New House and Snow--in April?

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

Our new home is still on schedule, and thank goodness the exterior is finished except for painting the front and side doors (will be dark green to match the metal roof) and finishing the log posts and rails on the deck. I say "thank goodness," not because we are anxious to get out of the Monty, but because we are having one of the biggest snowfalls yet. Yesterday, I went to my granddaughter's soccer game and was quite comfortable without a jacket; she wore a long sleeve shirt under her soccer shirt and her sweatpants. This morning, I woke up to 7" of snow, and it's still falling, along with the temperature. How can I be so lucky as to live in two places, Texas and Montana, that have such extreme weather conditions from one day to the next? I don't mind it, however, which probably explains why I like teaching high school. The kids, like the weather, are never the same two days in a row!



Carolyn

[Icehouse]

Gee Wilikers. You are colder than we are! Spring is here!!! You're house is almost finished!!! Did your granddaughter's team win?? I have enjoyed seeing all the pics of the house! I just don't envy you having to move again! My next house will be my 41st house + fulltime in 1 RV. Too much! Go outside, get you some clean snow and make one last bowl of snow ice cream before it all melts! The bears are out here. A few have been spotted just a block or so from the campground.
Tammy

[eeoski]

Carolyn,

What a lovely looking home! Snow in April and the general population here in Orlando were whinning last week when the highs were in the 50s due to a "cold snap!" Now it is in the mid-80s with nice breezes. I can't say snow is my favorite thing (except in pictures and when I don't HAVE to go out in it), but it is so pretty when it is falling and immediately after it falls.

What a great photo of your granddaughter playing football! You can see the shear determination and concentration on her face. My grandson (5) was a hoot to watch this past year...lots of looking up, down, and all around then when the ball would come his way he wasn't quite sure what to do about/with it!

Here's to your new home to being completed quickly!

Robin

[stiles watson]

Congrats on your house. Great to have your plans come together.

[JH Sechelt]

Great pictures !!

Were we live on the BC Coast No Snow yesterday. Across the Georgia Straight (ocean) in Nanaimo, 18 miles across.
they got 12" yesterday. Crazy weather. Not sure about global warmer, what a cold winter we've had.
Veggie garden didn't look so good this morning. Maybe planted the spuds a little early.

J&D

[krtam]

Carolyn,
The house looks wonderful!! I need to live someplace else, I love the green metal roof, not very common in southern CA. We had plans to build a house this year but the county has been so slow approving our lot split(not to mention all the $$). So we don't think we have the stamina to go ahead with the new house, will probably sell the lot and spend more time in our Montana.
Sharon

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

Gee, you guys are too nice! Thanks for the compliments about our almost-finished home and my granddaughter. Some answers to your questions and reponses to your comments:

Theoretically, no one "wins" those games. We seem to be living in a time when there are no losers--bad for all the little psyches, I guess. However, the kids aren't stupid; they can count goals. So, the Dynamos assured us that they did win (but don't tell anyone).

The house is turning out to be all we wanted and more. The front looks directly at Clark Canyon Reservoir; there's nothing between us and the water except a wildlife management area; in fact, we are surrounded by that wildlife management area--pretty nice! We have mountains on all sides, too, and no neighbors. Actually, I can carry my kayak to the lake/reservoir; I can also walk to the Beaverhead River (a certified Blue Ribbon trout stream). I think if we lived in another part of the country, we wouldn't have built with the economy as unstable as it is. However, this part of Montana (in the heart of one of the best hunting, fishing, outdoor activities areas in the US) continues to be a hot spot for real estate. So, we're hoping this new home will be an investment in our future travels in our Montana.

I love the snow, by the way. Even after 6 years here I love it. I guess it's because I had a million years of 115+ degree temps in Texas!

Carolyn

[Ozz]

Carolyn,
Beautiful house. You two are very lucky, indeed. But you have to take credit for all the work it took to seek out that 'perfect place', I am sure you guys dreamed about for many years. Sue and I are busy little Beavers working on our home, getting it ready to sell. We built this house almost 30 years ago, I know what you are going through, It has it's highs and lows, but very much worth the investment in your hopes and dreams.
Now you can install a few RV sites for us wanderers to come and visit, we could pitch in and build fence, clear brush and the like.
Keep the updates coming, we love them.

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

Ozz, we do have a 50-amp hookup and water where we're parked now, so when we move over to the house, we'll have a "one horse" RV pad for guests. Reservations are not necessary--first come, first served! We welcome visitors. Bring your fly rod or a rod and reel, hiking shoes, and any other toys you use in the summer. Or, if you're a die-hard winter camper, bring skis, sleds, and LOTS of thermal clothing.

This is a real invitation--not one of those "polite reply but I don't mean it" things!

About that house selling situation--I feel your pain. We'd lived in a 3200 square foot house for 25 years, and then moved to a 2400 square foot one for a few years, and then sold that to move up here. While we were in the last Texas house, both my parents passed away, so not only did we have the detritus of our life, but also the things from their home--and my mother was the quintessential collector/hoarder of anything and everything.

We went from that last house to 5 huge storerooms while our first Montana house was being renovated; when we moved into it, we managed to reduce our stuff to 1 storeroom full, thanks to eBay. Then we sold that house and again have 4 storerooms full while living in our RV. When we move into the new house, the smallest yet, we'll keep only what works in that lodge/cabin style home and limit ourselves to 1 storeroom in town. (How do you get your grown kids to COME GET THEIR STUFF????)

In two years or less, we plan to sell the new house and have the Last Call if You Want It distribution of stuff, and no, my darling grown children, I am NOT delivering or shipping anything to you. You want it, you come get it.

That home we'd been in for so long in Texas needed a lot of updating and other work, which was not fun. But, we wanted to sell it, so we bit the bullet and did what we had to do for a quick sale. The last house, the one we renovated up here, was in mint condition and sold immediately for over our asking price. (How lucky was that?) We've already had people stop by to see what we're building now, and more than one "Call me before you list it" requests. Location, location, location.