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I don't believe we have seen such a rainy spring since 1989, when we were trying to begin construction on the addition to our house and progress was constantly interrupted by weeks, literally, of downpours. That year stands out as a benchmark for us because the rain was so damn inconvenient. Now we aren't trying to build, but the dreary and cool weather does get boring and confirms for me that I don't think I'd like the Pacific Northwest if this is what they get. Yes, the pollen's down and the flowers are rampant, but it's chilly and just dreary. Not even the flowers can cheer up the looks outside.
It was an eventful weekend. We started out knowing Saturday would be somewhat curtailed because we were attending the wedding of the son of dear friends ours. It was about an hour away at 5 pm, so we planned our day accordingly. Then, around 1 PM, Ron, our real estate agent, called and told us our buyer wanted to do the technical inspection with her engineer "tomorrow at 10 AM," meaning yesterday, Sunday. Surprise! Ron had previously told us this would happen sometime later this week. Steve was in the middle of a messy, all-day kitchen project (reducing 50 pounds of chopped green tomatoes to mincemeat pie filling) and I was doing usual weekend chores. We had to drop everything and get the house back into ship-shape for this final showing. Yes, the buyer has already committed, but we wanted to make sure she and her husband were happy with the purchase, and maybe even wow the engineer enough to make him ignore whatever (unknown to us) problems there may be. (Fat chance, but it was worth a try!)
So the inspection came and went. We left the house at 9:30 yesterday morning, had huge breakfast at a local favorite diner, and then went to an early showing of the movie "American Violet." (You should see it. It's a gripping, true-life crime/courtroom drama about a young black woman falsely accused of drug dealing in small-town Texas in 2000. It deserves more attention than it's getting.)
We came back home at 1:30 and the buyers, the engineer and their agent were still here. We camped out in front of the house until the agent saw us and invited us in, so we had a chance, finally, to meet these angels from heaven who are buying our house! We fell into conversation immediately. They were full of admiration of the house (ah, the ego gratification!) and questions about how things work. We gave them "before" pictures of the house, one of what it looked like when we bought it, and two others, much older, of the house on a truck actually being moved here in 1957. They loved the pictures. It was a fun meeting and we will invite them here for drinks sometime just to walk them through again and get the inside scoop on how things work here. We're also thinking of inviting them to the huge farewell bash we're having on June 13, to celebrate Steve's retirement and say farewell to the house, which so many of our friends have enjoyed over the years. It would be a great way to meet their new neighbors.
The engineer found a couple of big "problems" that didn't exist--the furnace "doesn't come on" (it does...it's brand new!); the shower "doesn't work" (we don't know what he did to it, but it does) and a few small ones, either easily fixed or not worth the trouble. Things we were worried about such as the intricate outdoor watering system, dicey sump disposal and some missing light switches went entirely unnoticed. So, no deal- or bank-breakers here.
I could ramble for another hour but you have better things to do and I have a dentist appointment. Will post music when I get back.
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9 comments:
The Pacific Northwest does have a rainy climate, but you just have to drive a little further east, crossing the mountains, to find desert and semi-desert conditions. Our place at Lac Le Jeune, just outside of Kamloops, is considered semi-desert. Lots of sunny days and very little rain. I have sisters who live in the Vancouver area, so we visit often--it's about 3-4 hours from here. With its mountain and water views, there is no city more beautiful on a sunny day, but unfortunately it is more often overcast and drizzly there. A sunny day does a lot for one's spirits!
Home inspections are really suppose to focus on finding that Monster in the attic but nowadays when anybody can get a contractors license (5 day course & test out) the opinions are largely unqualified. A new furnace will really throw most of them a curve ball. Don't do that again! hehee. But at least you are out of the woods as a major real find would have been costly and could have derailed the transaction. Roof and plumbing problems are major concerns here in Florida. So when is the closing date?
Jenny, sorry to paint the entire P-NW with the same "rainy" brush--just shows my ingorance of the finer points. When I went to Seattle I thought that was one of the prettiest places I'd seen, then I heard about Vancounver and I have to agree the pictures of it make it look spectacular, and I'm sure it lives up---when the sun's out!
Z&M, we close on Friday, June 19. We're busy looking for NC rentals now, will probably be making another trip there in a week or two to look at places.
Oh. I thought you wanted a quick close and lease it back till Steve retires in June. A rental while the house is being built should give you the time needed to inspect the building process since you'll be down there. I was particularly concerned with the foundation. Here everything is built on sand. So I was happy we got the elevation we needed. It's a heart attack process though. I worried through much of it. But some aspects were fun especially seeing the finished product.
No, Z&M, we were hoping not to have to find a short term rental here while Steve was still working. This is perfect timing, and we're very much looking forward to being there to supervise the building. Interestingly, the soil where we're building is all clay, so elevation won't be an issue. We're even far enough inland, even though on the water, that hurricanes aren't even a really big issue.
It sounds just like you described when starting the blog which brought the perfect title. This post is perfect.
I feel as though we are running a marathon here... another lap completed and onward!
Time has moved so quickly - before, you know it, your home will be built and life will settle into a new phase.
LOL! Things will move pretty quickly at least for our remaining time here in Virginia, Linda. There are many preparations to make, both here and in North Carolina, that will keep us jumping. But once we get into whatever rental we end up in down there, we'll have the long, long wait--more than 6 months--for the house to be completed. It'll be another limbo time that I really can't see Steve sitting still for. We'll make a few trips into the NC heartland to look at furniture, I'm sure, but that won't fill up much time. I'm virtually certain he'll end up looking for a job during that time.
Once we get into the house, we'll be busy again, painting, building the deck--there will be plenty to do. But that in-between time I already know will be a challenge.
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