I've been awfully busy, but it's going to be worse over the next few months. I bought a house in Texas (in the country outside Austin) and I'm moving there in March. I'll be going from screaming fast broadband to dial-up for several months (until broadband gets to my area long about the end of the summer ... or so they say). Photo of the house is attached. I've got nine cats and two dogs now, and the condo is just plain too small ... so this was the best idea I could come up with. My hope is that when everything gets settled down, I'll be able to get back to my Brycing and chatting with the lot of you. Amazing how much you can miss a group of people you've never actually met.

Wow Ricky, thats a big house! Dont know about the rest, but Ive sure missed your input here. Sure you can handle a house that big? Best of luck with it and hope youll be getting back here soon. Quest

Attached Link: http://www.homeview.net/15christiecircle/

It is big for one person, but between the books, computers, cats, dogs, dvds and tv sets, it's going to fill up fast. I'm keeping my place here in San Diego so that I have somewhere to sleep when I come back here to work every few weeks. The plan is two weeks in San Diego followed by six in Horseshoe Bay. The biggest shock is going to be losing my internet speed, followed by not being able to walk to several hundred ethnic restaurants. Austin is about an hour drive away. Virtual tour link attached. I stumbled across this site a few weeks ago, fell in love with the house, and now I find myself moving there. Life is weird.

if you can afford that, I'm sure you could spring for DSL, Satellite Modem, etc., until the cable guys come through. Not all that familiar with Austin (never got that far South, 'ceptin Galveston..;), but that sucker would likely cost a big chunk 'o change..;)

Wow! That's a gorgeous house, sure hope you love it there! Here I was thinking you were just going to be saying you would be gone during tax season, lol. I'm so happy that you'll be able to stretch out. See you when you come back to bryce, best wishes. Angela

That's one nice big house! So the next Bryce forum meeting/BBQ is at Ricky's. We'll all be sleeping over of course.

Beautiful home Ricky. Satellite is probably your best bet. Hope all goes smoothly (for the critters too).

Wow that's one big house! Texas huh? Looks like a nice quiet neighborhood....watch out, you're catching up to me with cats!...=)

Message edited on: 02/04/2005 17:01

Will we able to find space among all the cats and dogs, Phil? :-) Nice house and good luck with moving, but you'll probably have to pay attention to coyotes cause of your cats. And having just got used to broadband, I can feel your pain.

gorgeous house... have fun shifting in... ain't texas HOT??

Just got broad band about two months ago...the virtual tour was great!...had dial up for three years, so , YES! I am excited for you too!..We currently have 11 cats and 3 dogs, so I feel your pain!

Beautiful house, and we all know it was bought purely so you can get more cats ;^) look forward to seeing more pics when you've moved in and put your own stamp on it.

Actually, it WAS purchased for the cats. I'm having the builder put on a large enclosed porch for them at the rear of the house so that I don't have to worry about predators. They are also building a second garage building so I can park my van (too tall for the two-car attached garage). The cat porch will be accesible through a screen "tunnel" from the great room -- through a cat door -- along the house to the porch. Almost all of the cats are handicapped, so they do not go out ... ever. I will probably do DSL for a few months. It would be too painful to do without a little speed. But, it will still be tough (boo hoo) ... the connection here is 3x faster than either cable or DSL there. Strangely ... the house is about 200K less than my tiny condo here in downtown San Diego. Go figure. The house is in the middle of a 300 acre nature preserve and about a five minute walk from a large lake. The temperature is a little more extreme than it is here in SD (although not as much as you might think), however, it's the humidity I think I will notice most. I will have a guest room ... so knock yourselves out. Lots of really beautiful scenery around, tons of pretty deer, and great golfing, hiking and boating. You can sit out on the people porch under the ceiling fan with a nice cool drink and Bryce yourselves nuts.

Did I hear golfing??? Ok..I'm there...

2 cats, 2 children, 3 grandchildren, and a boyfriend(of one of the children)..trumped!..;)

You have cats and a dog and you need a house like that? Oh brother! I guess if you got it spend it.

OMG I did not read that you had that built for the cats! LOL that is ridiculous no offense that is just the American way live to excess and forget the rest. Don't get me wrong it is a lovely house but I have never understood why those get bought by people without a family (sorry animals are neat but not family and should never replace human companionship even if they are nicer). I have a friend who is single and lives in a 5 bedroom home outside of SunValley and I am like have you even spent time in this room and he is like I have never even seen this room lol. Has it decorated very nicely but only goes there in the summer or to go skiing?

Looks like a really beautiful place! Congrats, and good luck!

Ah, Vile, some of us never have the opportunity to have a human family, and some are probably better off not trying to have one. Both are true of me. Never had a serious relationship (and never wanted to have children outside of a serious relationship). So, I have animals instead. And we all need a little more room to knock around in ... it's just too crowded in a condo with no yard. Or that's my rationalization anyway.

Oh, yes, GOLFING. Three world-class golf courses right down the road. There's a club membership that goes with the house. I don't play, but company is welcome to. I'll drive the cart. :)

LOLRicky, you are so right and Ill stand by you. Love animals, but allergic to most. Yes, sometimes looking for the right person, becomes a lifelong Quest (ROFLMAO)! And yes, I rather think with my real head first. That is so tellingnever wanted children outside a serious, meaningful relationshipGod, how true! Given the blessing to have children to begin with. The power of individualality and real thinking people sounds of roses to my ears. Sounds like youll be meeting some eligible bachelor and hell teach you the coursegolf course obviouslyLOL. Good luck!

It's kinda unfair, though, to say that a single person should be living in a small dwelling for one, if she has the opportunity to move to the countryside and do what she likes. I'm guessing that the location of the house suited her, and the fact that it's large was just incidental. Us singles like space around us just as much as you married folks - lol, even more so, that's why we're single! It's a big decision to sell in the city, and migrate to the country. I keep daydreaming about it 'cos, like Ricky, the value of my house is huge compared to houses out in the country. But then.......you can never move back to the city again, your boats are burned. The cost of the tiniest house in Dublin is astronomical. A friend is bidding on this house the bidding has reached 501,000 (yup, that's 644,161.73 USD) and still climbing. The total floor area of the house is 800 sq ft, front door opens onto pavement, tiny back yard only 6ft deep, inside the house is only half finished, plastering to be done, bathrooms and kitchen to be installed etc. :o( Damn sure the current owner is moving 20 miles out of Dublin, to buy herself a mansion. And good luck to her!!!!

I've heard that housing prices in the UK area are so whacked that there's a movement of 'ex-pats' going to other parts of the world for affordable housing. In the RTP local area, a house like this would go for 250-300k easy.

pakled - where's RTP?

Oh, I'm not selling the city place. I mean, what if it turns out that I'm making a HUGE mistake?? I've got a friend who needs a relatively cheap rental here in the city, and I told her that I'd rent to her for 1/3 of market if I can crash in the guest room when I'm in town. I'm leaving all the furniture and general living miscellany behind (including one of my computers) ... keep in mind that I'm not going to be qualified to practice law in Texas for at least a year and a half, so I'm going to have to commute back here every few weeks to make a living. Meet with clients here, and then fly back "home" to work on matters. The round trip ticket is only $200, and I think I can make it work on only 6 trips a year. This condo is still appreciating pretty rapidly, so I think I'll keep it for at least a year or two (just in case something goes horribly awry and I flunk the Texas bar exam -- which would be one of the signs of the Appocalypse -- but hey, it could happen). As for meeting some nice bachelor in Texas ... well, I rather doubt any of them are looking for non-golfing, non-hunting, non-boating Buddhists with a penchant for taking in homeless cats and dogs. Although ... you never know. Pog ... I thought prices here in San Diego were whacked, but Dublin sounds whacked to the extreme!! (I bought my place about 12 years ago for $200,000, and it's just been appraised at $800,000. It's not quite 1300 sq ft with no yard, but on a park. The new place is three times that size -- after I do my add-ons, you have to really look hard to see the neighbors, and if it were here it would easily cost $2,000,000.) When we moved here in 1960, my mom's house cost $18,000 ... when she died 40 years later, we sold it for $250,000. Sheesh. $18,000 would barely get you a down payment on a cardboard box these days. It is nuts.