We’re about to make our first road trip to Brownwood. In the beginning, this was planned to be a house hunting trip but we’ve given up on finding a house. We’ve even resorted to looking for mobile homes or raw land or a cabin in the woods. Nothing! The house I had mentioned that had over 100 acres . . actually it was 145 acres but it’s too far from work for Vince.
We talked about canceling the trip but Vince has to be there anyway and since he didn’t have a plane ticket and since he doesn’t like to drive 10 hours by himself, I’m going to go ahead and go along and instead of looking for a house, I’ll be on the lookout for one of these:
Or, even one of these:
And once I’m sure I won’t encounter one of these:
Then when Vince moves out there permanently and hopefully finds a house he thinks will work for us, then I can drive there by myself.
But, if we have to pass over anything like this . .
Then I’m doomed and I don’t know what I will do.
Natalie L says
hang in there Judy dear!!! I’m on a house hunting trip right now too. maybe we can both find houses this weekend. fingers crossed!
Judy Laquidara says
Good luck to you. We’re not even scheduled to see any houses so I doubt we find one! 🙂
Diana W. says
You poor thing. So many bridges ….so little time! Sorry you haven’t found anything yet. You will when the right one comes along you will know it. Best of luck on your trip.
Karen says
sometimes the perfect house just takes a little while to find. If you are going to be in the area for some time you might want to resort to a rental for a short while to give yourself more time to find what you want.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/
Judy Laquidara says
At this point, we’d probably be happy to rent but the pickin’s are slim for rental properties too. We’ve even asked about renting some of the for sale houses that are empty and no one wants to do that. I can’t blame them.
katie z. says
I’m on a house selling trip that isn’t going well either… why must the housing market be so rotten in the midst of our lives? (and everyone else’s, for that matter)
Cindy in NC says
I assume when you’re home in Lake Charles that you area able to avoid the HUGE bridge there. I’d never been to Lake Charles until we moved to California. Because academic moves are often not paid for in full, we drove to save money. I was curled in a fetal position on the floor of the car when we went over that bridge. Four years later, when we moved to NC, I had forgotten about the Lake Charles Bridge. This time I was the one driving when we got to it, so there was no hiding on the floor. I still get queasy thinking about it. We don’t travel much, but when we do I slink down in the seat and cover my head with a blanket if we have to cross a bridge. The professor says it looks like I’m being kidnapped. If we’re ever stopped and questioned by the police, I’ll refer them to your blog.
Judy Laquidara says
Those bridges didn’t bother me when I lived there but yes, I can avoid them. If ever you need a path across SW Louisiana that avoids the big Lake Charles bridges, let me know.
Vicky says
Sorry to hear that you haven’t found a house yet. Unfortunately, moving into an apartment or such would involve two moves, because just as soon as you do that, then the perfect house will be found. Keep us posted! xo
sophie says
I can feel your frustration in your words. The little pep talk I give myself at times like this is that you haven’t yet found the right house (or whatever) because the right house (or property to build on) isn’t available … yet. Hang in there and when you find it, it will be clear why it took so long.
Crossing my fingers for no nasty bridges for you. Take care and have a great trip!
Donna P. says
Yep, that’s my ‘Burgh (last pic). Can’t get there without crossing one of “those”.
Praying you find a home soon!
pdudgeon says
yep, that first bridge would scare me too!.
it’s odd but for me after a few times over each new bridge i get used to it and don’t think twice…..unless the bridge is icy…. but i usually don’t drive then anyway.
i know what you are going thru with finding houses.
we have friends doing the same thing, so i’m now hunting the listings for them. so far the houses they like are about 50k out of their price range. one of these days the market will either need to correct itself, or there will be a lot of perfectly good houses sitting empty. i guess it all depends on how desparate the owners (or bankers) are to sell the property.
I’ve seen far too many good listings that have been on the market for almost a year close by here, solely because of inflated valuations brought on by the realty industry. One wonders whether the real estate industry will be the next to be bailed out by the government.
it seems ironic to me that there are buyers out there, and sellers out there, but they just can’t agree on realistic pricing.
Judy Laquidara says
That’s what I keep thinking. Yesterday our realtor said “I know you’re frustrated” and I thought . . what about those people who have had houses for sale for 2 years and there are buyers desperately looking for a house but won’t pay $200/square foot for an old house that needs updating.
Marilyn Satterfield says
Have you ever gone over the Baton Rogue LA bridge??? Now there’s a whopper !!
Judy Laquidara says
Yes! I used to drive across that one all the time with no problems but that’s the first bridge I was driving over when I felt my little fear that has escalated into a big fear.
glen in Louisiana says
I don’t mind bridges so much as the toll buildings at the end or beginning of them. They seem so narrow and my car so wide!
I don’t like to get stopped in traffic on the Mississippi River Bridge. It moves.
But Frank gets carsick when anyone else drives so I rarely get to drive. And that is fine with me!
glen
Lee Ann L. says
I don’t have any words except I totally understand. Our house hunting has been going on forever and nothing every comes up. I am at the point where I’ve given up on even remotely getting a dream house and settling for something that will just do…
Your fear of bridges made me smile. I don’t like them myself. It’s more the height issue for me though. 🙂
Judy C in NC says
Wishing you luck in all phases – bridges, houses, safe keeping and happiness along this new journey. Judy C
Sara says
Judy, I so feel your pain. I have developed a fear of bridges in just the last few years and my family thinks I’m nuts. I’ve conquered a couple of the local bridges by singing Amazing Grace really loud when I drive over them! Have you ever had to drive over the bridge at Kimberling City. I thought I was going to pass out a couple of years ago when I first developed this fear. Hang in there
Linda in NE says
So sorry your house hunting isn’t going better. You’d really think those people who’ve been trying to sell their house for quite a while would drop the price a little. That would make something less than perfect more attractive.
That second bridge picture reminds me so much of the old bridge over the Missouri River at Yankton, SD. That first one is just ridiculous. Can you imagine having to stop in traffic part way up with a manual transmission?? That would be the stuff of nightmares.
Liz says
You make me laugh Judy, I too hate that bridge and the 2-10 one is almost as bad. Good luck finding a new home maybe you will have to build one that way you can have everything you want.
Hilary McDaniel says
Judy just drive around when U get there and look for
Houses on your own. U might find something they
Wouldn’t have shown U. Don’t lose faith. Have fun on
Your trip.
Sarah says
Judy, When you get to Oklahoma and Texas, you will find most of the bridges are flat, just like the roads. When you cross the Arkansas River in OK on I-240 there is a bridge that goes up a little but it seems like an extension of the highway. You will notice a rise in the road and If you look over the side you can see you are higher up but not at all like being on the overhead beamed structured bridges. You are in for a surprise when you get to the Brownwood area with the climate and landscape. Good luck with the house hunting. Enjoy your stay in Texas.
Mary Jo says
Good luck with your house hunting this week-end. I think that the economy is
one of the biggest problems right now when it comes to selling a house. So many people would like to move, but because the value of house is so depressed they can’t afford a new house that they would like. I know that the value of my house is down almost $200,000 since it’s peak a couple of years ago. We put it on the market just about time the downward spiral started, and took it off of the market just 3 months later. In just three months time the houses that were comperable to ours were selling for WAY less than we were willing to sell for, a price that was actually below the price that the hired appraiser said it was worth.
I know too how you feel about bridges. My sister lives in Charleston, SC and I hate to have to travel over the Cooper River Bridge to get to her house!
Deb says
I thought of you and your bridge fear when I was looking at the map and we have to cross the one from the U.P. of Mich. to the lower part for vacation. It looks 5 MILES long! That shoud be interesting! Hey, if you are going to cross a bridge, make it a big one, across the GREAT LAKES! I dont have a fear, so I am actually looking forward to it! So, do you do ferries then? And is it the water, or the bridge itself? Or like the one in Mpls., are you just affraid it will just “drop” out of no where?
Good luck with the house. I think we found one to rent. It is nice, 2 BR, 2Bath, on the river up north, and I think they are asking $350K for it! (No basement, maybe 1500 sq. ft.) Prices there are NUTS. And, like you all said, you would think they would drop the prices. But, since they have so much invested, they probably have to get what they need to move on. I dont know. I am glad we bought low, and can go anywhere with it, since our “value” dropped about $200K too. Not that we are selling…not yet anyway…
Patty says
I’m sorry you are afraid of bridges, one of my sisters-in laws is too the oother is afraid of tunnels. Once they took a car trip across the country and had to trade off driving when ever the ht one or the other. Hang in there about the house hopefully one will come up and it will be near perfect for you. :^)
Mary says
I can never drive over a bridge now without thinking of you.
Diane S. says
Think of those Pioneers in covered wagons or on horseback who had to ford rivers because there were no bridges. Now THAT would have been scary! Just keep your eye on the lane stripe–and that hint about singing Amazing Grace isn’t a bad idea either!
Dorothy S says
IF I had to go over the first bridge you pictured, I had better be sedated and NOT know it!!!