Trauma in the Hills

Some time ago, Ol' Abner and I decided we should probably leave Dogpatch and move to a softer gentler group of hills.  Texas Hill Country has always held strong appeal for us, so we put our home on the market and waited.  A very sluggish real estate market has generated two rather disappointing showings of the house and no truly interested buyers.   Recent review of possible options allowed us to consider keeping this house and purchasing a second in the Texas Hill Country.  We could keep the boats and most of Ol' Abner's outdoor toys here for use when we choose to "vacation" on this lake.  Joining the ranks of friends enjoying the benefits of dual state residences has become rather appealing.

Texas roads are much more forgiving when traveling to healthcare facilities.  Our options for his medical care would be 15 to 30 minutes from home rather than the three hour trek down the winding mountain roads from Dogpatch.  The plan was to find and purchase a small home in a fairly new subdivision on an easily maintained landscape.  Plans changed!

As we looked at small lot homes, Ol'  Abner became more and more agitated.  Remembering the abundance of lakes surrounding the area where we searched, he quickly reversed our plan.  Large lots with buildings to store the boats and miscellaneous items with wheels were incorporated into the search.  We finally found a large lot development in a rural area with all the space requirements.  One home was particularly appealing and had the space for adding an additional garage at the back of the corner lot to house boats with easy drive out when ready to use them.  After several visits to the house and the area, we submitted a contract, haggled over the price, and finally agreed to pay more than we wanted to spend.

Totally relieved and mentally taking ownership of the home, we began to make our plans.  We requested Property Owner Association covenants and restrictions.  Additional buildings had been added on many of the properties and we had no doubt the outbuilding we planned would only enhance the area.   Arriving home, we found the covenants were in my e-mail and I quickly printed all 65 pages so we could review setback and construction requirements.  Uh-Oh!  Typical architectural integrity requirements were no surprise.  That's what makes the neighborhood remain consistently attractive.  I noticed a couple of hiccups, but was appalled that a driveway elevated from the ditch by installation of a culvert was strictly prohibited.  Our realtor made a call to the representative of the association, only to be advised that the requirement would be strictly enforced.  A driveway poured into a steep grade of a bar ditch makes backing and towing a large boat difficult and rather dangerous.

Luckily we were still in the "opt out" period when a small price could be paid to terminate the contract.  We did.  While we should be relieved, a certain level of grief is more the experience.  I am sure the "right" home is there for us.  It may not even be on the market yet, but daughter in law had already helped me arrange furniture and begin decorating (verbally).  Now we must begin the process again.  Such trauma!