16 Years In Our Home

      16 years ago today we started living in this house. Escrow had closed and I go the keys. Elena came with a sleeping bag and started living in the house. She needed to be near her hospital in San Francisco. On the day after her birthday, 25 January, I came with a U-Haul truck and a crew of Mexican workers. We moved all the furniture in. On Monday 26 January, I cleaned what was left in the old townhouse in San Jose. I brought Copernicus and Eloisa to live in their new house. We were very poor in those days.

    The house was a disaster. Pacific Gas and Electric came out and "red lined" the heating system because it was leaking natural gas. Immediately we had to install a new central heating system. The yard had no fence. We had to put in a chain link fence in an effort to keep the dogs from escaping. How we found the money I will never know! The house was a disaster and falling apart. It took us seven years to get the remodel going.

    In the worst of the bad times the debt on the house went up to $745,000 and the house was worth $395,000. I wanted to abandon the house and avoid a huge loss. Elena refused to leave pointing out that in Argentina people never abandon their home. She proved to be right and for a reason that she never saw coming years ago-climate change. We're sitting in "a climate change sweet spot." The fog protects us from fire. We sit on solid rock. The house is solidly bolted to the foundation. Earthquake damage would be minimal. We are at least 1/2 mile from the ocean and sit 53 feet above sea level. A tsunami would not destroy the home.

     Everyone the house would now sell for between $1,200,000 and $1,300,000. Our debt has dropped from $745,000 to $105,000.

     Anna when you were a young lady of 17, I talked to you about independent thinking. My words to you were:

     "When everyone in the world tells you that you're wrong and crazy and you know that you're right; go ahead and do it!"

       Everyone told Elena to abandon this house. She relied on independent thinking. She turned a huge defeat into a great victory!

    Everyone please reflect on this!!!