Our alarm was set for 3:40 am to catch a 5:30 flight.  For some reason, we both woke up at two something and couldn’t go back to sleep.The Reno morning was crisp and cool.  From altitude, hazy.  We glimpsed the prehistoric Lake Lahontan in the distance as the sun rose on the horizon.  Did you know that the Carson River, which starts with runoff from the Sierra Mountains, ends at the lake?  82% of the world’s rivers end in the ocean/sea, making this river rare as it ends in the Carson Sink called Lake Lahontan.

We’re off to a new and quite silly (one might say foolish) adventure.  Yes! Last year we bought a charming home built in 1900 in the oldest inland town in South Carolina.  Our only visual of the house was via FaceTime.  Let me correct that.  My only visual.  Bill didn’t care to look.  I thought it would fit “the bill”.  But my Bill said, “Not so fast, my princess; where’s the front porch? Where am I to lounge in my rocking chair, sip sweet tea, and smoke my cigar”?

In the screened-in porch, my love.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  It didn’t go quite like that.

Bill said if I have to live here, then we’re building a porch (not quite like that either).

We did submit plans to the historical planning department for approval to build a porch.  Got approved, and in the meantime we started looking for another home to buy.  One that was quintessential Camden – white House, black shutters, and a front porch!

Bingo.  It was built in 1890 and needs lots of work! Lots!

We close escrow tomorrow and the following day the work begins.  Asbestos removal, new support system under parts of the house to replace the termite-ridden beams, ditching the galvanized plumbing and installing an HVAC system (ducting and all).

Cracks in the walls tell a story.  One of hungry termites – dead now, but they certainly left a path of disaster.  I’ve yet to wrap my head around repairing the lathe and plaster, wallpaper-covered walls.

It’s going to be hotter than you know where until the end of July with no A/C? Can you imagine? Me neither.  The interior work may have to wait.  Hot and humid are not in my wheelhouse.

The yard, shy of an acre,  is fully landscaped and was loved at one time.  We can see pieces of brick work, but now so overgrown it’s hard to tell what is what.  Bill will be in heaven.  He’s a lizard, so the weather won’t affect him.

I can’t wait to get my hands on the inside.

Stay tuned…..

Ps.  Our Realtor went over to our current house to show it to someone last week and informed us that there was a snake in the basement.  Is it still in the basement or in our house? Is there a family of snakes? The drama.