We are moving!

We are so excited to say... we are moving!

We have been pretty happy in our nice apartment here.  It is a good size for us, and the grounds around the house are really pretty, and the views from our apartment (2nd floor) and our upstairs bedroom (3rd floor) are beautiful, looking at mountains and the lake.  It has had some oddities, though, with a central hallway that is open to the outside.  There is a nice railing covered with beautiful vines that attract hummingbirds... so it's pretty, and nice to be connected to the outside... but it's odd.  We lock up every room of the house before we lock ourselves in our bedroom at night!

But the worst thing is that our landlady doesn't take good care of this place, and, she is (I'm quite sure) overcharging us on electric and cable.  Every contact with her is a frustration.

So we went looking - and re-found a place that we saw last fall!  It is really gorgeous.  The base of the house (the first-floor apartment) is an older home with beautiful adobe brick walls.  It has four fireplaces, two large bedrooms with large closets and large bathrooms (even a tub!) and antique fixtures. The architect that updated the house added columns and brick trim and tile work to make it look European.  The living room has a nook off the side tht overlooks the lush gardens; the living room is huge, and the kitchen is smallish but charming with blue and white tile and a large new refrigerator.

Plus, we have some friends with a beautiful baby living on the second floor above us!

We'll move in about two and a half weeks.  Here are some pictures:

Entryway.  This is inside the gate that is on the street,
and opens into a courtyard with our house (with 2 apts)
and 2 other houses. 

Fireplace in the living room.  Note the
adobe brick behind on the wall.  

This is a nook off the living room.  We may
use this as office space? Windows open
out into the garden area. 

This is looking through the living room,
past the fireplace, toward the entryway.  

Kitchen.  Big new refrigerator, nice stove, and
window out into the gardens.  

Dining room - looking from the doorway
of the kitchen. It's huge!  A little table
would be lost there!  Hmmm. 

Dining room - a little nook here too, and
doorway to garden on left (out of view).
Bill is walking into the living room. 

Door from dining room to garden. 

Master bedroom with fireplace. 

Master bedroom - looking toward patio
and gardens. 

Master bath - with bathtub (rare here)
and shower!

Master closet. 

Guest bedroom

Window off guest bedroom

Patio off entry and bedroom

Garden, looking from patio