home?

This ...

... just may be the view from our bedroom balcony in our Dominican Republic home.

We've put in an offer, so we have to wait to find out what they think about it.

We would go to sleep listening to the waves of the ocean, and wake up to the rooster alarm clock down the road.

It seems surreal!

We saw 7 places yesterday, but more importantly, I haven't been limping.

I kept up with both Papi and the realtor, and didn't have to say, "I'm sorry, I can't walk that fast.  Could you slow down?"

I had shots of pain, but nothing compared to how I feel in Vancouver.

Anyway, this home we saw was ideal.

Utopian.

The 'road' to get there had us drive past 4 families' shacks, and if the chickens, roosters and children running around weren't enough to keep us driving slow, the pot holes from hell certainly did the job.

The moment we pushed the heavy, thick, chocolatey wooden door and hanging vines into the yard, we didn't even have to see the inside of the house for us to know it's the one.

The sand that met the yard's gate was amazingly smooth and rock free, and the waves crashing mere feet from us felt like we'd truly come home.

Inside, the 2 dark tile showers and amazingly bright kitchen gave the 'ah' factor, as did the wooden windows and doors that will protect us from mother nature's windy hissy fits.

It came complete with a hammock ready for lounging in, plenty of room for our Fuzzy Family, chickens, plus a veggie garden.

There was one wee problem though.

We went back a little later just to go look at the house and beach on our own, and dammit if Papi didn't get us into trouble.

You see, this house comes with a housekeeper and gardener.  We can't afford that.

However, she was so bold as to ask in her broken English, "When you live, I work here?"

Papi couldn't say, "I'm sorry, but we can't afford that," so he immediately jumped in with an exuberant, "Yes!!"

Of course, in her reality we are rich, considering she, her husband, their 4 children and chickens live in a shack, that doesn't have more than four rickety wooden walls, and a leaky grass roof.

She could never understand that we'll be living on a tight budget when we're here.

Actually, we would really need someone to watch our place while we're in Vancouver, so there will be employment then, but not all year round.

Then again, I'll need her and her husband to help me learn the ropes of living off the land, PLUS her brother teaches Spanish.

... ahem ... papi!!! get on it!!! ...

They would definitely be part of our Fuzzy Family caretaking crew.

Oh!  She also does massage!

If we get the house, I suppose there would be plenty of options for us to hire her for this and that, or find a way to barter.  I'll have to figure out how to give her the terms of employment.

We absolutely adore her and her husband, who has the same name as my cat.  She got a kick out of that.

Anyway, tomorrow we will hear the counter offer, and until then, the ocean will be my distraction.

Oh, how I've enjoyed the water, as it bobbed my body, lifting my spirits and giving my bitch of a back the strength it needed to make it through the day.

Dios, mio!  We are so fortunate.

i have a bank account with more than enough