I just drove through Bridle Trails last week on my way to Bellevue, thinking how lovely it was with all the trees and still some pastureland. It's hard to drive anywhere around here without encountering soul-bracing beauty.
(Cookie-cutter developments have ruined Issaquah. Such a dramatic setting; they could have done far, far better.)
I know the feeling about making changes to houses.. The house that I was talking about was not set up as horse property when I bought it in 1989 I told the lady who owned it what I had in mind she thought it was great her adult childern all had horses I spoke to the neighbors and everyone had no problem with me having a barn and bringing horses in The current place I have I told them that I was going to have a barn and indoor arena that is 84x120 other than that I have only changed the flower beds and vegatble garden to different places
We quite clearly need to have a Puget Sound meet-up!
Hey Red sent you an e mail through your profile did you get it ?
Managed to drive by the house I grew up in last year. It looks fairly well kept up, but very....weathered. Of course, 35 years later, so do I. The truly sad part was that the giant elm tree in the back yard that I basically grew up sitting in (great tree house) was gone and a rather plain Jane 2 car detached garage was in its place. Life goes on...
Five years ago I moved out of the house I lived in for my first forty years. We keep in touch with our former neighbors and have heard how bad our house is now. When we were there, it was the cutest in the neighborhood--people used to stop by and tell us. Since the day we moved out I've never been back. It'll just break my heart, since my parents put so much hard work and love and money into it. They've seen it since and say it doesn't bother them, but it must.
Here in NJ, so much land has been developed over the years. Quite a few of the barns where I rode or boarded are gone. The farms that are being built are large equestrian center type places, with large barns and huge indoor arenas, with large monthly boarding fees. Most are geared towards horseshow people with money. The smaller farmettes (I board at one) are usually surrouned by non-horsey people who want to move to the country and live in McMansions. They're the first to complain about the smelly horses and the flies. They also have the dogs that run loose, kids trespassing on the property, ATV riding on farmland....more trouble than the horses.
In my sort of rural area, there should be someone to inspect farm properties. Old barns ready to collapse, rusting machinery in fields with horses and cows. and the fencing!! A rusty old wire one foot high off the ground around the property (with little strips of cloth attached..ooh! that'll keep the animals safe!). Horses get loose and are hit/killed by cars, horses/ponies/llamas attacked by bears/coyotes/loose dogs. People are so ignorant and irresponsible.
Whew! Venting feels great.
Well at least there are horse places going in... even if they are training barns LOL The area that I am venting about has lost 6 horse faculites totaling an easy 300 stalls and there are ginormus housing develpoments in their place with very strict HOA rules. 3 more have been sold and are sitting vacant or have trainers/boarders in there month to month until they start bulldozing.
I will be updating this with a new post
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