It's official. We closed on September 4, 1998 and now have full possession. Our first "livestock" is on hand, too. For a look at the critters, click here for bunnies, or here for a preview of our new horses. For our friends who have asked for pictures, here are some taken the second time we went to look.
Click here for aerial photographs:
No kidding. These were taken by Russian spy satellites during the 1980s.
The US has similar images but keeps them "classified". The Russians have
been desperate for hard cash, so they sold the photos to various sources.
House as seen from the road, looking north. Driveway to the right, stream to the left marks the edge of the property.
This is a view of the house from the back, looking south toward Garden Valley Road. The dog enclosure is in the foreground. The sliding doors open into the family room, and windows to the right of these are in the dining room and kitchen (under skylight.)
Here are the barns, seen from the back of the house. You are now looking north. The animals are European Belgian Draft horses (or Belgische Trekpaarden, a rare breed in the US), and belong to the sellers. The larger building is an indoor riding arena, with 5200 square feet of floor space and box stalls down the eastern edge. The trees are mostly hardwoods: burr oak, shagbark hickory, and maple.
This is a partial view of the interior of the larger barn or outbuilding. As you can see, it contains mostly empty space, in fact 65x80 feet of it. Other than the two stalls and tack room, it was left empty as an indoor riding arena by previous owners. We may use it for a dog agility arena. Barn dance, anyone?
This is a view of the east side of the pastures, as seen from the shelter of the wooded area behind the barns. You are looking north. A tiny spring to the left is a source for a stream that runs south through the length of the land and past the house.
Here is a view of what we at first thought was a natural spring. However, further investigation reveals that the north pastures were "tiled" to keep the heavy soil well-drained. This is the outlet of the tile system, which becomes the source of a tiny stream that flows south along the western border of the land.
Stepping forward to the north from the previous photo, we come out into sunlight as we enter the long pasture in the northeast corner of the land. Fence lines on the right and in the distance mark our boundaries. The fence on the left runs down the middle of the property, and an equal amount of pasturage is found on the other side of it. Here you can see seller Denise as she points out features to Gary Lee.
As we walk farther north, you can get a clearer view of the fence lines. We hope to plant a garden and small orchard in one of the smaller fields to the left (west) and use the rest as pasture.
See the rabbits now.
Head right for the stables.
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