The summer lake house.



Shaffer Road entrance/driveway

 While very modest-looking from the entrance  (mom asks "honey, does the cabin have a coffee pot?"), this two level house overlooking Lost Bridge North is a beauty.   Hardwood floors, a large kitchen, great deck w/view and privacy all contribute to the rural feel.  

Since you might know I count things, here's "how I spent my summer vacation.":

17 visits (from Wichita, it's a 600 mile round-trip not counting running around while there, back and forth to Rogers, Garfield, Eureka Springs or the campgrounds), or an estimated 12,000 miles!!:

March 25 (closing), April 11,  20, May 3, 11, 24 (Memorial Day week), June 7, 21, July 3 (Fourth of July), 19, 26, August 16 (week), Aug 30-Sept 1 (Labor Day), Sept 6, Sept 13, 21 (week) and October 13 (week).

THATS A LOT OF MILES!  
Spread the trips among our trucks and vans, rental cars, once riding with family.

28 different guests: Derek  Rana, Kings, Morrisons, Maylene and Kevin, Roz and Bob, Schraders (total of 5), Pattie, YB, Beau and Brian, Jeanne, Amy, Lisa, Tash, Margaret, Shelley and Gina, Ron and Madeline....

THATS A LOT OF GUESTS!

Now it's time to turn it over to the caretakers for the winter, and settle in to wait for next spring and summer!

Shaffer Road

Yes.    After years of searching...the right property presented itself.   While searching through real estate for sale in the Beaver Lake area, one picture of a deck looking out over the lake was interesting enough to click on.    It was mid-summer 2012.  Many of them do sell quickly; so when one appeared, it was worth a closer look.   Unfortunately, things at home and work got in the way and the property was forgotten.  Then again in the fall.....the picture came up again in a search...this time the real estate company had done a much better job of presenting the property, the pictures were sharper and more descriptive.

It was worth a visit.   Why was this house still on the market?   Was there some flaw that could not be determined by the advertising layout?   The price seemed to be reasonable.......

In late fall there was finally time to drive down and see the place in person.     After the tour - knew the house was right.....but hesitated to make any offer - by this time the holidays were right around the corner, all funds fixed and locked down for the year (you know, capital gains and such).     Told the agent that it would be 2013 before any decisions were made.

As it turned out, the property was still available and with a couple of weeks of negotiations and some repairs, the deal was finalized.

Closing is March 26th.

Yes.

 

Ending 2012

2012 marks the end of my yoga teaching career here in Wichita -and what a great experience it was to be able to teach yoga for these past few years.   I had the opportunity to work with the elderly, upward-bound high school students, and spend one very memorable evening with a bunch of 12-year old Girl Scouts and a few of their moms.  I met many special yoga students at the Heskett Center on WSU’s campus, spent countless evenings at both Edgemoor and Linwood Recreation Centers (part of the Wichita Park Board) and one short summer session at Genesis Health Club.    

There were times it seemed impossible to juggle my full-time job, my love of travel, my big ole’ yard and all the housework while also planning and teaching yoga classes, sometimes 3-4 per week.    My secret:  Stop, breathe, find the richness and beauty of this precious life, and take the moments as they come – each one a gift.