It's been a while. I thought I should finish the story.
We put the house on the market and had some interest but no immediate offers. We lowered the asking price and had a few more folks interested but still no offers. The real estate folks thought we were asking the right amount, and the house showed wonderfully, but...
We got an offer in August and were in the process of countering when Hurricane Harvey struck. The house had no flood damage because we had raised it high enough, but the 130 mph winds did damage that allowed rainwater to penetrate into the house and damage the sheetrock in places. Also the ridge shingles on the roof were blown off. Many more homes had much more damage.
We had a major fight with TWIA the quasi-state windstorm insurance agency, and were in the process of getting quotes for repairs when we got an "as is" offer. It was lower than we hoped, but we were hoping for a reasonable insurance settlement. We took the offer and then when the insurance finally settled we were not happy. Didn't get what we had hoped/expected.
But, we didn't have to deal with the contractors to make repairs and then put the house back on the market.
House has new owners who have totally removed all the plants from the yard, replaced the roof with a new metal one, and repainted.
So this closes the book on the house on Mustang Island. Mustang Island will be missed.
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Time for a Change.
After much deliberation we've decided to sell our dream home.
It is officially on the market.
Use this link (http://www.whittenrealestate.com/listing1178.htm) to get to the listing. There, enjoy the photos, and take a walk inside with the 3D tour.
We've decided to downsize.
Family hasn't really come to visit as we'd hoped and expected. Alese was overwhelmed with the yard and struggles finding plants happy to be in sand and salt. And with grand kids at a distance (Massachusetts and New Zealand) we're going to be the ones traveling to see them for a while.
Oh yes, there's a new house in the works. Smaller and on the continent as Alese says. OTB (over the bridge) as islanders say, but still in Corpus Christi. Just a little further away from the beaches but across the street from a wetlands preserve.
There will be a new blog beginning soon so you'll be able to follow the construction of it.
It is officially on the market.
Use this link (http://www.whittenrealestate.com/listing1178.htm) to get to the listing. There, enjoy the photos, and take a walk inside with the 3D tour.
We've decided to downsize.
Family hasn't really come to visit as we'd hoped and expected. Alese was overwhelmed with the yard and struggles finding plants happy to be in sand and salt. And with grand kids at a distance (Massachusetts and New Zealand) we're going to be the ones traveling to see them for a while.
Oh yes, there's a new house in the works. Smaller and on the continent as Alese says. OTB (over the bridge) as islanders say, but still in Corpus Christi. Just a little further away from the beaches but across the street from a wetlands preserve.
There will be a new blog beginning soon so you'll be able to follow the construction of it.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Nature Happenings.
Just a little bit of the goings-on on our part of the sand bar we live on.
The great blue heron is a tall bird, According to Sibley it is 54 inches long with a 6 foot wingspan and weighs about 6 pounds. They are pretty and I've posted photos of them here before.
We've watched them hunting along the shoreline of our ponds and swales (when full of water). And, we've watched as one swallowed a 15 inch snake. All that seems to fit with the long bill and long slender neck. We also watched as one swallowed a small furry critter.
We have doves in the yard, and the doves don't seem to be very wary birds. They seem comfortable to be within a couple of yards of us when we're working in the yard. They seem more willing to walk away a few steps than to fly away. Twice recently we've observed great blue capture and swallow a dove.
Great blue's hunt in large part by standing statue still, observing, until there's something near enough to strike. This past week there was a great blue patrolling our front yard -- which is fun because I can watch from my office window. One afternoon the blue was playing statue for a long while, then started a stealthly, slow movement before it moved quickly to capture a dove.
It shook the dove, put it under water of the swale for a little while, and then took it out of the water and shook it more. Finally it got the dove in position to take it head first into it's mouth.
The heron had a difficult time because all the shaking hadn't been enough to loosen up the wing so the dead dove's wings would fold back and fit into the mouth. It seems while the heron can open their bills vertically quite large, they can't create a wide opening too. You can see the dove's wing protruding from the side of the bill.
Time to start over. Disgorge the dove. Shake it a lot more. Put it in the water to ensure it's very wet. (I assume that helps it slide down the throat.) Of course the challenge always is picking up the bird with the bill so the dove is head first. That accomplished, head in the air, the dove disappears into the blue's mouth,
It takes a few minutes for the bulge in the throat to work it's way down that long neck to the body, The blue just stands still waiting for that to happen.
Meanwhile, today, out in the dunes there's a howling party going on. Generally we don't hear the coyote pups yapping until evening, but today it was before 10 am. Afterwards one of the coyote parents decided it was time for to relax, and so settled into a comfortable position watching out for opportunities. (I had the telephoto at full magnification for this shot.)
The great blue heron is a tall bird, According to Sibley it is 54 inches long with a 6 foot wingspan and weighs about 6 pounds. They are pretty and I've posted photos of them here before.We've watched them hunting along the shoreline of our ponds and swales (when full of water). And, we've watched as one swallowed a 15 inch snake. All that seems to fit with the long bill and long slender neck. We also watched as one swallowed a small furry critter.
We have doves in the yard, and the doves don't seem to be very wary birds. They seem comfortable to be within a couple of yards of us when we're working in the yard. They seem more willing to walk away a few steps than to fly away. Twice recently we've observed great blue capture and swallow a dove.
Great blue's hunt in large part by standing statue still, observing, until there's something near enough to strike. This past week there was a great blue patrolling our front yard -- which is fun because I can watch from my office window. One afternoon the blue was playing statue for a long while, then started a stealthly, slow movement before it moved quickly to capture a dove.
It shook the dove, put it under water of the swale for a little while, and then took it out of the water and shook it more. Finally it got the dove in position to take it head first into it's mouth.The heron had a difficult time because all the shaking hadn't been enough to loosen up the wing so the dead dove's wings would fold back and fit into the mouth. It seems while the heron can open their bills vertically quite large, they can't create a wide opening too. You can see the dove's wing protruding from the side of the bill.
Time to start over. Disgorge the dove. Shake it a lot more. Put it in the water to ensure it's very wet. (I assume that helps it slide down the throat.) Of course the challenge always is picking up the bird with the bill so the dove is head first. That accomplished, head in the air, the dove disappears into the blue's mouth,
It takes a few minutes for the bulge in the throat to work it's way down that long neck to the body, The blue just stands still waiting for that to happen.
Meanwhile, today, out in the dunes there's a howling party going on. Generally we don't hear the coyote pups yapping until evening, but today it was before 10 am. Afterwards one of the coyote parents decided it was time for to relax, and so settled into a comfortable position watching out for opportunities. (I had the telephoto at full magnification for this shot.)
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Friday, January 1, 2016
Bird Watch New Years Day
These photos are all taken through our windows from inside in the nice dry warm environment.There have been an assortment of birds ranging from gulls, and grackles, common moorhen, assorted ducks, cormorants, tricolored, little blue,and great blue heron,snowy and great egrets, bittern, white ibis, and roseate spoonbills. The different species seem to have no problem co-existing, but sometimes there's a conflict between birds of the same species.
We also have a kestrel that likes to hang out on the telephone wire or a-top of the light pole to watch for prey, but it and a hawk that has thus far defied identification, haven't been out and about much with the cold, rainy, and windy weather we've been experiencing. Here, from left to right: great egret (back to camera), two roseat spoonbills, flock of ducks.
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