Rick--
That is very kind of you to say, sir. Coming from someone I know and respect, that means a great deal to me. MANY THANKS!
"Depressing" for me is cities, congested highways, crowded buildings, drywall death traps on Mossy Brook Circle. To paraphrase Marie, who also loves the desert--"In the desert, you can see fools coming from a long way off. With any luck at all, they won't survive to reach you."
Neither she nor I are anti-social per se, but both of us worked for a long time in very intense social-contact venues throughout our careers, and in retirement we DO NOT seek out the company of other people with frequency. Both of our families have lived in the Inland Empire for over 100 years, which is a sage scrub environment in its pre-pavement condition. Sage scrub is desert minus summer microburst thunderstorms. Desert climates suit us both very well--Marie utterly HATES being cold, and is not shy about sharing that sentiment. I don't mind heat, and have sense enough to get out of the sun when the temps range past 110* F. I don't mind cold and snow, either. Central NV would be well-nigh perfect for me; Marie would opt for Tucson as her "ideal". Yuma has the added benefits of being 3 hours from ocean fishing in San Diego, and hot enough in summer to drive out the snowbirds for 5-6 months of the year. Yuma has some AWESOME gun shops as well--Sprague's gets a whole lot of my disposable income these days.