Rudy vacuuming the heating vents; Rudy sanding a door out on the old deck; Margaret, Rudy's daughter, Lydia and Krista Kaufmann, on the roof. Margaret organizes her room. Her carpet is pink and gray and purple. Rudy on the ladder; the railing is the extent of the original deck. Before we could get our mortgage, we had to take care of peeling paint on the exterior of the house. AS IF we were going to keep the house painted RED! Lydia & Margaret in a shed on the property, which they immediately claimed as their clubhouse. More chipped paint on the back of the house; kitchen window above me; dining room window to my left. Master bedroom, before & after Neal & Rudy on the roof, which we replaced ourselves the next summer. Saunnie & Andréa Polk Bros. laying new carpet. Kitchen, hallway, living room. The outside, with deck & garden shed (NOT the Clubhouse shed). Yes, this house came complete with pool; steel-sided pool, no less. However, George (builder/owner) had gotten into a tiff with the neighbors, banned them from his pool, tore out the plastic lining, and let trees grow through it. We found an entire cow carcass therein, as well as a LOT of charcoal briquettes; must've been the dumping spot after his cooking. We cleaned out the lining, then pulled down the sides of the pool. At this time, you could still put anything you wanted in the garbage, so there was LOTS of junk and construction materials awaing our collectors. Steel pool sides, lathe, plaster, wood . . . you name it, we tossed it out. We liked the wooded look, which hid the neighbors's houses from us in summer, and we really did not want to fill in this area (the pool was made deeper by having the dirt cleared away), so after cleaning it out, we left the trees and called it "The Grove" We had a lot of birds come to our yard, most likely because of all the trees; also raccoons, skunks, 'possums and other wildlife. Four years later, we installed all new Andersen crankout windows, as well as sliding doors and French doors. We then had the house entirely vinyl sided, and we redid much of the inside (wallpaper, paint, etc.). (This and all subsequent renovations/remodeling was done whilst living in the houses.) Fencing and decks were replaced in the ensuing years. In 2004, after our wedding, we had landscaping done, which can be seen HERE In 2011, we remodeled again, which can be seen HERE; at this time, we switched living room and dining room. In 2014, we bought Neal's brother's house in Florida. In 2015, we came to Florida to see the house and "just stay for a few months" I never went back . . . I had the house remodeled, which can be seen HERE. In 2017, we purchased our Forever House, which, no surprise, we remodeled, including taking down a wall (of course). I have taken hundreds of pictures of the process, but have not made a website. Someday . . . Thirty-one years in what was going to be our "starter house"; many good memories, good times, some sadnesses. Now, however, it's time for a new family to put its mark on this house and build its own memories (and shovel the snow, and rake the leaves).

INTRODUCING MISHA (@RB), APRIL (@RB), CARI (@RB), RICOBADBOY,
ROSIEVI THE SHY (@RB), DAISY2LEGS, LUUCEEE YOU GOT SOME 'SPLAININ' TO DO (@RB),
CHRISSI-ONE-EYE (@RB), HEATHER, SERVICE DOG SWEETEA, BUDDY (@RB),
ZOE FROM SARASOTA (@RB), PANHANDLE BONNY & EMMIE IN FLORIDA

Remember to bring along your virtual pooper-scooper!