Fingers crossed

Degas House

There is a good offer on the house!!! We are now in the option phase so the buyer could back out without penalty. However, they seem to really like it, and they appreciate the yard as well that Sally had worked so hard to establish and maintain. The option period expires on Monday and closing is scheduled for November 10. I am holding my breath and crossing my fingers hoping that nothing derails this process. The buyers will be getting a very good deal and I think they appreciate that. It will be like lifting a burden off my back when this is finished.

Val and I had a great time in Louisiana. We stayed in Lafayette on the way down to New Orleans. Very interesting--heart of the Cajun country with great Cajun food. In NO we were in a house that

Preservation Hall
had belonged to Degas' family. Went to the French quarter and did stuff like Preservation Hall and K-Pauls restaurant. Really had fun and ate too much. But I now remember how sleazy Bourbon Street is. Once every 20 years or so is enough for that. We didn't see any evidence of Hurricane Rita, but we didn't go looking for it either. Here are a couple of pictures.

It's Raining!!

We are having the first sustained rain since about February. It isn't too heavy so there shouldn't be any significant flooding. We really need it--everything was really stressed from the drought and the water restrictions. I know those of you in the west and the deserts think we don't really know what a drought is. I suppose that is true, but it is so unusual here that it does make an impact.

There is some action on the house sale, but nothing definite yet. I'm hoping for a serious offer soon, however....will let you know. I'd love to get it sold even if I need to take much less than I would want. It does look really good now.

Yesterday was Sally's birthday. She would have been 70.

This week Val and I are going to New Orleans for a couple of days--she got something on Groupon (whatever that is). We will be staying in the Degas house. Here is an excerpt from the NY Times:

Edgar Degas travelled to New Orleans during the fall of 1872 to spend a few months visiting the considerable American branch of his family. His visit is something of a legend in New Orleans, told and retold with the casual disregard for historical accuracy that affects many New Orleans memories, but it is barely known elsewhere. The journey to New Orleans marked a key moment in Degas's career, however. Distracted and stalled in his profession on his arrival, he left the city with a new sense of direction and resolve. He also took with him, in his portfolio and his mind, several unforgettable images of New Orleans life.

Who knew?

Gradually getting things organized here in the new condo. I like it a lot and it shows all the work that Lorrie, with Kathie's help, has put into it. Lorrie has been so sweet and working so hard on the new condo as well as getting the house on the market in top shape. I couldn't have done it without her.

Time to go back to Texas

Well it's that time again to leave one condo and go back to another condo. Trying to get everything ready to leave--to make sure everything is clean and safe. Sally was excellent at that with her somewhat OC personality. I'm trying to mimic all she did. Sitting here now typing this and looking out at the La Costa Golf course from the main room of the condo. There is a Phoebe (bird) sitting on the railing of the tiny balcony. I'll miss this as always but am looking forward to getting back to Sugar Land and seeing Lorrie's family and my friends--and Val who left here about two weeks ago.

Still some action on the house sale, but no serious offers, unfortunately. Keep hoping.

Tonight will go see Christopher in the Carlsbad HS marching band perform at half time of their game. Shortly after getting back to Texas, I will be going to the "Battle of the Bands" in Sugar Land to see Stephen and Andrew with the Stephen F. Austin HS marching band. Band has been a great organization for the grandchildren and I'm pleased that they have stuck with it through high school.

Some interest in house but no offers yet

The house has been officially listed for about a week.  It has been shown a couple of times but the action seems pretty slow.  But, as they say, it only takes one right person.  So I'm hopeful.

Alan at the Hearst Castle

I am still in California.  Val and I went up to Santa Barbara and then Paso Robles for some touring of the wine country on the Central Coast.  It was very fun.  We also went over to Cambria and up to the Hearst Castle, which I hadn't seen for ages.  It is an amazing place. Here are a couple of pictures.  One of Hearst Castle and one of Santa Barbara Harbor where we were having lunch.

Val at lunch at Santa Barbara Harber

I'm so glad to be here and not at home in Texas where the brutal weather and lack of rain is taking its toll with the vegetation dying and the wildfires destroying large amounts of land and homes.  There is apparently smoke in the air all the time.  

House is on the market

Finally!! Here is the listing. Not sure it will work but the listing looks good. There will be a broker open house next week to show the house to area brokers. I am hoping that we will get some action. Lorrie has been working like crazy to be sure that the house and yard are perfect.

Val and I have been busy. We spent a couple of days in Denver visiting the Bedfords and Waldrons and going to a Rockies - Astros game. Rockies won. We also visited museums, botanic gardens and ate at some great restaurants. We have more friends and things to do in Denver but that will have to be at another time. We have also visited Boyd and Helen in Redlands and Ken and Maureen in Manhattan beach. This weekend we will have my long-time friend, John Gerber coming to visit and also Julie Woosley will be coming. So it is a busy time. We hope to take a trip to the Santa Barbara - Paso Robles wine regions some time in the next week or so. Just watched "Sideways" again to get ready.

Val is here

I'm settled back in Carlsbad and Val is visiting. We are doing a lot of things around here like the Zoo, a play and walking on the beach. Friday we will be at a Padres game (Craig has tickets and can't go). After the game we may go into the GasLamp district of San Diego where Craig and his band are performing. In spite of his hectic schedule and travels, he is dedicated to his weekly practice and the occasional Gig.

Last week we went up to Laguna to have lunch with a friend from Merck, Liz Stoner. Her daughter has been at Chapman University in Orange for the past three years and now is in Vet shool. Chapman moved to Orange in about 1953 and took over my high school campus when our school moved to new quarters. So I had 2 years of high school at the buildings that are now a part of Chapman. They have expanded a lot but he old buildings are still there and look great. We had a good time catching up with Liz.

This week we spent a day in Redlands with Boyd and Helen and went to the Redlands bowl where the Dallas Brass was performing. They were very good. Yesterday we came back from Redlands through Orange where we had lunch at a soda fountain with some of my high school friends. A "panorama" picture of the lunch attendees is here.

Meanwhile, Lorrie has been knocking herself out trying to get the house in perfect condition for a sale. Some remodeling has been done and the yard has been manicured. The realtors should be staging it as I write this. So I'm hoping for a quick sale--you gotta hope. Lorrie says it has never looked so good and I believe her. I'm rather glad I am not there to see the changes that have occurred.

Pretty busy

I am back in California for the rest of the summer, I hope. Lorrie is supervising the process of getting the house on the market including getting everything looking great for the sale. The realtors will be "staging" it soon. I hope it will sell. It is a lot of work for Lorrie. She is an expert in interior design (has a bachelor's degree in that from CSU) so she is perfect for this challenge.

Since getting back to California, I have been traveling some. I spent a week on the east coast First I was in Princeton, NJ for a meeting and then went to NY to meet up with Barry and Laura, my friends from Merck days. NY is warm these days. On the weekend, we went upstate to their country place which is near the MA border. It was much cooler and fresher there. We were joined by three other couples from Merck or ex-Merck. The so called "Old Farts Club". I hadn't seen any of these folk since I retired in 2002. So it was great fun swapping stories. Saturday we went to Tanglewood, the summer venue for the Boston Symphony, Sunday we went on a 6 mile hike before returning to the city. I was experimenting with a photo app on the iphone that allows for 360 degree panoramas. It is posted here if you are interested.

Hope my next post will be about all the imminent sale of the house.