How it all started .......

"Once upon a time ......". "In the beginning".......

This first post will be a very long one - just to get everyone "up to speed".

About two years ago we decided to make a "move". We loved our condo and love our home "in the forest", but decided it was time to consolidate and move somewhere with less land and less upkeep.

An aside - You may remember that I followed an ambulance with Jeff inside when he and his ladder fell out of a tree. Mr. "I Can Do Everything Myself" was never going to hire someone to do the things he did, by himself, 20 years ago!

I (Sherry) wanted to move to the mountains, and Jeff felt that would be too isolated. The other consideration is how much he loves to fly. He has the best partner, Rob Henihan, two good planes (well, one good one, N4595X and one other, Starduster! Links to the "other" can be found to the right), and a wonderful, safe flying environment here at the coast. That made staying around here, and renting in the mountains the only choice. Originally we thought about building a house on our own. We saw a property we liked a lot, so we began going to "Open Houses" in the area to get ideas. Truly 'Over the river and through the woods' - everywhere from Leland, north and south. At some point we went to see a model house in Motts Landing. This development is just south of Monkey Junction (or Myrtle Grove if you want to sound like a visitor!).

We liked the model (below) and the area -

Here are our plans - most of the modifications are included -

it's close to the Cape Fear River, 15 minutes from the beach and about the same to our home on Blackbrook Lane. Everyone we met was very friendly, the price was right, etc., etc. The big question for us was if we wanted to be in a planned community - something we never expected to like. Motts had just opened an area called "Pamela's Place" in memory of the developer's wife, Pamela, who died young.

Our granddaughter, Lauren with Pamela's statue.

It's a wooded area and was very appealing. So the decision was made. (little did we know that good friends of ours from the beach, Barb & Denny Clouse, also bought a lot in the same area). After a lot of soul searching, walking through the woods, and debate, we decided to buy lot 172.

The closing was to be April 16th, 2013. On the 14th Jeff said we should go to the lot and plot out the house. Guess what? Oops! It didn't fit - well, it did but without any yard. The mix-up was because we wanted a bigger garage, and that wasn't figured in the plans. So instead of closing, we went lot looking again and decided on Lot 169. This time we had a winner!

So off we went for two months in Valdez armed with kitchen magazines, house design apps, rulers, graph paper, etc. determined to have the house all planned by the time we returned home.

***** If you're interested in our 2013 adventure in Valdez, on the right is a "Link It" heading with our trip blog link. If you want the abbreviated version, there is a link to that slide show below called Alaska 2013.

When we got back from Alaska, life took precedence over building a house. This Spring we put our dear Kure Beach condo on the market, sold it, and began the process? adventure? nightmare? (not really!) challenge of making a million and one decisions. Luckily Jeff is not only a frustrated architect, but also practical and knowledgeable about construction. He slaved and worried and designed and redesigned and then re-redesigned this house. He tracked my motions in the kitchen to be sure there was a place for everything and .... He then measured and remeasured and then re-remeasured 'just to be sure' it was perfect (including moving the kitchen island 6" after construction started - that he saw the mistake is amazing to me).

Brick choices, tile choices, floor choices, lighting choices, cabinet choices for style, color, etc., roof style choices, window placement, fireplace design, bathroom fixtures, etc. etc. etc. That's just for starters!

Then in July the builder staked out the house, and we marked the trees to be saved. Next came the lot clearing -

Then in August we had our second lot clearing - when we marked the trees the first time, we forgot to allow for getting out of the back of the house! Trees were literally up to the foundation. The poor puppies wouldn't have any yard!

Edgar Alan

Rosie Greer & Marcus Alan

So, the summer goes on. We visited Bren and the kids in Vermont, and then went on a short cruise to Grand Turks with Jeff's brother, Tom, and wife, Lorraine. We got home September 3rd and on the 4th ...... we have a slab! Hard to imagine being this excited about concrete! As you can see, Mr. Inspector is on the job!

September 4th

To bring you up to the present - the last photo is from tonight around 7 PM. The building crew works so hard and are so very nice. I think we make them a little crazy with all the photos - or maybe they don't quite know what to 'make" of us?? We're using homemade blueberry cakes, aka Bea's Blueberry Cake, and cold drinks to woo them!

September 5th

then came the rain and a few days off.

September 9th

September 10th

September 11th

September 12th

Look below - we have trusses - the roof kind! Odd to be excited about wood instead of concrete!

September 15th

September 16th

September 17th

Well, you're up to date. We're in the part of the process when things go quickly. I guess that by the end of the week we'll be 'closed in'. Please stay tuned for "The Construction Trials and Tribulations of Jeff & Sherry LaCroix"!

Huge Hugs,

**** As another aside - one of the things we love about this community is that we have been included in all of their parties, luncheons, homeowners meetings, etc. since the day we bought the lot. Everyone has been gracious and so sharing with the things they did wrong, did right and/or wish they'd done differently. We learned so much and will always be grateful for their willingness and eagerness to share their experiences. Also, I'm now part of the UkeLadies - 5 of us are taking ukelele lessons. It is a blast. Here we are and also a few photos of the community.

Sadly I had to exchange my gree ukelele for a regular one in concert size. My fingers with "Arthur-itis" need more space between frets. However, the green one looked great for the photo-op!