Who is this HOA guy, and why does he keep taking my money?
We opened the New Year with a great party in the Great White North at our friends Bob and Barb’s house in Vermont. Snow gives you a good reason to stay inside and consume adult beverages. A very relaxing time after the excitement of the holiday season, combined with Mrs. D’s wedding. Jim and Claudette were married on December 19 in the chapel at St. Mary’s Hospital. Jim was under the weather, but they were determined to tie the knot, so it was a hospital wedding. It was the first time anyone had been married in the hospital chapel.
In February, we went back to the Dominican, only this time we dragged some friends with us. Once we got him to ditch the black socks on the beach, we finally got Joe to drink rum at the poolside bar. Debbie found out that “delete all” on the camera thankfully doesn’t really delete all, or else we would have had to do the entire trip all over again. We got a letter from our S.C. condo HOA with the good news that needed to have exterior painted. We hired a painter who lived in the complex, thinking he would do a good job. Guess again. The ground floor looks o.k. the upper section looks a little like finger paint. And of course, he moved.
March saw us in Florida to see the Red Sox and my Aunt Gerry and Uncle John. Carolyn was hit on by Johnny Pesky, giving an entirely new meaning to “Pesky’s Pole”. Dirty old man, gotta admire him. My Aunt and Uncle looked great, but you could tell the years are starting to add up. We learned a few new family secrets, but we’re holding out for the highest bid.
In April, we lost one tenant at our condo and gained another. The rental agent forgot to tell us we were losing our tenant, but did call to tell us that a raccoon was using the bedroom exterior wall as a nursery. In less than 90 minutes, I had booked flights and a rental car, and we were on our way south to view the damage. It turns out that the raccoon was easier to take than our former tenant. Her definition of “broom clean” must have included the one she flew off on. After 5 solid days of cleaning, we took a few hours off to see Brookgreen Gardens, and then it was back home. But we would return. The HOA wanted to know when we were going to replace the roof. It took two Carolina weeks to arrange a contractor, which means the work was done by July. Remember, FEDEX overnight means 3 days, south of the Mason Dixon Line.
We returned South in August. We would have had a near record setting drive if Noah hadn’t passed us coming off of the highway. It started to rain so hard Carolyn was getting sea sick in the passenger seat. We were running out of gas, and all the stations were closed because the power was out. I finally found an open station and stopped to fill the tank. It was a combination gas stop / car wash since the wind and rain guaranteed I couldn’t have gotten wetter inside of a car wash. We spent two great weeks in our condo, and Carolyn got to help the local economy by buying new living room furniture. Our friends Bob and Barb and Jay and Barb came down to see our work and stay at “the parking spot with the great view”. Remember the rental agent forgot to tell us our condo was going to be vacant? I paid a non-refundable fee to rent a condo a few days before we knew we could use our own place. Therefore, we had a parking spot with a great view, or a condo that stayed mostly empty for 2 weeks. Sigh.
The race season continued as normal, which means I finished second in my class. I did set a few personal records, so you can teach an old dog new tricks.
Because of all the cleaning we had to do at the condo, Carolyn is loath to rent the unit out long term, so we’re trying the short term / family rental thing. If you are interested in visiting the Redneck Riviera, please let us know. We have great rates, friendly service, and an HOA that keeps finding ways to spend our money! We’ll have pictures on our website soon.
Peace on earth and Goodwill boxes to take your used clothes,
Kevin & Carolyn