The turkeys. . .and the border collie. . . have landed

Our House. View from the entrance door

Well. We actually landed yesterday late afternoon. First there was the stop to the law office that held our keys (in downtown Waterville), and then back to our new place of residence. I will include a bunch of pictures in tomorrow's post, but wanted to let our friends and family know that we made it. We have no furniture other than the air mattress that we gave valuable Prius space to in our six day sojourn, but we have been making good use of the deck steps as a place for breakfast. We may go crazy tomorrow, and buy some bar stools for the kitchen overhang. . . a dangerous step that we have never before embarked upon.

Back Patio view. So many ferns and trees!

 First thoughts. This place is lovelier than I remembered. All thoughts of having paid too much for it have been banished, as I marvel at the uniqueness of this place. It has a generosity of space that makes me feel like I can spin around at any time. Not a necessary virtue, but one I appreciate. 

The location is more stupendous than we realized. A sequestered 5 acres of forrest that is close to two very nice grocery stores (a surprise), as well as a couple of miles outside of the charming town center of Waterville, though you will notice that our address is Oakland, which was a part of Waterville untill they succeeded in the late 1800's.

First romantic meal: Fine red wine, Fine schlepped sauce

 

The house is snug. There is hardwood everywhere. . .various sorts of hardwood. There is also work to be done. Two of the decks need to be rebuilt, and there are parts of the siding that need scraping and painting. We need to replace the gutter and downspout system which, given the complexity of the roof, is no mean feat.

We immediately found a local hardware store, a veterinary office, and a group of eye doctors in easy walking distance. 

The garden needs a lot of work. Fruit trees were initially well-pruned (a gift!), but have not been cared for or sprayed in recent years. Similarly, some of the beds are overrun with mints. 

 

 

 

We have a weeping crabapple, and purple beech, and a lovely maple (likely red as the fall progress right outside our main entrance.

And best of all, we discovered a path through the woods that goes through our land and onto who-knows-land that makes a walk-outside-the-door hike through the forest for us. Jasper is entranced.

The last image is our dinner on the deck steps last night. A friend had given us an epic bottle of red wine (Stag's Leap). Honestly. I'm not sure I've ever tasted a better red. Ah, the romance.

Pictures to follow tomorrow!