Something lit a fire under my daughter when she became pregnant with Wee Jamie, the Wonder Grandson: in the space of a couple of mere hours and days she resolved to – a) get herself a real estate license, b) buy a house for herself and Jamie in a good school district by the time that he was old enough to start school, and c) organized insurance and prenatal care for herself. The prenatal care came first, of course – and then the real estate license, just in time to see the real estate market begin to wobble badly. She wound up working the rental market for clients of the brokerage who sponsors her now. She does have some regular sales clients and the commissions earned through them, as well as a VA disability pension. At this point the VA income allows her to spend time raising Wee Jamie, rather than depending on real estate dealings for everything. Yeah, various physical aspects of Marine Corps service did a number on her overall health …

Anyway, having met all three of those goals in the five-year time frame specified now leaves her at loose ends regarding ambitions. The mortgage on my own house is paid off – although I am still paying for work done to upgrade the siding, windows, HVAC and the water main. It will take another couple of years to get those expenses paid down … but in the meantime, my daughter has another five-year plan. This one is for both of us – to jointly purchase a little house in or near Rockport to spend long weekends and holidays in. We both like Rockport and the Texas Gulf Coast Shore very much. The surf is nothing to boast of, the water is pale greenish mostly (not deep blue or wine-dark) the coastal scenery is not famously scenic; nothing like Big Sur, the Amalfi coast, or the Hawaiian Islands … but we like the down-to-earth vibe of Rockport and Fulton, barely a two-hour drive away from where we both live now.

We like to see Jamie paddling in the shallow coast water, picking up little shells that have live crabs in residence, watching the boats head out into Aransas Bay from the Fulton marina, and sunrise and sunsets over the water. It would be nice to have a little place to go away to on holidays, and to invite friends to come and visit. My daughter wants to build up a collection of properties, just as an excellent friend of ours has done over the years.

So, to that end, I’m watching property listings in Rockport, Fulton and Copano – just to get a notion of what is there, and of our general tastes when it comes to a holiday retreat. Definitely three bedrooms, at least a bath and a half – on a raised foundation, if possible, and with at least one deep covered porch. Near to, but not necessarily on the water, not necessarily within town limits. There are a number of small homes in a price range which may be doable – but as my daughter advises – it will be the homeowner’s insurance which dictates affordability at least as much as the base price for the house. Visiting in person and having a rigorous inspection is a non-negotiable demand. We both have seen how pictures can … umm … conceal as much as they reveal of a structure.

In any case, it’s five years out from now, as this plan is also contingent on having both of our cars paid off entirely.