That was seven years ago. In the time since, the home has, fortunately, appreciated as we hoped it would. After a difficult year, things began to level out. The man across the canyon who complained about our pool filter turned out to be the real noise offender, spends summer days sanding his deck with an electric sander for hours on end. Also, he plays drums. Want to know how drums echo across a canyon? Come visit us!
But we’ve gotten used to the sanding, and the drums. We’ve also gotten used to the noise of airplanes. That sliver of a view of the bay also co mes with a view of airplanes landing in the distance. I remember our first night in the house, cuddling in the king-sized bed with our little boy, watching the airplanes come in. The sight of the airplanes was so exciting, it seemed to ease some of his anxiety about moving.
While the house has a long way to go, we still have that canyon view that sold me on the house the very first time I saw it. The view still does our hearts good, every single day.
When we moved in, we thought we would stay until our son graduated elementary school, and then maybe love back to the city. But my husband is still working in Palo Alto, and the city, much to my surprise, seems less appealing than it once did. For one thing, we have a community here, and our son’s friends are an important part of his life. We’ve gotten used to the peacefulness of our home. And yes, we’ve gotten used to the view. I’ve become extremely fond of my home office. To top it off, our foggy neighborhood in the Outer Richmond isn’t nearly as foggy anymore, thanks to global warming. Fog may sound like a strange selling point, but I actually love the smell and feel of the fog. Without it, the neighborhood feels less special, more bleak.
As of this writing, we’ve been living in and loving our canyon house for seven years. Our son has gone from Kindergarten in our wonderful, local public school to middle school. I’ve worked steadily along, writing and publishing. California has been through a major drought, which appears to be subsiding after the massive storms that swelled the creek at the bottom of our property and felled hundreds of trees in the Bay Area, including a massive one that fell in our side yard and lucky missed the house and any roaming children.
This house that once felt like a smart investment now feels like home. It is a work-in-progress. I don’t want to leave. On this blog, I’ll continue to chronicle our efforts to make it a little bit better, one paint chip at a time. I’ll be chronicling our continued efforts to improve upon a good thing. You’ll find posts on design, minimalism (a goal at which I constantly try and constantly fail), and Northern California living.