Sylvia,
We had four kids get their licenses and we owned a decent car all the 
time they were at home and available.  Now they're all out on their 
own but still available for transportation which we try very hard not 
to abuse.  But I sold our last minivan to one of the kids when it 
just sat in the garage gathering dust!  you can't justify a car when 
it only gets used every few months!  The luxury of having a car and 
driver reasonably available is great.  We have decent paratransit 
service in the area and fixed route bus service on weekdays but 
nothing beats that set of wheels in the garage!
pat, K9JAUAt 11:00 AM 6/1/2013, you wrote:
>I think the biggest challenge both my husband and I have being totally blind
>is transportation.  I'll admit, where we originally moved from was a lot
>better in terms of transportation accessibility.  We just didn't feel safe
>raising small children in such a harsh environment at the time.  When we
>moved to our current location transportation was fairly accessible.  The
>buses especially.  Now that our town is growing, the transportation system
>is horrible.  We're thinking that once our children are up and out we might
>move back to our original spot so we can get around by ourselves again.
>
>In the meantime we're looking forward to the time when our oldest son can
>drive.  That's still a few years yet.  It will be nice to have that freedom
>to go whenever whereever we want to without our entire neighborhood knowing.
>It's hard enough to have to ask people for rides to places, especially
>places we NEED to go.  On the other hand, we feel guilty asking people for
>rides to go and do fun things especially with our kids.  I can't imagine
>what it would be like to go on a romantic get-a-way by ourselves, dates,
>etc.  When you're having to depend on others for transportation, you're
>basically at their mercy.  You come and go on their terms, when it's
>convenient for them, not yourself.
>
>But we were both too young and dumb at the time we got married and didn't
>think about some of these minor details at the time.  But we just go forth
>doing the best we can and realize we have these limitations that we can't do
>anything about right now.  We live life to its fullest and be happy.
>
>Sylvia Bernert
>"If you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it."
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>On Behalf Of Steve
>Sent: Saturday, June 01, 2013 8:45 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: sighted wife
>
>I have been married to a sighted person as well as a blind person.  For
>whatever its worth, my blind wife and I had some issues so we split up, but
>have since re-married.
>
>I think there is a bit of a "blind culture" a that many of us share.  It
>doesn't mean that you will necessarily have a better marriage, but you learn
>to deal with the challenges i.e. mainly transportation.  To some extent,
>with both of us blind, we choose to live in an area with good public transit
>which maximizes our independence.  Through the use of assistive technology,
>we rarely have to use others to help with stuff.  We have two sighted sons
>who at least right now, live nearby i.e. within fifteen miles.
>
>Being pretty independent for my adult life, my sighted wife used to complain
>that she could do some things faster than I could.  I think that ended up
>being an issue, because I didn't want to become dependent even though, for
>example, she could cut my hour ride to work using the bus to less than
>twenty minutes.
>
>Steve, K8SP
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Steve Dresser" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2013 4:13 PM
>Subject: Re: sighted wife
>
>
> > Sylvia,
> >
> > I am totally blind, and have been married to my second wife (also totally
> > blind) for almost sixteen years.  My first wife was also totally blind,
> > and
> > although our marriage ultimately ended, our blindness wasn't the issue.
> >
> > I used to think that two blind people marrying each other was the best
> > choice, but now I think it's more important to base the relationship on
> > shared values and beliefs.  Others on this list have mentioned the power
> > dynamics between blind and sighted partners, and I have to agree that this
> > can certainly become a problem if not properly addressed.  I also think
> > that
> > any other issue you can name can also destroy a marriage if the partners
> > can't find a way to work it through.  My present wife and I have often
> > commented on how much easier things would be if one of us could see.