Dreaming and Daydreaming
part one:
The wait has began as we have long thoughts and daydreams of what
could be if we do get the honors of owning this home that has withstood
other families and storms and time alike. The wait has began because we put
a purchase offer on the house.
The house is a stone house built of limestone in the year 1804. It like all
houses has a history to share. It is a center hall colonial
with 4 bedrooms, sitting rooms and attics and work. Lots of work to be had. It is
covered with a english tin roof. Sitting on a knoll with a brook running
through the back of the property leaving it very inviting .
The center piece of this home is the fireplace. Old, cracks, and sooted with age.
Daydreams are made warm thinking about its stone and mortar, of winter nights and a roaring fire.
While visiting my parents last spring I saw the "for sale" sign out on the lawn
and thought,might as well call and see what it has. But I didn't and summer rushed by
with Ian coming to stay and selling my home of 24 years on Oneida Lake.
So summer went on and we did nothing about the house. The road that it was
located on was being redone and we avoided taking the route when we went north
to do work on our parents homes.
With fall just around the corner I made a visit to my parents home. My father
had decided to try out his wings and found that 86 years of use left him
without the ability to fly when jumping off the porch to catch his dog. He
broke 4 ribs and cracked one. I decided to spend the week and before I knew it
I was making an appointment to see the house.."You know ma, the one with
the big stone barn and stone house..the one that sits so nice up on that hill."
So, mom and I made our first of 3 visits.
What I found was a price tag that reflected the appearance and owners reluctance
to let go. It didn't take long to realize upon first visit that a lot of work
and heart felt love went into this piece of history for a family with 4 children
and parents who had a love for the arts and the house in general.
That first visit is always the "heart" visit. You don't look at the property with
objective eyes as much as you get the feel. That feel that makes you start setting
your furniture in the corners and imagining on a cold winter
night getting a good night sleep all snuggled in the ancient bedrooms. This visit was
the fun, getting to know you visit. We left the "getting to evaluate" visit up to Ralph.
This first visit is where the daydreams began.
Visit two was the next day. Ralph came with mom and I again, and he too was getting
that move in feeling (he liked the barn). But being more practical he was questioning
the soundness of the rafters and there was more questioning about all the work that
was obviously going to have to be addressed. But even he was having trouble with keeping
his feeling for the property objective. His day dream was deepening.
Ralph went back to work and I stayed on with mom and dad for the week. But the house had
us hooked. When we talked during the week it was about research being done and the talk
of contractors to come in and evaluate. Visit three would take place the following weekend
when Ralph came back from Syracuse.
We chose his brother Gary to be the practical one. He has bought and sold and done work
on many properties in the area and would be the one to give us an idea of what the
property value was. The agent, was representing her client very well by
getting comps for us and making some phone calls. She too was expressing a draw to the
house and felt honored to be representing it to us.
So with pad and pen, flashlight and screw driver they went into the hollows of the house
to check out the beams and stone and mortar and found the damp basement and hot attic a
telling history of ancient builders.
We also brought my father on this visit. I felt like we were ascending on the owner like
little ants, roaming and probing but all with a purpose. Could we make this a home and
were we up to the challenge? My dad thought it was a challenge but expressed that when done
we would have a special place, a place to live and make home. He too gave us insight into
the way things were done before electric saws and modern building techniques.
We stayed for a couple hours and then went home to my parents house to go over, cost, procedures
that would have to take place and of coarse, do we really want to take on this ancient
structure.
Well, the offer is in and we will wait to hear, we expect that the owner will have a lot
to go over and talk about also.
Having just given up my home on the lake, it is a big decision.
The offer has been in for 4 days, we have talked with the agent and counter offers are in the
works...
The agent just called.."We have bought the farm!", now what?
