More about Africa (and some house stuff)

Houses -

I truly put so many deals together that I don't even keep count anymore - or more accurately, it's just all part of my daily routine that there is no high five moment. In just the past 45 days, I've put together about $5m of deals, very diversified with the narrow lane we work - 2 houses that we are building on other people's land (Saugerties and Stone Ridge), a house nearly finished (Fremont/North Branch), and house just starting (North Branch), and a house that is finished (Narrowsburg). The deals come together so seamlessly between my skills, my attorneys efforts on our behalf that I have to be careful not to overbook and leave Amanda once again on the hook for more homes than she can reasonably manage and design.

Prices and volume in the real estate market appears to remain strong for good homes. It is correcting some in terms of what people are willing to pay, but that's a good thing and we welcome the new price points where interest remains robust.

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Africa -

We've all mostly seen Out of Africa, but I read the book while traveling there, and if you go in looking for a mirror of the movie, you will be disappointed - the movie seems to have used the 'creative license' to the full extent in changing facts, timelines, events, etc...

If you read it on its own, as a meditation of life, Africa, life in Africa, loss, celebration, appreciation and gratitude, then it is worthy indeed.  The tone and pace and style reminds of Verilyn Klenkenberg, a columnist for the NYTimes for years and author of The Rural Life.

Highly recommend both. When the writing of a piece captures the pace of the story or environment, then that is valuable. For instance, Isak Dinesen, the Danish baroness who wrote Out of Africa, takes her time with her book, lets it meander and lose its path, a lot like the people of Africa at the time lived their lives - not in a future target ambition of some sort, but a live in the present ability lost to most westerners.

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