Vacant...

Marie had to drive to Northern Virginia on Friday so I drove up there and met her for lunch. After a nice meal at Lone Star on Duke Street, we drove past the block where we once lived on Taft Avenue.

I was not sure what to expect because I knew the house was sold to a developer a couple of years ago (by the couple that I sold it to in 1998). Well, the house is gone. Here's Marie in the driveway.

Behind the lot is Fort Williams Park, which is the feature that convinced me to buy the house many years ago. It's a stream valley park, quite pleasant. My house was a modest flat-roofed building with a peaceful tree-shaded yard.

A sign on Duke Street says that a subdivision called Coopers Grove is coming, with homes starting in the $900's. That means million-dollar homes, folks! Well, the location is great. Close-in, nice area, near Alexandria's historic district and the Beltway... I would have stayed if it weren't for the air pollution in the summertime. (And I do feel healthier out here in the country!)

If you look at the site plan, my former lot is #12. I see that the house next door where Carl lived is still there, as is Hector's place across the street. I don't know how the millionaires will feel looking down at those inexpensive houses.