4/19/17 Final Map of Travels

As we reflect on the this most momentous adventure in our lives, this map shows all states where we camped.    Utah, Tennessee, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Alaska are left to explore on future folly's!!!!!

We later added the Hawaii sticker to our map in honor of our visits in July 2016 and January 2017 even though the camper didn't quite make it there ;)   

Hawaii or Bust

4/7/17 April Fools - We Move Into The Condo

APRIL FOOLS - We Moved Into The Condo.
No really, we did.  Seriously, we are sleeping in our own bed in our own bedroom while the sun rises through the bedroom windows as we look out the deck slider to the ocean.  Honestly, we are IN!!!!!!!

John's Den

Of course it was after more weeks, then days, then hours of delays until we were literally at the last day to close before loosing our mortgage rate lock.  On April 7th at noon, we still didn't know for sure if we were closing at 4:00.  But the bank inspector took pity on us and through the construction haze with many things still left to do, he allowed the closing.   Two days later we have new furniture delivered in the morning and in the afternoon we move in everything from the storage unit.  We are finally home again, after beginning our Freedom Folly in Fairfax, Virginia on June 30, 2014.

Guest Bedroom

Master Bedroom

The beauty of the space, the lovely scenery out our windows, the joyful peace we feel inside more than fulfills our years of  expectations.  Life is Good!

And we love the history of this place.  Sitting atop the unique geology of the Champlin Woods Glacier Park, Dr. Champlin bought the land in 1916 and errected the Oaks Inn on the site where our condo building is now located.  In the late 1920's the property

was converted to a horse club stables, with polo grounds across the street.  During WWII the fear of German uboats coming up the bay to attack the Naval Base in Newport resulted in many coastal batteries being established including one at the Oaks Inn site.  As part of the Harbor Defense of Long Island Sound, the US Army converted the Inn to a military headquarters from 1942-1944 surrounding it with four 155 mm  guns on panama mounts.  The Inn and military buildings were demolished in late 1990's but the battery mounts existed until bulldozed in 2008 for development of our condo  units.  

Oaks Inn Harbor Defense Map