Hey There!
It's 7:56 AM EDT, 62°F, Humidity 76%, Wind 11 mph S, sunny, AQI 53.
We're back home after 6 days of travel. We had pretty spectacular weather during the whole trip, with warm but not hot days, and cool evenings. Our last evening in the ball park was so cool I felt I should have packed a hoodie.
Yesterday was mostly a matter of driving home. We did the morning motel routine, packing up, showering, having breakfast, and getting on the road. The drive back was easier that the drive out, as most of the construction was on the westbound side, and we hit no accidents or traffic to speak of. 5.5 hours of driving brought us back home about 3:30 or so.
We were hoping to get fish sandwiches at a local fish store on the way back, but the place closes on Mondays and Tuesdays. We were sort of hungry by the time we got home, so we ended up ordering an early dinner of one calzone with sausage and mushrooms, and one stromboli with pepperoni and onions. Not terrible, although DW wasn't particularly thrilled with either.
As we began to settle in for the evening, Son2 sent us a text message with the news that he has purchased a house in his city. We had a feeling this might happen, as in the morning before we left the hotel he had us move around a lot of money to have it liquid for him in case his bid was accepted. It was. The house is a small house, but it's a perfect size for him. Because he's unmarried (he has a girlfriend) and has no kids, he doesn't need much house. And it looks like he may be able to lower the monthly payment to a point where it's perhaps slightly over what he pays in rent. He hates paying rent. It's not what we originally had planned when we first went house hunting. The original plan was to find something that DW and I might be able to move into when we can't live on our own. But this is good, because the house is probably marketable in 5 years and he will have enough equity in the house that if he wants to flip it for something bigger for all of us, he can. In the meantime, DW and I can stay here where we are comfortable and have no house payment. I think it's a good outcome, but of course we will have to see if the house doesn't become a money pit for him, which is always a possibility. In this market, a house in a city in a decent neighborhood for under $200K is not a terrible idea. Let's hope the economy survives the current administration.
DW and I settled in for the evening after talking to Son2 on the phone. I watched the ball game (an 8-7 loss), and DW caught up with her shows. I can't even remember what time I went to bed, but it was probably around 11PM as usual.
Lots of excitement and activity this week! The fall will bring a lot of work. I think DW and I will hang onto the campsite another year and get it properly ready for sale. It's also time to start downsizing now that Son2 has his house. It feels like transitions and changes are on their way.
Notable deaths: Dolly Parton, country music singer-songwriter, 80.
That's all for now. 'Til We Meet Again!