davidd's A DOLL A DAY 2024

[Alliecat]

Seems like that's the first photo in ages that has shown any sign of "civilization" (?) nearby. But it's not real close, and wow, what a view.
I'm guessing this isn't the best season for outdoor staining!

[davidd]

Seems like that's the first photo in ages that has shown any sign of "civilization" (?) nearby.  But it's not real close, and wow, what a view.
I'm guessing this isn't the best season for outdoor staining!  

I try to frame most of my photos to make the area look more "pristine" than it is. A major highway (U.S. Highway 89, the "National Parks Highway") is on front (east) property line, so "quiet" it is not. A river parallels the highway, but it is all on private property as well as being on the opposite side of the highway, so it is not accessible. The valley is gradually being built up. There's a gated community (not really visible in the pic) in the hills where the highway disappears in the photo, where houses are now priced above a million bucks, usually $1.2-million to $1.4-million. When I moved here those houses were selling for around $400k, so the "asking price" has gone up by a cool million in eight or nine years. The same cannot be said for my house, because my house is not even a "real house" according to revised county codes.

I think staining season is winding down. There's rain in the forecast for Thursday, with the "s word" being a possibility (how often do you see a weather forecast that says "100% chance?) for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

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16 October - A Doll A Day 2024:

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I hope Janie is just browsing.

[Alliecat]

Well, either the crew broke something, or they think they deserve a new toy tool

Ah, that's too bad about the highway, and I know you've mentioned development before. The photos sure do make it look like a nice remote location. Just how the realtors do it -- framed so you don't see the neighbour's house too close.
Prices everywhere seem to have gone insane. I hear a lot about unaffordability in Canada too, and how so many people will just never be able to afford a house. Then I look at the BC real estate group with all the ridiculously priced property and there seem to be quite a few interested parties asking for more information. Are they just all mortgaging to the hilt or are they rolling in money? It's extremely frustrating to not be able to find something at a decent price.

[davidd]

Well, either the crew broke something, or they think they deserve a new toy tool 

The photos sure do make it look like a nice remote location.  Just how the realtors do it -- framed so you don't see the neighbour's house too close.

Prices everywhere seem to have gone insane.  I hear a lot about unaffordability in Canada too, and how so many people will just never be able to afford a house.  Then I look at the BC real estate group with all the ridiculously priced property and there seem to be quite a few interested parties asking for more information.  Are they just all mortgaging to the hilt or are they rolling in money?

Or Janie has an even bigger than usual project in mind for which the current tool arsenal is inadequate.

At least there are no immediately adjacent neighbors, other than the relative who purchased the adjoining lot and who started constructing the large yurt-like building with a metal roof that is now, of course, visible from here. Annoying thing is, he decided to abandon the project after getting the zoning changed to commercial, so now there's a half-finished building that I can see, and the property is now for sale with commercial zoning. The real estate listing waxes poetic about all the opportunity to build! Build! Build!

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7510-...6834_zpid/

I really wanna go burn the thing down.

I bought a lottery ticket because that's the only way I'll be able to afford to move.

There seem to be a few people with so much money they can't even spend it all, and then there are the rest of us. Of the houses I can see across the river, most of them showed no signs of life this past summer... which is fine by me. They are mostly part-time residents, and when they are using the houses they have all kinds of bright outdoor lights lit up. Because, y'know, hey, let's move to one of the last "dark sky" areas of the country and LIGHT IT THE EFF UP! Honest to gosh, I wanna buy a long-range rifle and shoot their lights out! This season I didn't have to fret about it, as there were probably only a dozen nights over the course of the summer where there were any signs of life or light.

Anyway, apparently a lot of people are able to buy second or third or more houses as investments or just as "something to do with all that money." And there are enough of those people that they can drive up the prices of anything interesting or decent.

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17 October - A Doll A Day 2024:

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"Wait a minnit! The weather was sunny and seventy degrees* yesterday!"

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* 70˚ F = 21˚ C

[Alliecat]

Oh, look at the pretty snow.
GAHH!  NOOOO!!!  I hate the thought of winter!!!  I don't wanna see snow!!!!! 
An even BIGGER project??  Going to build another house?  A survival bunker?  A boat?  An ark???

At least there are no immediately adjacent neighbors, other than the relative who purchased the adjoining lot...

Holy crap, HOW MUCH???
That's a million bucks+, $CAD.
Every time I see the phrase "endless possibilities" I want to strangle someone!!!!!  They ALL use it.  WTF, talk about something that sounds AI-written.  What's the market like?  Are things going fast or sitting for ages?
I had a little browse around.  It's weird seeing those subdivision plans overlaid on photos of wide open spaces.  But then, I've been scrolling past listings with a ton of lots delineated on woodland, which also looks like perpetual development.

>>I really wanna go burn the thing down.<<
Well I won't tell if you won't. >shrugs<
And I wish someone would shoot out the lights next door here.  It's like living next to a feckin strip mall.  I used to be able to stargaze right on my back porch.  Lights on around the clock.  I guess they're scared of the dark or something.  You'd think someone who's supposed to be a builder would have heard of these things called motion sensor lights. 

>>Anyway, apparently a lot of people are able to buy second or third or more houses as investments or just as "something to do with all that money."<<
Like the people who own the two houses right adjacent to the only house I've seen that I really, REALLY like... both being Airbnb party houses, plus they have another Airbnb in Ontario, and they must live somewhere, so, srsly, dude owns FOUR houses?? 

Well, I gotta go do my nightly frustrating fruitless scroll through new listings....  feh 

[fishy]

You've been yurted!

(Why would a person do this?)

[davidd]

What's the market like?  Are things going fast or sitting for ages?

And I wish someone would shoot out the lights next door here.  It's like living next to a feckin strip mall.  I used to be able to stargaze right on my back porch.  Lights on around the clock.  I guess they're scared of the dark or something.  

Mostly the market here is slow. The neighbor priced his place on the high end of plausible. He says he's in no hurry to sell at the moment. I eect he will grow restless after a month or two and start slashing the price.

Yeah, I do not understand moving to a "dark sky" area and lighting things up like an airport runway. People seem compelled to "leave their mark on the planet" by cutting down trees, lighting up the night, and paving over or building on every bare square of dirt. The reality is that there is no such thing as sustainable development. If you build on bare ground, the bare ground is gone.

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fishy

Why would somebody do this? Ego. The thrill of something new. But when the "something new" starts costing a lot more than ex-pected, the novelty wears off. When the somebody tends to be flighty to begin with, when the novelty wears off, interest drops from 100% to zero practically overnight. They shrug and walk away.

I wish I could afford to dabble in anything that catches my fancy and then move on to something else when I lose interest.

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18 October - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Janie disassembles a long-defunct ceiling fan

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Do you ever notice how junky your house looks in the background of photos, or is it just me who lives in squalor? Actually, I'm pretty sure it's just me. I often find myself feeling envious of the beautiful homes I glimpse in the backgrounds of online doll and toy photos.

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19 October - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Logic Problem

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Electrical wiring is usually a relatively straightforward logic problem. Of course, it's a logic problem in which even a minor miscalculation can have shocking consequences. It's a good thing Janie is a "Smart Doll."

[Alliecat]

Ah, man, I’d scavenge those fan blades from you if I lived nearby, to make dragonfly wall art out of.  I’ve seen some examples and it’s a project I want to do… It’s on the Someday When Life Is Different list.
Photo backgrounds? Ha! Don’t need that to show up my clutter. On the other hand, I’m not interested in having a house that looks sterile and impersonal, like on so many real estate photos. There’s a happy medium…
Janie looks genuinely perplexed about the electrical problem. That would be where I would call in a pro.

[davidd]

Ah, man, I’d scavenge those fan blades from you if I lived nearby, to make dragonfly wall art out of.  I’ve seen some examples and it’s a project I want to do….

Janie looks genuinely perplexed about the electrical problem. That would be where I would call in a pro.

Interesting idea for the fan blades. I did actually set them aside for I-don't-know-what-but-they're-too-good-to-throw-away.

As you know, the cost of "calling in a pro" can be prohibitive in rural areas, and the skill level of "pros" willing to work in remote or rural areas is often questionable.

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20 October - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Janie rewired the wall box to add switches to a "hot" circuit designed (aka "cobbled together") for

a janky remote control. She's replacing the broken ceiling fan with a light fixture for the kitchen.

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21 October - A Doll A Day 2024:

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"C'mon! We're burnin' daylight! Too much to do and not enough time!"

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22 October - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Triv and Janie take advantage of a warm windless day to disassemble

the canvas tipi tents to put in to winter storage.

[Alliecat]

Ever think of moving to a place where everything doesn’t need fixing…?
Well, at least your snow didn’t last.
Look up the dragonfly thing. Maybe that could be another fun project for you.

[davidd]

Ever think of moving to a place where everything doesn’t need fixing…? 

Look up the dragonfly thing. Maybe that could be another fun project for you.

Yes, I think about moving, pretty much all the time.

Another fun project! That sounds like... fun! (Yes, I will look that up.)

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23 October - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Ceiling fan to pendant light swap complete!

[Alliecat]

I dunno… She still looks a bit worried to me… Perhaps she is wondering what the next job will be.

[davidd]

24 October - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Crafting steps for the deck project

[Alliecat]

Wow, still hard at it! I'm impressed that you continue to take pictures of dolls while working... I would not get much done if I tried to do that. Plus mine aren't allowed near messy projects, so they will not be making any appearances in the shower-regrouting project.

[davidd]

Plus mine aren't allowed near messy projects, so they will not be making any appearances in the shower-regrouting project.

If you haven't realized it by now, you need a Smart Doll.

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25 October - A Doll A Day 2024:

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"Can you hurry? This thing's heavy!"

"Almost there! Can you lift that corner up a little higher?"