans, but I was disoriented in some as I was trying to envision the basic versus the upgrade.  My husband kept saying, “Oh, I like this.”  And I’d answer, “Yeah, that’s extra.”

Please pass the hamper.

My favorite floorplan was The Hospitality.  It had one of the most fun and convenient options, and I would definitely pay the extra.  I’d never seen it before, and I’ve seen a lot of houses.  It was a small door (optional, of course) from the laundry room to the master bedroom’s walk-in closet.  From the closet, you open the door and shove the hamper through.  The you walk unencumbered to the laundry room near the home entry, do the laundry, and poof – shove it back through the little magic door to the closet.  If only it came with a house-elf to do the folding and hanging up!

Optional Laundry Door

My husband, who hasn’t done laundry for thirty years, didn’t really see the practical benefit, but he did think it would be a great secret door for the grandkids to use for a hideout or to sneak up on grandpa.