New Home Found for Our TR8

Our 4th son, the TR8, has been adopted by a nice retired couple in the Boston area. Our TR8 child loves bean town and is very excited to be moving to his new diggs there. We understand he'll be sharing his new stable with some other fine horses including a vintage Corvette. He is also happy that he'll be close to the Wedge Shop in Taunton, Mass. What's a Wedge Shop? The Wedge Shop is home to Woody Cooper, the finest TR8 mechanic on the planet! The Wedge Shop. We will miss you TR8 but have many fond memories of all our good times together. The Roadster Factory Parties, the day at Lime Rock Park, the car shows, hill climb and Sunday drives will not be forgotten. We love you!

A Visit to Cabela's and my Roots

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Before leaving Connecticut I have felt compelled to visit the home of one of my ancestors, Harriet Beecher Stowe. While she was widely known for her best seller "Uncle Tom's Cabin" it was interesting to learn that she thought of herself as more of a painter than a writer. Her lovely home in Hartford Connecticut is filled with her art work as well as other pieces she collected. You can learn more about her life and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center here: Harriet Beecher Stowe Center

Although I am unclear as to how I came to be one of her descendants I intend to look deeper into the genealogy materials I have collected. As a child I had an Aunt Harriet on my mother's side who had been named after Harriet Beecher Stowe. Having died in 1896, Harriet Beecher Stowe is a not really such a distant ancestor after all.

This house was actually her summer house where she and her husband lived for 5 months each year. The other 7 months they lived in Florida. Our tour guide, who was extremely knowledgeable, said she bought it for $13,000.

If you enjoy seeing a 19th century home decorated in the proper Victorian furnishings and accessories of that time I don't think you'll find a better example. This was her parlor which contains many of her paintings.

This is the master bedroom which I was surprised to learn was smaller than the guest room. That's because guests of the 1800s generally stayed a couple weeks. oh boy!

While in Hartford we also visited the Cabela's super store where we got these comfortable reclining chairs for a great end of season price.

Zach Celebrates 2 Years in the Army

This past week our son, Zach, had his two year anniversary in the Army. After serving a year in South Korea Zach has been stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky where he has continued his education in helicopter maintenance as well specialized training in handling Humvees. Zach's next tour of duty is expected to be Afghanistan sometime in March of 2011. We are very proud of him!

Home Sale Update: We seem to be defying the real estate market. As of today we have two reasonable offers from qualified buyers. These two buyers like our house as it is. We also have two more potential buyers considering the house if they can add on or convert our barn to living space. This is going to be interesting.

Ready for Our Mission!

With all the doctor visits lately I feel like I am getting ready for a mission of some kind. Last week it was a complete physical, blood panel and stress test. Next week it's the infamous colonoscopy and I am done. Since we don't know where we are going or when we will get there who knows when I will have the opportunity to have these tests done. At least I will be up to date when we finally bug out.

Home Sale Update: We seem to be averaging about 3 showings a week and have had one offer, albeit about 10% below our listed price. I guess that's not so bad in the difficult market we face in today's world of real estate. Saturday we have a second showing which is always exciting. The Realtors have created a fabulous website which you can view here (the whole show is long!): Our Listing

We were successful in getting our alternate septic plan approved so that's a big item out of the way. Next we take on the Zoning Department regarding our central air conditioning. I have forgotten how complicated real estate transactions can be.

On a lighter note: Maybe it's because I am a former goat herder but I think this real advertisement on Craig's List is one of the funniest things I have ever read; I hope you agree: Free Pygmy Goats

Four Legged Furry Bird

Recently we noticed the hole on this backyard birdhouse had been enlarged to an elliptical shape.

Look who is living inside! We are waiting to see if some other family members emerge. Click photo to enlarge