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June 30, 2006
Houseless, but not homeless
Today we closed on the sale of our house. The Walker-Stiles house was our home for six years, and a few years back we were able to get it declared a City of Austin historic landmark. But now a new family moves in.
We haven't lived in it since February, and we've got big adventures waiting for us in our new home in New Orleans, so I'm not as broken up about it as I thought I'd be, although I got a little choked up doing a last pass through last night making sure we hadn't left anything behind.
Liam was a pre-schooler and Cassidy was just starting first grade when we moved here. We've had many crawfish boils in the back yard. We've lost many a baseball down the storm drain on the corner. In the early summer, we could catch enough fireflies in the front yard that you could make a lantern jar like they do in Disney cartoons. We could skate on the pine floors in our socks. Liam once did a spectacular face plant in the dirt from the swing in the front yard that made lots of blood, but he came through it OK. When you'd yell up to call the kids for dinner, you could hear the thump-thump-thump of running down the stairs. And every once in a while you'd catch the kids out on the back porch roof where they'd climbed out from Cassidy's bedroom. We had a pair of cardinals make a nest in the corner bush every year. We had tons of pecan trees, but the squirrels always got all the pecans. And having pecan trees and live oaks meant it was raking season 9 months out of the year.
It was a great old house.
Life goes on.
Posted by ray at June 30, 2006 2:16 PM | Permalink
Categories: [austin | family | kids ]
Comments
Best of luck to you and your family, Ray. I'll keep you in my prayers.
Posted by: clint at June 30, 2006 5:56 PM
Stop making me sniffle, man. What a beautiful home to look back on - I still don't have one of those.
Posted by: Maitri at June 30, 2006 8:29 PM
Cool memories.
I've only had a house for 3 years and have yet to make babies. But I can't imagine leaving my home even just after 3 years.
Good luck!
Posted by: Quel at July 1, 2006 12:24 AM
One chapter ends, a new one begins. Here's to all the new memories you'll be making. And though it may be a bit in advance of your arrival, let me be the first to say, welcome home!
Posted by: Lisa at July 1, 2006 2:21 AM
A little purple, green, and gold in the heart of Austin. Be sure and show us your new house!!!
Robin
Posted by: Robin at July 1, 2006 11:42 PM
Congratulations on the closing, and wishes for all good things ib the road ahead.
Posted by: Black Morgan at July 2, 2006 4:29 PM
Congratulations on the closing, and wishes for all good things on the road ahead.
Posted by: Black Morgan at July 2, 2006 4:29 PM
Oops: a typo AND my name was an old joke from the other day. Beginning again:
Congratulations on the closing, and wishes for all good things ON the road ahead.
Posted by: Miss Syl at July 2, 2006 4:30 PM
HOUSELESS is not HOMELESS!!.............
I can relate to most experiences after 15 years of coping with economic imbalances. After being put out of business from new law changes, I have been opposing the economical trend that has resulted in our current conditions. At 60+, employment isn't plentiful and I live in a RV. If you can relate to some of the conditions that I have dealt since 1990, then you know how the very causes of our problems, handicap our ability to progress in improving or correcting those problems I.E. communicate reliably, make appointments punctually or at all, and proceed with follow-ups after diligent work seeking potential help etc.
The one thing in common, attention isn’t paid to us now that we are somehow less important. So, those who have still not yet fallen to the streets, vehicles and/or bushes need to speak up while they may still be listened to.
After the experiences of a lifetime, it occurred to me that the experiences of many others were mostly similar. The only variation or differences would be the cause, time, or location of the experiences one has had, not yet had, or about to have.
I have made one observation of most folks (who are still caught up with life’s more important busy-ness), to be both interesting and annoying at the same. While driving my RV, (sometimes not so fast due to bumps and turns although if I speed up it appears to wild), those who are annoyed at my being in their way (while they are on a mission from god) would be apparrent to be the same ones who complain of my presence at my being parked somewhere and “don’t like it”. A more appropriate description of these “stupid jerks” would be hypocrite, but I just consider the ignorance of those who just have not yet experienced the trends yet.
Posted by: John Doe Homeless at July 15, 2006 4:06 PM
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