It's not a Craftsman, but it's cool!

We nabbed a great one-year rental last week, up behind Southern Oregon University (SOU). It's owned by an artist who did the remodel herself, and it was written up in the paper. Go here if you want to check it out: http://www.aliciamannix.com/mailtrib1-05.pdf

Two days after we put down our deposit, the owner/artist asked if we'd like her to leave much of it furnished, which is wonderful and hilarious since just the day before I'd written a huge list of stuff we'd have to buy to furnish the place. Things like extra couch, area rugs, coffee table, guest bed, kitchen table, etc., etc., can now be scratched off my list, and can save us some big bucks for a while.

We also told her (only half-jokingly) we'd be happy to display some of her art that admiring guests might want to buy -- we have no large wall hangings and this house looks good with a few of them -- and she said sure! I hope we get to choose which pieces to display.

Other than loving the house itself, it's in a sweet location: within walking distance to the kids' new school, Walker Elementary, and a grocery store. It's also within biking distance to the Y, where we'll probably get a family membership in August.

While in Ashland last week, at the tail-end of our three-week road trip, the kids attended YMCA Super Soakers camp with their cousins. They loved it. They got to bring squirt guns, go to sprinkler parks and water slides and swimming pools, and do silly camp games. To top it off, they got to come home every afternoon and swim in their cousins' pool.

We're back in Marin City now, but we're looking forward to heading up there again. The only catch is that we move out of the apartment on August 1st, we can't move in to the new place until August 15th, and Mick has new job training for two weeks in Eugene somewhere in there. It should be interesting... Kai and Dana might have a guest house available by then, but whatever the case, with some fancy footwork, I'm sure it'll all work out.

P.S. The house has a great yard with a lawn and trees and low-maintenance landscaping. There's a chance she'll sell the jacuzzi before we move in, but we're still crossing our fingers.