We now officially have a screen porch. I still have a few pieces of trim to put up and will have to buy, prime, and paint a few more sections of treated lattice, and install the ceiling fan, but, from a distance, it looks done. And it’s functional, though I haven’t really inspected for tiny holes yet. I’ll probably screen the underside of the floor joists, too, to keep mosquitoes from coming up from the crawl space. That’s in lieu of laying indoor/outdoor carpet, which I’m not fond of.

We spent a bit the other night enjoying the breeze there. We’ve got some wicker pieces we picked up reasonably from Craigslist that we’ve paired with some clearance cushions. It’s very nice. We just need a bit more foliage and a couple of mai-tai’s.

Not bad for around $400. I may wish I had chosen the longer-lasting aluminum screen instead of the easier-to-install nylon screen, but time will tell how well the nylon holds up to the elements.

I’ll post some pictures when I get back from the NDIIPP dog-and-pony show.

I’ve posted a few photos in a new gallery, Christmas 2006. I expect I’ll be adding more as it’s only the 18th. We bought twenty luminaries yesterday at the Colonial Village Neighborhood Association meeting. They were very pretty but, alas, no pictures.

This was the first neighborhood meeting we’ve attended and it was nice. However, I was a little disappointed with the homogoneity of the attendees. For such a diverse neighborhood it’s surprising. I understand that the board is working on some Spanish language things, though. I’m sure it isn’t easy to figure out how to get people to participate, especially with a tiny budget and no dedicated staff.

I’ll try to get some photos of our Christmas lights up.
Update: I’ve uploaded a picture of the house.

We attended the Triangle Vegetarian Society vegan thanksgiving at Cafe Parizade again this year. It was worlds better than last year- we didn’t have to wait in line or sit outside and the food was magnificent. I wish Parizade had some vegan dinner entrees the rest of the year, but they don’t. Anyway, it was fantastic. The desserts were to die for. Additionally, we knew what to expect and weren’t disappointed that we didn’t get a chance to talk to more people we didn’t know. Overall- excellent.

Now it’s time to put the screen on the porch so we can put Christmas lights up. We’ll have time tomorrow since we’ll celebrate Buy Nothing Day. Join us.

We had 60 Trick or Treaters this year- a personal best. We dressed up and carved pumpkins, too. I was really surprised by the high turnout since so few of our neighbors had their lights on. There were some pretty creative costumes, too.

Brandi was out of town last week at the Mid-Atlantic Chapter Conference of the Medical Library Association and I started work on the screen porch. I think the materials will cost about $500 including $80 for a ceiling fan with a light kit.

I figure I’ve spent about 10 hours shopping, scraping, wire-brushing, priming, and painting. The painting is about half done, unless I decide on two coats, which I probably will. I wish I had thought to tint the primer.

The leaves a few hours of painting, including the lumber, I think. Then I’ll frame in the walls, staple on the screen, and apply the molding. Finally, mix, sit, sip. Sans bugs.

Tomorrow is the final walk through for the new house. We’ll be meeting our inspector, who will reinspect all of the items on the request for repairs that the sellers agreed to fix (everything we requested), as well as our agent, whom we haven’t seen in quite some time. Brandi and I were driving past the house this weekend and saw that the sellers were out in the yard so we stopped to introduce ourselves. They seem very thoughtful in their preparations to turn the house over to us, which allays some of my fears resulting in the lack of communication of late.

Also, we’ve shown our current house to a couple for the second time. I believe they’ve decided to rent it so we won’t be responsible for the rent for long after we move. That’s tremendous news.

If the house turns out fine we’ll go to the closing attorney’s office tomorrow and sign the papers effectively finishing the deal. It seems a bit anticlimactic, but that means we don’t have to take another day off for the closing on the 30th. We’ll be unpacking in our new house in less than a week if everything goes according to the plan.

We’ve been told that the sellers have agreed to fix or have fixed everything on our list of repairs. Pending a second inspection of said items we’re very close to buying a house. Our closing date is August 30. We’ve started packing and our house is becoming progressively uncomfortable. We’re also looking for moving help and will soon solicit estimates.

We also have some carpet to replace at our current residence. It seems Siva doesn’t tolerate confinement well. It’s a shame that Zuzu is so disapproving of Siva’s continued occupancy.

Our offer on the Cascadilla house has been accepted. Now we’re working on the mortgage and inspections. We’d love to have the hardwood floors refinished before we move in, too, but that looks expensive. We’re thrilled with the house and it turns out that we have mutual friends with many of the neighbors, which is nice. Thank goodness for free stuff on Craigsist, a great place to get moving boxes among other things.

Update: I uploaded some photos of the house. Let us know what you think.

We’ve made an offer this evening on our third house. We’re well positioned insofar as we caught it very soon after it came on the market. It’s a beautiful little cottage at the end of a gravel road. Oddly, there are many gravel road segments in the City of Durham. Unfortunately, well water (again, in the city) is a bit odd, but overall…

See the map or arial photo.

Update: Strike three. We’re thinking of buying a tent and calling it good enough.

Brandi and I made an offer on our first house last night. We made an offer on the first visit to the first house we’ve seen in the first home hunting session we’ve ever done. It’s a tiny cottage on Colgate Avenue in Northgate Park, an up-and-coming neighborhood in Durham. The neighborhood seems well integrated and progressive. Somehow, the cottage has 3 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms packed into just over 1,000 square feet. It completely fits our politics of domestic space requirements in which families of 2 should not need 2,500 feet of heated space. We expect we could get a much larger house in Southwest Durham for less money, but we perish the thought of living in a suburban cul de sac which forces a vehicular lifestyle.

It’s hard not to be romantic about the place with it’s giant Sweetgum tree, oak floors, and simple aesthetics. The neighborhood is full of dog-walking, smiling pedestrians. There’s a large, natural park a block down the street. Sigh. See it on a map or see the arial photo. I could finally deliver on my promise to get Brandi a dog!

Alas, the owner is negotiating with another potential buyer. We’ll have to wait this one out.