PHOTO OPP

 

Having nothing special on our calendar for that Friday, we agreed to meet our REALTOR to check out a new listing.  A single wide Park Model with an Arizona room attached in the housing tract called North Ranch adjacent to the EscapeesRV Park,  just northeast of Wickenburg.  Having moved all of our doctors to that area - since we spend 3 to 4 months in AZ each winter, we had been looking for land to park on.  When we sold our California business and “hit the road”  in 2020 the COUGAR had become our HOME on wheels.  This listing was a heavy duty FIXER UPPER!   We decided quickly that we were too old for that and Tom had donated all of the appropriate tools to the Country Cowboy Yard Sale a couple of years ago!!

We thanked our REALTOR,  but decided to drive around the community and look for FOR SALE BY OWNER signs, including a lot where we could park in the winter.  I had called that owner several weeks before and we wanted to double check on THAT small lot with utilities and a covered patio.   I saw a lovely flower in a cactus garden and asked Tom to back up so I could take its photo.   The owner was outside and came to my truck window to chat.  Turns out the cactus flower usually lasts only one day – it was now on day THREE!    He mentioned that he was outside awaiting HIS REALTOR, who was coming to take the listing on the property.  I asked his price and it was quite a bit more than the lot we were going to go look at. 

However, he seemed lonely;  I assumed he was recently widowed the reason he was anxious to sell.   So I asked if we could see the property anyway… we bought the cactus and the rest of the cactus in the  garden, the 45 foot LONG cement drive, the lovingly landscaped (pavers galore!) area, the amazingly finished  shed with washer and drier, the 13 x 30 foot Park Model just four years old, and fully furnished with views of mountains in two directions and no neighbors at the rear of the property.  There is an arroyo with a very occasional lake in it, and the community cactus garden is just at the end of the block, lovingly cared for by volunteers!!    Oh, and he wasn’t a widower.  He was a Veteran anxious to return to Michigan, never been married.  He is now filling boxes with memorabilia from his many years commuting each winter to this part of Arizona.  He must have thanked us a DOZEN TIMES for taking this burden from his shoulders.   There are now 5 more buds on this particular cactus waiting to bloom for our enjoyment;  a 30 day escrow AND an adjust a bed for my recovery from my new knee on May first just add to the AMAZING transaction.   GOD SMILED on us big time, thanks to a photo opp.  We still plan on traveling in the Summer and Fall so look for us to find you on one of our LOOPS!!