The Search Begins

  Thanksgiving week, 2011.  The four of us walked along the extreme edge of the road, dodging tall weeds in an effort to stay clear of the SUV's speeding down the two-lane road. Drivers glanced at us with bemusement as the girls alternatively sprinted then jumped into the grass as they tried to keep up with Rebecca and I.  Eventually we could see the empty and forelorn farm, originally from the 1940's with a tiny house and several old chicken barns.  It had sold in 2007 for just under a million, and was now selling short at $430k for ten acres.  Despite the hideous McMansion next door, the place did have potential, though at that price it would still need a huge amount of building investment.  Soon, however, the relentless traffic whizzing by resulted in unanimous veto, and we continued our roadside walk back to the car.
  Rebecca and I have been watching the MLS property listings around Sonoma County, looking for the right property with five or more acres and farming potential. Although we are five years past the housing bubble burst, and prices continue to fall, viable farm properties are still beyond what we can manage, or, when the price is low enough, the property has some insurmountable flaw (flood zone, disastrous neighbors, or traffic noise).  We are trying to practice patience, and trust that the right place will come along in the next year or so.