The third property is the charm!

Once upon a time ago, in a far off desert land, there alighted (what we call snowbirds)... and there they made their home in the desolation of the Sonoran desert. It seemed crazy for anyone to willingly leave the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, but migrate they did!

One by one, family came for a visit to see just WHAT was so special about this desert that drug part of our family so far away? Well, I first noticed there was lotsa 'couch time on that new comfortable brown leather sofa...... and Bill O'Rielly to get every one all rilled up!
But, that isn't enough to convince a die hard Northwesterner like me.....
Apparently others in our family thought likewise, as soon, others began the migration south to see what was really going on down yonder....
It all began with two sisters getting together on the telephone giggling about a plan to live closer together...at least in the same state! So, the one sister still in the Northwest, decided to come on down (grabbing her husband with her)  and check it out.
Here is where it gets rather hairy........Uncle Pat had spotted a really nice waterfront piece of property and he wanted to check it out...... So, the two brother in laws got out the map and charted a course to find this property.
When all the "MAN" talk got done, Joan was getting anxious to get going and see this place......make up was all done, hair combed, now just for those slow men to get ready...geeeeze!
So.....off to chart a boat. This property was somewhere up river so it seems!
AS the boat chugged and chugged along, Bob was pointing out the extremes that could happen by living so far upstream.
The Boat was always breaking down....
You have to deal with the Nile River Virus, cause there are so many mosquito's...
And, you never know when one of those Mexican 'wetbacks' might come sneaking up on your dock at night! The more dad talked, the less enthusiastic Pat and Joan felt.....soon, they just wanted to turn around and head back. Obviously, homes on the water were NOT for them!!!
(No matter HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY LOOK!)
Joan just decided................Forget that one! I don't know how to swim anyway!
So, with that trip wasted, the disgruntled group headed back to the land and sand.
(But, it was a nice trip....)
Uncle Pat is worried that he is giving up such a nice home....he really did want that one you know! However he has plan B under the cuff. A couple more properties to look at......so, we will see if the next one is a better deal!
Back home, everyone finally came to the conclusion that living way down river, and ON the river was just not practical after all. Too many cons, and not enough pros....
~Sigh~ on to the next one.
Luckily enough, this property was on the ground, on the sand, and easy to access. You didn't need a boat to reach it, and it was very pretty.
Pat wasn't too sure about it though, due to the extensive yearly maintenance required. He didn't feel up to the paint job, and the landscaping. He had wanted to come to the desert for more freedom, not MORE work. Heck, he had worked hard all his life....and he wasn't looking for more.............so............ sorry Joan, Pat put his thumbs down on this one too! Maybe, just maybe, the next property will be the one!
You know what they say, the third is the CHARM!!!!

Ok...after a long boat ride, and the house was wrong...(too close to the water), then driving all the way out on some dirt road to look at a really beautiful charmer with plenty of room for all the kids and grand kids.....(too much maintenance)....I now sense that Joan is getting a bit to the end of her rope...........eeeekkkk hold on Joanie, maybe the third one is the charm!
So the fearless foursome commandeerd the little Green land rover, and head out on some GPS guidance system...... who really knows where they are going, but, I heard its toward some "Castle" or "Dome" or something eerie sounding like that....
Have fun guys!...See ya there!
During the drive, and while enduring the bumps and dust and rocks......Joan leaned over to whisper something into Pats ear. Something like this..."Pat, I' ve had it! Just BUY the next property we look at".  "I am tired of shopping around, and I MEAN IT!"
Pat took one look at the intent look on Joans face, and knew she was serious.
So, after a 4 and a 1/2 hour drive, they finally arrived at the "THIRD PROPERTY", and boy was everyone relieved to just squeeze out of that little green torture chamber!
By now, Pat remembered what Joan had told him, and decided upon this one to buy.
Hey, the price was excellent...and well, yeah, it needs a little fixin up, but so what? He figured now that he is retired, he has plenty of hobby time....and fixin up the home should be a rewarding experience! So, Pat started showing Bob around the place, pointing out what all the property had as little extras....(some firewood already down!) Lots'a rocks....no need to mow a lawn!
And Joanie got so excited about the house that she started right away to see if they had the cash on hand to give the down payment.

Pat started calling the bank, telling them to put a "SOLD" sign out front....he couldn't remember the last time he felt this good, and had such a cool new dig to call home!

Everything was going sooooooooooo good, that is until brother-in-law Bob found the moonshine. OOOOPs.............
Needless to say, in their extatic mood of celebration, everyone started dipping in, until the entire jug was empty, and everyone was a hootin and a hollerin, and making such a ruckus that the local sherriff had to show up.

The Sheriff was nice enough to let the two ladies off the hook, but the fellows had to be put behind bars...The Sheriff threatened to throw away the key....and he just might have, because they sat and sat and sat in there weeks on end.
Sherrill resorted to preaching, and trying to arouse local sympathy in a grassroots, or should I say (sandroot) movement of protests to let the guys out of the slammer.
But, no matter how much she preached, the townspeople just turned a deaf ear to her pleas..... they had seen this type of thing all too many times before. As far as I know, she is still there to this day, preaching and hoping to gain the rightful release of Bob and Pat...........
I don't know what happened to Joan. I think she is sitting in the pews somewhere, listening to her sister preach.....
Well, there is an old fable floating around the place now..... its been a good 50 years since the ole two rabblerascers were locked up. Its been said that the Ghost of Pat still haunts the bar, and on a full moon you can hear bottles clinking and if you try hard enough, you can smell the whiff of ole moonshine.....

As for Bob........he was never seen nor heard of again. Its been told that he dug a secret tunnel out back of the cell, and he escaped.
Whoooooooooo knows???????????????
Just beware of the 'Third Property' the next time you go a looking....