First Day in the House

Well, the first days in the house have been interesting. Move-in Day was long and dramatic, with a hustle at the last minute to get all the boxes off the truck before the staff went into overtime. Then came the collapse and the glass of wine and the deep breath. Those who have moved know that it takes a lot of work. My mother was here, bless her soul, to help with cooking and childcare while Bret and I pushed boxes around. There is a short punch list that will get looked at this week but the house is beautiful. My favorite room in the house is the front porch, or the cool space as Stonehaus calls it.

I also can't wait to make the yard my own. I have a preliminary plan that I carry around in my head, one bigger than the design handed into Stonehaus for preliminary approval. I am just back from New England where I visited the gardens of Dave Jacke permaculture assistant George Leoniak. (George is also an extremely gifted and hardworking animal tracker. We have a tentative plan to have him come to the area next spring to help me launch the Charlottesville Area Tracking Society). More on the yard and its design in a separate blog. The sod is necessary and we are all afraid it will die in the August heat, so we are watering and nursing it like it was a newborn calf.

Then Channel 29 came to do the interview for the news. That was fun! Thank you so much Christina Mora for the story on Belvedere. So many people want to know, How is it? It is wonderful to be "at home," and be able to start the process of making this house my space. The construction noise is not loud and the crews are friendly. When I look around Belvedere, I see the finished place in my mind's eye. I don't dwell on what it isn't, I groove on what it is going to be. Now that I am in my house, I know that different levels of settling are going to occur, and my projects are going to take off. The garage office is looking great, better than I expected, so I hope to be open for business next week! I will post pictures, soon. I have been hanging out with my neighbors who will be moving in soon, this month and next. We are planning the welcoming parties! I just came from the open house next door where the realtors have been busy meeting with clients. More lots have been sold and more phone calls are coming in since the houses have started going up.

I remember six months ago on a cold windy morning, we stood on our lot with Josh Goldschmidt and Jim Duncan, and Josh said to me, "You've got to like people if you are going to live here."
And I said, "Woohoo, let's get started!" (and we still have red mud stains in our van from that trip!). That was not so long ago, and now see what is here. I'll repeat what I said to people, yes, I am happy, I am excited, and I am ready to work to make Belvedere what the developers outlined to me over the last year as I expressed interest in being a homeowner and a business owner. Watching the changes in the staff of Stonehaus and witnessing what the builders have had to go through to make things happen was a little anxiety provoking, but I have received many assurances that things are going to stay on track. Stonehaus and Churchill have extended themselves to make me feel at home and confident. I thank you!

Since the newstory last night, people have been streaming into Belvedere. Bret and I have been fielding questions from passers-by. It's been awesome. Don't hesitate to ask us questions about the process if you see us out and about. I've been asked to write about being here at different intervals, so stay tuned.