A Wild Hair and a Love Affair

It was that fateful visit to Pymatuning July 4th weekend (read it here) that started the whole thing. A nostalgic return to The Kid's childhood, to the roots which sprouted 5o years ago along the banks of this western Pennsylvania lake. It began as an innocent comment about how nice it would be to spend the summer here. A few days later we found ourselves driving aimlessly along the narrow roads that line Pymatuning's perimeter. Just looking we said...a wild hair like so many others we have had over the years. A thought that buds and then sits fruitless on the vine, only to wither and die of neglect.

But this one wouldn't die. We found ourselves walking into a Real Estate office, to pick-up a map we said, and maybe ask a question or two about a couple of cottages for sale that we had noted on our ride around. "If you like that white one" she said, "you really ought to check out this little red one." We did. It was then that the wild hair became a love affair.

We had noticed the for sale sign at the beginning of the narrow lane. Perhaps it was the no trespassing sign that had turned us back the first time. But now we had permission. We crept along the gravel drive, through the woods thinking that this was no place we would want to live. And then we reached the clearing and there it was... the little red cottage.

It was as if it had been waiting for us for the past 5o years. We walked around the outside, peeked through the windows, drank in the view of the lake. We wanted to see more...but we were scheduled to leave in the morning. After a brief conference we made arrangements to view the propery and one other at 8 AM the following day. The other one was nice, but the red one had charm.

We climbed into the beast and began the long journey south. But the little red cottage beckoned. About 8 hours into the drive the Kid turned to me and said, "you have to go back." He needed to return to Florida for a business meeting, I did not. We enjoyed our visit with Chris in Nashville and Kay & David in Alabama. And then I went back to Pennsylvania.

I'll not bore you with details but I will tell you that we made an offer and the offer was accepted. There is still a long way to go before the little red cottage on the lake is ours. There are i's to dot and t's to cross but we are hopeful.

We begin our trek south again on Thursday. There will be time with the grandkids and a week with old friends on Hilton Head. But I'm pretty certain the little red cottage will be ever present in our thoughts as we await word that she is ours. And then, and then,

I'll be a damn snow bird.