September 12, 2017

When we were moving to Massachusetts in 1996 we had a difficult time with the guy who built our house. When we decided we wanted to live in Harvard there weren't many homes for sale. One was a house under construction and the foundation had just been put in. We thought it would be good for us and we made an offer, but when we met with the builder to make changes to the plans, at one point he completely blew up at his own realtor. We thought about it overnight and decided we couldn't trust him and withdrew our offer. After looking in Harvard and other towns for another couple of months, nothing was right for us and we saw the new house going up incorporating all the changes we had suggested, and it had a potentially terrific view. We thought it over and figured, how bad could he be?, and we agreed to buy it. The construction process was a nightmare. Among many things, one worker asked "what alias is Tony going under on this job?", and the electrician wouldn't work unless we paid him directly. There was some terrible workmanship which we had to remedy ourselves, and there were bad feelings between us, but ultimately we ended up with a great house that has served us well for over 20 years. We raised our kids there and I love the house and the land and the great view.

I bring this up as a preface to a remarkable coincidence today. Terry, Rachel and I were on the ferry returning from Bainbridge Island to Seattle, Rachel wearing a Red Sox cap. When the guy next to me saw her cap he asked if we were from Massachusetts. I told him yes, from a small town called Harvard, and he said wow, they lived for many years in the next town over (they have lived in CA the last three years). He said they used to come pick apples at Carlson Orchards in Harvard and I said oh we live just a short ways from them on Slough Road. He and his wife both said Slough Road ?!?!? We tried to buy a house there! They had made an offer on a house that was going to be built but they decided the builder was too shady and questionable and they had decided to withdraw the offer. The guy's name was Tony something they said. Same house, same builder. If they hadn't withdrawn their offer we would have been living someplace else these past 20+ years. And we randomly met these folks sitting next to us on a ferry in the middle of Puget Sound. Unbelievably small world!