Casa Conejo - Under Contract

If you selected house #2, “bathtub in the kitchen,” you were right! We’ve been under contract for approximately 3 weeks, but I didn’t want to get too emotionally invested until the inspection. It’s been so hard, though! This house feels like the perfect compromise: close to town and Carson National Forest access, enough of a project to keep us occupied without taking over our lives, and a large but manageable amount of land – three acres. 

Some additional good signs came up when we were signing the contract that made this house seem fated for us. The closing date is coincidentally our wedding anniversary, and according to the internet, fruit, flowers, and appliances are appropriate year 4 gifts, so why not get a house that is filled with all of those things? More importantly, we learned that Taos Cow, a beloved breakfast, lunch, and ice cream place, is opening up a new location that’s only .25 miles away from us this summer! I’ve fantasized about being a regular somewhere, but I don’t drink enough and I like trying new restaurants too much, but I can very much see myself as a regular at an ice cream shop. 

Despite all of the just right factors about this house, it’s a project house and I expect we’ll be working on it for the next decade. It’s also so big. I cannot wrap my head around filling a 2,800sqft house with just the two of us, and that’s before we build a garage/workshop and casita. And all of the furniture needed to fill a house that size… it makes my head hurt. I have to keep reminding myself the the overall purchase price is under budget so I don’t spiral thinking about how much a couch can cost. 

Also, I want to show off the house right away, but is seems ridiculous to host a housewarming party before it’s in a semi-finished state. Nonetheless, I’ve been developing my invite list. Locally, I know at least half a dozen people, and they all have significant others, so that’s a party right there! Does my “friends” list include the home inspector and former owner? Yes, but I can befriend kindly 50+ Taoseño men! If I expand my list to folks that live within a days drive, then this house warming party has the potential to become a proper bash. 

Until closing, we are going to head back to Utah for a few weeks. Once again, we have dentist appointments there, and although I need to find a new Taos-based dentist, it will be nice to have one last visit with my favorite dental hygienist. Since the move is basically official, we also need to clear the Utah house of our stuff (mostly power tools, extra clothes, and art). We’ll have to do the same at our Washington house this summer. 

“Wait! You’ve found you’re just right home in your just right place. Does this mean the Goldilocks Project is over,” you ask. Yes, my friend, I think it does. Potentially, “the House in Taos” will become its own blog, detailing our home renovation projects, but for now, wish us luck, and visit Taos!

Our soon-to-be house and backyard! There’s a great green house, a chicken coop and run, and a gated pen (possibly for future goats).

My favorite room in the house is effectively a sun room facing the backyard. I can’t wait to fill it with plants and a fainting couch. 

The house has lots of character, like these little niches and some old wooden vigas. 

We also really like some of the hanging pendant lights and hope they stay with the house. This is the bathroom next the bedrooms, and it has great mountain views.

The main kitchen is really cute, but there are some oddities including: fridge in the dining room, sink in a separate room, no dishwasher, and no hood over the stove. 

We paid extra to purchase two additional acres from the owner. We’re brainstorming what to do with it but top ideas right now are to rent it to a bee keeper and add some disc golf nets. 

I can’t leave you without a photo of the bathtub in the kitchenette. It’s too nice of a tub to trash, but clearly we’ll need to modify this space at some point. 

Advice from a Podcast

Before we had committed to Taos, I wrote into our favorite podcast, Too Beautiful to Live, asking for their advice on which location to choose. They’ve finally responded, and their perception of Taos is hilarious and entirely false!

Here’s a transcription of their conversation.

~~~

Luke: Hey, we’ve got to thank Aisha and Cameron Little who are…

Andrew: …living that #vanlife.

Luke: Aisha and Cameron say “we’ve been on the road close to a year trying to figure out where to live. Luke and Andrew, please share your opinions about the following top contenders.”

Andrew: Oh this sounds like we won’t get into any trouble with this.

Luke: No.

Andrew: Just ranking cities. 

Luke: Right? Taos, New Mexico – I’ll be honest with you. I don’t think I’ve been to Taos, New Mexico.

Andrew: No, me either. 

Luke: I’ve heard it’s lovely. Wenatchee, Washington – the apple capital of America. I have been to Wenatchee, Washington and I quite enjoyed it. Beautiful country out there. Missoula, Montana, where my dad, Walt Burbank went to Hellgate High School. An incredible name for a high school if you ask me.

Andrew: No kidding. 

Luke: Missoula is absolutely gorgeous and what’s cool about Missoula is you’ve got the University of Montana there so you have kind of a small town feel but you’ve got a lot of culture going on. You’ve got a lot of interesting events, you’ve got, you know – towns that have a college usually have that sort of vibe going on which is fun.

Andrew: Mmm hmm.

Luke: Bend, Oregon. Well…

Andrew: That’s the only place I’ve been on this list. 

Luke: You may have to keep living in the van is all I can say because Bend is really a town that has, particularly in the pandemic – everything that I hear is that the real estate prices there are quite something.

Andrew: Mmm hmm

Luke: But I don’t know Aisha and Cameron’s finances. I know that they’re dazzling donors so you know, maybe they got Bend bucks. People love it. It’s beautiful. Then Carson City, Nevada. Ok, that came out of left field. 

Andrew: Yeah, I guess that is a little bit different, but I don’t know what Taos, New Mexico is. But Carson City I picture – do they have a big cowboy sign?

Luke: No, that’s Reno. Well, the big cowboy sign is in Old Vegas. 

Andrew: Yeah. I guess I’m thinking Reno. Yeah.

Luke: It’s the old strip. I think it used to be associated with like Binion’s Horseshoe or something. 

Andrew: But Carson City I think of cowboys. No?

Luke: Well Carson City is the capital of the State of Nevada…

Andrew: Mmm hmm.

Luke: …so it’s got that going for it. I can’t say that I’ve been to Carson City. Now the thing I’ll say about Taos – Taos is quite beloved and I know is a playground for the rich and famous. A lot of people move to Taos when they have the means to, so my guess would be Taos, not unlike Bend, is beautiful and cool but also…

Andrew: Oomph yes. Wow, I’m looking at photos. 

Luke: …but also pretty, umm, you know. Again, one of those kind of like, umm, Jackson Hole, Wyoming. One of those places where you got a small town and many of the people who work in the town can’t live in the town because you’ve got all the Gwyneth Paltrows of the world, you know, flying in and enjoying the beauty of the town. That’s the sense I have about Taos having never been there. 

Andrew: Hmm.

Luke: Bend has a little bit of that going. I have none of that sense for Carson City, Nevada, which is a good thing. Maybe Carson City, maybe you can get in on the ground floor of Carson City. You know, before it becomes the next Taos. 

Andrew: Mmm hmm. I’m going to go just by how the names sound, which is I think how Aisha and Cameron would probably appreciate us doing this. And I think it’s down to Wenatchee, Washington or Missoula, Montana.

Luke: Hmm, alliterative.

Andrew: Just because – you have alliteration, but also Wenatchee and Missoula – those are fun to say!

Luke: Yeah, they are. I’ve cross country skied in Missoula and had a really nice time there. I really, I enjoy that city greatly. 

…

Luke: Anyway, Aisha and Cameron, let us know where you land and what you decide. 

Andrew: Yeah. They do have one last note here.

Luke: Yes. 

Andrew: “TBTL has been with us all around the country. Thanks for all the banal content.”

Luke: Hey, come on now. 

Andrew: I thought you were going to criticize the way I say ‘banal.’ Is that a word that you can say two ways?

Luke: Well I say ‘bah-nall’ but I don’t think that’s right. 

Andrew: Banal!

Luke: Let’s call the whole thing off.

~~~

If you care to hear the whole thing, you can find it starting at minute 50 in episode #3921, “Wackadoos and Whackadont’s.”

It’s a great podcast, but I’d only recommend it if you need 5-10 hours of time each week to fill your ear holes with disposable media. 

We’ve been long time listeners and donors to TBTL, as evidenced by our ever-growing pin wall. 

And if you want a reminder about each of our top 5 spots:

Taos, NM

Wenatchee, WA

Missoula, MT

Bend, OR

Carson City, NV

And if you are interested in TBTL, this is their current logo, but it’s likely to change in June. 

The House in Taos

It’s decided. Taos is going to be our new home, so the next phase of the Goldilocks Project is finding the perfect house. 

One of the reasons Taos was appealing initially was because our house budget is generous for the area. When we can theoretically afford our dream house, and we have virtually no move-in deadline, the abundance of options is overwhelming. The big question is do we settle on pretty damn good or do we wait until just right?

Another question: do we judge perfect based on present state or future possibilities?

We do have some restrictions:

1. We have to pay our taxes before we buy a house. (Done!)
2. We cannot close on a house until Cameron is able to sell company stock (May 4th). 
3. The property needs to be vegetated with something more than just sagebrush.
4. We have different home preferences, so we each get a house-style veto. Cameron has vetoed Earthships and I vetoed undeveloped land.
5. If it’s at the top of our budget, it must have a minimum of 1 acre and a casita (i.e., a guesthouse).

Perhaps surprisingly, we don’t have bedroom/bathroom/square footage minimums. In some ways, I think the smaller the better (you’ll remember that we currently live in a 100sqft van), and we have a slight preference towards a project house. We want Casa Conejo (yes, I’ve preemptively named our home “rabbit house”) to be fully our own, so necessary renovations and add-one are somewhat appealing. 

At one point I entertained the idea to getting my realtor’s license, but it’s silly to think I could provide the same service as an experienced local realtor. Not knowing anyone in the local area already, we stopped by a few well-rated realtor groups (per Google) on a Saturday afternoon and found Robban. Maybe it wasn’t the most sophisticated way to find a realtor, but I’m happy with it! I’m not sure what Robban thinks of us, but we’ve really appreciate her guidance in narrowing down the areas that we’d likely be happiest in. 

As of writing this, we have sent at least a dozen intriguing listings to Robban and Robban has given honest feedback, including “a nice house but you’ll drive through some dumpy stuff to get there” and “it’s lipstick on a pig.” Despite our initial interest in a few clunkers, we have physically toured five houses and seriously consider putting offers on three of them:

1. “But wait, there’s more!”

Pros

• Less than 1 mile from downtown’s main plaza. 
• Bordered by Pueblo land on two sides, so unlikely to be developed. 
• Four distinct living spaces: the main house was split into two apartments plus there were two sizable casitas. Each living space had its own outdoor yard. 
• Mature apple trees on the property. 
• Quirky but immediately usable. 

Cons

• Likely difficult to finance as a standard single-family home. 
• Would need work and likely tricky renovations to reconvert the main house into a single cohesive living space. 
• Owner already received an offer, necessitating a quick decision from us. 
• No additional land for potential future builds (like a workshop and covered parking). 

2. “Bathtub in the kitchen”

Pros

• 1.2 miles from Taos Plaza and 2 miles from one of the main trail heads in Kit Carson National Forest. 
• The best kitchen/dining setup of all the houses we toured. 
• Charming backyard with great mountain views. 
• 1 acre property with the potential to acquire 2 addition acres. 
• County zoning, which makes possible future builds and rentals easier. 

Cons

• Old house that will likely need many small-but-immediate fixes. An inspection might also identify concerning structural problems. 
• The house is split to have a mother-in-law-suite; that side of the house is 100 years old, is dark, has low ceilings, and has a bathtub in the kitchen. 
• Off of a semi-main road.
• Bedrooms are small and have very limited closet space. 

3. “Unlisted grandparents’ hacienda”

Pros

• Stunning expansive mountain views. 
• 16-acre property that already has everything we’d want and more: van parking, a casita that is effectively a second home, an artist studio, an amazing chicken coop, a brand-new greenhouse, and a massive garage and workshop. There is even a heated cement pad that previously housed a teepee, but which we’d likely use for a hot tub. 
• Undervalued (we think they are trying to sell quickly because of family medical reasons).
• 2.5 miles to one of the main Rio Grande Gorge access points. 
• A great party house. 

Cons

• At the very top of our budget. 
• It’s a 20 minute drive into town, and the only shop closer is a convenient store/bar which is still 5 miles away. 
• The 16 acres are mostly sagebrush, with the exception of a small-but-well-kept garden, plus there are many juniper trees surrounding the property. 
• It’s possibly too nice – there would be no modifications we could make to put our own spin on it. 

~~~

It’s tough! All three are great options, and new listings come up every day. Perhaps we’re not being patient enough, but as of this writing we have put an offer on one of these three! We’re keeping that decision private for now, but I’d love to hear which one you’d pick for us. 

Taos, NM – Round 3

Our latest stint in Taos is twofold:

1. Make sure we still think Taos is our just right, and
2. Start house hunting. 

We purposely elected to come in April since we had heard spring is the worst time of year here, mostly because of the wind. We figured we’d better verify we can handle Taos at its worst before committing to the town. Although I don’t even want to think about the next steps for us if Taos doesn’t work out, we are in agreement that either of us can veto Taos and we will continue with the Goldilocks Project. 

Admittedly, I was worried for the first few days we were here. Everything felt a little more drab than during our last visits, and Cameron was complaining about the dryness and lack of trees. I kept reminding him that Taos borders the Carson National Forest and that things will green up as we transition from winter to spring, but I’ll admit I was also feeling less sure about Taos. We drove around  various regions/neighborhoods and assessed the outside of homes we had seen listed online, but none of them were as inviting in person as they had seemed in their photos. 

Nonetheless, we found a realtor to work with and have begun touring homes. Under her guidance we have narrowed our search to only heavily-vegetated parts of town and have found some promising options. I’ll talk about house hunting in more detail in a later post, but I bring it up here because seeing the first house (a quirky downtown adobe with two casitas and bordering Pueblo land) is what kicked Cameron out of his funk. The place wasn’t perfect, but it was a tangible manifestation of one of the versions of our could-be life here. We likely would have put an offer on that house if the owner hadn’t already accepted another one by the time we had made up our mind. 

I am very much trying to prove to both of us how ideal our life will be once we move here by immersing us into Taos’ lifestyle. We enjoyed a surprisingly great closing ski weekend to cap off the season at Taos Ski Valley. I now have two BumbleBFF friends whom I expect to meet again, plus a friend who lives in Santa Fe who is going to meet us for a hike over the weekend. My bike is operational, and we’ve each used it to run solo errands. There are two lap pool options within a mile of us that I’m planning on visiting. I love Cid’s Food Market and the neighboring liquor store, both of which offer primarily local and regional goods. Cameron and I are getting back into running, and he wants to run the Ski Valley’s Bull of the Woods marathon in September. On Monday, Cameron set off on a bakery run and came back with three excellent pastries from KOKO. Given what routines we’re already developing, it’s easy to see how we will live a happy and healthy life. 

And the wind? It’s there but it’s not constant. We’re experiencing the full spectrum of spring: sunny days up to 70°, overnight snow, cloudy overcast, … I’m honestly loving it. Plus the wildlife watching is excellent! I’ve seen multiple herds of bighorn sheep, gangs of turkeys, deer (of course), an abundance of prairie dogs, rabbits, a gopher, a garter snake, and countless unidentified birds. 

Every day I am more and more assured that Taos is it. Every so often I get a wave of uncontainable giddiness and I have to skip a little or smile so wide it feels like my stomach is going to get sucked into my throat. When I asked Cameron for his current assessment he replied, “It’s positive. It’s pretty okay. I’m ready to move here.” He may not be as enthusiastic as me, but I’ll take it!

Views from a hike in Carson National Forest. You can see the distinction between the green and brown in the distance, and we are very much hoping to find a home on the green side.

This was one of the houses we were originally very interested in, but you can see it is very much in the brown scrublands that we want to avoid. 

We also considered a place close to the ski area, but ultimately decided we’d rather be close to town than to skiing. 

Speaking of skiing, we had a great closing weekend. I like that we could foreseeable ski and hike in the same day in the same forest. 

The National Forest has some extended trails which would be good for Cameron’s marathon training or possible future backpacking trips. 

Ideally, we’ll also find a home near walking trails and views of the mountains. 

One of my BumbleBFF dates was at Taos Mesa Brewing. 

My other date was at the Lounge. Both spots were great. 

It’s nice to see there are upcoming events happening around town. 

Cid’s is great, but Smiths is a good grocery store, too. My weekly shopping choice will probably depend on what side of town we move to. 

I spy a garter snake…

…and a cute little gopher.

Basically I love it here!

Vanlife: Stationary Living

I love being back in the van! It’s so cozy and homey, plus we’re in the perfect time of year temperature-wise. Even Pancake seems to know the drill; she didn’t throw the tantrum she normally does the first few days back in the van. 

For the first time ever, we’re experiencing stationary van life. We’ve booked a spot at Taos Valley RV Park for the month of April to confirm Taos is the place for us and to start house hunting (more on that in a later blog). Normally our vanlife routine involves driving 3 hours per day, which doesn’t leave much time for other routines to develop. Suddenly, I’m left with much more time in my day that I need to fill.

The RV Park is nice. It’s probably less than half full, it has a small playground, a short nature trail, a $2/load laundry room, and of course bathrooms and showers. We elected a site with water and electricity hook ups, but we have not needed to use either yet. We don’t have a sewer line, but we use the communal dump station when we need to drain the urine or gray tanks. (Yes, even though there is a nice restroom available, we still pee in the van at night and when we don’t want to walk outside.) A true treat is the option to order things online, which can be picked up from the front office when it arrives. All of these amenities add up to the low low cost of $800, which is more than we’ve had to pay for rent all year, but probably pretty equivalent to our monthly gas costs.

There’s a short hiking trail (less than 2 miles round trip from the RV park), but other than that it’s not a particularly nice place to walk or run from. It’s only 4 miles to the downtown plaza, but that’s too far for an afternoon treck. On the one occasion that I needed to go into town for a should-be-solo trip, I had to bring Cameron and the house with me. To avoid that situation in the future, I  got my bike tire fixed today (shoutout to Rift Cycles in Taos), so I’m expecting to become a regular after-work cyclist soon.

Soon might start tomorrow. I have returned to Bumble BFF in an attempt to make friends in the area, and I’m meeting someone at a brewery tomorrow afternoon. She is one of four women who the app recommended for me, so if it doesn’t work out I’ll likely have to start looking beyond technology for friends. I’d be curious to learn more about my fellow RVers, but there hasn’t been any opportunities to yet. There is a decent chance that if we see a particular van parked there again tonight Cameron will knock on their door to ask about their wiring pass-throughs. 

I was expecting more of the RVing culture we got glimpses of last summer: tricked out mega-vehicles, a full patio setup complete with reclining chairs and fairy lights, and lots of barbecuing. Maybe it’s the time of year, or maybe it’s the location, but most rigs here are pretty modest and their owners are more of the keep-to-themselves types. Nonetheless, if we don’t find a house immediately, I’d be willing to spend another month or more here (says Aisha after only 6 days). 

“Do not dump Porta-potties, thunder mugs, etc. in restrooms.” I had never heard of a thunder mug before. 

Bunny could care less. We got back into the van and she went straight to sleep. 

We made a stop at my sister’s house on the way to Taos – Pancake loves Auntie Cara. 

First meal at the RV Park – instant ramen. 

We have great views of the mountains. Maybe we should just live at the RV park the rest of our lives. 

We’ve made use of the playground equipment.

Say hello to our neighbors. Taos has great sky views. 

Until next time, I hope you sleep as comfortably as this rabbit. 

Decision Time

If you missed it, we’ve decided on Taos, New Mexico. It’s a relief to have a single location to focus on, but until we sign a contract to buy a home, there’s always a chance for things to change. 

Everyone in my family is very on board with Taos, but that’s because they’ll live within driving distance from us for the first time in my adult life. Mom and Dad are even seriously considering moving to Santa Fe, so they will only be 1.5, rather than 6, hours away. We won’t be as accessible for Cameron’s side of the family, but I’m justifying it knowing that we will be up there fairly regularly for work and social reasons. Luckily there are direct flights from Albuquerque to Seattle, and the extra 3 hour drive to the airport is less time than waiting and taking a secondary flight somewhere. 

Overall, I feel really excited about Taos, but there’s some FOMO related to the other serious contenders. We even wrote in to a podcast asking for the hosts’ opinions on Taos, Wenatchee, Bend, Missoula, and Carson City. (They have yet to address it on the air.) We also had to make the decision to disregard the East Coast spots we originally had on the list. Taos is great, but is it the absolute best option for us?

Maybe, maybe not, but I am committed to being happy with our decision. I’m already fantasizing about joining a community theater group, biking to the farmers market, piling rocks into cairns in the front yard, and befriending some cool young shop owners. Plus there’s always the option to move in a free years if our happiness isn’t sustained.  

For now, the tentative plan is to either get a furnished monthly rental or pay for long-term hookups at an RV park. That will give us time to identify parts of town we’d most want to live in, and to see how day-to-day life is in Taos. We want to meet in-person with some real estate agencies to find someone who can guide us through our many (often conflicting) wish list items. Maybe during that process we’ll be underwhelmed and realize that small-town rural New Mexico is not what we want, but I’m hopeful it will be the opposite and we will fall more in love with Taos and the Land of Enchantment. 

As this plan solidifies in my mind, the costs are adding up. Moving is always expensive, but we’ve been downsizing for years so will need to purchase a lot more than most folks. There’s the cost of the house, potentially building/renovating costs, and the short term rental; those are all standard. Unlike most, we’ll need to but a car, figure out how to move our small storage stashes from multiple states, and furnish the house in full (we have next-to-nothing as far as furniture goes). Thinking about these forthcoming costs makes me want to delay indefinitely and keep living the rent-free vanlifer life style.

But that’s not a true deterrent. We are sold on Taos but aren’t heading back that way immediately. We have to make a trip back to Utah for dentist appointments and a pre-planned social visit, so the earliest we’ll return is early April. Until then, this blog will be on a short hiatus. 

Taos has been the topic for my journaling and doodling a lot lately


Starting the list of what we want included in our dream home. Casita and workshop are at the top of the list. 


I don’t have any new pics of Taos, but here are some other spots on New Mexico I’m excited to go back to. The Gila Wilderness has food potential for future backpacking trips. 


Attempting to go to some hot springs in the Gila, but we turned back because the river was too high. 


Catwalk Recreation Area will be another future backpacking trip spot.

Taos, NM – Round 2

If you remember, Taos was the first “yes” I felt sparkly-excited about. Our first trip was spontaneous and quick, but this time we returned for a family ski weekend. I wanted to see if that sparkly feeling was sustained during a holiday weekend during peak tourism season. 

In short, yes – I still love Taos. We had two very different but both very good ski days. Despite meeting people on the lifts from Colorado, Texas, and New York all visiting for Presidents Day, neither the slopes nor the town felt excessively crowded. We always found easy parking, we never had to wait for a restaurant (although we probably would have the first night at Taos Inn if we didn’t have a reservation), everyone was really friendly, and the town had a nice bustle to it.

Everything about our trip was great. The skiing was fun, everywhere we ate was tasty, and I had no problem shopping for a gift. Most importantly, I can picture my life here. Whether we live in a little adobe walking distance to town, or an Earthship on the other side of the Rio Grand Gorge, or we build a house en route to Taos Ski Valley, I have a mostly clear idea of my day-to-day. Regardless of which scenario we end up with, I’m happy about it!

Maybe I’m looking at Taos through rose-colored glasses, but I think this is it. We’ve spent the last two weeks perusing real estate apps and there have been at least three homes I’d categorize as my dream home. If Cameron weren’t insistent on waiting until after our taxes are dealt with, I’d be a Taos resident already. 

Taos Ski Valley is a well-renowned expert resort, and Cameron said it has a lot of favorable similarities to his childhood ski area in Canada. 

The ski area’s village is cute. It has a Spanish Colonial/Native American style and it’s carbon neutral!

We took the record-breaking Kachina lift up to 12,450 feet of elevation. The elevation was noticeable, but the skiing was excellent. 

Skiing day 2 was a different vibe. Visibility was minimal, but we had fresh powder all day. Cameron and I hiked up to the Highline and West Basin ridges and now are officially “ridge heads.”

Enough skiing pics! We had fun in town too. There was live music in the lobby of the Taos Inn on Friday night. 

I also had an excellent green chili margarita at the Taos Inn. In fact, I had multiple tasty green chili cocktails while in Taos. 

We had other yummy treats in town. Rather than ice cream, we opted for mousse cups at Chokola. 

Although I’m happy to report you can get year-round ice cream across the street at Manzanita Market. Fun flavors, too! Plus they sell my favorite Albuquerque-made deodorant. 

Cameron didn’t get to walk around town last time, but he finally did this time around and was impressed.

I just love the wood-and-adobe vibe of Taos. 

This is inside a restaurant, but I want this style of architecture in my house. One of the reasons Taos beats out other “yes” towns is because we probably can afford a home with charm and interesting architectural features. 

Anyways, Taos is great, and New Mexico is a great state that I’d be happy to move back to.