I have been terribly remiss in sharing the details of our most recent road trip for all our dear family and friends. There are valid reasons, but no excuses! Without further ado...
Friday, May 15:
We set out on a lovely, clear morning with tools, back pack and list of 8 potential properties to visit in hand. The long awaited land scouting trip destination- Republic, WA in Ferry County. I didn't start to feel the excitement and anticipation until we reached the halfway point, Wenatchee, WA. How the butterflies began to flutter then! Over half the journey we traveled across desert-like terrain. Finally, the last 20 minutes or so put us back in the forest. Much to our delight, the charming little town of Republic is nestled in the mountains! Small, homey, friendly, quiet, slow pace- just right!
First stop, the Windermere office to meet up with Rachelle. What a delight to finally meet her face-to-face! The office owner, Bill (and his trusty Labrador sidekick Lucy), joined us as we headed out. That afternoon we looked at 4 parcels. All were very nice, just didn't seem like the right fit for our purposes. Although, one kept standing out in our mind, Tucker. :)
We called it a day at 4:30 pm and made arrangements to meet in the morning to see the remaining parcels on the now shorter short list. After checking into the motel, The Sportsman's Roost procured a tasty dinner. Rachelle told us about an antique Armitage Herschell Spillman carousel the townsfolk lovingly restored. We just had to see it, even got to take a ride, one of the most beautiful carousels we've ever seen! These travel-weary people then tucked themselves into bed for the night. Another busy day ahead.
Saturday, May 16:
Rise and shine, breakfast at The Roost, then time to hit the dusty trail! Intriguing information about the Tucker property surfaced, so we added a second look at it to the days rounds. None of the parcels visited today suited us. However, the second look at Tucker revealed a much better fit and a positive feeling! We decided to think/talk on it Sunday and meet on Monday to give Rachelle our decision. A delicious dinner at Ester's Mexican cafe ended an exhausting day. We learned a very important lesson, never trust internet maps alone when buying land! All the properties looked substantially either better or worse than what we thought they would based on the online maps.
Sunday, May 17:
We attended the meeting this morning with the local congregation. What a warm, friendly bunch, they made us feel so welcome! An invitation to join a group for lunch was graciously extended and gladly accepted. Then, another invitation to see a possible property next door to the Matherly's. Another to the Wutzke's family home for dinner. Such warm hospitality. A day spent with ones spiritual brother's and sister's is always so refreshing, as it should be!
Monday, May 18:
After checking out of the motel and breakfast at The Roost again (they almost know us by name!), we stopped at the local Purina feed dealer to make sure we'd be able to order the rabbit feed we use once we move out there. A stop at the Ferry Conservation District for topographical maps of the Tucker property and to ask a few questions about the native plants in the area. They referred us to the WSU Extension office where we met a very helpful agent, Dan. As we were leaving, Dan asked for our name and number since sometimes folks contact him when they want to sell land. What could it hurt, right? From there it was to the County Tax Assessors office and the Auditor (nice that all three offices are in the courthouse building) for more maps and information needed before making an offer on the property. We decided there were just a few more details we wanted to clear up before making an offer. So we said our goodbyes to the good folks at Windermere (we highly recommend them all!), and set out for home, a bit reluctantly, I must admit.
Safe arrival home. Pets happy to see us!
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