Well, we got the property! Or, at least, the seller has signed the contract on our offer in the Adirondacks. Now comes the other stuff - the survey, title search, all that rigamarole. But we have an agreement, and now I can show you pictures without feeling as if I'm jinxing it!
Our own little 6 acres near Lake George, complete with pond and cabin. A cabin without running water, but with a generator and bathroom fixtures already installed and ready to function once we drill a well. And as Scarlett O'Hara's daddy said, "It's the land, Katie Scarlett! It's the land that matters!"
Everything around the property is wooded; the property across and on either side of us is basically wilderness, used by some hunting clubs in the area. Our property of course will be marked "Posted - No Hunting" and I'm envisioning all the deer (which will look just like Bambi and his mother) and the other wildlife will see our "Posted" signs and understand that we are a wildlife refuge and come live with us where they're safe. (I do realize that this would mean we could never plant anything in our yard).
The pond is full of frogs and turtles and looks like some kind of primordial soup. I think I need to research what lives in ponds in the Adirondacks before we let Diva swim in it. A brief Internet search revealed, to my relief, that water moccasins are not a threat in New York State and that the only poisonous snakes in the area are the relatively endangered rattlesnakes, which don't go in the water. If anyone has any advice on how to naturally "de-murk" a pond, please let me know. I don't want to drive out any of the existing aquatic creatures but would like the pond to eventually be clearer!
Here are a few pictures we took last weekend when we were there:
Our own little 6 acres near Lake George, complete with pond and cabin. A cabin without running water, but with a generator and bathroom fixtures already installed and ready to function once we drill a well. And as Scarlett O'Hara's daddy said, "It's the land, Katie Scarlett! It's the land that matters!"
Everything around the property is wooded; the property across and on either side of us is basically wilderness, used by some hunting clubs in the area. Our property of course will be marked "Posted - No Hunting" and I'm envisioning all the deer (which will look just like Bambi and his mother) and the other wildlife will see our "Posted" signs and understand that we are a wildlife refuge and come live with us where they're safe. (I do realize that this would mean we could never plant anything in our yard).
The pond is full of frogs and turtles and looks like some kind of primordial soup. I think I need to research what lives in ponds in the Adirondacks before we let Diva swim in it. A brief Internet search revealed, to my relief, that water moccasins are not a threat in New York State and that the only poisonous snakes in the area are the relatively endangered rattlesnakes, which don't go in the water. If anyone has any advice on how to naturally "de-murk" a pond, please let me know. I don't want to drive out any of the existing aquatic creatures but would like the pond to eventually be clearer!
Here are a few pictures we took last weekend when we were there:
The road leading to the property:
View of the cabin from across the pond:
Closeup of the house:
View of the pond from the deck:
The enclosed porch:
Interior view showing front window and woodstove:
Interior view showing loft and part of kitchen area (to left). Bathroom is in lefthand far corner behind the door.
Closeup of kitchen area:
Diva surveying her new territory:
One more important thing - our cell phones are able to get a signal here! We can communicate with the real world. And the realtor has assured us that most people in the area are able to get internet through Verizon, and satellite TV. All the necessities of life! I look forward to future summer weekends spent out on my deck reading all of your blogs!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
23 comments:
What a perfectly beautiful, peaceful and pastoral setting!
A true retreat! Six acres seems like 600 acres to me. Coming from California as I do, only the uber wealthy have 6 acres.
We found a raised ranch in Hamlin (just 15 miles west of Rochester near Lake Ontario) on 8 acres for $149,000. Can you imagine that? We are sooooooooooo tempted to remain here because the real estate is a fraction of the cost of LA or the Bay Area.
Your place is a gem! Good job!
Hey, welcome to the Adirondacks!
Congratulations.
But please, please be careful about Diva. Last year I heard of dogs who died from a toxin related to algae in ponds.
Here is a link.
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/news/toxin_warning_for_dogs_who_swim.html
Maui (and family) - Squeeeeeee! That's really beautiful. I reminds me of an article I read a while back in the Utne Reader about people who have scaled way, way back and are living full time in what they originally purchased as vacation cottages.
The property is just lovely and I'm sure you'll spend wonderful weekends there.
Um, for the record, can someone please tell me what "Squeeeeeee!" means???? I've seen it before, but have no clue..
... unless it's dirty, then I don't want to know.
Unless Christopher tells me. When we're alone....
Dick - Oh, I really should wait for Christopher to tell you, but I'll take a chance here. I use it as a noise for excitement. More than a simple yay! can do. If there's something naughty attached to it, I don't know. I don't mean it that way. Unless, of course someone is writing about their sex toys or something I guess I'd better not discuss here on Maui's blog.
That is fabulous, Mauigirl!!
Congratulations!
That looks wonderful! Congratulations!
Christopher, 6 acres sounds huge to me too. I think the plot of land our house here in NJ is on is probably a measly .01 acre or so! ;-) The raised ranch in Hamlin sounds great, and a fantastic buy. Maybe you should go for it!
Thanks, Dick! I look forward to becoming a part-time denizen!
Ruth, thanks so much for the link. I had seen something about the blue-green algae danger on one of the sites I was on today trying to find ways to clarify the pond. This gave me a lot more information. I'll definitely keep Diva out of the water. There are other lakes nearby that she can swim in, and it sounds as if even then I shouldn't let her in during the late summer.
Thanks DCup - I can definitely imagine scaling back and living up there full time when we retire - except perhaps in the coldest winter months. There is a LOT of snow!
Bob and Sue J, thanks for your congratulations! I still can't believe we finally found what we were looking for!
Maui, congrats on your new place in Adirondacks. I know it's late and you've probably signed off, but by this time tomorrow, I'll be out cold in our cabin at Gentleman Johnny's along the shores of ....Lake George. We'll be there until Friday.
I also wanted to let you know that your games post a few days ago inspired one of my own. I wanted to thank you for giving me the idea. Regards...Spartacus
Wow - this is great!!
Congrats! And now we are practically (well by 45 minutes anyway!) neighbors.
Hope to have a blogger meet up one of these days.
The place looks fantastic. And yes, Verizon should be the ticket or if you get cable, Time Warner.
how lovely! It sounds like (and looks like) such a wonderful place.
congratulations! what a beautiful place. i'm re-reading some chapters from annie dillard's " pilgrim in tinker creek" and your pictures remind me so much of what she talked about in her book.
It looks like heaven! The only thing I would worry about is ticks, but you can put Diva on Frontline (if she isn't already).
Once you get a well, you'll be on your way to getting off the grid. Baxter will be so excited -- Wildlife!
Looks more like a lake to me than a pond. Gorgeous place. I would guess that it's algea. I love the cabin. How sweet it will be.
Congratulations! That place looks wonderful.
Spartacus, hope you're enjoying your time at Lake George! And great post on the games!
Fran, I look forward to a blogger meet-up in the near future! I'm not sure if we can get cable where the cabin is, but will look into it.
Diane, it really is a magical place. We're so lucky to have found it - i found it through a Google search - it had just gone on the market!
Odessa, I'll have to check out the Annie Dillard book, thanks for telling me about it.
D.K., yes, we make sure to put Frontline on Diva regularly in the summer so she should be OK. And actually Cape Cod is tick heaven - I think it's even worse there - and she only got them there once. (We found them right away and removed them so she was OK). And yes, we're looking forward to bringing Baxter up once we are able to stay there. He's never been away from home so it might be an adjustment, but if we go up for two weeks at a time I'm sure he'll get used to it. He can stay indoors and watch out the windows.
Utah, it is a fairly good sized pond. And yes, I'm sure it is algae. I'm going to get the water tested to find out what's in it so we can clarify it.
Thanks, Randal - it really is a sweet place. Will keep everyone posted on our renovations as they progress.
Looks like a wonderful place to relax and renew. Hope it all goes well.
That looks beautiful! There are a lot of great memories in the making, I can see it. Enjoy!
oh this is soooo beautiful...wow...I know Lake George really well...used to go there as young newly wed...so lovely...wow....
OMG, it's a little piece of heaven. Be well and prosper in your new getaway. Color me green with woodsandgrass envy.
Congratulations on your purchase. I want to comment about something you wrote.
"the property across and on either side of us is basically wilderness, used by some hunting clubs in the area. Our property of course will be marked "Posted - No Hunting"
I understand your want to protect everything wild, but I wish you would rethink your approach. I am not a hunter, but I grew up hunting and fishing as many of your new neighbors no doubt did.
First, the odds are that no one is going to hunt on your land (and it would be trespassing without asking you anyway). Posting signs says something about you as a neighbor that you may not want to say. It will not protect deer, you, or your land - whatever that means.
Second - I am concerned about wildlife, so I try and consider what I eat and what impact it has on the environment.
It is entirely more ecologically sound for us and our neighbors to eat the deer that live around our property then it is to have our food shipped hundreds (or thousands) of miles in from other places in the world.
After about a dozen years as a vegetarian and many years a vegan I came to the conclusion the the best way to exercise my power in preserving wildlife and the environment on a daily basis is to eat foods from my yard/garden and neighborhood - for me that means venison my neighbors are kind enough to give me. Even if I didn't eat venison, I would not want to give the appearance of disparaging or discouraging my neighbors who do.
Also, I try not to fall into the trap of being someone who tells my neighbors "this is my land, stay off"
- it's not just appropriate neighborliness in my mind and especially in a place where much of the land is owned by us all in common (through the state).
That said, welcome to the Adirondacks - I know you will learn to love it, quirks and all.
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