I did a mad dash to the Eastern Shore to find a place to rent for a while (as I’m hoping to build a new home in the area). I say “Mad” because I am discovering the 9-11hr drive takes a lot out of me and to do it as “extra” on top of a full day is crazy … I just hate wasting a day driving.

The first place I was shown was an old farm house on a working farm about 3 miles outside of a small bay-side town. It turns out the three children inherited the farm but all had long since grown up, move away, and started families of their own. They would come back to the farm for holidays and vacations. They had built a nice new vacation house on the property and the old farmhouse was kept as a rental. It was clean but minimal work was done to keep it updated. The interior had all white walls and dark, well aged wood floors. The kitchen had the absolute minimum - a refrigerator and a stove and a small bit of countertop in between - and definitely shown it age. The bathroom was much the same. Obviously, as someone who cooks a lot, I was a little disappointed … or perhaps I had my expectations too high (given I have spent a lot of my energy over the past year fixing up my own house to make it more appealing to prospective buyers). The price was $350 below my plan so that was a plus.

The second place I looked at was one of four brand new condos in an old brick shop-house located in a revitalized waterfront tourist town. I’m sure most people who have traveled to either coast of the USA has taken a day trip to one of these towns. They have interesting shops and restaurants, and cafes, and lots of character “painted on”. The condo had a beautiful kitchen with all the modern appliances, new hardwood floors and carpeted bedrooms. It even had two baths - simple, clean, and new. There was a small balcony overlooking the back street and there was a larger common deck on the roof. It sat right on one of the more revitalized streets in town and there was a sand dune and sea grass beach within walking distance. The price was right at my plan so I didn’t feel it was in any way a stretch to afford.

I will confess, I already knew about the condo (not that it was so new but that it was available and looked pretty good). The condo would be perfect for visiting tourist friends. It had a full second bedroom and bath; it was right downtown; there were lots of things to see; and restaurants and bars were all just a very short walk up or down the street.

The decision should have been obvious and easy. Given all of my talk about the second place, any good reader knows I chose the first place. Of course, the picture gives it away too <duh>. While the second place would be great for my visiting tourist friends, The first place is great for Zen’s friends and acceptable to their humans. The the old kitchen and one bath will be something to simply accept and the simple ‘no updates in 20 years’ interior will serve my needs, the “yard” for Zen was the hook ….

Related tangests ...   Zen by the numbers   Zen likes old airplanes too   Who is that masked mut ?!

Posted in Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore, Farm, Onancock, Zen |

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