The other half..

Sunday morning, Danny and I took a drive up to the far Northeast Heights (the foothills) to look over new homes in price ranges we couldn't possibly afford. It was one of those crisp almost overpoweringly blue sky days, and we couldn't have asked for better.

We saw 4 houses in all. Well, 3 were mini-mansions, actually. 3 of them were on the Homes of Enchantment tour (all new) and the 4th was near the last one, and was an open house, but couldn't have been more than a year old. All of them had expansive views of the mountains and (at night) the lights of Albuquerque. Danny was in heaven.

The two LOW price homes were ultra modern Southwest style homes for 1.1 million each. I wish we had taken pictures of the outsides at least. We were very impressed with all the features...including wine coolers and multiple dishwashers. Very open area styles, but small low-maintenance yards (yes!)

The open house that was on the way and is the one we were actually liked best, a mere 1.5 million and 6000 square feet with pool. This one was two story, with a sub-level that you couldn't call a basement by any standards. We were impressed by the high-end touches everywhere, including a delightful master suite upstairs. But the sub-level was actually an enormous master suite on its own, with special use rooms scattered here and there, like a small band/piano room and a sewing room. Every house had lots of storage with room-size walk-in closets.

The last house was awe-inspiring at 2.9 million and 8000 square feet. It was a new Italianate villa that the owner/architect and his family were scheduled to move into as soon as the tours were over. There was actually a waiting line to get into this one, and groups of 20 could tour. It was WAY over the top with rococo furnishings and that silky venetian faux finish that's all the rage (I'm not keen on it). This one had a separate 2000 square foot guest house with an office. The main house had a 'bell tower'. We counted THREE laundry rooms. But it was a bit scary, since every room had some sort of puritanical religious motto on pictures, carved into wood, imbedded in furniture. I can't even imagine living someplace like this.

We intended to see one more house on the tour, next door to Kris Jensen's here in our lovely, but older Hyder Park neighborhood. By the time we got home, we were too tired and overwhelmed to go the three blocks to see the interior!

Sort of humbling all told, but then again people think THIS house is 'sumptuous' with our bold wall colors and 3500 square feet on 1/3 acre. Believe me, it ain't! It's just big!

The other half..

Sunday morning, Danny and I took a drive up to the far Northeast Heights (the foothills) to look over new homes in price ranges we couldn't possibly afford. It was one of those crisp almost overpoweringly blue sky days, and we couldn't have asked for better.

We saw 4 houses in all. Well, 3 were mini-mansions, actually. 3 of them were on the Homes of Enchantment tour (all new) and the 4th was near the last one, and was an open house, but couldn't have been more than a year old. All of them had expansive views of the mountains and (at night) the lights of Albuquerque. Danny was in heaven.

The two LOW price homes were ultra modern Southwest style homes for 1.1 million each. I wish we had taken pictures of the outsides at least. We were very impressed with all the features...including wine coolers and multiple dishwashers. Very open area styles, but small low-maintenance yards (yes!)

The open house that was on the way and is the one we were actually liked best, a mere 1.5 million and 6000 square feet with pool. This one was two story, with a sub-level that you couldn't call a basement by any standards. We were impressed by the high-end touches everywhere, including a delightful master suite upstairs. But the sub-level was actually an enormous master suite on its own, with special use rooms scattered here and there, like a small band/piano room and a sewing room. Every house had lots of storage with room-size walk-in closets.

The last house was awe-inspiring at 2.9 million and 8000 square feet. It was a new Italianate villa that the owner/architect and his family were scheduled to move into as soon as the tours were over. There was actually a waiting line to get into this one, and groups of 20 could tour. It was WAY over the top with rococo furnishings and that silky venetian faux finish that's all the rage (I'm not keen on it). This one had a separate 2000 square foot guest house with an office. The main house had a 'bell tower'. We counted THREE laundry rooms. But it was a bit scary, since every room had some sort of puritanical religious motto on pictures, carved into wood, imbedded in furniture. I can't even imagine living someplace like this.

We intended to see one more house on the tour, next door to Kris Jensen's here in our lovely, but older Hyder Park neighborhood. By the time we got home, we were too tired and overwhelmed to go the three blocks to see the interior!

Sort of humbling all told, but then again people think THIS house is 'sumptuous' with our bold wall colors and 3500 square feet on 1/3 acre. Believe me, it ain't! It's just big!

Heart doc visit 1

My appointment for doing my new doc visit at Presbyterian Hospital was scheduled for 4pm today, but there I was last night and this morning flinging paperwork this way and that at home trying to find my EKG and ER visit results from my 9/18 a-fib...nada.

Danny had the presence of mind this morning when we were IMing to suggest that I contact the hospital there to get the visit notes there (what DO you call them, fuzzygruf)? I was envisioning weeks of red tape.

Nope! Although I had to call Ralph in Denver to find the name and number of the hospital I had been taken to, within 10 minutes, I had gotten a waiver faxed to me, faxed it back, and the 12 pages of the report were in my hands at work! Amazing!

The visit went well. I'm 207 with my clothes on, 5'10 3/8", 29 BMI, flawless EKG, BP a bit high at 136/84, resting pulse between 60 and 64. The same sets of tests were scheduled over the next month as I had in '99 during my last a-fib and followup. Cholesterol, thyroid, etc blood work, and an echo cardiogram with another visit with the doc. I just seem to know so much more about this syndrome now than I did 6 years ago...mostly because of nagging from friends and searching the web. The slushy feeling in my chest that persevered for about 3 weeks after the a-fib wasn't reassuring...that's not happened before, but I'm over that now.

This doc (Jerry Watzkowitz) is very soft-spoken and my gaydar quietly went off. This in spite of his being married with two kids and an affinity for pretzels. (I know that because of his profile on the Presbyterian Hospital website.) My prior doc (no appts available until November) was sitting chatting at reception when we came by.

I have my sleep center visit on November 9; Dr Watzkowitz knows that doc there, and they'll be exchanging notes.

Since my father and his father both died at 59, that's always in the back of my mind with this kind of thing. Crossing fingers that I'm much healthier. Actually, I know I must be!

Now to get abqdan back in good health!

Heart doc visit 1

My appointment for doing my new doc visit at Presbyterian Hospital was scheduled for 4pm today, but there I was last night and this morning flinging paperwork this way and that at home trying to find my EKG and ER visit results from my 9/18 a-fib...nada.

Danny had the presence of mind this morning when we were IMing to suggest that I contact the hospital there to get the visit notes there (what DO you call them, fuzzygruf)? I was envisioning weeks of red tape.

Nope! Although I had to call Ralph in Denver to find the name and number of the hospital I had been taken to, within 10 minutes, I had gotten a waiver faxed to me, faxed it back, and the 12 pages of the report were in my hands at work! Amazing!

The visit went well. I'm 207 with my clothes on, 5'10 3/8", 29 BMI, flawless EKG, BP a bit high at 136/84, resting pulse between 60 and 64. The same sets of tests were scheduled over the next month as I had in '99 during my last a-fib and followup. Cholesterol, thyroid, etc blood work, and an echo cardiogram with another visit with the doc. I just seem to know so much more about this syndrome now than I did 6 years ago...mostly because of nagging from friends and searching the web. The slushy feeling in my chest that persevered for about 3 weeks after the a-fib wasn't reassuring...that's not happened before, but I'm over that now.

This doc (Jerry Watzkowitz) is very soft-spoken and my gaydar quietly went off. This in spite of his being married with two kids and an affinity for pretzels. (I know that because of his profile on the Presbyterian Hospital website.) My prior doc (no appts available until November) was sitting chatting at reception when we came by.

I have my sleep center visit on November 9; Dr Watzkowitz knows that doc there, and they'll be exchanging notes.

Since my father and his father both died at 59, that's always in the back of my mind with this kind of thing. Crossing fingers that I'm much healthier. Actually, I know I must be!

Now to get abqdan back in good health!