We found a buyer for the pool! We were close to selling it last spring, but since it didn't look like we'd have the house anywhere near ready to put on the market, we (at M's insistence) decided to keep and enjoy it for one more season. It was very bittersweet - mostly sad - for him because the pool has been his pride & joy and the one thing he really looked forward to every summer; that is, being able lie down and relax on his raft with drink and book or magazine in hand, in the peace, quiet and privacy of his own backyard.
We realized that if we want to pursue our dream, this was going to be one of his major sacrifices, as we would never have the opportunity to do this again once we become full timers (not that we won't be able to go swimming, but we won't have that kind of privacy again). Nevertheless, on what was clearly the last pool day of the season, while we floated together on our individual rafts, holding hands, we talked about this and decided to truly cherish those moments together and try to ingrain them in our minds. Still - it was a difficult emotion to face. But then again, it's one more step closer to the goal, which is very exciting.
On another note, the van is pretty much on it's last limb. We were given the opportunity to buy another one - exact same model but 1 year younger (12 yrs instead of 13) but in much better condition. Since the cost of repairing ours would cost about the same as the purchase price, we decided to go for it and buy something that we know will last us at least another year or 2. The next big purchase vehicle will be the tow for the RV. M does a lot of driving with a fully loaded van of tools, so we didn't have much choice about replacing it now. So there goes some of the $ we had saved for the next phase of fixing up the house. I guess it's ok, as we're making teeny progress on the cleanup project, but that'll keep us busy for a little while.
Our neighbor across the street just put his very pristine, gorgeous house up for sale. That's very exciting news as well because we're pretty sure he'll get close to his asking price for it (he really could have asked for at least 50K more). Although our house is in no way close to his "better homes & gardens" house in appearance, it is identical in structure. I'm certain when they pull comps, they compare size and style, not indoor furnishings, which means if he can sell high, it gives us an excellent baseline when we put ours up on the market. We just have to get it looking clean and tidy.
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