The Country Weekenders

The Virgin Homeowner

2007-07-23T20:34:00.000-04:00

This is the book Evan bought Lindsey when she was freaking out about owning a home. We both loved it and learned more about septic tanks than any person should really know.

We officially became homeowners on June 20, 2007. Yippee!

Our favorite local restaurant: Pappardelle

2007-07-23T20:45:00.001-04:00

There are only three restaurants in Sharon and this is our favorite. We love the owner, Tina Paradise, mostly because Linds loves her last name. They always remember us and they serve Monty Python beer.

Tina says friendly, non-city things like, "If you want coffee in the morning, just give us a call and come by and we'll put on a pot for you!"

Trash

2007-07-23T20:55:00.000-04:00

In the city we throw our trash down a chute in our apartment building. In the country we have a big blue bin.

Picnic

2007-07-23T20:59:00.000-04:00

Our first dinner at the house...before we had furniture.

A word about mortgages

2007-07-23T21:09:00.000-04:00

ING DIRECT. I guess that's two words. I already had two accounts with ING, and on the same day I found the listing for the house, I decided to apply for a mortgage. I remembered that ING had a special mortgage product with only $895 in closing fees. The application and approval took six minutes. And the $895 is the real deal; there were NO additional costs at our closing. The lawyer hired to represent ING (who had never represented them before) actually said, "Wow, most banks I represent tack on $4k to $5k just because they know they can." We were shocked.

ING rules. They make the closing process, which can be stressful, a breeze. Thanks to ING our close lasted 20 minutes and we saved over $5,000. Which went right into my brand new, 42,000 BTU, 60 burger capacity Weber grill.

How Evan Relaxes

2007-10-13T20:32:00.000-04:00

Evan told me he was going to sit outside for a while and relax. When I went outside to check on him, this is what I found:

E-book
BlackBerry
Bug spray
Water
Diet Coke
Phone

Posted by Lindsey

Home Depot vs. Dill's

2007-10-13T23:31:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about this post for a long time. Before we bought the house, I'd never been to a Home Depot or any kind of home superstore. But I always thought that Home Depot was the kind of place where a guy could go and automatically feel at home. I had this idea that Home Depot was like a universal Cheers, and when you walked in, not only would they know your name, but you would just fit. And I so wanted to fit in there. I assumed I'd walk in and immediately be able to put up dry wall, handle a clogged drain and know things about lumber. The reality was quite different.

When Lindsey and I walked into our first Home Depot, we made it about 20 feet into the store, looked at each other with equal parts horror and fear, and left.

Not a great start. But we needed stuff for the house, and Home Depot is the only game in town (or so I thought at the time). So I went back. I convinced myself that a store with the motto "You can do it, we can help" can't be THAT hard to navigate. It took me about 20 minutes to walk up and down every aisle, and ask a few questions along the way. I have an idea for a new Home Depot motto: "You can do it and we really don't care how things turn out. In fact, just get what you need and leave as quickly as possible."

Home Depot is just not a place for a novice homeowner. It's a place for contractors, professional builders and homeowners who really know what they are doing.

The experience at Home Depot forced me to drive around and look for a different option. And boy did I find one. It's called Dill's Best Hardware, a locally-owned hardware and lumber shop. Yes, the prices are about 10% more than Home Depot's, but the guys there are so helpful.

It's funny, the staff at Home Depot are clean cut, all wear bright orange aprons and look very friendly, but they're just not that helpful. The guys at Dill's are dirty (in that I-just-built-a-shed kinda dirty) and seem to wear pretty much whatever they want.

I have to admit, the first time I went in there I was sure they'd immediately peg me as a weekender and ignore me. I could not have been more wrong. For each item I needed, they explained how to use it correctly and they showed me multiple options based on price, steering me towards the right purchase, not the most expensive (turns out the $40 electric screwdriver is just as effective as the $125 version). And they actually talked me though each project.

I never thought I'd be this guy, but now I make excuses to go to Dill's. It's where everybody knows my name.

Posted by Evan

A Tale of Two Fridges

2007-10-14T09:06:00.000-04:00

This is our fridge in Manhattan. We order in a lot.

This is our fridge in the country. Because there is no takeout in Sharon and only three restaurants that all close by 8pm, we go shopping and we--okay, okay Evan--cooks. This is the most full refrigerator either of us has had (well, since moving out of our parents' houses).

Posted by Lindsey

The Hot Tub

2007-10-16T14:12:00.000-04:00

Our house came with a hot tub. The previous owner told us how she liked to relax in it naked.

This freaked Evan out, so last week he had the whole thing removed.

Next week we'll post a photo of how the yard looks post-tub.

Posted by Lindsey

Bye Bye Hot Tub

2007-10-19T20:58:00.000-04:00

As promised, here is our yard minus one hot tub. I'm thrilled with how it looks, although I expected the grass that it was built on to be green immediately. It was explained to me that the grass actually has to GROW back. We'll also be getting rid of that random bush.

Posted by Evan

New Restaurant!!!

2007-10-20T14:54:00.000-04:00

We found the most amazing restaurant. Well, we didn't find it. We just finally decided to eat there.

Serevan is in Amenia, NY, on Route 44 on the way to our house. We've talked about stopping in for a while now, but we never had time. Luckily we tried it this weekend. Serevan is an absolute jewel, serving the freshest, highest quality food we've had outside of NYC. The restaurant is run by Serge Madikians, an Armenian who grew up in Tehran and was the Executive Chef at Chez es Saada here in NYC.

We had an extraordinary meal. Serge peppers his food with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors that are surprising and delicious. And the wine list is quite manageable, with selections perfectly matched to the food.

We had a wonderful evening. We ended up staying pretty late, so Serge gave us a tour of his kitchen and introduced us to his staff. They also serve brunch on Sundays, so I think this is going to be our new spot.

I highly recommend a visit to Serevan if you are ever in the area. You will not be disappointed.

Posted by Evan

Obligatory Fall Foliage Montage

2007-10-22T13:50:00.000-04:00

These shots were all taken within a five mile radius of our house. The water you see is Lake Sharon. Let the foliage fest begin:

Ten Things We Love About Country Caretaker

2007-10-24T09:15:00.000-04:00

A few days after we closed on the house, we realized we needed some help. Thankfully, there is a service in our area called the Country Caretaker, which specializes in helping city people manage life in the country (or, as they call it, "property management and personal service coordination").

Adam Manes is the owner of Country Caretaker. From the minute we met Adam, we felt safer. Thanks to his services, we know that someone is watching our house when we're not around and we always have someone to call if a project is too big for us to handle (or if we just don't feel like doing something...like cleaning the gutters).

Here are our ten favorite things about Country Caretaker:

1. Adam has a very big truck. It's an F350 from Ford and it's almost as big as our house.

2. Kevin built us the best fence in New England.

3. Mary Ann writes lots of comments on our blog. (Thanks, Mary Ann!)

4. We're pretty sure Adam's entire wardrobe is from Orvis.

5. If our alarm goes off accidentally, we don't have to drive up from the city to turn it off. That's part of Country Caretaker's services.

6. Adam says "Don't worry, we'll take care of it!" a lot.

7. Adam is totally unfazed by bugs.

8. They just started online billing.

9. Adam had Lindsey's dad as his high school English teacher (seriously!).

10. Who do you think removed the hot tub?

Posted by Lindsey

We're in Today's New York Times!

2007-10-26T06:52:00.000-04:00

Exciting news! We're featured in the article "Home Sweet...Yikes!" in today's New York Times, on the front page of the "Escapes" section.

Thanks to reporter Dan Levin for interviewing us (and calling us "urban sophisticates!").

Check out the article: "Home Sweet...Yikes!"

City vs. Country

2007-10-29T20:38:00.000-04:00

So, a lot of people saw the New York Times article on Friday, and were shocked to hear Linds and I got a place up in the country. More to the point, they wanted to know how we were adjusting to life up there (even if only on weekends).

It gave me an idea for a post: I thought I'd compare (through pictures) our life in the city vs. our life in the country. First up, the kitchen junk drawer:

In the country, we are prepared for anything. In the city, we order in a lot.

Next up, the entertainment center:

New York: 52" DLP HDTV, surround sound (B&W speaker system), powered subwoofer, Xbox, Apple TV, DVR...and of course, always tuned to the Simpsons.

Sharon: 27" TV for $113 and a $39 DVD player, purchased at Wal-Mart. Never on.

And finally, laundry:

We bought this HUGE washer/dryer set from the previous owner. As for laundry in the city, it's the opposite of dinner: we send it out.

So that's a brief snapshot of our city life vs. our country life. Watching TV on a 27-inch screen and doing laundry took some getting used to, but I think we're adjusting pretty well.

Lindsey's Cow

2007-10-31T20:03:00.000-04:00

We went to the Sharon Summer Craft Fair this past August. We got a couple of small things for the house, but this is by far the best. Lindsey found this at a stand that specializes in wood carvings. It's the closest we're ever going to come to owning cattle.

My Kingdom for a Cappuccino

2007-11-05T20:22:00.000-05:00

As far as we know, this is the only cappuccino machine within 20 miles of our house. Except it's never working. It's in a small diner-esque restaurant called the "Wandering Moose" about five miles from our house. Every Saturday we would wake up and drive to the "Moose" (that's what the locals call it) in hopes of a cappuccino or latte, and each time the owner told us it was out of order. He always seems angry when we ask, so now we just get regular coffee. It's not very good, but given the lack of options, it's the best we have. Lindsey is working up the courage to ask him for Splenda.

Weekend Visitor

2007-11-11T23:26:00.001-05:00

You should be reading a post about the lovely visit we had from Evan's parents this weekend. But yesterday we had an unexpected visitor, so the parental visit post will have to wait until later this week.

We were upstairs winterizing the house (more on this later as well) and a deer walked into our yard and started grazing. We were shocked. It's the closest we've been to wildlife since our last trip to the zoo (Evan, 6th grade, Lindsey about 10 years ago). We were able to get some great pictures, and even a video (thanks Sony digital camera w/video!):

We also took some still shots:

Our Other Weekend Visitors

2007-11-17T11:34:00.000-05:00

It's been a VERY busy week for both of us, so we're just now getting to this post. Evan's parents visited us last weekend (before the deer). We picked them up at the train station and had a fun day showing them around Sharon and the surrounding towns.

They gave us a quilt that used to hang in their old country house. We hung it up that day. So it's now a weekend house hand-me-down.

I made fire!

2007-11-24T20:19:00.001-05:00

We have a beautiful woodburning stove, and today I made a fire. I'm very good at arranging the logs in a diagonal, stacked layout so that air is flowing and the flames are pretty and bright. It smells wonderful and makes cozy crackling sounds.

While I am making fire, Evan is playing "Transformers" on his new PlayStation 2.

Posted by Lindsey

Come Live Near Us

2007-12-08T15:14:00.001-05:00

Our friends Jane and John recently moved to a new property and are selling their former weekend house. It is a cute, three-bedroom Cape Cod in the charming town of West Cornwall, CT, right next to our town of Sharon. (The towns are connected by a covered bridge...how cute is that?)

Here is the listing:
ROMANTIC 3 BD CAPE W/ FIREPLACE IN LIVING ROOM, Built-in bookcases in library & BR. A screened-in porch looks out on the garden-filled 4 acres. 1.5 bathrooms, full basement complete with pantry, 2 utility rooms for recreation, and a one-car garage. $399,000

Click here to learn more about the house!

The Sharon Pile

2007-12-16T13:17:00.000-05:00

We didn't go up to the house this weekend. A combination of factors kept us in NYC: I came home late Friday night from a business trip to Boston, there is a big storm here in the northeast and Lindsey has a few deadlines so she has a lot of work to do this weekend.

Which brings us to the Sharon Pile. During the week we collect all of the things we want to take to the country that weekend in a pile next to our printer. Hence, the "Sharon Pile." This week's pile includes replacement filters for our water filtration system, individual K-Cups for our new Keurig single-cup coffee maker, an extra warm sweater for Lindsey, running shoes, a nice Bordeaux and a new Pinot Noir I've been looking forward to trying, this week's Economist and a few books.

The Sharon Pile is more than just a pile. It's a way for us to remember that no matter how bad the week gets, we are always a day closer to our refuge in the country.

Posted by Evan

New Year's Resolution #2 Complete!

2008-01-03T20:24:00.000-05:00

I think Lindsey set a new speed record for achieving a new year's resolution. She cooked us a terrific dinner on January 1st (with minimal supervision).

She made turkey burgers stuffed with mozzarella (so good!), sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli. And the microwave wasn't used once.

Everything was delicious...and she didn't use a microwave or a take-out menu! I think this is the beginning of a new chapter in our lives!

Posted by Evan

Evan's Spot

2008-03-01T15:05:00.005-05:00

We are so happy to be back at the house after a few weeks away. We arrived to a snowstorm last night and are housebound today, still in PJs at 3:15pm and having a perfectly relaxing Saturday. It's still snowing on and off -- gorgeous and peaceful.

I've just woken up from a blissful nap (one of my favorite Sharon activities) and found Evan in his favorite spot: the porch.

Evan loves his comfort, so note the space heater in the corner, set to a tropical 70 degrees. Gladys, the goose lamp from his childhood, sits watching over him, and he is enjoying wi-fi on his laptop, along with his iPhone and Diet Coke nearby. It's Evan Heaven.

After I write this post I might go out there and join him. Or, I might not. Since we live in a pretty small apartment in the city, it's exciting for us to be in separate rooms.

Posted by Lindsey

Ga$ and Heating Oil Price$

2008-03-15T09:21:00.015-04:00

Being a city dweller for 32 1/2 years before we bought a country home, oil and gas prices really meant nothing to me. Once in a while prices would go up, the TV news folks would air those "shocked at the pump" pieces featuring angry people complaining about what it takes to fill their tank, and I would happily go put another $25 on my MetroCard (more than enough for a full week of commuting) with a profound sense of urban pride: "I don't need a car! Gas prices have no bearing on MY life."

Flash forward to today, and things are very different. We bought the house and a car (a 2007 Toyota RAV4 that we LOVE) within two weeks of each other and our days of not caring about gas and oil prices are over.

It costs us about $50 for a full tank of gas for the car and about $600 to fill our heating oil tank at the house. It's crazy. I know I'm a little late in getting to this issue what with the possibility of $4 a tank gas by this summer, but this is just when it hit us.

I really don't have anything else to say, I just felt like complaining. I'm not sure what can be done to fix this. My guess is that even with a new administration in Washington next year, prices are still going to rise. This is an economic issue that will not easily be solved. As much as it pains me to say this, I think the only solution might be the one advocated by Thomas L. Friedman: a national gas tax. This will foster energy innovation and help the environment; it will also make Americans and American businesses fundamentally change their habits. And yes, it will be painful...but maybe a little short-term pain is needed for our long-term stability.

--Posted by Evan