We've made some friends here that we'll miss after we've moved. But maybe not as many as we thought.

The couple who lived next door when we moved into this house became pretty good friends. They later sold their place and bought a larger one in another Del Webb development a couple of miles from here. We've been back and forth to each other's places several times, and out to dinner here and there many times since.

In the course of our conversations, we'd mentioned how much we enjoyed the Finger Lakes, and of course, most recently, that we'd bought a place up there. Last summer, they went to the Finger Lakes, she for the first time, he had only been there once before back in 1980. They loved the place too.

On Friday, Mitzi invited them over for dinner on Saturday, partly to see them for the holidays, but also to break the news that we'd be moving sometime in the next year.

They brought some news of their own, much to our surprise and delight.

After their two-week stay up there last September, and visiting with us, they talked about it and thought about it, and a couple of weeks ago he went up and bought a wooded lot of their own in the next county over.

They had some different priorities than Mitzi and I did. Their property is undeveloped, apart from an accidental leach field (Someone built part of the neighboring lot's septic field on the wrong lot. The original owner of the lot wouldn't let them remove it. It may or may not be useful when they go to install a septic tank.)

They'll have a view of a lake, while we have a view of a rural landscape.

Their lot will be mostly wooded, while ours is cleared.

They're planning to build a log cabin home on their lot. At present, they don't intend to relocate permanently, just use it as a summer home.

We were thrilled, and it felt as though it affirmed our decision.

Our neighbors likely won't be able to take up residence until 2026, they have a lot of work to do next year, getting the infrastructure in place. I told him to make sure he has an arborist look over the trees they intend to clear and to hold onto any valuable hardwood. How, exactly, to go about that is something that'll require some research. The county has restrictions on the amount of trees they're allowed to cut down, but it's compatible with their wishes for the property. They want woods for their grandkids to play in. They've got a bit more property than we do.

Anyway, it was an especially delightful evening last night, and we're looking forward to relocating even more than before.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:21 Sunday, 15 December 2024