Saturday, December 7, 2013

ROAD TRIP to the Pacific Northwest...Day 21

Saturday November 9
Another cool yet sunny day in Eagle Point. There was a heavy fog sitting upon the valley below. We watched it slowly morph while sipping our coffee's. It was all so peaceful.
 
The plan today was to have a brunch with cousin Steve in Ashland. His wife Helen was attending a cooking class so she wouldn't be joining us today. 
John and Steve ordered some sort of Salmon scramble while Kerry an June ordered a Tofu  (egg free) scramble.  I wanted a BLT but sadly, they didn't have that on the menu. "So, can I order a side of bacon?" I inquired. The waitress said sure. "Do you think you can find me a tomato back there?" I continued. She smiled. She knew where I was going with this. Then she added, "I think I could also find you some spinach to use instead of lettuce." I was getting excited now. Toasted Dry Rye (without mayo or butter) was the last piece of the puzzle. I enjoyed the most awesome BLT, ever. Yummy. Awesome food; awesome waitress; awesome memories.
 
Being a cooler morning in Ashland it was strange to see Steve arrive wearing shorts and sandals. He looked like he belonged in Tucson. When we were done eating we headed to Steve's house, to relax for an hour or so while waiting for Judith (our realtor). Steve's place was beautiful in regards to layout, landscaping and views.
Judith had lined up a few houses for us to view and we were to meet at the first home, in Ashland around noon. We arrived first, giving us time to explore the grounds. Not bad-not great either! Once Judith arrived we walked through the inside. My initial thought was that this house didn't have good bones.
 
Kerry and I noticed the house next door was also for sale. Since we were already there, Judith made a quick call and arranged for us to go inside immediately. We toured the house while the lady living there tried to stay out of our way. This was a nice place, but had too many levels and needed a lot of work, expensive work.

The next house we saw was an older building, dating back to the mid 1880's. This place had it all; low ceilings, tiny windows, uneven floors and narrow stairs that led up to a converted attic. The lot had an amazing view, but this house was in desperate need of expensive repair. Soon, we were on our way back to Jacksonville, to walk John through the house we saw the day before. We valued John's opinion and eagerly we took him from room to room, taking mental notes along the way. Jodi and Tiana were waiting there for us as we arrived. They were so excited.

 
Here is a little detail about this house, one that immediately attracted us. The kitchen was completely done over, with high end appliances, cabinetry, counters and flooring. The outside was ready to go with multiple decks (and views) as well as generous space for Kerry's garden. The bones were solid and the workmanship was top-of-the-line. All high-end stuff.
 

 

 
As we headed back to John's, John gave us his opinion...He confirmed what we thought. This was a great house and priced right. Kerry and I pondered this opportunity placed before us. What to do? What to do?
We had a dinner date at Erica's house. Bill was going to BBQ  a Tri Tip and Erica was going to create a bunch of other delights. Before we headed to Shady Cove where Erica and Bill live, we arranged for Judith to stop by at John's. We were going to place a lowball bid on the Jacksonville house, without expecting it to be actually considered, let alone accepted.






 
While at Erica's we enjoyed a great meal and shared some awesome family time together. Erica was doing great and looking amazing. Bill was looking pretty good too. They have a beautiful home on the edge of a hill, up high and deep in the woods. Very rustic and rural. When it was time to leave, Erica gave us a piece of cake to bring back for her dad. The cake almost didn't make it back...I was so tempted to pull over and consume.


 
Back at John's house, Kerry visited while I packed up the truck. Within 30 minutes I was fully prepared, bags packed, trucked loaded. Back in the house we enjoyed a bed time cup of tea while Kerry and I chatted with John and June about the offer we made on the house. All of the papers were signed and now it was a waiting game. It would be days before we expected to hear from Judith. No rush!
We both thought that this whole moving-to-Oregon thing was a God sanctioned event. My thought was that if our moving was meant to be, then God will align all of the puzzle pieces for us. The first piece of that puzzle was this house. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, we move on.
This would be our last night sleeping in the RV. Tomorrow would be a busy (long) day; heading home. The exact route we would end up taking back was yet to be determined.

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