It is with great joy that I formally announce that as of January 18, 2008, we are the proud owners of a small and beautiful log cabin in the Super Secret Place.
It took a while for us close the purchase (long and tedious story...) but with the persistent, kind and patient help and support of our Super Secret Contact Jenna, the cabin will soon be named Hillbilly Wally Ranch! (Not a chance but hey...)
We spent our first weekend there last week. We had no electricity because So. Cal. Edison plugged the house across the street instead of ours. Thomas invented the light bulb but I'm not too sure about the company that carries his name. No electricity meant no phone, no water (no pump) and I couldn't figure out the gas heater. Fortunately there's a wood-burning stove that kept us cozy. So it was a little bit of a camping experience but since I'm a seasoned Airstreamer, no problems.
We brought up a few chairs, plates and other kitchen essentials and of course, a brand new Weber barbecue kettle. I grilled some steaks and the stove provided a wonderful oven for our potatoes. No need for a fridge to keep the beer cold, we simply left the 6-pack outside where temperatures dipped to 31ยบ at night.
We all had a good time, including Jorgy. There's a fence all around and that gives him plenty of room to run around, mark his territory and just have fun. We took good care to keep him warm at night.
What a delight it is to sit on the porch, sipping a cup of warm tea (there is a propane tank) and just look around to the mountains in every direction. No noises, just the peaceful sounds of Nature. I love the space out there and it felt strange coming home to my neighborhood in the city where I can almost reach over my fence and touch the neighbor's house. I can't complain though, many people live in apartments.
There will be work to do there: repaint the decks, varnish the logs, get the sprinklers and drip system going, etc but that's all happy work. I leave you with a shot I took from the road leaving the basin, looking back to the SSP as night fell. 'Til next time!
