Sweaters Instead of Stockings?

I was planning to do a shoot tomorrow in the fall leaves wearing stockings & heels, since the weather is supposed to be the warmest it's been in weeks. Don't get too excited here...I'm talking a whopping 14 C. I knew it would be cold on bare skin, but figured throwing on a warm coat in between moving the camera would be enough to get some good shots. And yes, a photographer would make the process fabulously faster than my current state of: adjust tripod, adjust camera, get in position, hit the button on remote & then toss remote so it's not in the picture. Nonetheless, the trees look so beautiful, I'm willing to freeze my nips off to get some great shots that I won't have another chance at until next year.

Then my mom called to let me know...IT'S SNOWING! Argh! I'm seriously thinking about becoming a snowbird, heading down to Florida or Arizona every winter for 182 days or less. (182 days being the magic number of days Canadians are allowed to visit the US for without having to apply for immigration status.) I would still have to come back for Christmas, so I couldn't very well burn all of my warm coats & toques. But I'm thinking October 1st to Christmas holidays, then back from January 1st until the end of March would work nicely.

I've daydreamed about spending the winters in Mexico since I first holiday-ed there with my parents as a teenager. As someone who relies on a high speed internet connection to do her job, staying stateside is more practical & definitely cheaper. A lot of people are able to retire cheaply in Mexico, but they also give up trying to live a US lifestyle from Mexico. If you want to buy fresh food from the markets, local beer & putter around your palapa, cost of living is cheap. If you plan to continue buying the stuff you bought at home, expect to pay double for those Fruit Loopos. Anything that has to be imported is going to be more expensive than back home, even with a low peso. Need a new video card? Cheaper to have it Fed Exed down than bought at the local computer shops. If you're retired & can wait a solid week for a computer part, that's not a problem. But if your income depends on that part, you're downing cervezas & cursing NAFTA.

The US, on the other hand, is cheap cheap cheap. Gas, groceries, consumer goods like clothes & computer gadgets are all a solid 20% cheaper in the States compared to Canada. The only expense that would increase if I moved my lifestyle to warmer climates is real estate. Come January when it's -30 C outside, paying more money for housing will sound like a bargain at any price.

Just gotta figure out the conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit & I'm packing my bags!