Friday, November 5, 2010
October Ouches
We returned to Rancho on about the 3rd of Oct. We had been keeping in touch with Eric about our lot while we were gone. He asked us to go stay on his lot when we returned so that they would have more room to work and also we wouldn't have to be living in the middle of the construction. So we did.
His lot is nice. It is also on the golf course with a big pond. There are reeds growing up in the water so there are tons of fowl. they have Koots,ducks, loons, Herons, and the white osprey. It was nice, but we wanted to be on ours.
While we were gone they poured the concrete which was colored and stained the original concrete to match.
They also started building our deck with a leaf pattern in it.
This deck pic is actually toward the end of the month because I had them take out another pillar.
They continued to work on the framing of the living room entertainment area and continued on the landscaping.
Living room, entertainment center, storage and storage benches
Kitchen counter on left with most of appliances; Island has micro, drawer, oven & storage
Since we came back they have continued their work and we have had to make some changes. One was to change the shape of the entertainment center so it wasn't blocked from the kitchen, or so it wouldn't block the view.
We took out another pillar at the back of the deck to enlarge the deck and also because it was absolutely unnecessary.
During all of this build out obstacles keep getting thrown at us. The really frustrating thing is that they are outside changes.
The first step in all this is to submit a plan (drawing) to the Architectural committee here at Rancho. Once they approve it you go down to the county and get your electrical, roofing and plumbing permits. Due to the metal being used to build the walls and cabinetry we were not required to have a building permit from the county. The committee approved our plans and we obtained our permits in July. So we proceeded. Eric started digging and forming and Greg started putting in all the underground conduit for the electrical. Then we had the inspector come in for the underground electrical. It passed, but while here the inspector told me if we did not have a plumbing permit we could not cut a hole for a sink or run any pipes up to the counter or he would make us rip it all out. I passed this on to Eric. In the past you could do what are called "futures" and get everything ready but not hook it all up until you had the permit. We knew we could not get a plumbing permit until the septic system was certified and that was supposed to be done while we were on vacation.
When we got back we found that we had not been certified and in fact our septic sys failed and has to be fixed which will be a couple months from now (it is 4 Nov as I write this) Ok, so no washer, sink, dishwasher for a while. So we continued.. The counters got all built so Greg put in all the wires and boxes for switches, plugs, lights etc. The inspector came out to inspect his rough in and would not sign off because he wants Eric to have a permit for his walls. This is a change and they were not required when we built the walls. Frustrating. So Greg cannot go any further.
Meanwhile, Chris, who is going to build our Palapa was supposed to have submitted his new drawings to the engineer and get the new permit while we were gone but he never got to it. Now the county is really backed up and he has 2 weeks of no work because he is waiting on 3 permits and he hasn't even put ours in yet. We have no idea when we will have our palapa started.
Work progressed and we continue to be patient.
One day we decided to measure the width of our rig at it's widest point with the slides out. So we did and took these measurements over to our lot. We discovered that when the rig is in place with all the slides open there is only 2 1/2 feet between it and the counter on the island where bar chairs are supposed to go. Not enough room to get around if someone is sitting at the counter. So, we had to get them to move the counter. Much better now.
Themonth was coming to an end and someone wanted to rent Eric's lot for the entire month of November. Lucky for us and him. For us it meant we got to go back to our lot. So on the Friday of Halloween weekend they cleaned up our lot and we got to go home.
The next obstacle was that Pete of the Arch, committee came by and told me the President of the Homeowners Assoc was going to make me take out our Canary Palm because some of the branches hang into the street. He also told us the section behind our lot which has a mow curb and will have plants, decomposed granite, and flag stone has to come out because they don't want them to have them anymore. I was very, very, very unhappy about that. Then the following week, the straw that broke the camel's back, was that we can't have any 220 elec. which means no dryer or oven, AND all the appliances have to be built in with "door" covering them. I hit the fan. The electrical was the last straw and as I was talking to Eric about it he told me he had a meeting with the Arch committee that morning and would I like to come. OH YEAH! I had three hours to prepare so I grabbed all the paperwork I had pertaining to the CC&Rs, the Arch. committee guidelines, the HOA rules and regs and I went through them and I highlighted everthing that had to do with our lot. And I showed up. First sitting at the table were just two members of the committee, but while we were waiting for Eric who was stuck in traffic they went and got the Pres of the HOA and the secretary to take notes.
Now I have talked we two of the three committee members and the Pres of the HOA at various times since we started, making it clear that we were following the rules, not doing anything without permits, getting updates about the septic sys so we could get our plumbing permit etc. I actually have a good relationship with all but one member and that is only because he has been away and just came back. He is the one who told me about the tree and the back.
Well, I went through all my highlighted documents and pointed out the regs and how we had to have approval, and how they had approved everything and pointed out their signatures and the dates of the approvals etc and any changes they want to make for people building after me is fine and dandy, but they already approved me so stop f------ with me. They were first shocked, then impressed, then agreed with my point and stated that I was fine. Now my issue is with the county and only with the county and so I will have to go and talk to the honcho down there.
I will again have to point out that we have permits to do certain things and that changes they made after they issued our permit must affect those after us and they must honor the permits they gave to us. Soooooooo please fine family and friends, keep us in your thoughts and keep your fingers crossed that they will honor our permits and let us go forward with our plans or the whole thing will have been a total waste of a lot of money.
Mean while, here are more current pictures as of today (November 5th)
Our fountain in the center of the golf cart turn-around with its landscaping
Our view from the kitche into the dining and living rooms and deck
From the front with the rig on it
Utility area left and right are bike lockers, the center is for the washer, dryer and storage
The back extension which will have plants, decomposed granite and flagstone
His lot is nice. It is also on the golf course with a big pond. There are reeds growing up in the water so there are tons of fowl. they have Koots,ducks, loons, Herons, and the white osprey. It was nice, but we wanted to be on ours.
While we were gone they poured the concrete which was colored and stained the original concrete to match.
They also started building our deck with a leaf pattern in it.
This deck pic is actually toward the end of the month because I had them take out another pillar.
They continued to work on the framing of the living room entertainment area and continued on the landscaping.
Living room, entertainment center, storage and storage benches
Kitchen counter on left with most of appliances; Island has micro, drawer, oven & storageSince we came back they have continued their work and we have had to make some changes. One was to change the shape of the entertainment center so it wasn't blocked from the kitchen, or so it wouldn't block the view.
We took out another pillar at the back of the deck to enlarge the deck and also because it was absolutely unnecessary.
During all of this build out obstacles keep getting thrown at us. The really frustrating thing is that they are outside changes.
The first step in all this is to submit a plan (drawing) to the Architectural committee here at Rancho. Once they approve it you go down to the county and get your electrical, roofing and plumbing permits. Due to the metal being used to build the walls and cabinetry we were not required to have a building permit from the county. The committee approved our plans and we obtained our permits in July. So we proceeded. Eric started digging and forming and Greg started putting in all the underground conduit for the electrical. Then we had the inspector come in for the underground electrical. It passed, but while here the inspector told me if we did not have a plumbing permit we could not cut a hole for a sink or run any pipes up to the counter or he would make us rip it all out. I passed this on to Eric. In the past you could do what are called "futures" and get everything ready but not hook it all up until you had the permit. We knew we could not get a plumbing permit until the septic system was certified and that was supposed to be done while we were on vacation.
When we got back we found that we had not been certified and in fact our septic sys failed and has to be fixed which will be a couple months from now (it is 4 Nov as I write this) Ok, so no washer, sink, dishwasher for a while. So we continued.. The counters got all built so Greg put in all the wires and boxes for switches, plugs, lights etc. The inspector came out to inspect his rough in and would not sign off because he wants Eric to have a permit for his walls. This is a change and they were not required when we built the walls. Frustrating. So Greg cannot go any further.
Meanwhile, Chris, who is going to build our Palapa was supposed to have submitted his new drawings to the engineer and get the new permit while we were gone but he never got to it. Now the county is really backed up and he has 2 weeks of no work because he is waiting on 3 permits and he hasn't even put ours in yet. We have no idea when we will have our palapa started.
Work progressed and we continue to be patient.
One day we decided to measure the width of our rig at it's widest point with the slides out. So we did and took these measurements over to our lot. We discovered that when the rig is in place with all the slides open there is only 2 1/2 feet between it and the counter on the island where bar chairs are supposed to go. Not enough room to get around if someone is sitting at the counter. So, we had to get them to move the counter. Much better now.
Themonth was coming to an end and someone wanted to rent Eric's lot for the entire month of November. Lucky for us and him. For us it meant we got to go back to our lot. So on the Friday of Halloween weekend they cleaned up our lot and we got to go home.
The next obstacle was that Pete of the Arch, committee came by and told me the President of the Homeowners Assoc was going to make me take out our Canary Palm because some of the branches hang into the street. He also told us the section behind our lot which has a mow curb and will have plants, decomposed granite, and flag stone has to come out because they don't want them to have them anymore. I was very, very, very unhappy about that. Then the following week, the straw that broke the camel's back, was that we can't have any 220 elec. which means no dryer or oven, AND all the appliances have to be built in with "door" covering them. I hit the fan. The electrical was the last straw and as I was talking to Eric about it he told me he had a meeting with the Arch committee that morning and would I like to come. OH YEAH! I had three hours to prepare so I grabbed all the paperwork I had pertaining to the CC&Rs, the Arch. committee guidelines, the HOA rules and regs and I went through them and I highlighted everthing that had to do with our lot. And I showed up. First sitting at the table were just two members of the committee, but while we were waiting for Eric who was stuck in traffic they went and got the Pres of the HOA and the secretary to take notes.
Now I have talked we two of the three committee members and the Pres of the HOA at various times since we started, making it clear that we were following the rules, not doing anything without permits, getting updates about the septic sys so we could get our plumbing permit etc. I actually have a good relationship with all but one member and that is only because he has been away and just came back. He is the one who told me about the tree and the back.
Well, I went through all my highlighted documents and pointed out the regs and how we had to have approval, and how they had approved everything and pointed out their signatures and the dates of the approvals etc and any changes they want to make for people building after me is fine and dandy, but they already approved me so stop f------ with me. They were first shocked, then impressed, then agreed with my point and stated that I was fine. Now my issue is with the county and only with the county and so I will have to go and talk to the honcho down there.
I will again have to point out that we have permits to do certain things and that changes they made after they issued our permit must affect those after us and they must honor the permits they gave to us. Soooooooo please fine family and friends, keep us in your thoughts and keep your fingers crossed that they will honor our permits and let us go forward with our plans or the whole thing will have been a total waste of a lot of money.
Mean while, here are more current pictures as of today (November 5th)
Our fountain in the center of the golf cart turn-around with its landscaping
Our view from the kitche into the dining and living rooms and deck
From the front with the rig on it
Utility area left and right are bike lockers, the center is for the washer, dryer and storage
The back extension which will have plants, decomposed granite and flagstoneSeptember stress Releif
Many have been complaining that the blog is way out of date, so here we go with the update.
Our lot continued to develop at a snails pace. A wall was built at a different angle than the original drawing and that threw EVERYTHING out of whack. Two counters with planters that were supposed to be at right angle to each other and three feet apart suddenly ran into each other so one had to be eliminated. It was a bit of a nightmare and created nightmares for me causing an inability to sleep. We were having to point inconsistencies out on a daily basisAdditionally, our contractor kept thinking we wanted tons of privacy and so he kept closing us in. We wanted everything open.
To make matters worse, we were going on vacation for 2 1/2 weeks so would not be here to supervise. They surrounded our very small deck with 7 pillars? Why??!! Privacy?! No, no, no, take them out.
We finally got to the point where we thought we had made our wishes clear enough for them to understand and felt pretty comfortable about going on vacation.
We left on the 13th and headed to Fresno for a couple days where we visited with my Dad & Stepmother and celebrated my brother's 52nd birthday.
Then we grabbed my Mother and her darling little Yorkie named Charlie and headed to Washington State. The first night we stayed in Redding, CA, the next night in Bend, OR and then arrived at Lake Chelan, Washington on Friday the 17th. It was a pretty easy trip going up.
The purpose of the trip was to spend time with my cousins from Seattle, their kids, and their father who is my Uncle. My uncle Art is my Mother's brother-in-law and she has known him since she was 9 years old. That always amazes me. He is in his 90s.My cousins rented a house on the lake for a month and a half. Unfortunately, they didn't get their reservations in early enough so had to move out for one weekend (the weekend we arrived) and then back in on the following Monday for the duration.
Lake Chelan is beautiful.. Very comparable to Tahoe. It is northwest of Wenachee.
It is only about 90 miles south of the Canadian border.
My cousin Ken and his wife have a boat, their son Ty has a jet ski, they also have a kayak, and of course there is swimming. The only problem was that is was overcast and raining most of the time we were there. We did, however, get a couple days of golf in without getting rained on and about 3 bike rides all of which ended early either due to rain or the threat of rain.
Sooooo, we spent our time playing pinochle, drinking wine, eating delicious food to include picked straight off the trees (or bushes) apples, peaches, and blueberries. Yum Yum. We also had great laughs and wonderful time catching up and visiting with everyone. We ate several meals at this wonderful place called Blueberry hill which is a bluberry ranch; We took the boat way down the lake to their favorite picnic spot where we all had to swim out (through the freezing water) to this big rock. It is tradition! It is just a really beautiful area.
Cat, Barb & Mom @ Blueberry hill
Rob & Cat at Blueberry Hills
Rob & Cat on the dock at the house in Chelan
My second cousin Ty with his son Braden
Cat swimming to "the Rock" .JPG)
Ron & my cousin Ken
My cousin Ken & Uncle Art playing poker..who's the card shark?!
charlie, Cat, Mom, Barb & Uncle Art
One especially crazy night was spent playing Pictionary with Mom, Rob, my cousin Ken and his wife Barb, her sister Gail and Gail's husband Ron. We play guys against gals. OMG we laughed so hard we were in tears and begging to stop for just a minute so we could breathe.
Ken and Barb's oldest son announced their engagement and plan to marry at Chelan next year so we will go again.
Unfortunately, vacation ended so we had to leave the lake. The first night we drove to Portland, OR and put Rob on a plane to go home. Mom and I continued the journey on our own.
We went to Grant's Pass, OR for a couple days to visit her cousins. They live in the woods in a beautiful area. They have a motor home and extra hookups for electrical and water. Only problem was I had to back the RV in down this very, very narrow dirt road and avoid all the overhanging trees. But, I masterfully succeeded! Charlie and I stayed in the rig and Mom slept in the house with them. We went out to dinner and had a fun day exploring Ashlan..
Fulton's home in the woods, Grants Pass, OR
Mom with her cousins; Jim and Marty Fulton
From there we drove to Sacramento and spent the night at Cal Expo's RV park, then to Fresno.
I stayed in Fresno for a couple days visiting my Dad & Barb and then continued on home.
I had a great time with my Mom and am so happy that I was able to spend the time with her. Originally she didn't want to go, thought it would be too much, but it all worked out really well. She did great in the RV and her little dog is a sweetie, and it was all good.
Rob, in the mean time had a trip to Hawaii and then stayed in the trailer at LAX so we could go together to see the work that had been completed on our lot.
Our lot continued to develop at a snails pace. A wall was built at a different angle than the original drawing and that threw EVERYTHING out of whack. Two counters with planters that were supposed to be at right angle to each other and three feet apart suddenly ran into each other so one had to be eliminated. It was a bit of a nightmare and created nightmares for me causing an inability to sleep. We were having to point inconsistencies out on a daily basisAdditionally, our contractor kept thinking we wanted tons of privacy and so he kept closing us in. We wanted everything open.
To make matters worse, we were going on vacation for 2 1/2 weeks so would not be here to supervise. They surrounded our very small deck with 7 pillars? Why??!! Privacy?! No, no, no, take them out.
We finally got to the point where we thought we had made our wishes clear enough for them to understand and felt pretty comfortable about going on vacation.
We left on the 13th and headed to Fresno for a couple days where we visited with my Dad & Stepmother and celebrated my brother's 52nd birthday.
Then we grabbed my Mother and her darling little Yorkie named Charlie and headed to Washington State. The first night we stayed in Redding, CA, the next night in Bend, OR and then arrived at Lake Chelan, Washington on Friday the 17th. It was a pretty easy trip going up.
The purpose of the trip was to spend time with my cousins from Seattle, their kids, and their father who is my Uncle. My uncle Art is my Mother's brother-in-law and she has known him since she was 9 years old. That always amazes me. He is in his 90s.My cousins rented a house on the lake for a month and a half. Unfortunately, they didn't get their reservations in early enough so had to move out for one weekend (the weekend we arrived) and then back in on the following Monday for the duration.
Lake Chelan is beautiful.. Very comparable to Tahoe. It is northwest of Wenachee.
It is only about 90 miles south of the Canadian border.
My cousin Ken and his wife have a boat, their son Ty has a jet ski, they also have a kayak, and of course there is swimming. The only problem was that is was overcast and raining most of the time we were there. We did, however, get a couple days of golf in without getting rained on and about 3 bike rides all of which ended early either due to rain or the threat of rain.
Sooooo, we spent our time playing pinochle, drinking wine, eating delicious food to include picked straight off the trees (or bushes) apples, peaches, and blueberries. Yum Yum. We also had great laughs and wonderful time catching up and visiting with everyone. We ate several meals at this wonderful place called Blueberry hill which is a bluberry ranch; We took the boat way down the lake to their favorite picnic spot where we all had to swim out (through the freezing water) to this big rock. It is tradition! It is just a really beautiful area.
Cat, Barb & Mom @ Blueberry hill
Rob & Cat at Blueberry Hills
Rob & Cat on the dock at the house in Chelan
My second cousin Ty with his son Braden
Cat swimming to "the Rock" .JPG)
Ron & my cousin Ken
My cousin Ken & Uncle Art playing poker..who's the card shark?!
charlie, Cat, Mom, Barb & Uncle ArtOne especially crazy night was spent playing Pictionary with Mom, Rob, my cousin Ken and his wife Barb, her sister Gail and Gail's husband Ron. We play guys against gals. OMG we laughed so hard we were in tears and begging to stop for just a minute so we could breathe.
Ken and Barb's oldest son announced their engagement and plan to marry at Chelan next year so we will go again.
Unfortunately, vacation ended so we had to leave the lake. The first night we drove to Portland, OR and put Rob on a plane to go home. Mom and I continued the journey on our own.
We went to Grant's Pass, OR for a couple days to visit her cousins. They live in the woods in a beautiful area. They have a motor home and extra hookups for electrical and water. Only problem was I had to back the RV in down this very, very narrow dirt road and avoid all the overhanging trees. But, I masterfully succeeded! Charlie and I stayed in the rig and Mom slept in the house with them. We went out to dinner and had a fun day exploring Ashlan..
Fulton's home in the woods, Grants Pass, OR
Mom with her cousins; Jim and Marty FultonFrom there we drove to Sacramento and spent the night at Cal Expo's RV park, then to Fresno.
I stayed in Fresno for a couple days visiting my Dad & Barb and then continued on home.
I had a great time with my Mom and am so happy that I was able to spend the time with her. Originally she didn't want to go, thought it would be too much, but it all worked out really well. She did great in the RV and her little dog is a sweetie, and it was all good.
Rob, in the mean time had a trip to Hawaii and then stayed in the trailer at LAX so we could go together to see the work that had been completed on our lot.
Friday, September 3, 2010
August Amazements
August has been mostly about our build out. It seems to be moving very slowly, but I have finally discovered the reason for it and I am quite pleased. I will disclose it later. It took several days for them to complete the dig out, and then almost immediately the delivered a great big pile of dirt and rock which will be used for the base
It is now Labor Day Weekend so we, and the contractors are enjoying family, friends, and their time off. We are looking forward to vacationing in Lake Chelan, WA in September and the completion of our build out
Next they dug trenches and started putting in cement blocks for the retaining walls. As it turns out we are pretty much going to be fully enclosed. I guess that's a good thing so when we let the Yumster out she can't leave and get lost or eaten!
Next we had to wait for the electrician to do his underground work. While we were waiting for that the guys switched to working on the front wall.
In addition to this, we realized that our palm tree was in a different place on the drawing than it was in real life so they dug it out. That was no big deal, the man who did the grading came and pulled it out and took it to his ranch. I was glad they didn't just chop it down. We wanted to replace it with a Canary Date Palm which are real full and when trimmed properly look like a giant pineapple. We discovered that a friend of ours has several. I asked her how she likes them and she said she wanted to get rid of one of them because she wanted to build a parking space for her golf cart. We got to talking about it and decided we would dig it out and put it on our lot. Yeah!! Soooo, poor Adrian dug, and dug, and dug, and dug for 4 four days. They finally pulled it out the rest of the way and put it in the ground on our lot. We love it.
Adrian
Our Canary Date Palm that we named Adrian
So we got and passed the electrical inspection and they continued to work. But, instead of working on the inside they continued to work on the front. They built the front wall. They put slate trim and slate caps and stuccoed it a moss green which came out pretty light. At first it was lighter than I wanted. They also started building our cart turn around which is made of flag stone.
They continued to work on the lime stone parking which turned out beautiful and then moved on the the planter in the front left. They finally started building the rest of the walls. I was getting a bit frustrated because I wanted them to work on the inside and hurry up and pour the concrete. We were getting abit tired of living with the dirt.
Well, as it turned out they were waiting for the outcome of a big meeting that the county powers that be for inspecting and codes were having with our HOA and Outdoor Resorts Assoc (here on out known as ORA). Thank goodness they delayed because really good things came out of it.
We had been told that we could not get a plumbing permit because we were not allowed to hook in to the septic sys. Everyone who has sinks, washing machines, dishwashers put them in but did not hook them up until after their final inspections were completed. Then they would hook them up. These were called "futures" because in the future they would be permitted. Well, the county turned around and said no more "futures" If you put the sink in they would make you rip it out. We were a bit unhappy about it and there were no accurate solutions to the problem, only rumors. So as a result of the meeting solutions were disclosed. Rancho Calif has about 8 septic systems. Some have been inspected and some even certified by the county. As they get inspected and certified the county will allow plumbing permits for the lots connected to the systems. There were only two systems that had been certified. As it turns out, our system has been inspected and is scheduled to be certified in the next week or so. Contractors can go ahead and put the septic plumbing in and cap it off at ground level. They still cannot install washers, dishwashers, or sinks. In fact, they cannot even cut the hole where the sink will be installed. We are ok with this since we know the permitting is just around the corner.
The other awesome decision that came out of the meeting is that palapas (the grass shacks) are once again allowed. That is what we wanted all along but were told we could no longer have them. Since they had delayed in the construction the roofer had not ordered the alumawood that we were going to have to use, so we get to have our palapa. We are not going to go with the grass roofing, instead we are going to go with a light weight tile that looks like shake. We are very happy about that.
I feel like this whole decision about living full time in our RV and buying into this place was the right decision. We have both made many friends here and are both fitting in quite well. Also, all of the things that we wanted in our build out are becoming possible. I take that as a good sign.
Meanwhile, they completed the turn-around and it is beautiful. They completed the front planter and put in 3 Queen Palms and 5 Bird of Paradise. They also added 4 more Queen Palms to the 4 we already had down the left side, and planted 8 bushes that will fill out quickly and produce pretty blue flowers. It looks really nice. On the inside they finished grading it all out and spread out the base they build the wall that the kitchen cabinets, counter, and appliances will attach to. They also did the rough in wireing.
We weren't totally consumed with our build out, we also had some busy weekends and got to visit family. My father turned "85" on the 7th so we went to Fresno that weekend and helped him celebrate.
Rob's sister Sarah and her family went to Thailand to visit her father-in-law and explore and so we went to SanJose to see their pictures and help celebrate her birthday.
And finally, Rob went to the Bay Area for a couple days to visit several of his friends and to go to a Buddhist retreat.
It is now Labor Day Weekend so we, and the contractors are enjoying family, friends, and their time off. We are looking forward to vacationing in Lake Chelan, WA in September and the completion of our build out
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
July Jubilations & the beginning of our build out
On Monday July 19th they started tearing out all of our grass. They cut it up into sod strips. Normally they take the son to "Green Waste" and dispose of it there, but this time Outdoor Resorts wanted it. As it turns out they are using it across the pond from us to fill in where they had to dig out the fountain's pump system. It has been an eye sore ever since we have been here. Now, not only is it filled in nicely but we get to watch our grass grow over there!
Tuesday they started gradeing the whole thing, digging out for concrete. They also dug up and moved 3 of the Queen Palms. They were lined up down the side and now they are grouped together at the pond end. It looks really nice. We also had a water softner installed. The water is super hard here (360 when National average is 100). So that will be nice.
Wednesday they continued digging and grading. They are digging the slope the goes down to the living room and digging out the living room.
July Jubilations
So July has been fun!
We went to a really fun dinner party on Friday the 2nd, They had a Chili cooking contest and free margaritas. We drove around to the 20 participants and tasted their chili and drank whatever concoctions they were serving. It was alot of fun. On Sunday they had a golf cart parade with probably 25 decorated golf carts. We were going to make ours look like a Huey helicopter but we never got around to it. Oh well, maybe next year.
When I went to the orthopedist I asked him what I could do for exercise with my knee. He said no more running. Bikeing is fine (but not crashing), swimming. He said I could swim right now. So I am. I have put my Personal Training certification to use and am now teaching water aerobics on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Also, on Tuesday and Thursdays I have two clients whom I am working with as their personal trainer. It is alot of fun and I am at least getting to do something.
One of the awesome things about living here is that we have wonderful wild live that come to visit. We have ducks with their ducklings, blue herons, white cranes, egrets, sand pipers and even a few road runners have been spotted. We have bunnies, squirrels and tons of other birds that I have not found out the names of.
Through out the month we have continued to work toward starting our build out. We finally got bids from Eric the general contractor, chris the roof guy, and Gred the electrician. We never did get a written proposal from Fred so we went with Eric. We finally gathered the three contracts and gave them their start up money and we are on our way.
We have also been getting to go to all kinds of dinner parties with various people and I have gone shopping and wine tasting with a couple friends.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
June Joys
June was a fun month. We left the Resort on the 10th, in escrow on our new lot. We traveled in 2 cars up to the Fresno area. I dropped the rig in Visalia and hoped to finally get everything taken care of. Then I drove on to Dad & Barb's. Rob met me there.
On Friday I went to Dad's rehab with Dad & Barb, then we had dinner at their house. Mom came over as well. It was very nice.
On Sat we drove up to San Francisco. Anne, Dan, and the girls are out from Boston. We met them at Liz' for dinner, along with Sarah, Noel & Liam. It was alot of fun.
The next day Dan, Anne, the girls, Sarah, Liam, Rob and I spent the day hiking in Great Basin State Park. It was so fun. We had a blast with the kids and everyone. We all went back to Liz's and had left overs from the night before. It was much more relaxing since the food was already cooked and Anne, Dan & the girls had a good nights sleep and were no more operating on fumes. We only had to warm up the food and so we were able to spend alot more time visiting. It was fun.
Dan & Rob
Sarah & Liam
Anne, Cat, Grace, Lauren & Liam
Monday we drove around and took in the sights in San Francisco, we visited Bloomie at he & Miranda's new home and then met everyone at Ches Panise, a wonderful restaurant in Berkeley. We had a great meal, wonderful wine and the whole eve was amazing.
The next day we drove back to Fresno. We left YumYum and Dad's in the care of Barbara. She took very good care of the Yumster.
Wednesday Rob drove down to LAX. He has his annual training and part of it is in LA & part of it is in Seattle. I stayed in Fresno while he was gone. I had a wonderful visit with my Mom, Dad, Barbara & my Brother.
We had to leave the Rig in Visalia for an extra day and guess what. It still wasn't all finished. We'd had enough tho and decided that anything they did not finish we would have done in the LA area. They did fix all of the damage from the blow out. They were pretty much under the gun since it was an insurance deal the the insurance company was threatening to send us else where if they didn't get their act together. Some of the original warantee work from way back in January still didn't get fixed.
We arrived back at Rancho on the 22nd and got to go to our own lot. We settled in very quickly. We had moved all of the flowers, vegies, and bird feeders to our lot before we left. We had hooked up a drip system on a timer to everything and all the plants were quite happy and blooming when we returned.
Our New Abode
Rob's birthday (47th) was on Friday the 25th. We played golf and went out to dinner. On Sunday he wanted to go rent a sail boat at Camp Penelton and go out into the ocean. Unfortunately on Sat Rob suggested we get some exercise and decided he would run up the forest road and down the horse trail and I would do the same with him on my mountain bike. I am getting stronger and in better shape everyday and thought it a great idea. All was going great until about 3/4 of the way the horse trail, then I crashed. I crash often on my mountain bike so no big deal. Unfortunately this time I did the classical ski, knee, twist injury and thought I was dieing. I believe my foot stayed attached to my peddal as I knee and body went down front right. I could barely walk on it, but couldn't ride up hill on it. So I hobbled on the uphills while Rob pushed my bike, then rode on the flats and down hills until be made it home. It started swelling immediately so we started icing it immediately, 20 on, 20 off. By this time I couldn't tolerate moving it and definately couldn't put any weight on it for sure. The crash was around 1 pm and by the evening I called the advice nurse to find out if I should be putting any heat on it as well. She told me to go to the ER for X-rays, good anti inflamitories and that perhaps they would want it in a certain position to heal. So we went. According to them no broken bones. They gave me a brace, percocet for pain and ibuprophen to try to get the swelling down. They also gave me crutches. So, there I was. Rob told me next time I am afraid to go sailing in a small boat in the ocean I should just tell him rather than try to kill myself. HaHa
Monday I went to my Dr. in the am and she ordered an MRI stadt. I asked her if she would order the MRI on my R knee as well and both knees have been bothering me for a long time.
On Tuesday morning (very early) we drove to Hemit and had the MRI done on both knees.
On Thrusday we went to the Orthopedic Surgeon in Temecula. He informed me that I have arthritis & bursitis in both knees on the outsides. I have torn meniscus both vertically and horisontally in both knees and the cartlidge is very thin in both knees. The left knee in addition has several miro fractures in both the femur and tibia condyles (where they come together) and fortunately they have not collapsed. Sooooo crutches with no weight on the left knee for 6 weeks to allow the fractures to heal and keep it from collapsing then come back and we will see what to do from there. YUK So far I have fallen twice on the crutches, I am brused on my ribs under my arms and my under arms are bruised. I can't carry anything and if I stand for any length of time I get a cramp in my right butt cheek. Wine, wine, wine, wine! Pray 6 weeks go by quickly.
On Friday I went to Dad's rehab with Dad & Barb, then we had dinner at their house. Mom came over as well. It was very nice.
On Sat we drove up to San Francisco. Anne, Dan, and the girls are out from Boston. We met them at Liz' for dinner, along with Sarah, Noel & Liam. It was alot of fun.
The next day Dan, Anne, the girls, Sarah, Liam, Rob and I spent the day hiking in Great Basin State Park. It was so fun. We had a blast with the kids and everyone. We all went back to Liz's and had left overs from the night before. It was much more relaxing since the food was already cooked and Anne, Dan & the girls had a good nights sleep and were no more operating on fumes. We only had to warm up the food and so we were able to spend alot more time visiting. It was fun.
Dan & Rob
Sarah & Liam
Anne, Cat, Grace, Lauren & LiamMonday we drove around and took in the sights in San Francisco, we visited Bloomie at he & Miranda's new home and then met everyone at Ches Panise, a wonderful restaurant in Berkeley. We had a great meal, wonderful wine and the whole eve was amazing.
The next day we drove back to Fresno. We left YumYum and Dad's in the care of Barbara. She took very good care of the Yumster.
Wednesday Rob drove down to LAX. He has his annual training and part of it is in LA & part of it is in Seattle. I stayed in Fresno while he was gone. I had a wonderful visit with my Mom, Dad, Barbara & my Brother.
We had to leave the Rig in Visalia for an extra day and guess what. It still wasn't all finished. We'd had enough tho and decided that anything they did not finish we would have done in the LA area. They did fix all of the damage from the blow out. They were pretty much under the gun since it was an insurance deal the the insurance company was threatening to send us else where if they didn't get their act together. Some of the original warantee work from way back in January still didn't get fixed.
We arrived back at Rancho on the 22nd and got to go to our own lot. We settled in very quickly. We had moved all of the flowers, vegies, and bird feeders to our lot before we left. We had hooked up a drip system on a timer to everything and all the plants were quite happy and blooming when we returned.
Our New AbodeRob's birthday (47th) was on Friday the 25th. We played golf and went out to dinner. On Sunday he wanted to go rent a sail boat at Camp Penelton and go out into the ocean. Unfortunately on Sat Rob suggested we get some exercise and decided he would run up the forest road and down the horse trail and I would do the same with him on my mountain bike. I am getting stronger and in better shape everyday and thought it a great idea. All was going great until about 3/4 of the way the horse trail, then I crashed. I crash often on my mountain bike so no big deal. Unfortunately this time I did the classical ski, knee, twist injury and thought I was dieing. I believe my foot stayed attached to my peddal as I knee and body went down front right. I could barely walk on it, but couldn't ride up hill on it. So I hobbled on the uphills while Rob pushed my bike, then rode on the flats and down hills until be made it home. It started swelling immediately so we started icing it immediately, 20 on, 20 off. By this time I couldn't tolerate moving it and definately couldn't put any weight on it for sure. The crash was around 1 pm and by the evening I called the advice nurse to find out if I should be putting any heat on it as well. She told me to go to the ER for X-rays, good anti inflamitories and that perhaps they would want it in a certain position to heal. So we went. According to them no broken bones. They gave me a brace, percocet for pain and ibuprophen to try to get the swelling down. They also gave me crutches. So, there I was. Rob told me next time I am afraid to go sailing in a small boat in the ocean I should just tell him rather than try to kill myself. HaHa
Monday I went to my Dr. in the am and she ordered an MRI stadt. I asked her if she would order the MRI on my R knee as well and both knees have been bothering me for a long time.
On Tuesday morning (very early) we drove to Hemit and had the MRI done on both knees.
On Thrusday we went to the Orthopedic Surgeon in Temecula. He informed me that I have arthritis & bursitis in both knees on the outsides. I have torn meniscus both vertically and horisontally in both knees and the cartlidge is very thin in both knees. The left knee in addition has several miro fractures in both the femur and tibia condyles (where they come together) and fortunately they have not collapsed. Sooooo crutches with no weight on the left knee for 6 weeks to allow the fractures to heal and keep it from collapsing then come back and we will see what to do from there. YUK So far I have fallen twice on the crutches, I am brused on my ribs under my arms and my under arms are bruised. I can't carry anything and if I stand for any length of time I get a cramp in my right butt cheek. Wine, wine, wine, wine! Pray 6 weeks go by quickly.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
May Magic Weeks Two & Three
Sun May 9th- Sat May 15th
Well our second week was as fun and exciting as the first week.
They opened a new Cafe here at Rancho so on Sunday, Mother's Day, we went for breakfast. It was packed. The place only opened yesterday and two of the waitpeople didn't even show up. One called to quit that day and the other didn't show. There was one girl. She is very sweet so we all gave her a break and were very patient. The food was good.
Monday I had a dentist appointment and Rob had his FFDO requal. training so we took seperate cars. My appt was in Seal Beach and his was somewhere near the airport. It was an all day event. 2 hours for me to get to Seal Beach, and then with traffic closer to three to get back. I did some other errands while there.
We took golf lessons again on Tuesday and Friday. He gave us a really fun putting exercise. We set a Tee a putter distanc behind the hole, then moving forward of the hole we put a Tee every 5 feet up to 30 feet away. We each have 3 balls and starting at 5 feet we put. Short puts do not count, and long puts beyond the back tee do not put. You have to have 3 balls either in the hole or in the area beyond the hole (between the hole and the back tee) in order to proceed to the next 5 feet. So, Rob and I compete. It is helping our putting.
We pretty much play golf everyday here on this little course. There are only 14 holes, and only two of them are par 4s, the rest are all par 3s. There are lakes everywhere. In fact, there are 15 lakes on the course.
Thursday we went back to Dr Falsetti to have our endurance rechecked after 6 weeks. They repeated everything they did last time just the same. Drew blood, weighed us, measured our fat, did our resting EKG and then left us hooked up to the EKG while we exercised, as well as had us breathing only through our mouths (nose pinched) through an O2 monitor. And the results after 6 weeks (drum roll please) We both gained a few pounds, we both put on more fat, and we both improved our endurance levels. Were we disappointed? You betcha!
So now for the interesting news! The entire time we have been here we have been going around checking our all the lots, the ones that are developed (built out with cool kitchens, living rooms, etc) and undeveloped. We only lasted two weeks before we made an offer on a lot. It is a big corner lot. In fact, we think it is the largest in the park. It is completely undeveloped so the possibilities are endless. We are thinking waterfalls with little streams running through it (there are a couple like that). It has a western view so you get sunsets (and intence afternoon sun in your face, a view down the fairways, and a big lake. They paid alot more than they are asking (thank you lousey economy) but a bit more than we want to pay. So, we will see.
As perhaps I stated before, or maybe I didn't, there are all kinds of services as well as events that you can sign up for. Two that we signed up for during our first week was to have our rig & truck weighed, and the second is to have our carpets cleaned. I figured it is probably time to get that molassess professionally removed from our carpet. As it turned out, the people set up the weigh station in the street right in front of our lot. All day big Motorcoaches and some 5th wheels came out to be weighed. We talked to them to make sure they would be able to fit us in, since we had signed up a bit late. They were awesome, they came to us. We pulled in the slides, hooked up the truck and didn't even have to disconnect anything, all we had to do was roll forward a foot or so, roll backward a foot or so and then roll right back into our original spot. It was great. First they weighed the axels on the truck alone, then the axels with the rig hooked up, and then each of the axels on the rig itself. We were so afraid we were going to be over our max weight and that was why we were breaking the front landing gear and cracking the back mags. As it turns out...we are 500lbs under the max weight. That was a relief, unfortunately it just means lousy manufacturing of the wheels and the front gear. Thank goodness for warrentees!
Later that eve we went to another big party at these people's house who we met at the Country dance lessons. They are really nice people. They are renting the lot that they are on and it is really big with a really nice build out. They are paying less for it than we are for this one, hmmmm. There were probably 30 or 40 people there. Pot luck again and BYOB, and they had Kareoke with 4 mikes, so we sang and sang and sang. It was a blast. We sang until curfew at 11pm.
Sun May 16th - Sat May 22nd
As expected, they countered our offer. They bareley came down on the price. We countered back with a higher our original, but still lowere than theirs.
Today they had a homeowners meeting. There were two very significant things that came out of it. The HOAs attorney met with the group and informed the home (lot) owners that the county informed them three years ago that they were going to get their lots permitted as "as built". Apparently, the county didn't really know how to go about it back then, but now they are going to start issuing violations, so the homeowners are going to have to get a move on. The second thing is that the area has been deemed a greater fire risk area than it had been in the past and they are going to enforce stricter fire codes. They are saying no more palapas, and they ones that are up now will more than likely have to come down. That is a big drag, because it is the thatched roofed palapas that give the place such a tropical look.
On Monday I found a lot that I liked even more than the one we have the counter offer in on. It has a killer view of a waterfall on the golf course as well as the Palomar range. It is built out with a kitchen, livingroom, and bar. It has wonderful mature palm trees and other beautiful plants and it is only a bit more than what the other lot wanted, but it is already done. It doesn't have any covering, but there are several umbrellas. We aren't crazy about the build out though and there are some things that we would end up tearing out, like the bar. We'd rather have an open sunny area. Anyway, we pulled our counter offer and supposedly put in an offer on this one. I say supposedly because part of the stipulation is that they get the "As-built" permits as required by the county, as well as get an electrician to come out and insure all the wireing is proper and that everything works. Apparently there are some weird things going on with the wireing. So, instead of writing up and submitting the offer the agent called the owners to let them know about the pending offer and the new permitting issues. The woman has been renting out the property and had no idea about any wiring issues. She sent out the electrician and was jumping on looking into the permit.
Monday we had another golf lesson, back to swing review and putting. It was fun.
Tuesday we got up real early, left at 5 am and drove to Pahrump, NV. It was a 5 hour drive. The California scenery was pretty until Barstow and then it started being not so pretty. We went there to get our Veteran status extablished in Nye county and then to register the Prius. That took a couple hours and then we drove back. We got back to Rancho at 7:30 pm.
Wednesday since the agent never put the offer in on the lot that was built out we decided to forget about all the as built issues and the fact that it wasn't the lay out we wanted and instead we decided to put an offer in on a different lot. It has a beautiful view of two waterfalls, looks up the fairway and has the view of the mountains. It is undeveloped so we can do what we want, and lot and build out will be less than any we had thought about so far. As usual there was a catch. The lot is paid for, but one of the contractors (who is a very good friend of theirs) drew up plans and made them and interesting offer. The contractor told them he would start paying their HOA dues right now if they would let him build out the lot and then put it on the market and he would pay them their full asking price plus all closing costs when it sold. Hmmm the man who owns the lot wanted to go with that, but the woman wanted to sell it now. Again the agent called them and chatted and Rob and I went to play golf. I was so frustrated I could play. I was upset that she didn't write up and present our offer. I finally convinced Rob to quit the golf and go and insist she write and present the offer. After all I figure at this point they have two people taking about offering. I wanted them to have our offer in writing. I figured a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and I wanted the woman to say, "Here is a definate offer, it's a for sure thing, so let's go with it" So luckily the agent wrote it and presented it. Now, legally they have to respond to the offer. We offered less, but are hoping they will counter and we will come to happy terms. Meanwhile we went back to golf. This time I felt much better. My game was still pretty bad though.
Thursday we drove down to Camp Pendleton. I knew things were going to be bad because I had a check to deposit so we decided to stop at the bank in Temecula on our way. (this of course was after we got to Temecula). When we got there I realized I didn't even have my purse with me. Totally forgot about it. No big deal, I can deposit it another day. Oops, I cannot get onto Camp Pendleton without my Military ID, so we had to drive all the way back and get it and start the trip over again. It is about a 20 min drive from Temecula to Rancho which is in Aguanga, CA. So 40 min wasted. We were going to Camp P for three reasons, get a military sticker on the Prius, exchange speakers Rob had gotten for the iPhones and play golf. Luckily it is only about a 30 min drive. We got the sticker with no problem. Then we went to the Exchange and first, we had purchased them outside the allowable exchange time, but they were going to go ahead and do it for us, but then, the manual was not in the box so they had no way to verify that everything was in the box. FINE! We decided to get something to eat and then go see if we could golf. We were looking forward to playing on a big course. But, first Candice called and said the owners had received our offer and were going to counter back at full price, and that she thougt the whole thing could be settled today. We said we were fine with that. Then Kim called and said they had received the counter and it was for full price. So, we said heck with golf, let's go back and settle the offer. So, we did and that eve at 6:18 we had an accepted deal in writing. We will close on or before June 14th. It is a beautiful, peacful and serene view and we are located near several people that we already like. Very cool.
Friday, May 21. I did my jazzercise class (it is Tues, Thurs & Fri mornings at 8:30) then we decided to go around and look at stuff we like on lots to see how we want ours. We talked to Chris who is with Baja Palapas and is still building the palapa style but now it has a ceramic tile type roof. We wanted to see what it looked like and ended up really chatting with him and he gave us his card for palapas and Eric's who is the favored and most reliable contractor in the park. Then we went to visit a couple who we met at the last block party and he had taken Rob to see their layout. We hadn't officially met his wife Phil so we decided to go introduce ourselves to her (and check out their layout) She is so sweet and bubbly and happy to meet us and very excited that we bought the lot 2 down from them. There set up is wonderful and very close to what we want.
Both Rob and I tried our hand at drawing out what we wanted, but I really wanted them (Eric & Fred) to come up with their own ideas. So, what we ended up doing was writing down the appliances we want, the fact that we want the living area and kitchen area both covered, but seperately and that we wanted a sunny open area. We also wrote that we wanted planters through out and a water feature. I typed it all up and then we emailed a copy to each of them, Eric and Fred and asked for plans and bids. It will be fun to see what they come up with.
Saturday. Rob's last day of vacation was Thursday. He didn't get called out yesterday, so at 5:40 this am schedualing called and said he had a trip and that it started at 8:30 this morning. So, he got up, dressed and hit the road. I slept awhile and then got up. At 10am I went to the country dance class. It is so fun, but really hot. It was all foggy & chilly this morning so we were all dressed in warmer clothes. Naturally it all burned off and warmed up. It was really fun.
Rob sent me a text and said it took him 1hr & 45 min to get to the airport, so he wasn't stressed. He only has a turn, getting back to LA at 2:30 this afternoon, but he thinks he is going to stay at the trailer at LAX tonight & tomorrow night so that he doesn't have to stress aout getting to work. He will come home on Monday.
My intentions for the day are to catch up this blog, clean house and attend the "drive in" movie tonight here at Rancho. I don't know how it works except that it is outdoors at the fishing lake and the "drive in" part is in your golf cart. So we will see.
Below are the pictures of our new lot and the view.
A wide angle view from our lot
A kitchen we like and a palapa
a closer view of the kitchen
A wall we like
Well our second week was as fun and exciting as the first week.
They opened a new Cafe here at Rancho so on Sunday, Mother's Day, we went for breakfast. It was packed. The place only opened yesterday and two of the waitpeople didn't even show up. One called to quit that day and the other didn't show. There was one girl. She is very sweet so we all gave her a break and were very patient. The food was good.
Monday I had a dentist appointment and Rob had his FFDO requal. training so we took seperate cars. My appt was in Seal Beach and his was somewhere near the airport. It was an all day event. 2 hours for me to get to Seal Beach, and then with traffic closer to three to get back. I did some other errands while there.
We took golf lessons again on Tuesday and Friday. He gave us a really fun putting exercise. We set a Tee a putter distanc behind the hole, then moving forward of the hole we put a Tee every 5 feet up to 30 feet away. We each have 3 balls and starting at 5 feet we put. Short puts do not count, and long puts beyond the back tee do not put. You have to have 3 balls either in the hole or in the area beyond the hole (between the hole and the back tee) in order to proceed to the next 5 feet. So, Rob and I compete. It is helping our putting.
We pretty much play golf everyday here on this little course. There are only 14 holes, and only two of them are par 4s, the rest are all par 3s. There are lakes everywhere. In fact, there are 15 lakes on the course.
Thursday we went back to Dr Falsetti to have our endurance rechecked after 6 weeks. They repeated everything they did last time just the same. Drew blood, weighed us, measured our fat, did our resting EKG and then left us hooked up to the EKG while we exercised, as well as had us breathing only through our mouths (nose pinched) through an O2 monitor. And the results after 6 weeks (drum roll please) We both gained a few pounds, we both put on more fat, and we both improved our endurance levels. Were we disappointed? You betcha!
So now for the interesting news! The entire time we have been here we have been going around checking our all the lots, the ones that are developed (built out with cool kitchens, living rooms, etc) and undeveloped. We only lasted two weeks before we made an offer on a lot. It is a big corner lot. In fact, we think it is the largest in the park. It is completely undeveloped so the possibilities are endless. We are thinking waterfalls with little streams running through it (there are a couple like that). It has a western view so you get sunsets (and intence afternoon sun in your face, a view down the fairways, and a big lake. They paid alot more than they are asking (thank you lousey economy) but a bit more than we want to pay. So, we will see.
As perhaps I stated before, or maybe I didn't, there are all kinds of services as well as events that you can sign up for. Two that we signed up for during our first week was to have our rig & truck weighed, and the second is to have our carpets cleaned. I figured it is probably time to get that molassess professionally removed from our carpet. As it turned out, the people set up the weigh station in the street right in front of our lot. All day big Motorcoaches and some 5th wheels came out to be weighed. We talked to them to make sure they would be able to fit us in, since we had signed up a bit late. They were awesome, they came to us. We pulled in the slides, hooked up the truck and didn't even have to disconnect anything, all we had to do was roll forward a foot or so, roll backward a foot or so and then roll right back into our original spot. It was great. First they weighed the axels on the truck alone, then the axels with the rig hooked up, and then each of the axels on the rig itself. We were so afraid we were going to be over our max weight and that was why we were breaking the front landing gear and cracking the back mags. As it turns out...we are 500lbs under the max weight. That was a relief, unfortunately it just means lousy manufacturing of the wheels and the front gear. Thank goodness for warrentees!
Later that eve we went to another big party at these people's house who we met at the Country dance lessons. They are really nice people. They are renting the lot that they are on and it is really big with a really nice build out. They are paying less for it than we are for this one, hmmmm. There were probably 30 or 40 people there. Pot luck again and BYOB, and they had Kareoke with 4 mikes, so we sang and sang and sang. It was a blast. We sang until curfew at 11pm.
Sun May 16th - Sat May 22nd
As expected, they countered our offer. They bareley came down on the price. We countered back with a higher our original, but still lowere than theirs.
Today they had a homeowners meeting. There were two very significant things that came out of it. The HOAs attorney met with the group and informed the home (lot) owners that the county informed them three years ago that they were going to get their lots permitted as "as built". Apparently, the county didn't really know how to go about it back then, but now they are going to start issuing violations, so the homeowners are going to have to get a move on. The second thing is that the area has been deemed a greater fire risk area than it had been in the past and they are going to enforce stricter fire codes. They are saying no more palapas, and they ones that are up now will more than likely have to come down. That is a big drag, because it is the thatched roofed palapas that give the place such a tropical look.
On Monday I found a lot that I liked even more than the one we have the counter offer in on. It has a killer view of a waterfall on the golf course as well as the Palomar range. It is built out with a kitchen, livingroom, and bar. It has wonderful mature palm trees and other beautiful plants and it is only a bit more than what the other lot wanted, but it is already done. It doesn't have any covering, but there are several umbrellas. We aren't crazy about the build out though and there are some things that we would end up tearing out, like the bar. We'd rather have an open sunny area. Anyway, we pulled our counter offer and supposedly put in an offer on this one. I say supposedly because part of the stipulation is that they get the "As-built" permits as required by the county, as well as get an electrician to come out and insure all the wireing is proper and that everything works. Apparently there are some weird things going on with the wireing. So, instead of writing up and submitting the offer the agent called the owners to let them know about the pending offer and the new permitting issues. The woman has been renting out the property and had no idea about any wiring issues. She sent out the electrician and was jumping on looking into the permit.
Monday we had another golf lesson, back to swing review and putting. It was fun.
Tuesday we got up real early, left at 5 am and drove to Pahrump, NV. It was a 5 hour drive. The California scenery was pretty until Barstow and then it started being not so pretty. We went there to get our Veteran status extablished in Nye county and then to register the Prius. That took a couple hours and then we drove back. We got back to Rancho at 7:30 pm.
Wednesday since the agent never put the offer in on the lot that was built out we decided to forget about all the as built issues and the fact that it wasn't the lay out we wanted and instead we decided to put an offer in on a different lot. It has a beautiful view of two waterfalls, looks up the fairway and has the view of the mountains. It is undeveloped so we can do what we want, and lot and build out will be less than any we had thought about so far. As usual there was a catch. The lot is paid for, but one of the contractors (who is a very good friend of theirs) drew up plans and made them and interesting offer. The contractor told them he would start paying their HOA dues right now if they would let him build out the lot and then put it on the market and he would pay them their full asking price plus all closing costs when it sold. Hmmm the man who owns the lot wanted to go with that, but the woman wanted to sell it now. Again the agent called them and chatted and Rob and I went to play golf. I was so frustrated I could play. I was upset that she didn't write up and present our offer. I finally convinced Rob to quit the golf and go and insist she write and present the offer. After all I figure at this point they have two people taking about offering. I wanted them to have our offer in writing. I figured a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and I wanted the woman to say, "Here is a definate offer, it's a for sure thing, so let's go with it" So luckily the agent wrote it and presented it. Now, legally they have to respond to the offer. We offered less, but are hoping they will counter and we will come to happy terms. Meanwhile we went back to golf. This time I felt much better. My game was still pretty bad though.
Thursday we drove down to Camp Pendleton. I knew things were going to be bad because I had a check to deposit so we decided to stop at the bank in Temecula on our way. (this of course was after we got to Temecula). When we got there I realized I didn't even have my purse with me. Totally forgot about it. No big deal, I can deposit it another day. Oops, I cannot get onto Camp Pendleton without my Military ID, so we had to drive all the way back and get it and start the trip over again. It is about a 20 min drive from Temecula to Rancho which is in Aguanga, CA. So 40 min wasted. We were going to Camp P for three reasons, get a military sticker on the Prius, exchange speakers Rob had gotten for the iPhones and play golf. Luckily it is only about a 30 min drive. We got the sticker with no problem. Then we went to the Exchange and first, we had purchased them outside the allowable exchange time, but they were going to go ahead and do it for us, but then, the manual was not in the box so they had no way to verify that everything was in the box. FINE! We decided to get something to eat and then go see if we could golf. We were looking forward to playing on a big course. But, first Candice called and said the owners had received our offer and were going to counter back at full price, and that she thougt the whole thing could be settled today. We said we were fine with that. Then Kim called and said they had received the counter and it was for full price. So, we said heck with golf, let's go back and settle the offer. So, we did and that eve at 6:18 we had an accepted deal in writing. We will close on or before June 14th. It is a beautiful, peacful and serene view and we are located near several people that we already like. Very cool.
Friday, May 21. I did my jazzercise class (it is Tues, Thurs & Fri mornings at 8:30) then we decided to go around and look at stuff we like on lots to see how we want ours. We talked to Chris who is with Baja Palapas and is still building the palapa style but now it has a ceramic tile type roof. We wanted to see what it looked like and ended up really chatting with him and he gave us his card for palapas and Eric's who is the favored and most reliable contractor in the park. Then we went to visit a couple who we met at the last block party and he had taken Rob to see their layout. We hadn't officially met his wife Phil so we decided to go introduce ourselves to her (and check out their layout) She is so sweet and bubbly and happy to meet us and very excited that we bought the lot 2 down from them. There set up is wonderful and very close to what we want.
Both Rob and I tried our hand at drawing out what we wanted, but I really wanted them (Eric & Fred) to come up with their own ideas. So, what we ended up doing was writing down the appliances we want, the fact that we want the living area and kitchen area both covered, but seperately and that we wanted a sunny open area. We also wrote that we wanted planters through out and a water feature. I typed it all up and then we emailed a copy to each of them, Eric and Fred and asked for plans and bids. It will be fun to see what they come up with.
Saturday. Rob's last day of vacation was Thursday. He didn't get called out yesterday, so at 5:40 this am schedualing called and said he had a trip and that it started at 8:30 this morning. So, he got up, dressed and hit the road. I slept awhile and then got up. At 10am I went to the country dance class. It is so fun, but really hot. It was all foggy & chilly this morning so we were all dressed in warmer clothes. Naturally it all burned off and warmed up. It was really fun.
Rob sent me a text and said it took him 1hr & 45 min to get to the airport, so he wasn't stressed. He only has a turn, getting back to LA at 2:30 this afternoon, but he thinks he is going to stay at the trailer at LAX tonight & tomorrow night so that he doesn't have to stress aout getting to work. He will come home on Monday.
My intentions for the day are to catch up this blog, clean house and attend the "drive in" movie tonight here at Rancho. I don't know how it works except that it is outdoors at the fishing lake and the "drive in" part is in your golf cart. So we will see.
Below are the pictures of our new lot and the view.
A wide angle view from our lot
A kitchen we like and a palapa
a closer view of the kitchen
A wall we like
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