Saturday, December 31, 2011

(Dec 31) End of another year

 Happy New Year, Everyone!

Well, we are no closer to finding our dream property. We've made numerous trips this year with nothing but miles on the car and disappointments. The good news is that we are closing in on what each other will tolerate. Kim is more in-tuned with the neighborhood aspect and I am more driven by the texture and lay of the land. I always cringe when I find a pretty piece of property. Her first instinct is to drive the neighborhood, in all directions, to get a feel for the properties around us.  Then she explains why she wouldn't want to live here and has a list of reasons.  Sometimes she doesn't even bother to get more than 10 feet from the car because she already knows this is not where she wants to live no matter how beautiful the property is.  Usually her instinct proves to be true. Pretty pieces of land for cheap are planted in the middle of BAD neighborhoods. At least she's here to keep me in check! lol I'm much more of the "Grab, Smash and Haul it into the woods" type. This coming year will be about trusting each others instincts and enjoying the road trips, rather than being disappointed when we don't find the perfect match. Happy New Year everyone! I hope you spend the next 12 months with someone you love!  I know I will.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

(Aug 7) Deliverance

It's been more of the same this year. We search for a while and then we get discouraged. We give it a break and start back up when we can't sit still any more. Today's property filled some needs but fell very short in others. We found 10 acres out East of the Metroplex for a reasonable price. Some pasture, mostly wooded. Deep and fenced. It sounded very promising. Our hope dimmed as we got closer and closer. The land was very pretty. That wasn't the problem. Huge oak trees and sandy soil with some terrain made this some of the prettiest land we've seen yet. The problem was the neighborhood. This was something straight out of Deliverance. Less than a mile away, on the only road to the property, was a compound of mobile homes, which would be fine if half of them were not abandoned and rotting. The others that were standing and occupied were adorned with yards full of trash and wrecked automobiles. Hairy men in dirty tank tops and overalls gathered around a burn barrel in the front yard drinking beer and drooling! I've been known to drink beer and drool, however the setting was a little different.  I didn't think that in-breeding was still popular in America. No, this would not do at all. I would spend all of my nights sitting in a deer blind going over the story in my head why I had to shoot my 3rd neighbor in as many months! Maybe that explains why the neighbor, on the other side of this beautiful picturesque acreage, had their property fenced with curled barbwire atop a tall chain-link fence. Literally! What a pity. This is truly a picturesque piece of land, right out of Mayberry. The search continues.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

(Jan 1) The Search

Happy New Year!

As we enter our 3rd year looking for the "property of our dreams", we find frustration more common than prospects. It would be hard enough looking on one's own. It would be hard enough if you actually had the funds available to pursue such a dream. It would be hard enough without the daily responsibility of work. With all of those piled up against the door, it's nearly impossible to open. My wife and kids, adored and cherished, are so patient with me. I drag them from location to location looking for that which will fulfill a need that I can't abandon, can't shake from my daily thoughts. The need to have a plot of land, wooded and serene. Something to take me back to my childhood. Something to comfort me in later years. We really can't afford it. There are so many other priorities at the moment. We can't agree on what it should look like much less where it should be. Our schedules keep us from looking very often. But, if we don't look, don't compare, how will we ever feel satisfied that "this is the one." We have to get some idea of what the market looks like, what constitutes a bargain. What presents itself as a total bundle - price, location, neighborhood, texture of the land. We'll keep a good attitude this year and take the mantra of "It will happen when it's supposed to." Wish us luck!