February 14- The new neighborhood

You may have to click on the above picture to get a clearer view of the new neighborhood. It’s not Crest Street, and so far we haven’t met any neighbors that could possibly replace the dear ones we left back in Florence, but we really like the new place. It’s incredible! We’re about 5 miles outside the city of Wonju into the foothills of the mountains. Our little neighbor consists of 3 streets of houses located on a hilltop above farmland. There isn’t much for as far as the eye can see, but that’s a blessing in a country where most housing is found in grimy high rise apartments. All the houses in our neighborhood remind me of the chalets you find in Gatlinburg, TN. They’re all very rustic looking, with great porches to take in the views from, and they’re all brand new. All the houses across the street from ours all still in various stages of construction. These houses were actually built to be rented by skiers on vacation, but the skiing on Chiaksan Mountain hasn’t done well lately, so now they’re being sold as everyday homes. We really got lucky finding this place. I think we will be able to live quite comfortably for the next couple years.
At the bottom of the hill from our house is a man made fishing pond. Again, this is another picture you may have to click on to enlarge to be able to get a clearer view of it. During the summer each of those little blue domes is a tent you can rent and sit under to fish. During the winter months this becomes an ice fishing pond. You can see the spots on the ice where it has been drilled. We’ve seen lots of people fishing out there since we’ve been here. I DON”T think we’ll be partaking in that sport.
I can see us really enjoying this deck during the spring and summer months. It wraps nearly around the house and boasts some stunning views. I’m already ordering the childproof deck netting to go between the rails- it’s a long way down at some points.