House Hunting.

Okay, we've pulled back a bit on the house search. Sellers here are coming to an acceptance of the new market conditions: asking prices are slowly coming down, but not by enough to draw out the buyers. There were only about 4 closed sales in Cool in April, median about 340K; but there are 71 houses on the market, and half of those are priced over 560K. I'm not sure anything over 520K has sold all year so far.
The upshot is that we're starting to prepare ourselves for the possibility of leasing a house into 2008. This is a disappointment, of course, but it is starting to look like a smart way to bank a lot of savings in a relatively short amount of time.
We're "okay" with our present rental, but we see now that we could do a lot better for the same rent. Also, we are getting signs that our landlord may not be financially stable, and we don't want to be put out at a time not of our choosing.

Spring is still springing here in Cool, but some of the more exposed pastures are acquiring shades of brown. We are trying to appreciate the green hues, while they last. We've been having vehicle maintenance done at the garage in Georgetown, where we are always amazed at the we-aim-to-please and git-er-done attitudes. The main shop has heavy wooden floors (very cool), and the mechanics always seem willing to take a break for a friendly chat.

Settled.

Time has passed quickly, as we sudden realized that we have been here 7 months. We recently returned from a visit down south to Pasadena, on the occasion of the opening of a show at my gallery there (www.tirageart.com); we had a nearly perfect visit, seeing a deal deal of friends and family while parked at a perfectly nice Marriot.
As much as we enjoyed seeing people, Pasadena had surely not changed for the better: the retail/condo building boom continues unabated, traffic is worse than ever, and there's been a serious up-tick in gang-related murders. Good shopping though.
I had been anxious of late, juggling ad work while trying to turn out a respectful production of oil paintings for the show. Now that the opening is past, I'm looking forward to taking on painting with a calmer deliberation, perhaps with a new range of subject matter. Spring here has been quite beautiful - still very green here, distinct from California south of Stockton, which turned yellow-brown some time ago- and I'm casting about for painting subjects which might have some authenticity with being overly picturesque or nostalgic (still a lot of barns and tractors here!). I think I see a way.
Our hopes to buy a house of our own within the next few months wax and wane as we (I) track the real estate listings and obsess over the "housing bubble" blogs. As much as the talk is of the boom having ended, asking prices have come down only a little from the peak. It must be painful to be a seller now. We are so glad to have that behind us.