I really do. I wish more of it was making it to my computer.

The weather has really changed suddenly and we had our first hard freeze last night. The leaves are starting to change but they still have a long way to go. It's funny, I thought they'd be peaking about now.

Steve came home from work early yesterday (Pirate's Day he called it) and we went for a walk on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. It's an old railroad bed that has been converted into a path. It is close to the house we are trying to buy so I took some pictures. Even though we signed the contract, I can't bring myself to say "the house we are buying". The sellers haven't signed the contract yet and we put a stipulation in it at the last minute that they have to remove the underground oil tank that has been there for over 30 years. The way we worked it out, it won't ultimately cost them a cent, but if it has leaked, we want it to be in their hands and not ours - so it needs to be done before we buy the house.

Here is the front door and here is the whole house. I know, it's huge. It is a two-family house. The secondary living space (on the right) is an antique store right now and we have a zillion ideas about what to do with it. It could be a commercial space or a two 1/2 bedroom apartment. It is going to have to generate income somehow for us to be able to afford the house. It's right on the road to Great Barrington in Hillsdale. The road is busy, but not fast - the house is near an intersection and the speed limit is 40mph. We could walk to the post office, hardware store, grocery store, playground, baseball field and tattoo parlor! I feel like we've let go of the dream of living on acres of land (for now) but the advantages of being right in town make it seem worthwhile (for now). There is an old post and beam barn (the house dates from 1850s we are told) behind the house that Steve hopes to convert into music studio and woodshop. There is one acre of land that needs some work, but it seems very manageable. I have been planning gardens and outdoor rooms in my head. I want to build an earthen oven, among other things.

We are going to have to paint it and re-roof it right away. Any ideas about a color scheme are appreciated. Right now, the roof is green, and the house is light brown with white trim.

And now, as per Living Nappy's request, I leave you with some local color. This billboard is on the way to the barn from the Taconic Parkway on Route 23. Here's a closer view. It has a trademark symbol and reads at the bottom, "The Arthur Levinson Foundation for Art". The billboard is owned by ClearChannel Communications, which I find amusing. I used to think that it was a pleading message, and for a while it had graffiti on it that said, "leave me alone" which I interpreted as God's voice. But then I thought maybe it is a command, like, make God happy.