We don't do a lot of birthday or holiday gifts between the wife and myself. Usually, we just buy things throughout the year. We decided that our big purchases this year would be kind of like birthday gifts.
Our second year visiting the Utah town of Duck Creek we found ourselves signing papers on July 4th on a .67 acre parcel with intent to build on it. I don't know if you know the area but it's a beautiful mountain location with wild turkeys and deer running around. There are lakes, trails and lots of snow (well, seasonally... it's not far from Brian Head and Zion National Park.) The lot is pretty much a bunch of overgrown grass and I forsee that there is going to be a bit of yard work over the next few years. Here's a photo of us after we cleared a small spot and had a picnic lunch.
I think one of the most fun parts of picking up this piece of land is that we can put whatever we want there. Currently, it's empty but I've been watching tons of cabin building videos, episodes of Barnwood Builders and Building Off The Grid-type shows. The wife is probably getting sick of them. It's exciting to me but I know that a lot of physical work and landscape design is in my future. It could be a vacation home or retirement spot... who knows. But, how to use it in the meantime. That is a big question. We resolved that with our next purchase.
We figure that you have to sleep somewhere while building and why not pick something up that doesn't have to stay year-round. So, just around Kerry's birthday, we found a great deal on a 30 foot travel trailer. We hit the road with it to test a few things out and now we are just waiting for spring. Then we can start configuring a driveway and trailer pad. Yes, I see a steep learning curve coming and I think that is why I am filling my head with all sorts of information that I might never use. But... it's fun.
Otherwise, I am already excited about the new year and hope you have had some good fortune yourselves. Other than that, there has been a lot of concerts and festivals that we've been attending. Have a great year, my friends!