The RE market here is frothy. Never seen the like. Things selling in hours with multiple offers. Just like you guys in CA.
My friend the RE broker said, "do it now. won't last. Interest rates going up. Californians will quit coming soon". So, we did. Two houses. Sold in 24 hrs. Have to give possession 7/1. They did sell for about 20% more than I thought they would ;D
Now what? Metal building/shop won't be done. Rental market in new town almost non-existant. Yikes! We have nowhere to live! Don't even have a PO box to forward mail. Time to get into high gear.
Roll of plastic, logs, boards, dirt, Mike Oehler's book = shelter Shelley.
;D
Could you rent a trailer and put it on our land? Keep us posted, Shelley.
Here is one solution:
http://www.carliving.com/
Here is another:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4549128873&category=50059&sspagename=WDVW
The RE market is hot up here as well. I have a lot for sale on a local golf course. Lot's of interest and every builder on the island is busy hammering away in the background.
Don't think they rent around here Glenn. Have thought of buying a used one, if we can buy it right.
Trouble is, used MHs seem to be like used condoms...who wants one? Don't want to acquire something that we can't get rid of. That's on our list of options, however.
NM has more MHs per capita than any other state. What a prize! I said to himself yesterday....pretty appealing...go to the mobile home store and order up a double wide. Instant house. Too ugly for me, but appealing none the less.
I could live in a Cabela's side wall outfitter tent....but it's getting to be summer...and I forgot to tell you we have to take my 87 year old mother with us. Can't leave her beside the road, can I?
She was never too hot on camping. Gotta have some plumbing and a few amenities.
Just got off the local newpaper web site. 3 rentals listed. Holy Moly.
Meanwhile, since we listed the houses 90 days b4 we thought we would....we're continuing to do the honey-dos that we think one should do b4 one sells a house....even tho they're sold. Top dressing the crusher fine, painting, staining, making sure that no faucets drip. Stupid, but that's the way we are.
Tomorrow, my job is to spread 9yds of crusher fine. Wish I had some of your big yellow, but I've only a shovel and a wheel barrow.
John, you're tooooo funny.
I could live in my car...well truck...two trucks. My dog might not like it. And, I am besotted with my dog. My first in 15 years.
And, to top it all off. We have purchased a new puppy from a gal in Tombstone. Ready to be picked up just about the time we arrive, homeless, in our new town. OMG ;D
Have owned just about all the different RV's that are out there....we now have an 89 Westfalia (Westy) VW Camper (2 burner stove, 3 way frig, sleeps 4)
....take a look at:
www.gowesty.com ask for Lucas...
www.roadhaus.com
They have my highest recommendation....they sell them and repair them...they only do the campers....take a look at their web site
Not cheap....but....right now they're hot....you could even make a few thousand....
Another idear:
http://www.cruiseamerica.com/ They rent and sell motorhomes....
Chuck,
Got a friend up in CO that loves her Westie. Comes down here to have it serviced. And, you're right, they are hot. If you buy them right and do a little work you can do all right.
Got to stash my momma somwhere. She's been very game about all this....one last great adventure. But, I can't ask too much :P
Shelley, John may have a point-- with a wireless laptop you could drive around back alleys getting free DSL off unprotected wireless systems, then you could still keep up giving us free advice on the CP forum. ;D
OK, OK,
I am moving to Deming, NM. Population 26K. I-10.
A dried up, ranch/farming town 30 miles from the border. Why?
We love Mexico. It's like living in Mexico with the signs in English. ;D
Bet you could do a survey. What is Wi-Fi? Bet you'd get <10% correct answers. So, I could cruise the alleys all I want and only get millitia men for company.
Shelley, Ive flown to Mexico 16 times - deep Mexico is great.
I got a ticket in Demming, trucking - gave a broken down immigrant student motorist a ride - he wasn't an authorized passenger in my Peterbilt according to the officials although they let him continue on with me- as long as they got their money.
I got held up at the scale house at Shiprock, NM by an unscrupulous weigh station official. He said I was one bag of onions overweight. I didn't get it right away so he said he was just kidding then asked for my papers and wrote me a 50 dollar ticket.
Funny how similar NM is to Mexico.
I was abducted by aliens in Roswell........................ ???
Travel trailers are good, IMHO. All the comforts of home including AC (AirCon for those in parts of the country) that needs mains electricity, three-burner stove, dual fuel refrigerator, small water heater, full (sink, shower and tiny tubette, airline-style toilet) bath, and generally a serious propane- and electricity- gobbling furnace (a tiny Vornado electric job works for me). Bath might even be usable if you are parked so it's downhill to the septic tank inlet. And there's water you can run at pressure to the trailer or fill the tank with a hose. Emptying the graywater tank by hand is awful. Especially if you wait until it turns into evil-smelling blackwater.
Prices range all over the place. From "Get it out of my yard" to "It's in perfect shape, all it needs is a ____." (those may always be way overpriced). But I'd think you'd need at least 27 feet--which in the case of the slightly larger version of mine, gives you a set of bunk beds that live in relative privacy. Otherwise, for someone who is not going to share the--short--queen bed, you get to do non-starters like take the top of the dinette table off, remove the pedestal and stow it, lower the top to the level of the seats, and then rearrange the cushions to make a semi-honest-to-gosh bed.
Acquaintances on another list are "storing" some friends' travel trailer for them. I.E., not anywhere near their friends' lot, but up near their house site in Colorado. (In an RV park--with running water, mains electricity, WI-FI and a handful of other people building in the area).
Shelly--Speaking as an ex- real estate agent, the rental market usually opens up a bit in July, if you have that long to wait. People who are going to be moving are waiting for school to be out in June so this time of the year not much selection. However, here in Calif I counted 18 places for rent in my little town.
Landlords fix up and usually have the place ready around 10th of the Month. Try to land something permanent before August; that is the busiest month of the year as people are trying to get settled for the coming school year.
Every locale has at least one rental management company. Contact them; they will know what is coming up. Also, real estate companies.
Actually, your dogs may be the biggest problem to overcome. Our area has a lot of rentals, but most don't want to take pets.
Good luck.
Know what Glenn? We were in Portugal. Driving down the road. Someone had painted on the back side of an official road sign. Other side of the road, easy to see from our direction.
The typical Roswell alien picture. Underneath, it just said, "Roswell NM". SweartoGawd.
Spread my 9 yds today and yesterday.
Talked to the well driller this evening. Punched the well. Hasn't tested it yet, but guesses that it's producing 30 gpm. Yeah! Himself witched it. And, NM hasn't yet restricted pump size on residential wells. This is good. Water at 202'. Went down to 350' in case the farmers draw it down.
Still have no place to live. 60's (real wood, not formica) Airstream in Abq paper today. 20'. All original. Hmmmm.
My yard is so beautiful. Everything's in bloom. Worked like a dog getting it ready to show. I'm congratulating myself, neighbor is admiring me, then the wind comes up. Thunderstorm.
Roswell's pretty famous.
Glad to hear your well looks good Shelley. That really beats my 1 gallon per minute-- but there are a lot of minutes in a day.
Airstreams are a) collecter's items. b) require some maintenance (seam sealing every year or so), from what I've read.
Keep that in mind--both for purchase price and for eventual resale.
Here you go--they look right wonderful!
http://www.shelter-systems.com/
Never heard of them before, but thanks to the new, mentioned by John, google catalog lists, I found this page.
And besides some of their designs were used in a Star Wars flick.
And if that wasn't silly enough (although some of their products look semi-wonderful--thinking about greenhouses and grow-tunnels) there's this one.
Even less expensive. More than suitable for a tool shed. or something. But I'd hate to try to live in the little one.
http://www.aidomes.com/foam_dome_homes.htm
Right. Can't stick my 87 year old mother in a tent Amanda. Ripstop=nylon to me. Also not going to stick her in an apartment by herself in a strange town. Not fair.
Called the two RE companies that do property mgmt. Looking grim. Told them what I was looking for and they laughed. Told them I was willing to compromise, but what little they have is way off from my dream rental. Figure I need to run down there next few days, establish a relationship, and tell them about my dog after I've made friends of them ::)
Talked to the metal building guy. His timeframe is very close to our arrival....but all we'll have is a shell with roughed-in plumbing.
Problem I having is preparing to move. Do I need furniture? How much? Do I need to be able to get at winter clothes? Do I store here or there? If there, no moving company wearhouse. Will have to get u-store-it units. Who moves it to the property? No moving companies there. Football team? Can't store tools here, need tools. Which tools? Do I let some 18" necked kids move my grandfather clock? Arrrgh. If I had a place to move to, I could make all those decisions. Right now, I'm paralyzed.
Back on the phone tmo....right after my gum surgery. :-[
Here's my story. I'm no stranger to everything has to be done before anything can be done.
I thought I was still a couple of years away from retirement when I bought the first parcel of land down here, got a travel trailer--not on the land here--had a septic tank and a driveway put in.
I was laid off and likely to be for a while, though.
Then I got burned out of my house. After a bit of tearing out my hair, somebody took me by the ear and we put my dogs into an expensive but wonderful kennel (they calmed my over-the-top guy down to more-or-less manageable proportions, partly because he reminds them of their huskies) I had a pet-sitting sevice feeding the by now all outside cats.
Moved down here to the motel in tpwn. (inexpensive as such things go--well under $200 a week but the insurance company paid it for a while) built a dog pen and a tiny storage building from a kit. Found out how much land I had to clear for electricity. Then had the trailer moved, moved me, the dogs, and the cats in. Felt stymied--did a little land clearing, but I am NOT COMPETENT to take down a three-feet-in-diameter hollow beech tree right next to the road. The local crew didn't return calls. I think I had already gotten the phone in before someone told me about a crew in the next county that was both good and looking for work. They were drinking my spring water, so I started to. Read the Humanure Handbook, thought I can do this!
Then electricity--connection to the Internet! (which I must say has probably slowed the building process down a bit!)
I've got a barn--mostly--built at the bottom of the hill, with some water harvesting so I can shower and wash clothes--in the summer. (there's a community center not too far away with showers!)
Bought another six acres up the hill, so I can get a driveway either into that bit, or even to the back of the original property (the alternative was a forty foot bridge!). If that company ever returns my calls. They're the people who put the driveway here in, do pretty good work.
I'm thinking right now that I'd like to have my own year-round bath and more room enough, and I could build one of John's houses with minimal help. No electricity, though, keep the trailer, or even the room in the barn, for internet access
Already have the house site and the septic tank marked in the large field where I can actually see a neighbor's house. But I want a lot out of it, can't just throw together a plan, I have been trying.
Don't know if this will help the stress. You might have to have somebody take you by the ear and tell you what you need to do next.
(probably not me, although I think that a single-wide trailer is usually easier to get rid of than a double-wide. Used ones can be really very inexpensive, moved and set up.)
If we were to buy a trailer, would be a single wide.
Can buy them more right. Did discover a law recently...don't know if county or state. Trailer over N years, can't be moved.
Talked to a friend about it. He lived in a SW for 2 years, on the site, while he built. Bought it right, still had a terrible time getting rid of it. Finally just about gave it away. We could find someone in his position if we had more time. Would have to dispose of it. Not our thing. Bought 80 acres in order not to see any MHs in the distance.
Travel trailers don't bother us. Probably the reduced size. Called about the Airstream. Still for sale about 160 miles South. On the way to Deming. Thinking about getting it if it looks good, is fixable, and using it for something. More guest quarters. Sun shade, patio. Fix it up like that place in Bisbee AZ. Who knows.
However, Have my choice of not one, but two, count-um, two houses. Both on an acre. Dogs not a problem. Neither has a garage. One is fenced, one is not. Have pics of one, will get pics of the other tmo. One I haven't seen is older, but 33% larger. Will have to see how old is old. Sent her a check to hold one of them.
So we sat down today and did what you suggest.
Decided every time the movers touch the stuff it's more $$. So the movers will move to Deming where we will rent some # of storage units. When the time comes, we'll move the small stuff ourselves and then get real movers from Las Cruces to move the heavy/tricky stuff. It's a plan. Too bad we have to go to a storage unit every time we want a tool or a MC...but it's a plan. Soon as the shop is finished and alarmed we can move the every day stuff there.
Living space secured. 2000 sf. Old farm house. Even big trees. About 1 mile from the property. No garage, no fence. We'll deal with that.
Realtor said the carpet was "pretty ratty". She suggested that they replace it. I hate carpet. Haven't had it in decades. What's under the ratty carpet? says I. Hardwood in rough shape, says she.
How 'bout this? Have the owners remove the carpet. I'd rather have rough HW. "Deal", she said. Moving along.
Had the whole house inspection done on our current house today. A+. Nothing to fix. Whew.
That's great Shelley -now I don't have to worry about you finding a place to stay, :)
Shelley: Sounds good!
Glad you didn't take my advice ;)
Go desert girl - and keep us posted.
Great!
Much more comfortable. Hope you're not like me and maybe too comfortable.
Around here I could probably scrape up a handful of people with a high-cube truck to help move, plenty of odd-jobs people around.
(if you enlist friends and a U-Haul don't break out the beer until it's unloaded.)
Just got back from a 3-day trip to scope things out.
Rental house was a little seedier than the pics.
"It will be clean, won't it?". Realtor says, "We're hoping for that".
"Better be a big ass cooler," says I. (evaporative)
Like a sweat box. House is block and I imagine uninsulated.
Then there was the "tank"....a pond that a lot of farmers pump the well water into and then irrigate from. Kinda still and stagnant. I'm thinking mosquitos. Himself is talking West Nile just to get the realtor's attention.
But, it's huge. 5 big bedrooms that can be crammed with all kinds of boxes. Think that all our furniture can be stuffed here....including the 50s, Ranch Oak kitchen set that I just bought from the surveyor's wife for who-knows-what-reason.
Mosquito control.
Choices on "the tank" include BT--sold as "dunks" to put in the pond. They seem to be still working here.
A fountain (solar might do if the pond was teensy) to keep the surface moving--mosquitoes like still water.
and of course the impossible one--window screen the whole silly thing ;) Which reminds me I've got to figure out how to screen the rainwater tank(s). ?Got one on the overflow, but not into the washer--don't think I need it there--or the tank--badly needed.
(if you've got animals--or hate removing drowned wild critters--make sure that there is a ramp out of the pond)
Thought of getting fish...need to check it out a little more. Also thought of the fountain thing.....Would hate to drain it if it can be pleasant.
Have to do something, tho. It's about 30' off the back side of the house.
What's BT Amanda?
Goldfish or Koi are great larvae eaters:
http://www.mosquitoes.org/Fishpond.html
BT: http://www.biconet.com/biocontrol/bti.html
Some call them mosquito donuts.
You're right, Daddymem--on both counts.
You could order this from those guys, but the dunks and bits are available a lot of places--I think mine came from one of the big box stores. Looks like you go by square feet for small ponds. Maybe not ideal for the dog water, but mine drink it.
from the same link he found--
Bacillus thuringiensis israeliensis
"Bt israeliensis is highly effective against mosquito larvae and black fly larvae. Bti comes in two forms: granular (Aquabac) and solid dunks. Both can be used wherever mosquitoes breed: the periphery of ponds, lakes, flooded orchards, ditches, pastures, sewage or animal waste lagoons, roof gutters, run-off areas, and so on.
The granular Bti should be broadcast at 2.5-10lbs/acre, every 7-14 days, depending on the organic properties of the water: black, murky water needs more than clear water. 10-20lbs/acre every 7-14 days may be needed to control 3rd & 4th instar larvae in highly organic waters.
The dunks kill mosquitoes for 30 days or longer when placed in standing water outdoors. As the dunks dissolve, the Bti settles in the water where it is eaten by mosquito larvae. Dunks can be anchored with string to prevent them from being washed away. Alternate drying and wetting does not reduce their effectiveness. Use 1 dunk/100 sq. ft. of infested water."
Unfortunately there already has been some insect resistance to this, because one of the BT strains is what they are putting in GM crops--probably including soybeans. Might not affect mosquitoes, though, and maybe not in your area. We all had once thought that pests could not get resistance to natural organisms like BT. Sorry.
I use a plastic hand pump garden sprayer for some mosquito control. Fill with about 30% solution of Clorox. Do a little spraying after each rainy spell. A few days of UV exposure and the bleach is gone ... so are the mosquitos.
So. daddymem and Amanda, you guys are dunkin' donuts for mosquitoes ???
I tried them and this is all I caught.
(http://poetry.rotten.com/donutland/donutland.jpg)
Mmmmmm Dunkin' Donuts Mocha Latte...........
So Shelley, how's progress. Hate to think you're taking it easy down there in NM. ;D
Didn't want to bore y'all....but since you asked....
Costing me $150 bucks to get my rental house cleaned to my standards.
Mosquitos don't seem to be a problem. Pond full of bullfrogs, swallows all over the place. Local bug guy says that he can get me BTI if I need it. Also two giant owls which seem to call the cottonwoods around the pond home.
Water in the rental is interesting. Comes from the well into a cistern. Doesn't seem to be a pressure tank in sight. Cistern must be filled. Himself was down there this week ferrying cars and motorcycles. Talked to the owner. "Better tell me how to do this". Oh, I'll be by twice a week to fill the cistern. 'Scuse me, what if your schedule doesn't fit our water usage?
There are cetain words and phrases that are always used in the same fashion. One of these phrases is "living in squalor". I always wondered where squalor was. Think I now know.
Let's see. Pad for the workshop complete. Well in. No pump. Temp. power pole set. Too far from the transformer. Ele company refuses to hook up.
Electrician needs to move. Truck down. arrrrggghhh. Driveway in. Lots of road base. Much sand.
After walking around the pad for the workshop/garage came up with the logical location for the house. A nice level patch that presented itself after we got a 3D notion of exactly where the shop will be. Less dirt work.
Have to alter what we had in our minds. Need to rotate the house a little. Changes views and solar.
Need to move some rooms around....which delays my input to the draftswoman.
Thinking of setting up a blog when I get settled. So my friends in far flung places can check on our last great adventure.
And, BTW, contracted for a puppy long before we decided to move. Be ready to be picked up about 7/15. May just stick my head in the oven.
On a brighter note....I have real honest-to-gawd trees. Hundreds of them. Some 20' tall with only what comes out of the sky....about 7"/yr. Western Soapberry. Books say that they make a decent shade tree with water. Will be selecting specimens to irrigate.
And, the Soaptree Yuccas were blooming yesterday. 10' spikes of creamy flowers.
Aren't you sorry that you asked? ;D
Not really - always interested in keeping up with your project-- and finding out how you're doing. ;D
Pictures? Your description reminds me of what one might see in the movies....waiting for the local sheriff to pull up and give the out of towners a hard time ;D
Hey y'all. Pretty hellish two weeks down here. I hate movers. My quilt rack wound up in the shipping container with the garage stuff. How'd that happen? All my gardening stuff got left behind. My old neighbor has it. Many other little examples too boring to mention.
Hot all over the SW. Denver hitting the 90s. Around 100 here in the daytime, 60-65 at night. This antique house is sooo bad. Built wrong from the start. Doesn't even look clean when it is. Amanda...don't worry about me getting too comfortable. Only good thing is the evaporative cooler. Mongo. Mounted on the ground with the ducts in the floor. Have to turn it off when the sun goes down. Second great thing. Well water is great.
First morning the tarantula on the screened porch scared me to death. By the third day, I greeted the day and the porch with a whisk broom and a dust pan. Amazing how quickly one gets used to things.
No mosquitos in the pond out back. Worried for nothing. Lots of frogs, swallows and fish. Evidently that takes care of them.
Let's see. We have the pair of Great Horned Owls. Great Blue Heron, dozen or so ducks, swallows, birds I can't identify, rabbits (cotton and jack), hundreds of Gambel Quail, coyotes and gawdknowswhatelse. I can see the Milky Way from the front yard. Not bad for the desert.
Shop construction going slowly. Have to just relax. Since we're not doing it, gives us a chance to get organized around here. Pretty soon, just us two. Enjoy it while we can. Guy in Pecos wants to make "Carpe Manana" the state motto.
Went to our little border town yesterday for coffee beans ($7/kilo) and milk. My husband's a milk snob...says it's wonderful.
Gonna use John's plans for the well house/potting shed thingie. Trying to position that without replumbing too much. Trying to stay at <200 sf to avoid permit. So far a bunch of "we could" without a firm decision. It's going to be quite visable. The house will be beyond it so it will present itself when someone drives up. Trying to make it attractive as well as utilitarian.
Bueno Bye! New Mexico talk. ;D-
Hola, Shelly. Mucho tiempo, no escucha. Terrible Spanish, eh ???
Nice to see you're making some progress even if not as fast as you'd like.
Shelly; Have a care with those ducks. Ducks are Known Lacivious Characters! ;)
Oh, I thought that was only to Stephanie Plum's Cousin Vinnie (in Janet Evanovich's series).
What did Vinnie do with that damn duck anyway? ???
Have given her up for Joanna Brady....since we're right next door to Cochise County. ;)
durned if I know what Vinnie did.
I've always liked J.A. Jance's series.
I actually thought that I'd set up a blog. Hah! Too much verbage with not enuf pics.
I did, however, manage to put a few pics on yahoo!
If you like, you can take a look.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sbperki/album?.dir=/22f0&.src=ph
Looks like progress - shops going up - thats the most important, eh Shelley. ;D
OK, OK, OK.
Temps cooling down. We've just caught the 3rd mouse since 5pm. The front porch seems to be their hang-out.
I'm not a fan of cats.
Nice shop!
Got a few more pics. For those of you who like the desert and steel siding.
Movin' slow down here. Spent last weekend learning PEX for RIH. Spent this weekend trying to find windows that were reasonable, tasteful and local. Not an easy combo.
Take a look here: You have to look at my dogs too. Sorry.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sbperki/album?.dir=d8a9&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos
Who needs a house when you have a nice shop like that, Shelly :question
Shelley:
Great to see the "homestead" photos. At least your in the desert at the right season! Every week that goes by will make you look smarter ;). You probably have until ?May? before the heat kicks up again? (What do I know - up here in the NW the sun went away 6 wks ago.)
Shelley, That is an amazing shop!
Is it going to be used for business or pleasure?
Actually, the house will be quite small. Just a little over 1400sf. And, part of the shop will have guest quarters. All that plumbing you see is in the dividing wall. The South windows will be in the living part. The ceilings will be at around 9'. That'll give us a loft accessible from the shop for stuff.
That still gives himself the equivilant of an 8 car garage. Heated, bathroom, TV, computer, barc-o-lounger, futon for naps, a refer. The "man cave". He always dreamed of it. Time to have it. No business, Jimmy. Just lots of interests and the stuff to do it with. And tools. Lots of tools.
I'll save the story about the house for later...after it's up a little and I have pics. We switched gears on a whim. In fact, was because of someone here. Who was that? She was bemoaning the lack of comtemporary design in small houses. She found a plan on one of the E plan sites. Amanda posted it for her. Remember, Amanda? Enough hints.
Think you're right on John. May should start to warm up. But, we're not like Phoenix/Tucson. We're 4300'. Barable in the summer. Just my luck it'll be time to landscape. Doubt it tho. We're moving very slowly.
Nice shop.
Nice dogs too.
Some of us have been looking at house plan books since the sixties.
This discussion sure makes me feel better. We may well be in a similar situation. Own a small owner built home from 1941. We're buying 3 acres in the deep dark woods in the Cascades from an old friend. We'll share his water system and can set up an internet cafe in his shed as we're not going to be putting in electricity any time soon. But we will have to build something to live in. We have a small travel trailer we can use or buy from his son. (And by the way, spent 8 years living in a 21' Airstream. Love it. Went through high winds on the CA coast and 2 winters in Spokane, WA.)
The original plan was to put the house up for sale in January and move out to the place as soon as we get it sold. We can use the sheds on our friend's place for storage. We can definitely pull something together. We are basically trying to find someone to pay us what we put in for a down payment originally and assume the loan. And I've already had a couple of folks interested, even though I haven't talked to the real estate agent yet. It's nice to know that you can live through things like this, even though you don't have a clue how it will all turn out.
Just like all the BIG decisions in life (mate, career, where to live) - you do your homework, but ultimately you have to unplug the rational brain and take a leap of faith. :o Knowing this doesn't make it any less scary though.
Great pictures, we've always said we need a little living space and a LOT of project space.
Are you south of Deming? As you know in the SW all roads lead to Deming and we've been through there many times. My brother owns 2 lots in the Sunshine Valley Ranchettes(?) via my parents. One of those no money down, $50/month, buy sight unseen real estate deals from the 60s or 70s.
Was your Las Cruces dinner at La Posta?
Judy
Judy,
Sorry it's taken so long. We were up in Abq for 5 days.
We're in the SW quadrant of town. 7 miles South on the Columbus Rd, then 1 mile West. Agree about the living space. Don't need so much, but we still need space for projects, tools and stuff.
And, yes, I believe that we did eat at La Posta that day. Had some friends in from CO and were doing the Mesilla thing.
And, John's right about unplugging the rational side of the brain. This was really hard for me, unlike the various moves we made when we were younger. They were easy.