Travels with Fred & Susan Magness: Creek Road Adventures

Waiting for Blue Birds

Have you ever seen the movie “The Money Pit” with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long? It’s about a couple, Walter and Anna, who attempt to renovate a mansion they have purchased at a distress sale. The elderly lady is selling the house “quickly” for various suspicious reasons. When they come to see the house she keeps the house lit in candlelight in order to “save money”. They purchase the house and from the moment they take possession it begins to fall apart. It is a must-see for anyone who is contemplating renovating a house or who is in the middle of such a monumental task.

Which brings me to the reason for firing up my blog…

Fred and I have inherited a “quaint” little house in Ojai, CA., left to me by my dearly departed parents, Florence and Lawrence Vernand. Two of the nicest people you could ever meet, they fell in love with the beautiful Creek Road area and purchased about two acres of land in 1968 on which they were to build their dream house. Several years later they purchased the little house next door on one-and-a-half acres, which is the house I have inherited.

Built by the Hall family somewhere around 1920 as a cabin for leisure days of hunting and fishing, it was definitely built as an inexpensive vacation shelter. What it lacks in luxury and quality construction however, it makes up for in charm and cuteness. Surrounded by Sycamore, Oak and Pine trees, it cuddles up to San Antonio Creek along the picturesque winding curves of Creek Road, a favorite Sunday afternoon drive for folks in Ventura County.

It is here that Fred and I have spent the past two months of our lives, digging, scraping, painting, weeding, planting, hammering, sawing, hauling, and just as importantly, pouring money into our very own “Money Pit”. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to imply that we resent any of this. Quite the contrary, we love our little piece of property, flaws and all. And every time we remove paint and find a new flaw, bad wiring, poor construction, or anything else that needs money, we are constantly reminded of Walter and Anna. We heave a sigh, pull out our wallets, and head to Lowe’s Home Improvement store, singing “The Money Pit, the Money Pit, that’s the way we became the Money Pit,” to the tune of the Brady Bunch.

The beat goes on and we are still in the middle of the repairs. We tend to think of it not so much as a “renovation” but more of an “upgrade”. The exterior of the house is almost complete (more on that later). We have worked our way into the interior and are currently tackling (literally) the kitchen.

To bring you up to date, here are some before and after photos of the exterior of our little treasure.