Virginia is for lovers....and llamas.

[Mac Daddy]

My wife and I just got back from one of the most beautiful spots in the country.

First of all, a bit of history:

Some wonderful friends of ours bought their home in Yorba Linda in the OC back in the early 1990's and spent a little over 200 grand on it. It was about 2500 square feet, had a very nice backyard, four bedrooms, two baths, etc, etc.

So last year, they decided to move back East to be closer to family and sold said house for something in the low 900's!

Can you see what's coming next? Do you know what you can get for 900,000 in Virginia? That's right. A 5000 sq foot home sitting on ELEVEN acres complete with four pastures, woods, a barn, a creek, swimming pool, and some of the most breathtaking views of the blue ridge mountains I've ever seen.

So....my wife and I dropped everything last week in order to enjoy some R&R with our friends in Virginia and to catch a glimpse of the last leaves of the year.

Here's a shot of their home (imagine all colors brighter and cleaner as I was taking these stills with my video camera which only has a couple of pixels):



Their backyard:





Another view from the front:



Some shots of their "neighborhood:"







We ducked into Washington DC which was about an hour away. It was a pretty quiet night as both houses of Congress were home biting their nails:





Just over the hill is the Shenandoah River:



So...why llamas? Llamas are EVERYWHERE in their neighborhood. One of the top llama kings in the country lives right down the road from them. Apparently, you can get some hefty tax breaks if you have livestock on your property.





So we had an incredible time with our friends. Temperatures were in the 40's and 50's, leaves were still changing, deer roaming in their backyard, historical landmarks everywhere you turn, rolling green countryside with miles of white fences...it was just what we needed.

And then we came home to a record breaking 97 degrees last Tuesday.



I would move tomorrow, but there's this nagging problem of finding a job, and all of my friends from back East warn that a person should spend a Winter and a Summer there before moving. But being a person that loves the seasons, I would still move in a heartbeat if given the opportunity.

Maybe some day....

[frecky]

Wow. That is simply beautiful. Wonderful pictures. Thank you so much for sharing.

[hollywood1939]

Wow when can I move in. Awesome pictures.

[penguinsoda]

LLAMAS!!! OH...MY...GOSH...LLAMAS! Its a good thing I wasn't drinking anything as I was scrolling down over the pictures!! My keyboard probably would of been wearing Pepsi right now if I had been!

I thought you were just beeing silly when you said llamas.... I didn't know you REALLY saw some!! Way to funny!

But seriously.... awesome pictures! Living in a desert with not much more than sand and cactus around me, I forget that there are parts of the world that are GREEN and have TREES and PLANTS growing! And as much as I am were I am because of the warm weather and mild winters (being a tropical penguin), I have to admit I'm a bit jealous that they have such a beautiful place and so much amazing property around them!!

So cool! Thanks for sharing!

[penguinsoda]

Llamalover will have to see this!

[20YearAPH]

Looks like a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to maintain something like that. It's not a house, it's a compound. I'd have to quit my job and maintain it as a full time job. That or hire a staff. How much does a staff cost in Virginia?

[DMof2]

Lovely pics This is one of the reasons why I will never leave NJ- I love ALL 4 seasons too much

[stinkerbell]

Oh, you're making me homesick for North Carolina and the east coast....ouch...my heart!! Those pictures are SO beautiful!! Thank you!!

[Hakuna Makarla]

Looks like a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to maintain something like that. It's not a house, it's a compound. I'd have to quit my job and maintain it as a full time job. That or hire a staff. How much does a staff cost in Virginia?

this looks like Montana! and to maintain you just get a riding lawn mower the seasons are fun, and the bugs die when it gets cold, thats what I love thanks for sharing oh and you can find this same amount of property here for a lot less.

[Hakuna Makarla]

here is one in Darby Montana.


Property Features

• Single Family Property
• Area: Darby East
• 6 total bedroom(s)
• 3.00 total bath(s)
• Approximately 2500.00 sq. ft.
• Dining room
• Fireplace(s)
• Spa/hot tub(s)

• Carport
• Heating features: Electric, Propane
• Interior features: Dishwasher, Fireplace(s), Formal dining rm, Range and oven, Refrigerator, Utility rm
• Exterior features: Deck, Guest house, Level lot, Patio, Private sewer srvc, Storage/out-building(s), Trees, Water supply from well(s)
• Approximate lot is 7+ acres
• Approximately 6.58 acre(s)
• Lot size is between 5 and 10 acres

[Hakuna Makarla]

649,000
Property Features

• Single Family Property
• Area: Seeley Lake
• Year Built: 2004
• 4 total bedroom(s)
• 3 total bath(s)

• Two story
• Type: Newer home (0-5 yrs)
• Dining room
• Family room
• 2 car garage

• Heating features: Propane
• Interior features: Dishwasher, Disposal, Formal dining rm, Microwave, Range and oven, Refrigerator, Utility rm
• Exterior features: Deck, Private sewer srvc, Public water supply, Satellite dish, Trees
• Approximate lot is 10 acres
• School District: SEELEY LAKE

[stinkerbell]

Lovely....but you have to live in Montana.

Just kidding!!

[Hakuna Makarla]

Lovely....but you have to live in Montana.

Just kidding!!

yes, but you could just use it as a summer home
There are so many places I want to be, and so many that are so beautiful. but when I think of the bugs and such that live in warm climates I am glad to be home in the cold where they all die off

[stinkerbell]

I think why I love Virginia and North Carolina (and Pennsylvania!) countryside is the lack of evergreen trees.

I can't stand them--especially in the fall when they really just look icky compared to maples (and pretty much any other tree).

And I live in Oregon. Not quite the Evergreen State (that's our neighbor to the north) but we only have 1 "pretty" tree for every 10000 evergreens here.

Also, our fall here is so brief. It lasts for about ten days if we're lucky. This year it was even shorter because it stormed for a week of those ten days. The leaves changed colors and it rained and blew until they were gone.

[Mac Daddy]

this looks like Montana! and to maintain you just get a riding lawn mower

THAT was one of my favorite parts of the trip! I got to ride the John Deere!

Whoooo hooooo!

When I opened that bad boy up, I must have been going....close to five miles an hour, and grass was flying everywhere!

Ah....good times.

Thanks for the house info in Montana Karla. I am insanely jealous of ANYONE who gets to enjoy the change in seasons throughout the year. As a SoCal native, it's not all that unusual to get into the 90's in the middle of December or January. It typically stops raining in late April and won't start again until November. (I just stuck my head outside and we are getting our first raindrops of the year...nice rainbow outside as well.) I miss the rain and the snow...all of it. I am SO TIRED of brown hills, crowded freeways, and hazy smoggy skies. Whenever you come BACK to LAX from somewhere back East, the first thing you notice is the miles, and miles, and miles of almost treeless concrete surrounding the airport.

And even though the seasons are shorter up there in Oregon, I would trade places with you tomorrow, Stinkerbell. It was NINETY-SEVEN last Tuesday.



Did I mention I would love to move?

So...yes, the Winters back there are horribly cold, and the Summers are humid and hot. That doesn't matter to me. Why? Because it will eventually CHANGE! I'm stuck in a Beach Boys endless summer, and it never rains in California. All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray.



I'm sure there are other musical images of Socal out there, but I should probably stop while I'm ahead.