(Nov 28) Eureka

Wow. I am in love! The drive out to the property was a bit longer than I had wanted but it wasn't as bad as some I've taken lately. About an hour east on a major highway. Then north another 20 minutes through very pretty country. I kept driving along large tracts of wooded land filled with large oak trees. I kept chanting to myself, "Please, let it be at least this pretty!" The roads were all in good shape and some interesting sights along the way. At one point, about 20 minutes away from the destination, there are a couple of ranches with exotics - camels, zebras and American bison. Anyway, it made for an interesting drive. I got to the last leg of the trip, the 1 mile dead end road. Land is still gorgeous. Houses in the neighborhood are average to really nice. I drive the last mile very slowly, anticipating a let down at the end. It never came. The land was everything I had envisioned on the way. I parked the car and just sat there for a while. I finally called the realtor listed on the sign in front to confirm it was still for sale and to get permission to walk the property for a bit. She was very nice and let me know that they had already had several people out to look at it in the week it had been on the market. I spent the next 3 hours browsing and sitting. I would wander out to a new area and find a comfortable place to sit for a while. Listen. Watch. Just soak it all in. No road noise. Just the wind through the trees. The entire property is covered with stunning oaks and elms, 50-80 feet tall, many bigger 'round than I can reach (and that has nothing to do with the girth of my mid-section! Besides, I tell people "I'm not fat. I'm famine resistant." lol).  Also a few scattered cedar to give it some color in the winter. There's a seasonal creek that runs across the middle with a cattle-guard bridge that had been built to cross it. The creek's dry but washed clean of any leaves so I know it's had water running in it over the last month or so. At 450 feet across and about 1500 feet deep, it's a perfect dimension. Wide enough that you can't see any neighbors on either side. Deep enough that you're out of sight of the road and still have 1000' to play with as a back yard. I finally call my better half who wants to know where I've been for most of the day. I inform her that I'm sitting in the middle of the property we're going to buy. This is the one! I stop and take a few pics before I head home. I'm very encouraged. Now to figure out how to pay for it!

View from edge of property back down road