Oh,hang on a moment. We didn't buy that. This appears to be the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park. That's the Hyde Park in upstate New York (and not the Hyde Park across the way from Buckingham Palace, or the Hyde Park just down the road from King's Cross in Sydney, which is not the same as the King's Cross in London. That would be London as in the capital of England, not London in Ontario's Canada).
Sorry... where was I?
Oh yes. Hyde Park, NY. Birthplace and burial place of Franklin D. Roosevelt, home to the ex-filthy-rich Vanderbilt family (the grandkids squandered it all) and home to some of the East Coast's finest vinyards. I recommend the Clinton Vineyards where you can wine taste for $5 (and get a happy buzz into the bargain... very civil). Beth and I spent a week there for our third wedding anniversary and it was very nice. I feel I should say that big props go out to my crew at the Journey Inn on Route 9, but I'll leave that kind of talk to those with a love for the streets. Or something. As we were leaving the Vanderbilt's 50,000 square foot country cottage (yes, they really knew how to slum it back then) we saw someone having their picture taken with a 'For Sale' sign. So we asked if they'd take our picture too. Hey; if they ever lose the deeds to the property we have a photo record right here that it's all ours!
Other fun things we did on that week: a train and taxi ride to New York City's new Planetarium at the AMNH, a visit to the
Spaceship Discovery Science & Technology Center (where they have two astromech 'droids called R2-D2 and R2-She-2) and a great time by the Hudson River. Going back to the Spaceship Discovery place; I have to congratulate Floyd Holt for all the hard work and dedication he's putting into science to make it fun and accessible. Even if it make a Trekkie like me wonder how much one person can like a Starfleet uniform. Well done, sir!
Then we came home and started looking for real houses. It was last Thursday that the realtor took us to see two houses. The first one was going for $133,000 and it is a shambles. The owner died so it became an estate sale and the loving kids decided to rip the guts out of the house before selling it. All appliances: gone. Carpets: gone. A window frame: completely ripped out. Floorboards: look like a werewolf used them to sharpen his claws. Tiles in the shower: lovingly held together with Duct Tape. I kid you not... blue tiles and lashings of silver tape to give the whole thing structural integrity. Ugh. The second house was nice enough, but too close to a main road and there's a lack of parking.
That's when Richie (he's our realtor) asked us to look at a lot that was going for sale. Eighty feet (25 metres) wide by 130 feet (40 metres), right next to the park, quiet road, stunning view. We put in a bid of $29,900 and it was accepted within the hour. Beth and I are, subject to contract, the proud owners of a patch of real estate. Our house will be built within the next two years (as soon as we get our savings back up again to pay for it all). It's not as big as the Vanderbilt Estate, but it'll do nicely for us.
Listen : Our House / Night Boat To Cairo - Madness ... Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead.
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