Living Simply
I went to view a home in Eagan, Minnesota recently. The property is very nice although it was a little steep on the side.
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| Eagan, Minnesota |
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| Eagan, Minnesota |
In our quest to check out different neighborhoods in the Minnesota area to find the perfect place to buy a house, we drive around Saturday afternoons.
We came across a small town called Hugo that’s approximately 14 miles north of Saint Paul and has 14,000 or so residents.
The area we drove through was not very impressive but I’ve been told that there are areas that are nicer. The picture below is of an area that has “cookie cutter” homes. It reminded me of the song called “Little Boxes.” The song is about houses being built in suburbia that are built out of “ticky tacky” and they all look just the same. Click here to view the wikipedia article.
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| Hugo, Minnesota |
Not all the houses looked “ticky tacky” but there was a sameness to the area where we were. A beige-i-ness.
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| Hugo, Minnesota |
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| Hugo, Minnesota |
Close to where we drove was a park called Oak Shore Park. Although it was snow-filled, I can visualize this park being used by all the neighborhood children.
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| Oak Shore Park in Hugo, Minnesota |
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| Oak Shore Park in Hugo, Minnesota |
While driving through Hudson, Wisconsin I came across this old Denny’s Classic Diner. The outside looks as if it hasn’t changed since the 50’s. I didn’t have an opportunity to go inside.
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| Denny’s Classic Diner, Hudson, Wisconsin |
It reminded me of the old television sitcom called Happy Days.
Where’s Fonzi I wonder?
Overnight, a gentle mist of snow fell in Grant, Minnesota lightly touching the trees with a white and fluffy powder. The branches welcomed the mist and a peaceful scene was created.
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| Grant, Minnesota |
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| Grant, Minnesota |
The deer came out to enjoy the magical quietness that filled the air.
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| Deer in Grant, Minnesota |
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| Deer in Grant, Minnesota |
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| Country road in Grant, Minnesota |
Whimsical settings are left by residents for those passing by to enjoy.
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| Trees in Grant, Minnesota |
When the weather drops to 10 or below, the weather person tells us to make sure we have all of our “skin” covered so that we don’t get hypothermia. This is because the windchill can get to -10 and -20 depending on how strong the wind is.
This morning, we noticed two teenagers on a corner street waiting for the school bus. One of them was wearing shorts. It was unbelievable to me, although when I was younger I remember going out with my coat unbuttoned when it was cold.
Still, today was the first day that I actually experienced what the weather person was talking about. Forgetting my gloves at home, I headed into Starbucks to work on my writing. When I left a couple hours later, I climbed into the car. The short distance between Starbucks and the car was not short enough. My fingers were almost frozen when I started the car.
Frost bite … one has to be careful living in Minnesota.
It is still a tough choice to make whether to live in Minnesota or Wisconsin. It is made more complicated when there are new houses being built that cost less than the older ones in the same area.
I drove past a development in Hudson, Wisconsin, right off of Exit 4. The house is supposed to be completed by the 4th of March. I didn’t step inside, but I can’t see how it can be. Perhaps things move much quicker than I imagine.
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| New House in Hudson, Wisconsin |
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| New House in Hudson, Wisconsin |
This house is actually pretty private — not too close to its neighbor, at least not for now. More houses will be built further down the road.
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| House in Hudson, Wisconsin |
Bales of hay can be seen in the farmland that surrounds this new development. I’m not sure how long it will be before this area is totally houses and the farms are gone.
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| Bales of hay in Hudson, Wisconsin |
I recently received an email with a video from our Realtor, Bridget Crepeau, that asks the question “Why We’re Here: Twin Cities.”
Quite a few people asked us “why move to Minnesota?” Our main reason was to be closer to family on both sides. But then we were asked “what about the snow?” Actually, we like the snow. Some days though it’s very white outside. Almost a blinding white. The streets here are cleared up rather quickly, unlike the city of Seattle that shuts down with 2 inches of snow because they don’t have the equipment to remove the snow (they don’t get much anyway).
Then we were asked “what about the cold?” I thought that might be a problem too but so far it hasn’t been. I’ve actually adjusted to the cold and 20 degrees fahrenheit seems pretty warm (well, compared to when it gets to 0 degrees).
Since it’s winter and our focus right now is finding permanent housing, i.e. a house, we have not had much opportunity to explore the area as much as we’d like. That should change come spring and summer.
View the video below. And come visit us in Minnesota sometime.
Unfortunately, it’s one of the houses in an area that is overpriced and the owner will probably not come down in price. We’ve already had two homes that we made offers on where that happened so we don’t want to risk another rejection.
But — it is beautiful. It does not have the master bedroom and a guest room on the main floor though and we really wanted to have that.
The architecture is unique and exquisite. The house received an architecture and interior design award.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin house in the Troy Burne golf course neighborhood |
This is the front of the house.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin house in the Troy Burne golf course neighborhood. |
Stainless steel appliances and the use of cherry, maple, slate and tile is used throughout the home.
This is the kitchen. The cabinets are so so beautiful.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin house in Troy Burne |
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| Hudson, Wisconsin Troy Burne house |
The dining room has a built in hutch with unique glass on the doors. A 3-way fireplace separates the living and dining rooms.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin house in Troy Burne |
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| Hudson, Wisconsin Troy Burne house |
The guest bathroom has unique tile in it.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin Troy Burne house |
The master bathroom has a nice bathroom also.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin Troy Burne house – bathroom |
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| Hudson, Wisconsin Troy Burne house – bathroom |
And the detail on the stair molding is beautiful.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin Troy Burne house stairwell |
Ahhh … if only the seller would come down in price — a LOT.
On the other side of the St Croix River in eastern Minnesota lies a small town called Hudson, Wisconsin.
We’ve been looking for houses in both Hudson and also in Minnesota but have yet to find one that meets most of our requirements and wants. Â One of the last homes we saw was no exception.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin home |
This house is fenced in the backyard. Â A cage in one of the rooms hints that they had a dog. Â The property sits on about 2 acres and does not have very many trees but is more open — prairie-like.
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| Tiffany-like chandelier |
When I entered the house, I was impressed when I looked up and saw this Tiffany-like chandelier. Â It made the entrance feel warm somehow. Â The stairs are just a few steps from the foyer and once you pass the steps, the living room boasts a beautiful fireplace that has light-filled windows on both sides.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin fireplace |
Entering the kitchen, the owners continued the tiffany-like light look as over the kitchen island, there were these three lights.
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| Tiffany-like light fixtures, Hudson, Wisconsin |
But of course, every house has its idiosyncrasy as I found an old scale in the corner of the office.
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| Old upright scale, Hudson, Wisconsin |
The flow of this house was not our style. Â The oak cabinets have a different look to them that, had this home had a better floor plan, would not have bothered me at all.
One of the fun things about house hunting is that there are so many varied homes in the Minnesota and Wisconsin areas.
Some of the homes are in neighborhoods with tall evergreen trees behind them, others have a prairie like acreage to them and still others are in communities where every house looks the same (with the exception of the car that may be in the driveway).
A home we saw today was very unique. The drive to get to the home was beautiful on a road that was tree lined on both sides.
This is the driveway to the home.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin |
If you take a close peek, there are homes nestled among the trees.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin |
The property has a bench where one can sit and meditate. It looks so peaceful.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin |
Driving up to the home, you see all these steps that you think you’re going to have to climb in order to get in the front door. But they are on the side where the decks are.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin |
Here is the front door. Wheeee!!! I thought I was going to exercise a lot today.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin |
The inside of this home needs a lot of updating. This is a picture of the very old built-in microwave.
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| Hudson, Wisconsin |
A beautiful fireplace graces the living room and windows show the treed view on the property.
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| Inside of Hudson, Wisconsin home |
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| Fireplace inside Hudson, Wisconsin home |
This home is perfect for someone who has a lot of money to use on updating it. The floors in the kitchen are brick and would have to be replaced along with the carpeting throughout the house.
