Nostalgia is a seductive liar.
George Wildman Ball
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Escrow closed! We should be popping off an expensive bottle of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin–but where’s the adventure in that? It’s such a predictable way to celebrate. I guess we prefer our celebration with a side of dirty adventure. Typically we don’t chose adventures of the plumbing nature–but hey, we’ll try anything once!
Here’s a photo of Diego the day escrow closed.
Diego celebrating the close of escrow! Woo-HOO! PLUMBING!!!! Antique plumbing to be exact!
Let me back up. When we put our house on the market, we had no idea how long it would take to sell. Especially since we were planning on doing a For Sale by Owner, to try and preserve the small profit we hoped to net. But the house sold in just under two weeks, and the buyer was eager to move it. We agreed to a 30 day escrow.
Trying to downsize a family of four into a suitcase lifestyle in 45 days is pretty intense! We needed a transitional space before we make the leap across the Atlantic to our new wayward lifestyle. Enter the lovely Michelle and Lisa who offered us the apartment in the back of their newly acquired Meadow Valley Social Club.
Meadow Valley Social Club: a historical building that has been a post office, general store and service station for early automobiles.
There is absolutely no denying the charm and beauty of the place. We were swept up in the nostalgia of a bygone era and leapt at the opportunity to spend our final weeks in Northern California surrounded by our Plumas County family and a treasure trove of relics from the last century. We knew we were in for some work, but I’m not sure we were completely prepared for the scope of plumbing involved.
Under the stove in the kitchen, looking at the creative plumbing techniques. Lots of bends and elbows!
I can tell you, that I have never felt so loved as when my husband spent the better part of three days digging trenches and communing with the spiders under the house to get the water working. The shift we both were after is already occurring. The spirit of feeling like it’s us against the world, rather than running off to separate jobs and arriving home at the end of the day, exhausted and each party preparing for tomorrow.
The view from the front porch which used to house the gas pumps.
Friends have come over to help me unpack and sort, just for the fun of treasure hunting. Square dancing clothes, antique toys and Christmas decor, Sports Illustrated magazines from the 60’s, old letters, pictures and pristine kitchen appliances from who knows when, are a few of the fun things I’ve come across. The store portion is chucked full of old ink bottles, antique Coleman camping lanterns, produce boxes and other reminders of how they just don’t make things like they used to. It’s truly like living in a museum. (I promise to write a more in depth post once I have running water and a reliable internet connection! I’m in survival mode right now!)
The secret ingredient…MSG! Isn’t Niki sweet in her square dancing dress?!
Needless to say, despite the old plumbing, we’re having a blast. I’ve started to affectionately refer to the place as our halfway house. Halfway between our old way of living and our new lifestyle, it feels like we’re in the perfect place at the perfect time.
Now, if we could just get that water flowing, I’ll feel like we’re truly embracing a life of abundance.
What’s the craziest thing/project/experience you’ve endured to make your creative dreams take flight? Share in the comments! I need inspiration and moral support!
