Quail Cottage

Tomorrow morning we leave for our Cottage at Quail Ridge. A few of you have been the there.

Two and a half years ago we bought property in Ahwahnee, CA. It's an area (wide place in the road) between Oakhurst and Mariposa on Highway 49. We bought it primarily for the 4+ acres of long-view high Sierras, but have fallen in love with the little cottage that's on the property. It's only about 750 sq. ft., with a little, separate bedroom. It has a full kitchen and a wood burning stove, full of second hand furniture, and we've equipped it with a/c as well.

At first we thought we'd rent it for the occasional visitor, as we are 1 hour from the Yosemite Valley. But as time went on we realized we didn't want strangers staying in our little Quail. We have loaned it to a few friends, but it's really not for rent. We get over there about once a month. There's a large brick patio out the back door and in the summer we put up our canvas gazebo. It is "meat eater" (yellow jackets) country in the summer, so it's really necessary. Our outdoor firepit is a round table with a middle kettle where we build a fire.

As the evening comes down and we watch the orangy sunset over Deadwood, we have our cocktails on the patio. When it is completely dark you can see more stars, brighter than you can imagine, planets, constellations and sometimes comets. In winter you'll feel a cool breeze coming from the snow covered peaks many miles away.

Two years ago I bought the ajacent 4+ acre parcel with some money I inherited from my Mom. It has 2 rentals on it, plus a pond and fantastic views, as the land slopes downward. It would be an impossible task to count the number of trees on it, from all types of oaks to Manzanita to evergreens. We talk about building on it some day, perhaps a log type cabin. There are many deer paths. We'll see the mule deer, but they are rather shy.

Meanwhile, Patrick has to work until retirement age, a couple of more years. So we enjoy it as our 3 day getaway. It's a 4 hr 45 minute drive from Santa Barbara. We also have a dear friend, Marie Lane (she was our minister at our wedding) who lives in Oakhurst and we always get together while we' re there. If Patrick comes back early I move in with Marie for a while. It's always delightful to see her.

So I'll be back later in the week. Namaste.