Major change took place on our property this week (Jan. 20 & 21). Dirt moved. That's right. Thanks to Bosecker Excavating, LLC, the first bulldozer hit the property this week (Jan. 20 & 21). Bosecker graded the barn site and put down the bottom ash on the driveway so additional heavy equipment can move in for construction. This may not seem significant to you, but to us, it's major. Our land is beginning to change and take shape for our future home. Additionally, up until this point, I have been telling Brad that until I saw the first pile of dirt move, we could only say we were "planning" a house and barn, not "building." My first professional job was in copy editing, you know, and I like to be a person of accuracy. Well, after receiving our blueprints at Christmas and receiving these pictures from my parents this week, I think we can finally just say it. "We're building!" I can't wait to see what's next! | |
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![]() We purchased "Maisto Mountain," as we lovingly call it, in 2008. For years, we just allowed it to exist. It was our piece of property, our dream, and a little piece of heaven. Not much needed to be done to it. We renewed a cattle grazing lease to a local farmer every year, allowed the next-door neighbor to hunt on the grounds, and visited to plant trees, hike, enjoy the view or show friends and relatives where we hoped to live one day. It was a tactile, visible dream. But, it was only a dream. Then, Feb. 27, 2014, arrived. It was the day we realized that our fleeting thoughts of living on Maisto Mountain could become a reality more quickly than we thought. We were touring a Kona coffee farm on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was a small family-owned operation. The tour was a fascinating explanation of how coffee is grown, hand-picked, and then eventually, packaged and ready for sale. We had been snorkeling earlier that morning, and we greatly enjoyed this little diversion off the road. The free coffee samples also were a welcome pick-me-up. In the middle of this most charming tour, Brad's phone rings. It's a number he doesn't recognize, and he allows it to go to voice mail. I mean, who calls you when you're in Hawaii, and why does he have his phone with him, anyway? After saying goodbye to our hosts, we headed back to our vehicle. Brad notices he has a voice mail. The thought occurs: Brad was eligible for a retirement package at work. What if it's the office calling to tell him he qualified? The caller had left a voice mail. I told him to go ahead and check his voice mail, but you have to understand that I thought it was either a wrong number or a sales call. Brad was 59. We had been through this a couple of times before. Numerous people were ahead of him in seniority and eligibility. I thought he was dreaming that this was the call saying that his retirement was here. Brad listens to the voice mail. After what seemed like an eternity of being quiet and fumbling to find a pen and paper, I knew by his mannerisms and the relief on his face that he was, indeed, retiring. What a way to find out -- on a Kona coffee farm in the middle of the Pacific. Sushi, burgers, and a tremendous sunset helped us celebrate. I had a retiree on my hands by April 1, 2014. We could finally make our plans and build our house. Maisto Mountain could now become a reality -- electricity and water easements, combining parcels, septic permits, blueprints, etc. These plans, you know, are not as simple as you might think. As we get closer to breaking ground, I'm writing this blog to document our journey. It's for us and for anyone who wants to follow along with our periodic updates and thoughts. We hope you enjoy the adventure with us. |
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