John Boyd Thacher State Park

It needs work, but it’s not awful, though a lot of questions remain in my mind about the water, septic, furnace, foundation, etc. It’s not pretty inside, but it’s not terrible either, I’ve seen a lot worse for fixer uppers and it’s cleaned up from most of the garbage though the walls need some work and the foundation is questionable, with part of the floor collapsing though it’s one story with no basement. Outdoor kitchen for butchering meat, horse stalls, kitchen coop, garage, hay field which the neighbors kept well manured with pig shit — and for a while rotting pig carcasses when they were pissed at former landlord. By now though rotted down, it would grow an awesome hay crop.
It’s kind of a cool place, and has a great price. 🏡 It’s cash only, and it’s road noisy and needs work, as the interior was somewhat vandalized by the last tenants before they got evicted like smashing holes in the walls and one of doors, puck-marking the refigerator, The collapsing floor in one room is a bit concerning, and the fact the water and electric are turned off, so it’s hard to know what works and what doesn’t — and what damage was done to the plumbing and phyiscal plant of building. Not a lot of asbestos though, and the vinyl siding and roof look pretty new even if what’s below them looks a bit rotten. Foundation looks to be mostly fieldstone, who know what the beams are a like. But those are questions for a home inspector to determine, if I decide to go that route. $150k is a lot of money but not for even an rundown almost tiny house at 792 square feet and acerage, and it could be neat, though I do question if I really want to move out to country, and live down the road from my parents. I’m going to talk to some people and think about it more. 🚜 And then I can figure out how much I’ll end up owing in Capital Gain taxes.

Part of the calculation is whether or not I would be accepted back in my old neighborhood. 🐂 I am kind of a good ol’ boy, but not like real good ol’ boys. I grew up from college educated parents, and I went to college and I’m a professional, data scientist of sorts. 👩‍💻 I’m sure they’re still not happy about the old landlord and losing the house. And that property has two acres of hay acerage, and I’d need to come up with some kind of agreement to have somebody come and bale it either for their usage, maybe taking some bedding hay as rent. 🚜 And I would sure hope they kept dumping barnyard scraping out on the field for obvious reasons, though maybe not the rotting pig carcasses when they had the dispute with the former landlord. 💩 👃 Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here. I don’t know if I will be out bid or even if I should go forward, the not having the septic and water running, or the electric worries me, though I was told they would have to turn such things on when I signed the contract, and had the home inspector come in during the due dilligence period. I would say write up the contract now, don’t loose out, but I don’t want to waste a ton of money on something that is a gamble.

And I wish it had a wood stove, though it has forced oil hot air which could be easily converted to a heat pump or even a split-level unit. 🪵Then I’d have both heat and air conditioning. The lot doesn’t have a lot of wood on-site, I’d have to buy wood if I had a woodstove or look at eventually buying another lot for producing my own wood. I would like to have a wood stove, especially if I’m looking at going the heat pump route as soon as I can afford it for both AC and heat. Heat pumps are great, ♨️ but in very cold weather are more expensive to operate, and are slow to recover after power outages. I’m sure I could get free pallets for bonfires out back. 🔥 The good ol’ boy eighbors had a big old bonfire last night, and some of the shit they were burning in evening and first thing in the morning when they were putting it out not ony made a great big smoke show but also was burnt-ABS plastic stinky like they burned a junk television or other appliance. Maybe it was just the mattaress or two they had in their fire. I’m not thinking of having a smoldering burn barrel full of plastic in a residential neighborhood, but it’s zoned ag, and besides having pigs and goats, I’d probably have an occassional bonfire, burn some paper trash and wrappers with nobody giving a damn. 🗑 I can always take the real garbage to transfer station and do the pretend recycling ♻️ with the plastic bottles.

At the same time, the heat wave is approaching. 😎 🌊 It’s going to be so hot. I could loose out if I don’t get a contract signed right away, 🤝 on the other hand, the place is kind of mess and it’s a small old building, and I don’t think it’s going to be that competitive, as it’s werid property in many ways — house is small and old, very country-cabin inside. One floor, no basement. Strange parcel shape. I want to get more people’s perspectives then my own. But once I’m up north, going to be hard to sign a contract until next week. ✍ I could stick around a few more days, but I want to see what some of my buddies say. I’ve talked to a few, want to talk to a few more else. But certainly I’m leaning towards this way. Also, would want a property survey, as the real estate agent didn’t know where the property boundaries are and what is included and not in the sale. I just worry about getting scammed, and dropping all this money on a property I can’t live on or fully use. I am looking forward to the Adirondacks and cold swimming holes. ⛰ But that’s a stupid reason to give up the potentia property of my dreams.

The first two or three days of my trip I will be in Spectulator-area doing part-time remote work, 💻 so I have the possibility to be talking to people and researching the property more. But I know every minute I wait, I also risk loosing out. But if it doesn’t happen, there are other options, including building that off-grid cabin I really want on acerage in a free state without the burn ban or gun laws. Yet, this also doesn’t have to be my final house. Maybe I’m too much selling myself on this property. 🤷‍♂️ Tuesday night I’ll be up north, having a nice fire, sipping some cold beer with my cowboy hat. 🤠 Wednesday I’ll be out paddling the Kunjamunk and swimming in Lake Pleasant, enjoying the lake breeze. I’ll need ice from Speculator by mid-week at any rate, as it won’t hold up well in the heat.

Thursday or maybe Friday, I’m heading over to the Potholers and Piseco-Powley, assuming enough of the work crap is wrapped up by then and I can safely get off the grid 🔕 for two or three days of floating down the East Branch of the Scanadaga on the intertube. ⭕ The Pothoers are going to be nice in the heat. Then Sunday after the heat breaks, I really want to paddle lily lake and explore there. 🌺 Even if I do want to settle down and homestead eventually, I do like my days and weekends in the wilderness.