Today our deed was recorded.
Our deed for what, you may ask?
Well, the answer is our deed for the log cabin we purchased in Pine, Arizona.
You did what?
We bought a log cabin in Pine, Arizona, which is just below the Mogollon Rim.
Why on earth did you do that? And what in the world is a "Mogollon Rim?"
Many reasons.
Well, just give me one.
Ok. Pine is an elevation of 5500 feet, which means that it is 20+ degrees cooler than it is in Mesa.
THAT's a good enough reason. Any others?
Yes, a biggie. For at least five months of the year hiking in Arizona is miserable. It's hot here, you know.
Yes, I knew that. I'm not dumb. But what does this cabin give you?
As I said, it is right below the Mogollon Rim, which has even cooler temperatures. We can hike on the Rim for all of those months, except now we don't have to drive 2 hours to get there. We can just shoot out of our log cabin and within a half an hour be hiking. The hiking is unlimited, quiet, and beautiful. It is just what we need.
OK. I'm convinced. Tell us more about it.
GLADLY! As we said, it is a log cabin. Real logs, not fake ones. And who hasn't always, secretly, wanted to live in a log cabin in the mountains---especially us baby boomers who grew up watching westerns and Davy Crockett who was born in a log cabin? Now, you may find the story of how we purchased it interesting.
PUULEESE. Promise us no old man humor when you tell the story.
Sorry, but that's what we are--old. So here goes:
We bought the cabin without ever going into it. Homes are selling like hotcakes (not pancakes, which are much too refined for our wild west tastes) in this area. People from "the valley" (i.e., Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, etc.) are snatching them up because they want a place to escape to during the summer months. Interestingly (to us, not to you we bet), the two small villages in this area (Pine and Strawberry) are hemmed in by National Forest, so the villages can't really expand.
We saw the listing while we were staying at an Airbnb. So we drove by it, and then came home. The next day we put together an offer because we found out that it already had THREE offers for full price. THREE! In about two days. That's why places are selling like pancakes...oops, hotcakes.
But being the crafty people we are, we made our offer for a few thousand dollars more, AND we wrote a letter to the sellers that we believed would make them want to sell to us. From what we heard, they were very happy about selling to us. The letter was sincere. It explained who we were and how this cabin would enable us to continue to live the outdoor life in the desert and desert mountains that we have had for the past 10 years. We told them our home was not a financial investment, but an investment in a part of our lives that is irreplaceable to us.
I'm convinced. Say some more about it.
It was built in 2005 and has been remodeled since that time. As opposed to the rest of our lives where we have bought homes in serious need of major work and done that major work, this one has had it all done. New furnace, cooler, hot water heater.
After our offer was accepted, we went for the inspection, and finally got to see inside the cabin. We loved it even more! The very experienced man doing the inspection raved about it. Everything was exceptionally clean, as if it had just been built.
Neither of us will know what to do if we don't have to do any remodeling. Picture both of us standing in the living room, Vicky with a paint brush in her hand and Dan with a hammer in his looking around the home helplessly.
It is on a dirt street (cool!). Homes in Pine vary a lot. Many are old double-wides. Many are brand new, and look like they should have been built in Phoenix, not up in the mountains.
But our is a real log cabin. The entire structure is made from logs. And inside it is covered with various types of wood--floors, ceiling, walls, etc. It is stunningly beautiful inside.
Here is a photo of the outside:
Two days ago we drove to our new cabin, with both of our vehicles filled to the brim with furniture, possessions, and food. We got a quote from a mover, but decided we could do it just as well and save some money.
After we arrived there and emptied our 4Runner and Camper, we went inside to start our new life there. But, before we did that, Dan had to carry his new bride across the threshold--the third time he has done that for her.
But, and this is a BIG BUTT, he was pooped. So, he needed help.
What do you think?
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