My new house?

I just sold a condo that I've had for many years and to save the capital gains tax I'm going to exchange it. I had to identify three properties to exchange into. Here's one of them, the most likely.

I've put an offer on this house and am now trying to get approved for a loan. No easy task.

There are a lot of things I like about it but a few problems: no air conditioning; a very, very long way to the main road to get the paper, mail, and take out the trash;

the green color (can easily be changed); lots of big eucalyptus trees threatening to fall on the house; no garage.

BUT the good things are: the most fantastic view which you can enjoy from several decks; a beautiful swimming pool which Nancy says she'll pay for the upkeep of because she's the only one that will use it. She doesn't have a pool at her house;

a nice office area with a fireplace and built in bookcases (here seen from the nice kitchen);

a cute little living room with a beautiful view;

A living/dining area (with another fireplace) that I'll be able to mess up while keeping the other living room clean for whenever a guest happens to show up.;

 Also 2 nice bedrooms each with a bath and a deck. Downstairs there are two more rooms and a bath. These could be guest rooms or maybe later, a small apt.
The grounds are very nice and have some beautiful trees (that aren't threatening to fall on the house).
There are two storage sheds which will partially take the place of the missing garage for storage.

Should I buy it if I get the loan?

War is hell, but.....

Small Works Show at the Brandon Gallery

I got two things accepted in the Small Works Show.

A collage and a Zentangle (below)

I was very surprised to have a Zentangle accepted. I wasn't sure how galleries felt about Zentangles.  I went into the gallery today and noticed that it's been sold. Another surprise.  A wonderful surprise!  I wonder who bought it. I think I'm going to be sorry to see it go.  I don't always like my own artwork but I did like this. The birds were drawn on pages from a Japanese book.

Nancy Kreile, Amanda Fisher, and Nancy at the opening.

Signs from the Rally To Restore Sanity

A few photos from the Rally To Restore Sanity- Washington, D.C.

It was wonderful! We had a day to visit some of the great museums. Not nearly enough time, of course. The rally itself was fun, funny and inspiring. So nice to be in a crowd of over 200,000 like-minded people.

Nancy and Connie, my traveling companions.

The subway crush. 

At the airport for the trip home.

New cartoon

I Went To A Garden Party

A potluck garden party in Nancy Kreile's beautiful garden.

The pretty table setting, with a gift of lavender for each of us.

Nancy Kreile, Jean Hester, Connie Forest.

Also attending, Peggy Kesterson, Nancy Javier and I.

After lunch, a tour of Nancy's very cute house. I was talking too much and didn't take enough photos.

This headboard was painted on the wall by Nancy's talented mother, Anne. 

One of Nancy's photographs. It's hard to tell from my photo but it's Nancy's cat's paw peeking out of the bedcovers.  Nancy is a wonderful photographer. 

I wish I had taken more pictures because Nancy's house was so pretty and she had so many interesting things.

 The beautiful garden.

Nancy J. and Connie in the back country.

Sepia Saturday- Sort of a love letter

Like most men of my father's generation, he didn't often express his feelings. I was surprised to find this "semi" love letter among my mother's keepsakes.  It was written in 1944.

Apparently my mother (and we three kids) were staying with relatives in her hometown of Dixon, Ill. while my father was in Watseka, Ill. where he worked.  He was looking for a house. These cities were quite far apart so they weren't seeing each other very often. He must have been very lonesome and he made reference to my mother being despondent.

Since this is a little hard to read I'll tell you a little of what it says:

He had written his last letter at work and everyone marveled that he would write such a long letter to a "mere" wife and that if it was a girlfriend it would be different. He replied that she WAS his girlfriend.

He goes on to say that my mother's card playing friends thought he looked lonely and he said he was lonely but none of them took the hint so he thought he was going to keep "baching".

I told you it was a "semi" love letter.


It goes on for 6 pages but mostly about work and house hunting. He mentioned that he looked at a house for $4000 that he thought could be had for $3500. Those were the days!!!

For some reason he enclosed the phone bill and there was a call to Dixon for $1.45 which must have been a fortune in those days. So apparently they were also talking on the phone a lot.

He always ended his letters with a drawing for the kids.

 

He wasn't much of an artist but I love these anyway.

 The happy couple before they were married.

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