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We have moved! From Northern California to the Northern Idaho Panhandle. This page has been updated and some of the moving details condensed.
This is a busy month this year, we're getting the house ready to show, painting and cleaning up.
We haven't moved yet, but are making progress. Painting and cleanup of the house is done and the house is ready to show.
Spring is about to arrive. The Almonds are blooming, and the FOR SALE signs are up at the house and the 10 acre parcel with almonds.
We received a good offer for the house very quickly, and the buyer will rent back to us until the house in Idaho is available. This is exactly what we need. If there are no problems with the buyers' financing, this will make a smooth, quick transaction. We're waiting on appraisals, inspections and mountains of paperwork.
The rain and cold weather continued through most of April. This year is the latest we have ever had to keep a fire going for heating.
As far as the sale of the property it turned into a month of frustration. After several weeks of being assured by the lender that "everything is set, there is no problem" they requested a second appraisal. The second appraisal came in at the selling price, the same as the first appraisal. Then there was one reason after another why funding the loan would be delayed a day or two. One of the reasons even made sense, the rest, which changed every day or so did not. The buyer took the same loan package to a Bank, and with a review of the facts, the bank accepted the loan.
In the middle of all of this one of the mares foaled, about a week late. This gave us a lot of partially sleepless nights as we rotated the "foal watch" to be sure there were no problems.
The weather is more or less back to normal, the roses in front of the house are blooming and looking quite nice except for a little mildew due to all the wet days, and some aphids.
The paperwork was complete, the loan was funded and escrow closed on May 12. The difference between the bank and the loan company was like night and day. The things the bank said made sense, they followed through on everything they promised, and didn't change anything they had said or make any excuses.
It seems odd to being "renters" in the house we have lived in for so long but things should move along fairly quickly as we get ready to move to Idaho!
We have an offer, which we have accepted, on the last remaining parcel, the 10 acres on the south side of Marine. The tentative closing date is 15 June.
After collecting boxes for moving for a couple of months we finally started to pack. The house is starting to look empty as the mantle and cabinets are emptied. Apple boxes from the supermarket are great for packing dishes and other fragile items since they are strong and of a good size for the weight involved. We loaded up the trailer and the truck and took the first load up on June 10.
Escrow on the 10 acres with almonds closed on June 14, a day early so now all our property is sold! We're packing for the next load and will take it up when there is room at the house in Idaho.
We've moved 2 loads of our things to Idaho so far, it's amazing how much "stuff" you collect in 20 years at one location! Much of the furniture is gone now, and there's quite an echo in most of the house. We have 2 more loads to move before the end of August, then we'll return to Arbuckle and "camp out" in the completely empty house for a day or two waiting for the horse hauler to pick up the horses. As soon as he does we'll head to our new home in Idaho to move in on September 1.
We'll want to remember the seasons here in Arbuckle, Almond bloom in February is always beautiful although the rain can be a problem. The summers are hot and dry, Harvest begins in late August or September. Almond harvest is a good definition of hot and dusty. Later in the fall the colors on the Pistach tree in front of the house are beautiful. The Valley Fog in the winter can be thick, giving a mysterious feeling to things.
Here are a few photos showing the new ranch before we moved.
The first photo looks south from out in the alfalfa field toward the hay barn, etc. with the house barley visible above the right side of the barn. The second looks up at the house from near the hay barn.
Looking west at the house from the drive.
Views from the living room. The first shows the hay barn, pasture and alfalfa fields looking a little West of North. The second again looks a little West of North along the Kootenai River towards the Canadian border.
Looking South West from out in the field, toward the Southern end of the Selkirk Mountains. The Kootenai River is below the distant line of trees between here and the Selkirks.
This is the first time we have lived with snow every winter. In Arbuckle it snowed once every 5 to 7 years on average, and it was usually gone in a day or less.
All photos and text Copyright 2005 - 2008 W. Johnson. All rights reserved