September 4th, 2009
SoCal is making me nuts, now that there is an end in sight. Traffic, crowds, attitude, pollution, noise. It’s all in my face lately.
News on the home construction: the logs have been delivered and the home is going up quickly. John says the logs are set up to the windows now, almost to the roof, and he can see the placement of windows and doors, and get a better feel for the floorplan. He’s taken lots of pictures and I should be receiving them in the mail shortly so I can post some on here (instead of scouring the ‘net for pics to post – heh!).
Back here in the Inland Valley, it’s Memorial Day Weekend and cops abound. They’re on the lookout for DUI’s and there are several checkpoints set up throughout town. Party’s last night in the neighborhood – helicopter cops spotlighting the streets until the ground units arrive and have a shouting match with the offenders. This is what I fell asleep to. This is why I’m antsy to get out of here.
Thinking happy thoughts of quiet nights, tall pines and cool mountain air.
Oh! Apparently there is a jaguarundi in the area!
Jaguarundi
Disclaimer: This is not our jaguarundi, it’s an image I found. They are described as a feline carnivore, weasel-like in appearance with a long body, fluffy tail and a round head. Smaller than a mountain lion but larger than a housecat. Although rare, the one seen in Timberon was assumed to have traveled up from Texas (a known habitat).
Here kitty kitty kitty.
Log Walls, front sides.
Original text by Nanette Thorell 5/27/2007 (re-posted with minor edits)
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September 4th, 2009
Well the foundation is in, the septic is in and we have a nice smooth gravel driveway. The foundation floor is just about finished, and will be in time for the logs to be delivered next week and then the fun starts!
The roof panels are coming later, at the end of the month. We’re getting those foam panels that are finished with nice wood paneling on the inside-side so the house should be nice and cozy (warm is good!).
(Speaking of warm) We originally wanted to go with a pellet burning stove for the family room, but as John is up there and checking out the local preferences, we decided that a wood burner would be more economical. There is SO much fallen wood in the area, people can gather enough to heat their homes all winter. This sounds like a good idea to me. Not only is it less expensive, but you want to keep the deadwood at a minimum – not only for aesthetic value, but also to keep the area cleared during the fire season.
I’m getting fussy here in California, waiting for the move and trying to pre-pack whatever we won’t need until we get to the other side. I hesitate to pack the kitchen because I know as soon as I do, I’ll need something. Maybe I’ll go sort through the garage for stuff to throw out. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.
Foundation Is In
Original text by Nanette Thorell 5/15/2007 (re-posted with minor edits)
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September 4th, 2009
About 2 years ago (1995) my husband and I got a wild hair to buy some property out of state. Something pretty. Something up in the mountains. Something we could camp on maybe. Just something out of the California Inland Valley heatbox.
So, after scouring the internet, checking out property from coast to coast and border to border, we happened on a lovely little town tucked away in the Sacramento Mountain range in southeastern New Mexico. I have family ties in New Mexico, so I was partial to the state to begin with.
Off we went to check it out, kids and all. Took us about 15 hours all told, driving time. One stop to sleep in Las Cruces, on to Alamogordo the next day, and up the hill we went. We spent one day there and put a down payment on 2 adjoining parcels immediately. It was perfect. Nice flat parcels with water and power to the property. Maintained (gravel) roads. Close to the town. Pinion and Ponderosa pines whispering in the breeze and making the air smell like heaven. We closed escrow about a month later and it was ours.
Fast forward to late 1996 when the California housing market started their infamous downturn. Fortunately we were able to sell our home, which was the fork in the road that landed us on the path we are currently traveling.
And here we are in the present day. May 7, 2007. The kids and I are living in a rental home in the same school district (so the kids can finish out the school year), while John is up in Timberon building us a log home on the property we bought 2 years ago to camp on!
You just never know what fate will drop in your lap, eh?
A view of Timberon. Our property is somewhere down in those pine trees:
View of Timberon
Original text by Nanette Thorell 5/8/2007 (re-posted with minor edits)
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August 11th, 2009
The following entries are imported from my other blog named Piñon & Ponderosa I am re-posting them here for the sake of efficiency.
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