Now What?

 

We missed meeting up with our Realtor who met the Carpenter Ant, and Mold Inspectors, but ended up heading off to the Town Hall to see if there was the equivalent of a plat map that would show where our (maybe) house is situated in relation to the property line and set backs.  There wasn't.  What we did find was a "proposed plan" for the septic system which sort of indicated where things were. 

We found out that there is a larger set back than the Realtor told us... which means a little less flexibility on where (or how big) the future woodworking shop can be.  Hubby was definitely upset , disappointed and frustrated.

 What surprised me was that all the women working in the Town Hall new the husband and wife from whom we want to buy the house.  He's active in the historical society.  She's on the Library Board. I find it interesting that the Town Hall looks like a cross between a church and a school.  (Small, but fully computerized!)

 We might look into this carriage festival... If we can find Amesbury.

 There seem to be almost more ponds than one could map, name or know.  But this one is Haggett's Pond in Andover, MA.

When we got home, we discovered another inspector's warning.  HIGH RADON LEVELS in the house.  (There's a great Wiki article on the hazards, testing and remediation process).  

We pretty much got grumpy at the same time.  I had a nice afternoon in the hotel lobby finishing the last (semi-posthumous) Robert B. Parker novel, reading the NY Times and talking to strangers.  Hubby had a long nap.

Wasn't it Kahlil Gibran that recommended you have "spaces in your togetherness"?  Good advice.

On a cooler note, one of the neat local traditions which we've indulged in once with my daughter is the Summer Ice Cream Stand.  We actually went to Sully's (heavenly peppermint and mocha chip, worth returning for!) in Chelmsford. (I'm sure they've built extra loyalty by offering free vanilla ice cream to anybody's dog.  There was a pony sized black mastiff who looked perfectly happy with his vanilla white mustache.)

I scoped out Yelp and Google for something closer to our hotel and found Jay-Gee's.  MOBBED on a Saturday evening!  LOTS of flavors and teen socializing.  This particular location has batting cages, go carts, and miniature golf (with a giant plaster giraffe).

 I liked the sign:  HAVE SOME FUN TODAY.

More good advice on any day.

 

Down the road they're doing some construction with heavy equipment.  I took a photo and made it artsy (sort of.)  Always a fun endeavor for me.