If You Could Do Anything You Wanted...

  But then if you have an mansion, unless it's self-sustaining you constantly have to have money to keep it going, I say over 2,500 square feet and under 5,000 sq feet is nicely adequate...with grounds to grow on if need be. I like our ancestors that had the neat bunglow houses with an huge barn and several acres of ground. Barns make it possible to store so many things, do so many things, raise animals or even have big barn parties. In short you have the room to define your every need and want. My neighborhood here was an set of young professionals when we bought our houses, behind rather simple normal looking modest houses out front.. we had three in-ground pools and four large above ground swimming pools, several spas...you would of never known it from looking at the houses outside. All the latest up-dated technology also. Three across country housing contractors lived here, We supported the area's Scouting ,little league baseball, soccer team, high school valdictotrian was my immediate neighbor, the school "queen", three foreign exchange students, at one time the city of Portland's national basketball team "PR" man was an neighbor, we had one neighbor that worked in Silcon Valley in California and flew up here to "be at home" with his family on an rotation job, six weeks on and one complete week off...we had the grade school PTA vice president across from me,, our houses being smaller then mansions never kept us from doing an thing. Another nieghbor during the late 70's here was the designer of the first "Star Wars" figuirines" for kids, nation wide. The area has always been an example of just "good"people for the most part, industrious people..we had an banker that use to buy his yearly BMW or Mercedes, he never left out of the gararge except to go to work in, and another whose fettish was Cadalllacs, my own son bought an "Shelby" in his young teens to restore...but why else you think I live here?....I could of picked any other place around here and didn't. I knew the area an long time ago and the people in it...if it weren't for the kids being here I'd have plenty of room, but then I'd miss my grandkids and I need someone to watch over me here lately also healthwise...so I could use more room, we went down from a little over 5,000 sq feet housing between us. into half that here..it's crowded now...but enjoy the safety of someone usually being here 24/7 most of the time also. As Dave Ramsey the economist said last night, it's nice to say your house is paid off..you own it...esp in what looks like tough times ahead possibly, though they are working on it daily also. I've helped some160 kids here at my house through the years.. I feellike I've done my thing for "community". Most my neighbors moved through the years and are into larger homes in the 10,000 sq foot range, but the kids are now grown and have families also. Parents have had to help this generation out considerable for them to have an decent start.

What are you - part cat??  Curiosity killed the cat you know!!!  

If you burn me at the stake then everybody will me miss and I won't be able to post anymore! 

Great minds think alike, Sue.  Except I would include all the inland places as well, like the Lakes and the Black Country, and the 4 Yorkshires, of course.  Speaking of geology, I'd really love to see the Giant's Causeway in County Antrim, N. Ireland.

I would love to go there Ruth!! I love the story that goes with it!

I would love to visit County Wicklow. That is where my grandfather was born and lived!

Me too, Krissy.  Next time we'll visit that side of Ireland.  The story that you mentioned - is that the one about Finn McCool?

Hi Ruth!

Yep, that's the story!!

Yep, it's a great story!

You need to go there Krissy, especially if you go to England.  Got to whilst you're in the neighborhood.